Address configuration method, session control network element, communication system, and storage medium

Abstract

The present disclosure provides an address configuration method, a session control network element, a communication system, and a storage medium. The address configuration method comprises: acquiring address information of a user equipment from a user subscription data network element on the basis of a session establishment request sent by the user equipment; and sending the address information to the user equipment.

Description

Address configuration method, session control network element, communication system and storage medium

[0001] Cross-references to related applications

[0002] This disclosure is based on and claims priority to CN application No. 202410508553.1, filed on April 25, 2024, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. Technical Field

[0003] This disclosure relates to the field of communications, and in particular to an address configuration method, a session control network element, a communication system, and a storage medium. Background Technology

[0004] 5G NPN (Non-Public Network) is a dedicated network in the 3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership Project) 5G system architecture. It expands the application scope of 5G networks, making them not limited to traditional public mobile networks.

[0005] There are two deployment methods for NPNs: stand-alone deployment and non-stand-alone deployment. Stand-alone NPNs are called SNPNs (Stand-alone Non-Public Networks), while non-stand-alone NPNs are combined with public networks and are called PNI-NPNs (Public Network Integrated Non-Public Networks).

[0006] Currently, NPN primarily serves enterprises and government departments. These organizations prefer to assign static IP (Internet Protocol) addresses to some or most of their UEs (User Equipment). For example, in vertical industries (such as manufacturing, oil and gas, mining, and chemical industries), all aspects of NPN are planned in advance during the engineering phase, meaning that all UEs are assigned a static IP address.

[0007] Summary of the Invention

[0008] In a first aspect of this disclosure, an address configuration method is provided, executed by a session control network element, comprising: obtaining address information of the user equipment from a user-subscribed data network element based on a session establishment request sent by the user equipment; and sending the address information to the user equipment.

[0009] In some embodiments, the address information includes at least one of IPv4 address information or IPv6 address information.

[0010] In some embodiments, the IPv4 address information includes at least one of an IPv4 address, an IPv4 address segment, an IPv4 address prefix, or an IPv4 address mask; the IPv6 address information includes at least one of an IPv6 address, an IPv6 address segment, an IPv6 address prefix, or an IPv6 address mask.

[0011] In some embodiments, address configuration condition information of the user equipment is obtained from the user-subscribed data network element; wherein, sending the address information to the user equipment includes: detecting whether the address configuration conditions included in the address configuration condition information are satisfied; and if the address configuration conditions are satisfied, sending the address information to the user equipment.

[0012] In some embodiments, the address configuration conditions include at least one of the following: the current time is a specified valid time, the current location of the user equipment is a specified valid location, and the network information of the network currently used by the user equipment is specified valid network information.

[0013] In some embodiments, the specified valid network information includes at least one of the specified single network slice selection assistance information, the specified data network name, or the specified public land mobile network identifier.

[0014] In a second aspect of this disclosure, a session control network element is provided, comprising: a first processing module configured to obtain address information of the user equipment from a user-subscribed data network element based on a session establishment request sent by the user equipment; and a second processing module configured to send the address information to the user equipment.

[0015] In a third aspect of this disclosure, a session control network element is provided, comprising: a memory; and a processor coupled to the memory, the processor being configured to execute instructions stored in the memory to implement the method as described in any of the above embodiments.

[0016] In a fourth aspect of this disclosure, a communication system is provided, comprising: a session control network element as described in any of the above embodiments; an application function network element configured to send an address configuration request to a network open network element, wherein the address configuration request includes address information of a user equipment; a network open network element configured to write the address configuration request into a user subscription data network element; and a user subscription data network element configured to store the address configuration request and provide the address information of the user equipment to the session control network element.

[0017] In some embodiments, the address information of the user equipment includes at least one of IPv4 address information or IPv6 address information.

[0018] In some embodiments, the IPv4 address information includes at least one of an IPv4 address, an IPv4 address segment, an IPv4 address prefix, or an IPv4 address mask; the IPv6 address information includes at least one of an IPv6 address, an IPv6 address segment, an IPv6 address prefix, or an IPv6 address mask.

[0019] In some embodiments, the address configuration request may also include the identification information of the user equipment.

[0020] In some embodiments, the identification information of the user equipment includes at least one of the following: the user equipment's general public user identifier (GPSI), a list of GPSIs including the user equipment's GPSI, the group identifier of the user equipment's virtual network group, and the external group identifier of the user equipment's virtual network group.

[0021] In some embodiments, the address configuration request may further include at least one of the information of the application function network element or the address configuration condition information of the user equipment, wherein the address configuration condition information includes the address configuration conditions of the user equipment.

[0022] In some embodiments, the address configuration conditions include at least one of the following: the current time is a specified valid time, the current location of the user equipment is a specified valid location, and the network information of the network currently used by the user equipment is specified valid network information.

[0023] In some embodiments, the designated valid network resources include at least one of the following: designated single network slice selection assistance information, designated data network name, or designated public land mobile network identifier.

[0024] In some embodiments, the network open element is configured to detect whether the application function element is under the jurisdiction of a designated operator, and if the application function element is under the jurisdiction of the designated operator, write the address configuration request to the user's subscribed data element.

[0025] In some embodiments, the network open element is configured to authenticate the address configuration request when the application function element is managed by a third party, and if the authentication is successful, write the address configuration request into the user's subscribed data element.

[0026] In some embodiments, the network open element is configured to detect whether the address configuration request includes information that the core network cannot recognize. If the address configuration request includes the unrecognizable information, the unrecognizable information is translated into information that the core network can recognize, and the translated address configuration request is written into the user's subscribed data network element.

[0027] In some embodiments, the network open element includes a network open function (NEF) element; the user subscription data element includes a unified data management (UDM) element; and the session control element includes a session management function (SMF) element.

[0028] In a fifth aspect of this disclosure, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, wherein the computer-readable storage medium stores computer instructions that, when executed by a processor, implement the method as described in any of the above embodiments.

[0029] In a sixth aspect of this disclosure, a computer program product is provided, including computer instructions, wherein the computer instructions, when executed by a processor, implement the method as described in any of the above embodiments.

[0030] According to a seventh aspect of the present disclosure, a computer program is provided, including computer instructions, wherein the computer instructions, when executed by a processor, implement the method as described in any of the above embodiments.

[0031] Other features and advantages of this disclosure will become clear from the following detailed description of exemplary embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings. Attached Figure Description

[0032] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this disclosure or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of this disclosure. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0033] Figure 1 is a flowchart illustrating an address configuration method according to an embodiment of this disclosure;

[0034] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a session control network element according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0035] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a session control network element according to another embodiment of this disclosure;

[0036] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0037] Figure 5 is a flowchart illustrating an address configuration method according to another embodiment of this disclosure;

[0038] Figure 6 is a flowchart illustrating an address configuration method according to yet another embodiment of this disclosure. Detailed Implementation

[0039] The technical solutions of the embodiments of this disclosure will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of this disclosure, and not all embodiments. The following description of at least one exemplary embodiment is merely illustrative and is in no way intended to limit this disclosure or its application or use. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of this disclosure without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this disclosure.

[0040] Unless otherwise specifically stated, the relative arrangement, numerical expressions, and values ​​of the components and steps set forth in these embodiments do not limit the scope of this disclosure.

[0041] At the same time, it should be understood that, for ease of description, the dimensions of the various parts shown in the accompanying drawings are not drawn according to actual scale.

[0042] Techniques, methods, and equipment known to those skilled in the art may not be discussed in detail, but where appropriate, such techniques, methods, and equipment should be considered part of the specification.

[0043] In all examples shown and discussed herein, any specific values ​​should be interpreted as merely exemplary and not as limitations. Therefore, other examples of exemplary embodiments may have different values.

[0044] It should be noted that similar labels and letters in the following figures indicate similar items; therefore, once an item is defined in one figure, it does not need to be discussed further in subsequent figures.

[0045] The inventors noted that in related technologies, the UE in the NPN is pre-assigned a static IP address, and therefore cannot be dynamically adjusted according to the user's needs, which affects the promotion of 5G non-public network services.

[0046] Accordingly, this disclosure provides an address configuration method that can dynamically adjust the IP address of the UE according to user needs, thereby effectively improving the user experience and facilitating the promotion of 5G non-public network services.

[0047] Figure 1 is a schematic flowchart of an address configuration method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. In some embodiments, the following address configuration method is performed by a session control network element, including steps 101-102.

[0048] In step 101, the address information of the user equipment is obtained from the user-subscribed data network element according to the session establishment request sent by the user equipment.

[0049] It should be noted that when a user equipment accesses the network, it will send a session establishment request to the session control network element.

[0050] In some embodiments, the address information of the user equipment includes at least one of IPv4 address information or IPv6 address information.

[0051] For example, IPv4 address information includes at least one of IPv4 address, IPv4 address segment, IPv4 address prefix, or IPv4 address mask. IPv6 address information includes at least one of IPv6 address, IPv6 address segment, IPv6 address prefix, or IPv6 address mask.

[0052] In step 102, the address information is sent to the user equipment.

[0053] In some embodiments, where the user equipment's address configuration information is included in the user-subscribed data network element, the user equipment's address configuration information can also be obtained from the user-subscribed data network element.

[0054] In this case, it is checked whether the address configuration conditions included in the address configuration condition information are met. If the address configuration conditions are met, the address information is sent to the user equipment.

[0055] In some embodiments, the address configuration conditions include at least one of the following: the current time is a specified valid time, the current location of the user equipment is a specified valid location, and the network information of the network currently used by the user equipment is specified valid network information.

[0056] For example, the specified valid network information includes at least one of the specified S-NSSAI (Single Network Slice Selection Assistance Information), the specified DNN (Data Network Name), or the specified PLMN (Public Land Mobile Network) identifier.

[0057] For example, the address configuration conditions include a valid time period from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM every day, which means that the session control network element will only provide address information to the user equipment when the user equipment accesses the network from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM every day.

[0058] For example, the address configuration condition includes the valid location as Haidian District, Beijing. This means that the session control network element will only provide address information to the user equipment when the user equipment accesses the network from Haidian District, Beijing.

[0059] In some embodiments, the user equipment uses the received address information to communicate with the AF (Application Function) network element that configures the address information.

[0060] In the address configuration method provided in the above embodiments of this disclosure, the address information of the user equipment is obtained from the user's subscribed data network element according to the session establishment request sent by the user equipment, and the address information is sent to the user equipment. This enables the user equipment's IP address to be dynamically adjusted according to the user's needs, thereby effectively improving the user experience and facilitating the promotion of 5G non-public network services.

[0061] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a session control network element according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 2, the session control network element includes a first processing module 21 and a second processing module 22.

[0062] The first processing module 21 is configured to obtain the address information of the user equipment from the user-subscribed data network element based on the session establishment request sent by the user equipment.

[0063] It should be noted that when a user equipment accesses the network, it will send a session establishment request to the session control network element.

[0064] In some embodiments, the address information of the user equipment includes at least one of IPv4 address information or IPv6 address information.

[0065] For example, IPv4 address information includes at least one of IPv4 address, IPv4 address segment, IPv4 address prefix, or IPv4 address mask. IPv6 address information includes at least one of IPv6 address, IPv6 address segment, IPv6 address prefix, or IPv6 address mask.

[0066] The second processing module 22 is configured to send address information to the user equipment.

[0067] In some embodiments, if the user-subscribed data network element includes address configuration information of the user equipment, the first processing module 21 can also obtain the address configuration information of the user equipment from the user-subscribed data network element.

[0068] In this case, the second processing module 22 detects whether the address configuration conditions included in the address configuration condition information are met. If the address configuration conditions are met, the address information is sent to the user equipment.

[0069] In some embodiments, the address configuration conditions include at least one of the following: the current time is a specified valid time, the current location of the user equipment is a specified valid location, and the network information of the network currently used by the user equipment is specified valid network information.

[0070] For example, the specified valid network information includes at least one of the specified S-NSSAI, the specified DNN, or the specified PLMN identifier.

[0071] For example, the address configuration conditions include a valid time period from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM every day, which means that the session control network element will only provide address information to the user equipment when the user equipment accesses the network from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM every day.

[0072] For example, the address configuration condition includes the valid location as Haidian District, Beijing. This means that the session control network element will only provide address information to the user equipment when the user equipment accesses the network from Haidian District, Beijing.

[0073] In some embodiments, the user equipment uses the received address information to communicate with the AF network element that configures the address information.

[0074] In the session control network element provided in the above embodiments of this disclosure, the address information of the user equipment is obtained from the user-subscribed data network element according to the session establishment request sent by the user equipment, and the address information is sent to the user equipment. This enables the user equipment's IP address to be dynamically adjusted according to the user's needs, thereby effectively improving the user experience and facilitating the promotion of 5G non-public network services.

[0075] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a session control network element according to another embodiment of this disclosure.

[0076] As shown in Figure 3, the session control network element 30 can be represented in the form of a general computing device. The session control network element 30 includes a memory 31, a processor 32, and a bus 33 connecting different system components.

[0077] The memory 31 may include, for example, system memory, non-volatile storage media, etc. System memory may store, for example, an operating system, application programs, a boot loader, and other programs. System memory may include volatile storage media, such as random access memory (RAM) and / or cache memory. Non-volatile storage media may store, for example, instructions for a corresponding embodiment of at least one address configuration method being executed. Non-volatile storage media include, but are not limited to, disk storage, optical storage, flash memory, etc.

[0078] The processor 32 can be implemented using a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic devices, discrete hardware components such as discrete gates or transistors. Accordingly, each module, such as the acquisition module, the calculation module, and the adjustment module, can be implemented by executing instructions in the central processing unit (CPU) running memory to perform the corresponding steps, or by implementing dedicated circuitry to perform the corresponding steps.

[0079] For example, processor 32 is configured to implement the method involved in any embodiment of FIG1 for instruction execution based on memory storage.

[0080] Bus 33 can use any of the various bus architectures. For example, bus architectures include, but are not limited to, the Industry Standard Architecture (ISA) bus, the Micro Channel Architecture (MCA) bus, and the Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) bus.

[0081] The interfaces 34, 35, and 36 of the session control network element 30, as well as the memory 31 and processor 32, can be connected via bus 33. Input / output interface 34 provides connection interfaces for input / output devices such as monitors, mice, and keyboards. Network interface 35 provides connection interfaces for various networked devices. Storage interface 36 provides connection interfaces for external storage devices such as floppy disks, USB flash drives, and SD cards.

[0082] Various aspects of this disclosure are described herein with reference to flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams of methods, apparatus, and computer program products according to embodiments of this disclosure. It should be understood that each block of the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams, and combinations thereof, can be implemented by computer-readable program instructions.

[0083] These computer-readable program instructions are provided to a processor of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, or other programmable device to produce a machine, such that execution of the instructions by the processor produces means for implementing the functions specified in one or more boxes of the flowchart and / or block diagram.

[0084] These computer-readable program instructions may also be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. These instructions cause a computer to work in a particular manner to produce an article of manufacture, including instructions that implement the functions specified in one or more boxes in a flowchart and / or block diagram.

[0085] This disclosure may take the form of a completely hardware embodiment, a completely software embodiment, or an embodiment combining software and hardware aspects.

[0086] This disclosure also provides a computer-readable storage medium storing computer instructions that, when executed by a processor, implement the method involved in any embodiment of FIG1.

[0087] This disclosure also provides a computer program product, including computer instructions, wherein when executed by a processor, the computer instructions implement the method involved in any embodiment of FIG1.

[0088] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication system according to an embodiment of this disclosure. As shown in Figure 4, the communication system includes an AF network element 41, a network open network element 42, a user subscription data network element 43, and a session control network element 44. The session control network element 44 is the session control network element involved in any embodiment of Figure 2 or Figure 3.

[0089] AF element 41 is configured to send an address configuration request to network open element 42, wherein the address configuration request includes the address information of the user equipment.

[0090] In some embodiments, the address information of the user equipment includes at least one of IPv4 address information or IPv6 address information.

[0091] For example, IPv4 address information includes at least one of IPv4 address, IPv4 address segment, IPv4 address prefix, or IPv4 address mask. IPv6 address information includes at least one of IPv6 address, IPv6 address segment, IPv6 address prefix, or IPv6 address mask.

[0092] In some embodiments, the address configuration request may also include identification information of the user equipment.

[0093] For example, the identification information of a user equipment includes at least one of the following: the user equipment's GPSI (Generic Public Subscription Identifier), a list of GPSIs including the user equipment's GPSI, the group ID of the user equipment's VN Group (Virtual network Group), and the external group ID of the user equipment's virtual network group.

[0094] In some embodiments, the address configuration request may further include at least one of the following: information of the application function network element, or address configuration condition information of the user equipment, wherein the address configuration condition information includes the address configuration conditions of the user equipment.

[0095] For example, the address configuration conditions include at least one of the following: the current time is a specified valid time, the current location of the user equipment is a specified valid location, and the network information of the network currently used by the user equipment is specified valid network information.

[0096] For example, the specified valid network resources include at least one of the following: specified single network slice selection assistance information, specified data network name, or specified public land mobile network identifier.

[0097] Network open element 42 is configured to write the information included in the address configuration request into user subscription data element 43.

[0098] In some embodiments, the network open element 42 is configured to detect whether the AF element 41 is under the jurisdiction of a designated operator. If the AF element 41 is under the jurisdiction of a designated operator, the address configuration request is directly written to the user's subscribed data element 43.

[0099] When AF element 41 is managed by a third party, network open element 42 authenticates the address configuration request. If the authentication is successful, the address configuration request is written to user-subscribed data element 43.

[0100] In some embodiments, the network open element 42 is configured to detect whether the address configuration request includes information that the core network cannot recognize. If the address configuration request includes unrecognizable information, the unrecognizable information is translated into information that the core network can recognize, and the translated address configuration request is written into the user's subscribed data element 43.

[0101] For example, the valid location information included in the address configuration request is "Haidian District, Beijing". However, the core network cannot directly identify "Haidian District, Beijing". Therefore, it is necessary to translate "Haidian District, Beijing" into coordinate area information that the core network can recognize.

[0102] User-subscribed data network element 43 is configured to store address configuration requests and provide the user equipment's address information to session control network element 44 so that the user equipment can use the received address information to communicate with AF network element 41.

[0103] In some embodiments, the network exposure element 42 includes a NEF (Network Exposure Function) element, the user subscription data element 43 includes a UDM (Unified Data Management) element, and the session control element includes an SMF (Session Management Function) element.

[0104] Figure 5 is a flowchart illustrating an address configuration method according to another embodiment of this disclosure, including steps 501 to 506.

[0105] It should be noted that user equipment can refer to a terminal using a single SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) card / SUPI (Subscription Permanent Identifier), a multi-card terminal with dual SIM cards / SUPI, or a set of dual terminals using dual SIM cards / SUPI, in which data diversion, splitting, and switching are implemented within the dual terminals.

[0106] The access control network element can be the MME (Mobility Management Entity) in 4G, the AMF (Access and Mobility Management Function) network element in 5G, or a network element with the same function appearing in 6G networks.

[0107] The session control network element can be a 5G SMF network element, a 4G / 5G converged network element SMF+PGW-C (Packet Data Network Gateway-Control Plane), or a network element with the same function that appears in 6G networks.

[0108] The user-subscribed data network element can be a 5G UDM, a 4G / 5G converged network element UDM+HSS (Home Subscriber Server), or a network element with the same function that appears in the 6G network.

[0109] Network open elements can be SCEF (Service Capability Exposure Function) network elements in 4G, NEF in 5G, or network elements with the same function appearing in 6G networks.

[0110] Application function network elements are associated with applications.

[0111] In step 501, the AF network element sends an address configuration request to the network open network element.

[0112] In some embodiments, the address configuration request includes the identification information of the user equipment.

[0113] For example, the identification information of a user equipment includes at least one of the following: the user equipment's GPSI, a list of GPSIs including the user equipment's GPSI, the group identifier of the user equipment's virtual network group, and the external group identifier of the user equipment's virtual network group.

[0114] In addition, the address configuration request includes the address information of the user device.

[0115] For example, the address information of a user equipment includes at least one of IPv4 address information or IPv6 address information.

[0116] For example, IPv4 address information includes at least one of IPv4 address, IPv4 address segment, IPv4 address prefix, or IPv4 address mask. IPv6 address information includes at least one of IPv6 address, IPv6 address segment, IPv6 address prefix, or IPv6 address mask.

[0117] In some embodiments, the address configuration request may also include other information, such as at least one of the following: information of application function network elements, or address configuration condition information of user equipment, wherein the address configuration condition information includes address configuration conditions of user equipment.

[0118] For example, the address configuration conditions include at least one of the following: the current time is a specified valid time, the current location of the user equipment is a specified valid location, and the network information of the network currently used by the user equipment is specified valid network information.

[0119] For example, the specified valid network resources include at least one of the following: specified single network slice selection assistance information, specified data network name, or specified public land mobile network identifier.

[0120] In step 502, the network open element writes the information included in the address configuration request into the user's subscribed data network element when the AF network element is under the jurisdiction of a designated operator.

[0121] It should be noted that if the address configuration request includes information that the core network cannot recognize, the unrecognizable information will be translated into information that the core network can recognize.

[0122] In step 503, the user equipment accesses the network, initiates a session establishment process, and sends a session establishment request to the session control network element.

[0123] In step 504, the session control network element obtains the address information of the user equipment from the user's subscription data network element.

[0124] In step 505, the session control network element sends a session establishment confirmation message to the user equipment, which includes the address information of the user equipment.

[0125] In some embodiments, when the user-subscribed data network element includes the address configuration information of the user equipment, the session control network element obtains the address configuration information of the user equipment from the user-subscribed data network element.

[0126] The session control network element detects whether the address configuration conditions included in the address configuration condition information are met. If the address configuration conditions are met, the address information is sent to the user equipment.

[0127] In step 506, the user equipment uses the received address information to establish communication with the AF network element.

[0128] Figure 6 is a flowchart illustrating an address configuration method according to another embodiment of this disclosure, including steps 601-607.

[0129] In step 601, the AF network element sends an address configuration request to the network open network element.

[0130] In some embodiments, the address configuration request includes the identification information of the user equipment.

[0131] For example, the identification information of a user equipment includes at least one of the following: the user equipment's GPSI, a list of GPSIs including the user equipment's GPSI, the group identifier of the user equipment's virtual network group, and the external group identifier of the user equipment's virtual network group.

[0132] In addition, the address configuration request includes the address information of the user device.

[0133] For example, the address information of a user equipment includes at least one of IPv4 address information or IPv6 address information.

[0134] For example, IPv4 address information includes at least one of IPv4 address, IPv4 address segment, IPv4 address prefix, or IPv4 address mask. IPv6 address information includes at least one of IPv6 address, IPv6 address segment, IPv6 address prefix, or IPv6 address mask.

[0135] In some embodiments, the address configuration request may also include other information, such as at least one of the following: information of application function network elements, or address configuration condition information of user equipment, wherein the address configuration condition information includes address configuration conditions of user equipment.

[0136] For example, the address configuration conditions include at least one of the following: the current time is a specified valid time, the current location of the user equipment is a specified valid location, and the network information of the network currently used by the user equipment is specified valid network information.

[0137] For example, the specified valid network resources include at least one of the following: specified single network slice selection assistance information, specified data network name, or specified public land mobile network identifier.

[0138] In step 602, the network open element authenticates the address configuration request when the AF element is managed by a third party.

[0139] In step 603, if authentication is successful, the network open element writes the information included in the address configuration request into the user's subscribed data element.

[0140] It should be noted that if the address configuration request includes information that the core network cannot recognize, the unrecognizable information will be translated into information that the core network can recognize.

[0141] In step 604, the user equipment accesses the network, initiates a session establishment process, and sends a session establishment request to the session control network element.

[0142] In step 605, the session control network element obtains the address information of the user equipment from the user's subscription data network element.

[0143] In step 606, the session control network element sends a session establishment confirmation message to the user equipment, which includes the address information of the user equipment.

[0144] In some embodiments, when the user-subscribed data network element includes the address configuration information of the user equipment, the session control network element obtains the address configuration information of the user equipment from the user-subscribed data network element.

[0145] The session control network element detects whether the address configuration conditions included in the address configuration condition information are met. If the address configuration conditions are met, the address information is sent to the user equipment.

[0146] In step 607, the user equipment uses the received address information to establish communication with the AF network element.

[0147] This disclosure enables the dynamic adjustment of the IP address of user devices according to user needs, thereby effectively improving the user experience and facilitating the promotion of 5G non-public network services.

[0148] In some embodiments, the functional units described above may be implemented as general-purpose processors, programmable logic controllers (PLCs), digital signal processors (DSPs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, or any suitable combination thereof for performing the functions described herein.

[0149] Those skilled in the art will understand that all or part of the steps of the above embodiments can be implemented by hardware or by a program instructing related hardware. The program can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium, such as a read-only memory, a disk, or an optical disk.

[0150] The description in this disclosure is provided for illustrative and descriptive purposes only and is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosure to its forms. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art. The embodiments were chosen and described in order to better illustrate the principles and practical application of this disclosure and to enable those skilled in the art to understand this disclosure and to design various embodiments with various modifications suitable for a particular purpose.

Claims

1. An address configuration method, executed by a session control network element, comprising: Based on the session establishment request sent by the user equipment, the address information of the user equipment is obtained from the user's subscribed data network element; The address information is sent to the user equipment.

2. The address configuration method according to claim 1, wherein, The address information includes at least one of IPv4 address information or IPv6 address information.

3. The address configuration method according to claim 2, wherein, The IPv4 address information includes at least one of the following: IPv4 address, IPv4 address segment, IPv4 address prefix, or IPv4 address mask; The IPv6 address information includes at least one of the following: IPv6 address, IPv6 address segment, IPv6 address prefix, or IPv6 address mask.

4. The address configuration method according to any one of claims 1-3, further comprising: Obtain the address configuration information of the user equipment from the user-subscribed data network element; Sending the address information to the user equipment includes: Check whether the address configuration conditions included in the address configuration condition information are met; If the address configuration conditions are met, the address information is sent to the user equipment.

5. The address configuration method according to claim 4, wherein, The address configuration conditions include at least one of the following: the current time is a specified valid time, the current location of the user equipment is a specified valid location, and the network information of the network currently used by the user equipment is specified valid network information.

6. The address configuration method according to claim 4, wherein, The specified valid network information includes at least one of the following: specified single network slice selection assistance information, specified data network name, or specified public land mobile network identifier.

7. A session control network element, comprising: The first processing module is configured to obtain the address information of the user equipment from the user-subscribed data network element based on the session establishment request sent by the user equipment. The second processing module is configured to send the address information to the user equipment.

8. A session control network element, comprising: Memory; A processor, coupled to memory, is configured to implement the address configuration method as described in any one of claims 1-6, based on memory-stored instruction execution.

9. A communication system, comprising: The session control network element as described in claim 7 or 8; The application function network element is configured to send an address configuration request to the network open network element, wherein the address configuration request includes the address information of the user equipment; The network open element is configured to write the address configuration request into the user-subscribed data network element; The user-subscribed data network element is configured to store the address configuration request and provide the address information of the user equipment to the session control network element.

10. The communication system according to claim 9, wherein, The address information of the user equipment includes at least one of IPv4 address information or IPv6 address information.

11. The communication system according to claim 10, wherein, The IPv4 address information includes at least one of the following: IPv4 address, IPv4 address segment, IPv4 address prefix, or IPv4 address mask; The IPv6 address information includes at least one of the following: IPv6 address, IPv6 address segment, IPv6 address prefix, or IPv6 address mask.

12. The communication system according to claim 9, wherein, The address configuration request also includes the identification information of the user equipment.

13. The communication system according to claim 12, wherein, The identification information of the user equipment includes at least one of the following: the general public user identifier (GPSI) of the user equipment, a list of GPSIs including the GPSI of the user equipment, the group identifier of the virtual network group of the user equipment, and the external group identifier of the virtual network group of the user equipment.

14. The communication system according to claim 9, wherein, The address configuration request also includes at least one of the information of the application function network element or the address configuration condition information of the user equipment, wherein the address configuration condition information includes the address configuration conditions of the user equipment.

15. The communication system according to claim 14, wherein, The address configuration conditions include at least one of the following: the current time is a specified valid time, the current location of the user equipment is a specified valid location, and the network information of the network currently used by the user equipment is specified valid network information.

16. The communication system according to claim 15, wherein, The specified valid network resources include at least one of the following: specified single network slice selection assistance information, specified data network name, or specified public land mobile network identifier.

17. The communication system according to any one of claims 9-16, wherein, The network open element is configured to detect whether the application function element is under the jurisdiction of a designated operator, and if the application function element is under the jurisdiction of the designated operator, write the address configuration request into the user's subscribed data element.

18. The communication system according to claim 17, wherein, The network open element is configured to authenticate the address configuration request when the application function element is managed by a third party, and write the address configuration request into the user's subscribed data element if the authentication is successful.

19. The communication system according to claim 17, wherein, The network open element is configured to detect whether the address configuration request includes information that the core network cannot recognize. If the address configuration request includes the unrecognizable information, the unrecognizable information is translated into information that the core network can recognize, and the translated address configuration request is written into the user's subscribed data network element.

20. The communication system according to claim 9, wherein, The network open elements include the Network Open Function (NEF) network elements; The user-subscribed data network element includes the Unified Data Management (UDM) network element; The session control network element includes the session management function (SMF) network element.

21. A computer-readable storage medium, wherein, The computer-readable storage medium stores computer instructions that, when executed by a processor, implement the address configuration method as described in any one of claims 1-6.

22. A computer program product comprising computer instructions, wherein the computer instructions, when executed by a processor, implement the address configuration method as described in any one of claims 1-6.

23. A computer program comprising computer instructions, wherein the computer instructions, when executed by a processor, implement the address configuration method as described in any one of claims 1-6.

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