Configuration method, communication apparatus, and system

Abstract

A configuration method, an apparatus, and a system, which can be applied to the technical field of communications. The method comprises: acquiring computing service information, the computing service information comprising communication addresses associated with M computing services, wherein each of the M computing services is provided by at least one computing node; acquiring access node information comprising an identifier of at least one access node, the at least one access node comprising a first access node; and sending configuration information to the first access node on the basis of the access node information and the computing service information, the configuration information comprising communication addresses associated with N computing services, the M computing services comprising the N computing services, and one or more computing nodes providing the N computing services being communicationally connected to the first access node. In the technical solution of the present application, information about a computing service that can be provided by a neighboring node of an access node can be configured for the access node in a timely manner, so that the access node can determine, in a timely manner, the computing node that provides the computing service, thereby ensuring the performance of a computing task.

Description

Configuration method, communication apparatus and system

[0001] The present application claims priority to the Chinese Patent Application No. 202410870707.1, filed on June 27, 2024, and entitled “Configuration method, communication apparatus and system”, the content of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] The present application relates to the field of communication technology, and more particularly, to a configuration method, a communication apparatus and a system. BACKGROUND

[0003] When an application client in a terminal device schedules a software program code in a cloud server to perform a computing task, it can be implemented in an over the top (OTT) manner based on the development of a broadband network by an operator. In the above scenario, a network device only provides an internet protocol (IP) packet forwarding function required in a software program code calling process, and the network device does not perform computing resource management and / or scheduling of a computing node.

[0004] With the standardization of hardware computing power devices and algorithm models and the maturation of software technologies such as artificial intelligence and cloud computing, the amount of data has exploded, the demand for computing power has also increased, and at the same time, it has also led to the problem of uneven distribution of computing resources. In order to solve the uneven distribution of computing resources, using a network to schedule and distribute computing resources has become a current development trend. In the current technical background, computing first networking (CFN) can be used to schedule and / or distribute computing resources, and computing tasks requested by a terminal device to be executed are routed to the most matched computing power location (or computing node) through computing power routing.

[0005] However, when a routing device in the CFN selects a computing node for a computing task requested by a terminal device to be executed, it generally only considers whether each computing node has a software program corresponding to a computing function required by the terminal device, and a single-hop network transmission performance from a current node to a next-hop node in the routing network, which leads to the fact that the routing device cannot consider the overall communication performance from the terminal device to different computing nodes when selecting a computing node. Taking the time delay performance as an example, if the communication time delay of the terminal to each computing node is too large, it will lead to the fact that the time delay of the terminal to obtain the output result of the computing task cannot meet the business demand.

[0006] In view of this, a configuration scheme of computing resources capable of guaranteeing the performance (such as shorter time delay) of a computing task needs to be developed. SUMMARY

[0007] The application provides a configuration method, a communication device and a system, which can configure information of computing services that can be provided by neighboring nodes of an access node in time, so that the access node can determine computing nodes providing the computing services in time when the access node receives a schedule related to a computing task (i.e., a schedule of a computing service), thereby ensuring the performance of the computing task.

[0008] In a first aspect, a configuration method is provided, which can be executed by a device for managing computing nodes or a component (such as a chip or a module) thereof, for example, the device can be referred to as a computing node control node, and the device can be a functional entity in a core network.

[0009] The method comprises: obtaining computing service information, the computing service information comprising communication addresses associated with M computing services, wherein each of the M computing services is provided by at least one computing node; obtaining access node information, the access node information comprising identifiers of at least one access node, the at least one access node comprising a first access node; and sending configuration information to the first access node according to the access node information and the computing service information, the configuration information comprising communication addresses associated with N computing services, the M computing services comprising the N computing services, and one or more computing nodes providing the N computing services being in communication connection with the first access node, wherein M and N are positive integers, and M is greater than or equal to N.

[0010] In some implementations, the M computing services can be provided by one computing node, or can also be provided by multiple computing nodes, and each of the M computing services can also be provided by multiple computing nodes. One computing service can be understood as a computing capability supported by a computing node providing the computing service, and different computing services represent different computing capabilities, for example, some computing services represent the capability of picture rendering supported by a computing node, and other computing services represent the capability of video transcoding supported by a computing node.

[0011] It should be noted that the identifier of the access node can comprise at least one of the following: an identifier (ID) of the access node; a communication address of the access node, such as a gateway address, an IP address, a remote direct memory access (RDMA) address, or an address based on another transmission protocol; or a name of the access node. Alternatively, the identifier of the access node can also comprise other information capable of uniquely identifying the access node.

[0012] In the technical solution, the information of the computing services that the computing nodes can provide is configured to the access nodes according to the granularity of the computing services, thereby establishing the association between the access nodes and the computing nodes that provide the computing services. When the computing services that the computing nodes can provide are changed (for example, the computing services are added or reduced), the computing service related information can be updated to the access nodes in time. On the one hand, since only the information of the added or reduced computing services can be sent to the access nodes, the communication overhead can be saved. On the other hand, the computing service related information is configured or updated to the access nodes in time, which helps the access nodes to determine the computing nodes that are suitable for executing the computing tasks (that is, providing the computing services) when the computing task related scheduling is received, for example, the computing nodes that can meet the time delay required by the computing tasks are selected to provide the computing services, which helps to guarantee the performance of the computing tasks.

[0013] With reference to the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the first information comprises an identifier of the first access node, and the obtaining the access node information comprises: receiving the first information from the first access node or a first node, the first node serving the first access node; and the first information is used to obtain the configuration information.

[0014] In some implementations, the first node can be a network element for access management and mobility management of the terminal device, such as an AMF network element, or can also be a network element with similar functions. The first node serving the first access node can be understood as that the first node and the first access node have a communication connection, and the first node is used to provide access management and mobility management for the terminal device in the service area of the first access node.

[0015] With reference to the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the sending the configuration information to the first access node according to the access node information and the computing service information comprises: determining, according to the first information, that the first access node is a to-be-configured access node; determining N computing services that match the first access node according to the identifier of the first access node and the communication addresses associated with the M computing services; and sending the configuration information to the first access node.

[0016] In some implementations, the N computing services matching the first access node can be understood as that one or more communication addresses of each of the N computing services are located in the same network segment or the same IP address pool as the communication address of the first access node; or the communication addresses of one or more computing nodes that provide the N computing services are located in the same network segment or the same IP address pool as the communication address of the first access node.

[0017] In the technical solution, the first access node can be configured with the computing service in response to the first information sent by the first access node or the first node, and the configuration information is sent, and for an access node that does not request the configuration information, the configuration of the configuration information is not performed, which helps to save the energy consumption required for information configuration.

[0018] With reference to the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the method further includes: determining, according to the computing service information and the identifier of the first access node, that the first access node is the access node to be configured.

[0019] For example, the access node information can be preconfigured information, for example, when the access node and the computing node control node establish a communication connection relationship, the computing node control node obtains the identifier of the access node.

[0020] In some implementations, the computing node control node determines the computing node providing the N computing services according to the computing service information, and then selects the access node located in the same network segment or the same address pool as the computing node providing the N computing services as the access node to be configured.

[0021] In the technical solution, the computing node control node actively determines the access node to be configured and sends the configuration information to the access node, which helps to reduce the signaling interaction required in the configuration process and save the signaling overhead.

[0022] With reference to the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the access node information further includes first capability information of each of the at least one access node, and the first capability information indicates at least one of the following: a capability of supporting the computing service, or a capability of supporting communication with the computing node; the method further includes: determining, according to the first capability information and the identifier of the at least one access node, that the first access node is the access node to be configured.

[0023] In some implementations, the access node supports a feature of the computing service; the capability of supporting communication with the computing node can be understood as whether the access node can support communication with the computing node using a reference point protocol, or the capability of supporting communication with the computing node can also include which reference point protocols the access node supports for communication with the computing node. Specifically, determining the first access node as the access node to be configured according to the capability information and the identifier of the at least one access node can be: determining the first access node as the access node to be configured from the at least one access node when the first access node and the computing node can communicate through a direct connection reference point; or determining the first access node as the access node to be configured when the first information is received and the first access node and the computing node can communicate through the direct connection reference point; or determining the first access node as the access node to be configured when the first information is received, the first access node and the computing node can communicate through the direct connection reference point.

[0024] In the above technical solution, the capability information of the access node is combined to determine whether to configure the computing service for the access node, and the access node is configured when the capability of the access node supports the additionally configured computing service, otherwise the access node is not configured, which helps to reduce the processing complexity in the configuration process, avoid unnecessary computing service configuration, and save computing overhead.

[0025] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the computing service information further includes attribute information of each of the M computing services, and the attribute information indicates at least one of: a computing performance corresponding to each of the computing services, or a maximum number of users or connections supported by each of the computing services; the method further includes: determining N computing services matched with the first access node according to the identifier of the first access node, the communication addresses associated with the M computing services, and the attribute information.

[0026] In some implementations, according to the identifier of the first access node and the communication addresses associated with the M computing services, a plurality of computing nodes are determined, which are located in the same network segment or the same address pool as the communication address of the first access node, and the plurality of computing nodes provide Q computing services, and then N computing services are selected from the Q computing services, which have computing performances matched with the first access node, Q is a positive integer and Q is greater than or equal to N.

[0027] In some implementations, the N computing services can also be determined in combination with the capability information of the first access node. For example, according to the identity of the first access node and the communication addresses associated with the M computing services, a plurality of computing nodes providing the Q computing services are determined, which are in the same network segment or the same address pool as the communication address of the first access node. Further, the capability information of the first access node indicates that the first access node supports reference point protocol 1, and in combination with the capability information of the first access node, the N computing services supporting the reference point protocol 1 are selected from the Q computing services.

[0028] In the above technical solution, more suitable computing services can be configured for the access node, and the access node is not configured with unsuitable computing services, which helps to save communication overhead.

[0029] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the computing service information further includes attribute information of each of the M computing services, and the attribute information indicates at least one of the following: a computing performance corresponding to each of the computing services, or a maximum number of users or connections supported by each of the computing services; and the method further includes: determining, according to the identity of the at least one access node, the communication addresses associated with the N computing services, and the attribute information, that the first access node is the access node to be configured.

[0030] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the sending of the configuration information to the first access node includes: sending the configuration information to the first access node through a first node, the first node serving the first access node; and sending the configuration information and the identity of the first access node to the first node.

[0031] In the above technical solution, when there is no direct reference point between the first access node and the computing node control node, the configuration information can be sent to the first access node through the first node.

[0032] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the at least one computing service includes a first computing service, and the first computing node provides the first computing service; and the obtaining of the computing service information includes: receiving first registration information from the first computing node, the first registration information including a communication address associated with the first computing service.

[0033] In the above technical solution, the information related to the computing service is obtained through the active registration of the computing node, i.e., the information of the computing service is directly obtained from the computing node, which helps to save communication overhead.

[0034] With reference to the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the obtaining the information of the computing service comprises: sending first request information to the second node, the first request information comprising first communication address information, the first request information being used to request information of a computing service whose communication address matches the first communication address information; and receiving first response information from the second node, the first response information comprising the information of the computing service, the communication addresses of the M computing services matching the first communication address information.

[0035] In some implementations, the communication addresses of the M computing services are the communication addresses of each of the M computing services, and the communication addresses of the M computing services matching the first communication address information can comprise that each of the communication addresses of the M computing services matches the first communication address information; or the communication addresses of the M computing services are the communication addresses of each of at least one computing node providing the M computing services, and the communication addresses of the M computing services matching the first communication address information can comprise that each of the communication addresses of the at least one computing node matches the first communication address information.

[0036] With reference to the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the obtaining the information of the computing service comprises: sending second request information to the second node, the second request information comprising first service area information, the second request information being used to request information of a computing service whose service area matches the first service area information; and receiving second response information from the second node, the second response information comprising the information of the computing service, the service areas of the M computing services matching the first service area information.

[0037] Exemplarily, the second node can be used to manage network elements, and the second node can be an NRF network element or other network element similar to the NRF network element in function.

[0038] In the above technical solution, the information related to the computing service is obtained through the second node, and the obtaining of the information of the computing service and the configuration of the access node can be implemented even when there is no direct reference point between the computing node control node and the computing node.

[0039] With reference to the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the method is performed by a third node, and the method further comprises: sending second registration information to the second node, the second registration information comprising at least one of a service area, a name, a communication address, and a geographical position of the third node.

[0040] In the above technical solution, the computing node control node registers the information of the computing node control node to the second node, so as to facilitate the subsequent information interaction between the computing node control node and the second node.

[0041] With reference to the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the communication connection comprises at least one of: a zero-hop direct connection, belonging to a same local area network, belonging to a same virtual local area network, or a same protocol layer direct connection.

[0042] With reference to the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the communication addresses associated with the N computing services comprise one or more communication addresses of each of the N computing services, or a communication address of each of the one or more computing nodes.

[0043] It can be understood that each computing service can be provided by n computing nodes, and the communication addresses of the computing services provided by different computing nodes can be different. When the n computing nodes providing the computing service all have a communication connection with the first access node, the configuration information can comprise the communication addresses of the computing service corresponding to the n computing nodes respectively. The communication address of the computing service can be a public IP address or a private IP address of a function instance corresponding to the computing service. More specifically, the communication address of the computing service can be an interface address or an entry point address of the computing service. The communication address of the computing node can be an IP address or an RDMA address of the computing node, or can also be an address of another communication protocol.

[0044] With reference to the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the at least one computing node comprises a second computing node, and the communication addresses associated with the M computing services comprise a third communication address of the second computing node. The method further comprises: receiving third registration information of the second computing node; and allocating the third communication address to the second computing node according to the third registration information.

[0045] In some implementations, the method further comprises: sending the third communication address to the second computing node. The third communication address can be an IP address, or an RDMA address, or can also be an address of another communication protocol.

[0046] With reference to the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the configuration information further comprises attribute information of each of the N computing services. The attribute information indicates at least one of: a computing performance corresponding to each of the computing services, or a maximum number of users or connections supported by each of the computing services.

[0047] For example, when there is a direct reference point between the computing node and the computing node control node, the attribute information of each computing service can be included in the registration information sent by the computing node to the computing node control node. Alternatively, when there is no direct reference point between the computing node and the computing node control node, the attribute information of each computing service can be included in the response information sent by the second node to the computing node control node.

[0048] In the technical solution, the configuration information including the computing service capability information helps the access node to determine a more suitable computing node for a computing task requested by a terminal device.

[0049] In a second aspect, a configuration method is provided, which can be performed by a network device with computing capability or a component (such as a chip or a module) of the network device with computing capability. For example, the network device can be an access network device, also referred to as an access computing node. Alternatively, the method can be performed by a computing device with communication capability or a component (such as a chip or a module) of the computing device with communication capability. Alternatively, the method can be performed by an access network device with the capability of allocating computing resources or a component (such as a chip or a module) of the access network device.

[0050] The method includes: obtaining configuration information, the configuration information including communication addresses associated with N computing services, the one or more computing nodes providing the N computing services being in communication connection with the access node, where N is a positive integer; receiving a scheduling request or first data of a first computing task from a terminal device, the scheduling request being used to request scheduling of the first computing task, the first computing task corresponding to a first computing service of the N computing services; and determining, according to the scheduling request or the first data and the configuration information, a third computing node providing the first computing service from the one or more computing nodes.

[0051] In the technical solution, the access node can obtain the configuration information of the computing service granularity, and the computing service related information is configured or updated in time for the access node, which helps the access node to determine a computing node suitable for executing a computing task (i.e., providing a computing service) in time when the access node receives a related scheduling of the computing task, such as selecting a computing node capable of meeting the required latency of the computing task to provide the computing service, which helps to guarantee the performance of the computing task.

[0052] In combination with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the obtaining of the configuration information includes: receiving the configuration information from a first node or a third node, the first node being responsible for access management and mobility management of the terminal device and serving the access node, and the third node being used to manage the computing nodes and / or the computing services provided by the computing nodes.

[0053] For example, the first node can be an AMF network element or a network element similar to the AMF network element, and the third node can be a computing node control node.

[0054] In combination with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the method further includes: sending second information to the third node, the second information including an identifier of the access node, and the second information being used to request configuration of the computing service for the access node.

[0055] With reference to the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the method further includes: sending, to the second node, third information, the third information including an identity of the access node, the third information being used to discover information of the third node; and receiving, from the second node, fourth information, the fourth information including an access address, the access address being used to send the second information to the third node.

[0056] With reference to the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the access address includes a communication address of the third node and / or a communication address of the first node.

[0057] With reference to the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the method further includes: sending, to the second node, fourth registration information, the fourth registration information including at least one of a service area, a name, a communication address, and a geographical location of the access node.

[0058] With reference to the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the method further includes: sending, to the first node, fifth information, the fifth information including an identity of the access node, the fifth information being used to request or indicate that the access node is configured with a computing service.

[0059] With reference to the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the method further includes: sending, to the second node, sixth information, the sixth information including an identity of the access node, the sixth information being used to discover information of the first node; receiving, from the second node, seventh information, the seventh information including a communication address of the first node; and sending, to the first node, the fifth information, including: sending, to the first node, the fifth information according to the communication address of the first node.

[0060] In a third aspect, a configuration method is provided, which can be performed by a network element (such as an AMF) or a component (such as a chip or a module) thereof for access management and mobility management of a terminal device. The network element can be a functional entity of a core network.

[0061] The method includes: obtaining eighth information, the eighth information including communication addresses of P computing services, wherein each of the P computing services is provided by at least one computing node; and sending, to a first access node, configuration information according to an identity of a plurality of access nodes, the plurality of access nodes including the first access node, the configuration information including communication addresses associated with N computing services, the P computing services including the N computing services, and one or more computing nodes providing the N computing services being in communication connection with the first access node, wherein P and N are positive integers, and P is greater than or equal to N.

[0062] In the technical solution, when there is no direct reference point between the access node and the computing node control node, or the computing node control node cannot configure the computing service for the access node, the AMF can also configure the computing service related information for the access node, which helps the access node to receive the computing task related scheduling, and to determine the computing node suitable for executing the computing task (i.e., providing the computing service) in time, such as selecting the computing node that can meet the required delay of the computing task to provide the computing service, which helps to ensure the performance of the computing task.

[0063] With reference to the third aspect, in some implementations of the third aspect, the method further includes: determining, according to the communication addresses of the P computing services and the identifiers of the plurality of access nodes, that the first access node is the access node to be configured.

[0064] With reference to the third aspect, in some implementations of the third aspect, the method further includes: obtaining capability information of the first access node, the capability information indicating at least one of: a capability of supporting the computing service, or a capability of supporting communication with the computing node; and determining, according to the communication addresses of the P computing services and the capability information, that the first access node is the access node to be configured.

[0065] With reference to the third aspect, in some implementations of the third aspect, the eighth information further includes a service area associated with one or more computing nodes, and determining that the first access node is the access node to be configured includes: determining, according to the service area and the identifiers of the plurality of access nodes, that the first access node is the access node to be configured.

[0066] With reference to the third aspect, in some implementations of the third aspect, the method further includes: receiving fifth information from the first access node, the fifth information including an identifier of a fifth access node, and the fifth information being used to request or indicate that the computing service is configured for the first access node; determining, according to the identifier of the first access node, that the third node has a communication connection with the first access node; and sending the fifth information to the third node.

[0067] With reference to the second aspect or the third aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect or the third aspect, the communication addresses associated with the N computing services include: a first communication address of each of the N computing services, or a second communication address of a computing node providing the N computing services.

[0068] With reference to the second aspect or the third aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect or the third aspect, the configuration information further includes attribute information of each of the N computing services, the attribute information indicating at least one of: a computing performance corresponding to each of the computing services, or a maximum number of users or connections supported by each of the computing services.

[0069] In a fourth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication apparatus. The communication apparatus can be a device or apparatus with a chip, or a device or apparatus integrated with a circuit, or a chip, a chip system, a module or a control unit in the foregoing device or apparatus, and the present application does not limit specifically. It should be noted that, in the present application, the communication apparatus can refer to the communication apparatus itself, or a chip, a functional module or an integrated circuit in the communication apparatus for implementing the method provided by the present application, and the present application does not limit specifically. The apparatus is configured to execute the method provided by any of the first aspect to the third aspect. Specifically, the apparatus can include units and / or modules for executing the method provided by any of the implementation manners of the first aspect to the third aspect.

[0070] When the apparatus is configured to execute the method provided by any of the implementation manners of the first aspect to the third aspect, the apparatus can include an acquisition unit (or an acquisition module) and a processing unit (or a processing module). Optionally, the apparatus can further include a transceiver unit (or a transceiver module). In some implementation manners, the transceiver unit includes the acquisition unit, and the acquisition unit can be a receiving unit in the transceiver unit.

[0071] In some implementation manners, the processing unit can be at least one processor. The transceiver unit can be a transceiver, or an input / output interface. Optionally, the transceiver can be a transceiver circuit. Optionally, the input / output interface can be an input / output circuit.

[0072] In some implementation manners, the communication apparatus is a chip, a chip system or a circuit in a network device (such as an access node, a computing node control node or an AMF). The transceiver unit can be an input / output interface, an interface circuit, an output circuit, an input circuit, a pin or a related circuit in the chip, the chip system or the circuit. The processing unit can be at least one processor, a processing circuit or a logic circuit.

[0073] In a fifth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a processor configured to execute the method provided by the above aspects. For the sending and receiving operations of the processor, if there is no special description, or if it does not contradict with the actual role or inherent logic in the related description, it can be understood as the output and receiving, input operations of the processor, and can also be understood as the sending and receiving operations of the radio frequency circuit and the antenna.

[0074] In combination with the fifth aspect, in some implementation manners of the fifth aspect, the processor is arranged in a communication apparatus, and the communication apparatus is any one of an access node, a core network or a cooperation node.

[0075] In a sixth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication system, the communication system comprising an access node and an access terminal, the access node being configured to perform the method provided in any of the implementation manners of the first aspect, and the access terminal being configured to perform the method provided in any of the implementation manners of the second aspect.

[0076] In combination with the sixth aspect, in some implementation manners of the sixth aspect, the communication system further comprises a cooperating node, the cooperating node being configured to perform the method provided in any of the implementation manners of the third aspect.

[0077] In a seventh aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a computer readable storage medium. The computer readable storage medium stores instructions or program codes, which, when executed by a processor, can implement the method provided in any of the implementation manners of the first aspect to the third aspect.

[0078] In an eighth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a computer program product comprising instructions. When the computer program product is run on a computer, the computer is caused to perform the method provided in any of the implementation manners of the first aspect to the third aspect.

[0079] In a ninth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a chip. The chip comprises a processor and a communication interface, the processor being configured to read instructions stored on a memory through the communication interface, and perform the method provided in any of the implementation manners of the first aspect to the third aspect.

[0080] Optionally, as an implementation manner, the chip further comprises a memory, the memory storing a computer program or instructions, and the processor is configured to execute the computer program or instructions stored on the memory, and when the computer program or instructions are executed, the processor is configured to perform the method provided in any of the implementation manners of the first aspect to the third aspect.

[0081] The beneficial effects not described in detail in the second aspect to the ninth aspect can refer to the description of the beneficial effects in the first aspect, and will not be described here. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0082] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a communication system to which embodiments of the present application are applied.

[0083] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a system architecture provided by an embodiment of the present application.

[0084] FIG. 3 is another schematic diagram of a system architecture provided by an embodiment of the present application.

[0085] FIG. 4 is still another schematic diagram of a system architecture provided by an embodiment of the present application.

[0086] FIG. 5 is still another schematic diagram of a system architecture provided by an embodiment of the present application.

[0087] FIG. 6 is a schematic flowchart of a configuration method according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0088] FIG. 7 is another schematic flowchart of a configuration method according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0089] FIG. 8 is still another schematic flowchart of a configuration method according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0090] FIG. 9 is still another schematic flowchart of a configuration method according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0091] FIG. 10 is still another schematic flowchart of a configuration method according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0092] FIG. 11 is another schematic diagram of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0093] FIG. 12 is still another schematic diagram of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0094] FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram of a chip system according to an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0095] The technical solutions in the present application will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0096] In order to facilitate understanding of the embodiments of the present application, the following points will be first explained.

[0097] I. Unless otherwise specified, the meaning of "a plurality of" is two or more.

[0098] II. If there is no special description and logical conflict, the terms and / or descriptions of different embodiments of the present application are consistent and can be mutually referred to. The technical features in different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments according to their inherent logical relationship.

[0099] III. The various numbers involved in the present application are only used for differentiation for convenience of description, and are not used to limit the protection scope of the present application. The size of the serial numbers involved in the present application does not mean the execution order. The execution order of each process should be determined according to its function and inherent logic. For example, the terms "first", "second", "third", "fourth" and other various term labels (if any) in the specification and claims of the present application and the drawings are used to distinguish similar objects, and do not have to be used to describe a specific order or sequence. Among them, the data thus used can be interchanged under appropriate circumstances, so that the embodiments described herein can be implemented in an order other than that illustrated or described herein.

[0100] Meanwhile, any embodiment or design described herein as "example" or "exemplary" is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other embodiments or designs. Rather, use of the terms "example" or "exemplary" is intended to present concepts in a concrete manner, facilitating understanding of the concepts.

[0101] IV. The terms "comprises", "comprising", "includes", "including", "has", "having" and their conjugates, mean "including but not limited to", and are intended to cover the process, method, system, product, or apparatus that comprises, includes, has or the like, but does not exclude other steps, materials, components, elements, or the like.

[0102] V. In the present application, "for indicating" can be understood as "enabling", and "enabling" can include direct enabling and indirect enabling. When describing that a certain information is used to enable A, it can include that the information directly enables A or indirectly enables A, and it does not mean that A must be carried in the information.

[0103] The information enabled by the information is referred to as the to-be-enabled information. In the implementation process, there are many ways to enable the to-be-enabled information, for example, but not limited to, the to-be-enabled information can be directly enabled, such as the to-be-enabled information itself or an index of the to-be-enabled information. The to-be-enabled information can also be indirectly enabled by enabling other information, where the other information and the to-be-enabled information have an association relationship. The to-be-enabled information can also be enabled only in part, and the other part of the to-be-enabled information is known or agreed in advance. For example, the enabling of a specific information can also be achieved by means of the arrangement order of each information agreed in advance (for example, a protocol), thereby reducing the enabling overhead to a certain extent. Meanwhile, the common part of each information can also be identified and uniformly enabled to reduce the enabling overhead caused by separately enabling the same information.

[0104] VI. In the present application, "pre-configuration" can include pre-definition, for example, protocol definition. The "pre-definition" can be implemented by pre-storing corresponding codes, tables or other information indicating manners in a device (for example, including each network element), and the present application does not limit the specific implementation manner.

[0105] VII. The "storage" or "save" involved in the present application can refer to storage in one or more memories. The one or more memories can be separately arranged or integrated in the encoder or decoder, processor, or communication device. The one or more memories can also be partially separately arranged and partially integrated in the decoder, processor, or communication device. The type of the memory can be any form of storage medium, which is not limited.

[0106] Eight, the "protocol" involved in the present application can refer to a standard protocol in the field of communication, which can include, for example, fourth generation (4 th generation, 4G) network, fifth generation (5 th generation, 5G) network protocol, new radio (NR) protocol, 5.5G network protocol, and related protocols applied in future communication systems.

[0107] Nine, the arrow or block shown by the dashed line in the schematic diagram in the drawing part of the present application specification represents an optional step or an optional module.

[0108] Ten, unless otherwise specified, " / " represents that the objects before and after are in an "or" relationship, for example, A / B can represent A or B; "and / or" in the present application is only a description of the association relationship of the associated objects, which means that there can be three kinds of relationships, for example, A and / or B, which can represent: A exists alone, A and B exist at the same time, and B exists alone, of which A and B can be singular or plural.

[0109] For ease of understanding, the communication system to which the embodiments in the present application can be applied is described below as an example with the communication system shown in FIG. 1.

[0110] As shown in FIG. 1, the communication system includes a radio access network (RAN) 100 and a core network (CN) 200. The RAN 100 includes at least one RAN node (such as 110a and 110b in FIG. 1, collectively referred to as 110) and at least one terminal device (such as 120a-120j in FIG. 1, collectively referred to as 120). Other RAN nodes, such as wireless relay devices and / or wireless backhaul devices (not shown in FIG. 1), etc. can also be included in the RAN. The terminal device 120 is connected to the RAN node 110 in a wireless manner. The RAN node 110 is connected to the core network 200 in a wireless or wired manner. The core network device in the core network 200 and the RAN node 110 in the RAN 100 can be different physical devices respectively, or can be the same physical device integrated with the logical functions of the core network and the logical functions of the radio access network.

[0111] The RAN 100 can be a 3rd generation partnership project (3GPP)-related cellular system, for example, a 4G, 5G mobile communication system, a future communication system, a non-terrestrial network (NTN) system, or a future-oriented evolved system. The RAN 100 can also be an open radio access network (O-RAN or ORAN), a cloud radio access network (CRAN), or a wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) system, and can also be a communication system that combines two or more of the above systems.

[0112] A device in a communication system can send a signal to another device or receive a signal from another device. Wherein, the signal can include information, signaling or data, etc. Wherein, the device can also be replaced by an entity, a network entity, a communication device, a communication module, a node, a communication node, etc. The embodiments of the present application are described by taking the device as an example.

[0113] In the embodiments of the present application, the terminal device 120 is a device with wireless transceiving function, which can refer to a user equipment (UE), an access terminal, a subscriber unit, a user station, a mobile station, a remote station, a remote terminal, a mobile device, a user terminal, a wireless communication device, a user agent or a user apparatus.

[0114] In the embodiments of the present application, the terminal device 120 can also be a satellite phone, a cellular phone, a smart phone, a wireless data card, a wireless modem, a machine type communication device, a cordless phone, a session initiation protocol (SIP) phone, a wireless local loop (WLL) station, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a customer-premises equipment (CPE), a smart point of sale (POS) machine, a handheld device with wireless communication function, a computing device or other processing device connected to a wireless modem, a vehicle-mounted device, a communication device carried on an aerial vehicle, a wearable device, a drone, a robot, a terminal in device-to-device (D2D) communication, a terminal in vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, a virtual reality (VR) terminal device, an augmented reality (AR) terminal device, a wireless terminal in industrial control, a wireless terminal in self driving, a wireless terminal in remote medical, a wireless terminal in smart grid, a wireless terminal in transportation safety, a wireless terminal in smart city, a wireless terminal in smart home, or a terminal device in a communication network evolved after 5G, etc. The present application is not limited to this. In the embodiments of the present application, the device for implementing the function of the terminal device can be a terminal device, or a device capable of supporting the terminal device to implement the function, such as a chip system or a chip, which can be installed in the terminal device. In the embodiments of the present application, the chip system can be composed of a chip, or can include a chip and other discrete devices.

[0115] In the embodiments of the present application, the terminal device 120 can also be a device with communication function in future communication systems, without limitation on the form or type of the terminal device in other future communication systems, etc.

[0116] In embodiments of the present application, the RAN node 110 can also be referred to as an access network device, an access node, or a RAN entity, which is configured to help terminal devices to access the network wirelessly. A plurality of RAN nodes 110 can be of the same type or of different types. In some scenarios, the roles of the RAN node 110 and the terminal device 120 are relative, for example, the network element 120i in Figure 1 can be a helicopter or a drone, which can be configured as a mobile base station. For a terminal device 120j that accesses the RAN 100 through the network element 120i, the network element 120i is a base station; but for the base station 110a, the network element 120i is a terminal device. The RAN node 110 and the terminal device 120 are sometimes collectively referred to as communication apparatuses, for example, 110a and 110b in Figure 1 can be understood as communication apparatuses with base station functions, and the network elements 120a-120j can be understood as communication apparatuses with terminal functions.

[0117] In a possible scenario, the RAN node 110 can be a base station, an evolved NodeB (eNodeB), an access point (AP), a transmission reception point (TRP), a next generation NodeB (gNB), a base station in a future mobile communication system, or an access node in a WiFi system, etc. The RAN node can be a macro base station (such as 110a in Figure 1), a micro base station or an indoor station (such as 110b in Figure 1), a relay node or a donor node, or a wireless controller in a CRAN scenario. Optionally, the RAN node can also be a server, a wearable device, a vehicle or a vehicle-mounted device, etc. For example, the access network device in vehicle to everything (V2X) technology can be a road side unit (RSU).

[0118] In another possible scenario, multiple RAN nodes cooperate to assist a terminal to implement wireless access, and different RAN nodes respectively implement part of functions of a base station. For example, a RAN node can be a central 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 the DU can be separately arranged, or can also be included in the same network element, for example, in a baseband unit (BBU). The CU node and the DU node split the protocol layers of the gNB, and the functions of part of the protocol layers are placed in the CU for centralized control, and the remaining part or all of the protocol layers are distributed in the DU and controlled by the CU. As an implementation manner, the CU is deployed with the radio Resource Control (RRC) layer, the packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer, and the service data adaptation protocol (SDAP) layer in the protocol stack; and the DU is deployed with the radio link control (RLC) layer, the medium access control (MAC) layer, and the physical layer (PHY) in the protocol stack. Therefore, the CU has the processing capability of RRC, PDCP, and SDAP. The DU has the processing capability of RLC, MAC, and PHY. It can be understood that the above-mentioned splitting of functions is only an example, and does not constitute a limitation on the CU and the DU. The RU can be included in a radio frequency device or a radio frequency unit, for example, included in a remote radio unit (RRU), an active antenna processing unit (AAU), or a remote radio head (RRH).

[0119] The CU (or CU-CP and CU-UP), DU, or RU can also have different names in different systems, but those skilled in the art can understand their meanings. For example, in an ORAN system, the CU can also be referred to as an O-CU (open CU), the DU can also be referred to as an O-DU, the CU-CP can also be referred to as an O-CU-CP, the CU-UP can also be referred to as an O-CU-UP, and the RU can also be referred to as an O-RU. For the convenience of description, the CU, CU-CP, CU-UP, DU, and RU are taken as examples for description in this application. Any one of the CU (or CU-CP, CU-UP), DU, and RU in this application can be implemented by a software module, a hardware module, or a combination of a software module and a hardware module.

[0120] In the embodiments of the present application, the core network 200 refers to a device in the CN that provides service support for the terminal device 120. Currently, some examples of core network devices are: an access and mobility management function (AMF) entity, a session management function (SMF) entity, a user plane function (UPF) entity, and the like, which are not listed one by one here. Among them, the AMF entity can be responsible for access management and mobility management of the terminal device; the SMF entity can be responsible for session management, such as session establishment of a user; and the UPF entity can be a functional entity of the user plane, mainly responsible for connecting external networks. It should be noted that the entity in this application can also be referred to as a network element or a functional entity, for example, the AMF entity can also be referred to as an AMF network element or an AMF functional entity, and for another example, the SMF entity can also be referred to as an SMF network element or an SMF functional entity.

[0121] In the embodiments of the present application, the apparatus for implementing the function of the network device can be a network device; or can be an apparatus capable of supporting the network device to implement the function, such as a chip system, a hardware circuit, a software module, or a hardware circuit plus a software module. The apparatus can be installed in the network device or used in matching with the network device. In the embodiments of the present application, only the apparatus for implementing the function of the network device is taken as an example for description, and the scheme of the embodiments of the present application is not limited.

[0122] It should be noted that the embodiments of the present application do not limit the scenario in which the network device is located. In addition, the network device can be a hardware device, or a software function running on a special-purpose hardware, a software function running on a general-purpose hardware, such as an entity including a special-purpose or general-purpose hardware device and a software function, and the present application does not limit the specific form of the network device.

[0123] For the convenience of understanding the technical solutions of the present application, the related terms involved in the present application are introduced as follows.

[0124] 1. Communication computing node: hereinafter referred to as a computing node, is a network device with computing and communication capabilities. Among them, the communication capability refers to the ability to provide access services for terminal devices and / or communicate with other network devices.

[0125] 2. Computing node: a device with computing capability, in some implementation manners, the computing node can also be a computing node.

[0126] 3. Computing power function: a way to run code snippets (functions) as services, without worrying about server and infrastructure management. Developers only need to write business logic code and upload it to the function computing platform provided by cloud service providers to quickly deploy and run applications. It is a serverless computing model, usually composed of a series of configurations and a series of executable code / software packages. The business logic code is a software program code written to support computing and processing of input data or events according to a specified algorithm. Illustratively, the above computing and processing can include: transcoding of video streams, picture rendering, picture detection, artificial intelligence (AI) computing, etc.

[0127] 4. Computing power service: or computing service, is an independent application process that implements a group or a specific computing function to solve a specific problem. Computing power service uses lightweight application programming interface (API) to communicate through a well-defined interface. Generally, one computing power service can correspond to one or more computing power functions that provide the same function, that is, multiple different computing power functions implement the same function and can provide the same computing power service. Generally, the function implemented by a computing power function can be encapsulated as a service and provided to external entities through API. The computing capability (or computing function) of the computing node or the computing node can be understood as: the ability to provide computing resources for computing services.

[0128] 5. Computing function instance: the computing function code is installed on the application program of the computing node or the computing node, hereinafter referred to as the function instance. A function instance can be understood as an entity that can provide the running of the computing function, for example, it can be carried by a container, which has the running environment of the computing function, can process the input of the function, and execute the code logic to give the output result. The computing function instance can also be called a computing service instance or a computing service instance.

[0129] 6. Computing function scheduling: using the function instance to calculate and process the specified data, hereinafter referred to as function scheduling. The same computing function can be repeatedly scheduled multiple times, and the inputs of multiple scheduling may be the same or different; accordingly, the outputs of multiple scheduling may also be the same or different. The computing function scheduling can also be understood as the computing task scheduling.

[0130] 7. Computing task: or computing task, execute a computing function call or computing service to obtain a result, in order to complete a transaction in business logic. For example, video transcoding operation on specified data, for a video segment or video code piece, a computing function call / computing service can be executed, taking a video segment or video code piece as the input of the computing function / computing service, until the computing function / computing service runs to obtain the complete transcoded segment or code piece, which is called a computing task; the processing of the next different video segment or video code piece needs to execute a new computing task, that is, to call or execute the computing function / computing service again. That is, the call / execution of different computing functions / computing services is called different computing tasks.

[0131] 8. Scheduling computing task: preparing transmission resources for computing task, or preparing computing resources and transmission resources for computing task, and starting to execute computing service call until computing function / computing service runs to obtain data processing result. It should be noted that if the computing resources required by the computing task have been prepared, only the transmission resources for the computing task are prepared; if the computing resources required by the computing task have not been prepared, the transmission resources and computing resources for the computing task are prepared.

[0132] 9. Computing network: referred to as algorithm network, is a new type of information infrastructure based on mobile communication network, IP network and other network connections of multiple computing nodes and / or computing nodes, which can schedule computing tasks to computing nodes or computing nodes that can execute the computing tasks according to the resources required by the computing tasks.

[0133] 10. A computing power function identifier, which is a global identifier uniquely identifying a computing power function. The computing power function identifier can be in any of the following formats: ① a globally unique identifier, for example, composed of one or more of letters, numbers, and special characters; ② a uniform resource locator (URL) format identifier; ③ a fully qualified domain name (FQDN); or ④ an IP address, which can be an IP anycast address or an IP unicast address; ⑤ an IP address + port number. In this application, unless otherwise specified, computing power service and computing power function can be used interchangeably, and computing power function identifier and computing power service identifier can be used interchangeably.

[0134] 11. Computing power quality of service (QoS), also referred to as computing network QoS, including transmission QoS and computing QoS, is a parameter indicating the characteristics of communication (or information transmission) and computing, which can include at least one of the following: transmission resource type, priority, packet delay budget, packet error rate, packet loss rate, default maximum data burst, default average window, etc. It can also include computing resource types such as central processing unit (CPU) resources, graphics processing unit (GPU) resources, neural network processing unit (NPU) resources, tensor processing unit (TPU) resources, deep learning processing unit (DPU) resources, field programmable gate array (FPGA) resources, memory resources, storage resources, etc. It can also include resource consumption granularity and computing power demand such as at least one of the following: floating point operations per second (FLOPS), operations per second (OPS), etc.

[0135] 12. Service level agreement (SLA) requirement information of a computing service: can indicate the computing performance required to be provided by the computing service, for example, the SLA requirement information can indicate the time delay required for a function instance to execute a computing task, for example, the computing task is a picture rendering task, and the time delay required for executing the computing task can be the time length required for rendering a frame of picture; or, the SLA requirement information can also indicate the computing performance and communication performance required to be provided by the computing service, for example, the SLA requirement information can indicate the total time delay from sending a computing task request by a terminal device to receiving a computing task execution result by the terminal device, for example, the computing task is a picture rendering task, and the total time delay can be the total time length from sending a picture rendering request by the terminal device to receiving a picture rendering result by the terminal device.

[0136] 13. Service interface: only for a single function body, the function body interacts with other function bodies through the service interface, and other function bodies interact with the function body through the service interface exposed by the function body. Wherein, the function body can be a functional module in a network entity, such as a terminal device, an access node (more specifically, it can also be an RU, a DU, a CU in an access node), an AMF, an NRF, an entity providing (or bearing) a function instance, and the like.

[0137] 14. Reference point: refers to an interface mutually agreed by two function bodies for mutual access. The reference point between the two function bodies can generally be replaced by one or more service interfaces (or interfaces).

[0138] As described above, the routing device in the CFN cannot obtain the state of the wireless bearer between the terminal device and the computing node (i.e., the node executing the computing task), resulting in that the routing device, when selecting the computing node, only considers the balance of network load or the distance of communication path, and cannot consider the overall communication performance from the terminal device to different computing nodes. So that the selected computing node can not be the node with optimal computing resources, resulting in a large delay in scheduling the computing task. In view of the above problem, a network device (such as an access node) or a core network with computing capability (i.e., capable of providing computing service) that can provide access service for terminal devices has been developed. The core network or the access node can select a computing node to serve the computing task requested by the terminal device and meet its performance requirement. Further, the node (such as the access node and / or the neighboring node of the access node) with available computing resources that can support the performance requirement of the computing task is selected to provide computing resources for the computing task, which can guarantee the performance of the computing task.

[0139] However, the above scheme focuses on how to allocate computing nodes according to the computing power requirement of the computing task of the terminal device, mainly considering whether the computing resource on the computing node is sufficient, but does not consider that the computing service provided by the computing node is not fixed. In actual implementation, the computing resource in each computing node is allocated to different computing services for use, so the computing service provided by the computing node is dynamic and variable, for example, there may be a case of adding or deleting a computing service, at this time, the above method of selecting a computing node according to the computing resource cannot access the specific computing service. Therefore, the problem to be solved by the present application is: how does the access node obtain the capability information (such as the information of the computing service that can be provided) of one or more neighboring nodes, so that when the access node receives the scheduling request of the computing task, it can timely select a suitable node to execute the computing task.

[0140] FIGS. 2 to 5 show some schematic block diagrams of the system architecture provided by the embodiments of the present application. Referring to FIGS. 2 to 4, the system includes an access node 20, a computing node 30, and a core network 40. Optionally, the system can also include a terminal device 10 and / or a management module 50. The access node 20 is configured to provide access services for the terminal device 10, and the access node 20 has the capability of providing and / or allocating computing resources for the computing service requested by the terminal device 10, and the access node 20 can be a general computing node. The computing node 30 has a reference point with one or more computing services requested by the terminal device 10, and the computing node 30 can provide computing resources for one or more computing services requested by the terminal device 10 through the reference point, or the computing node 30 can also have the function of storing data. The computing node 30 can only have computing capability and the capability of transmitting and receiving computing service related information and data with the access node 20, and does not have the capability of providing access services for the terminal device, that is, the computing node 30 only provides function instances; or the computing node 30 can also have computing capability and communication capability, that is, the computing node 30 is a general computing node. The core network 40 includes a computing node control node, which is configured to manage the computing node, including receiving the registration of the computing node, and configuring the computing service for the access node, in addition, the computing node control node can also allocate a communication address (such as an IP address) for the computing node. In some implementations, the computing node control node can be combined with the SMF, for example, the function of the computing node control node can be an enhanced function of the SMF.

[0141] It should be noted that the core network 40 can be in communication with at least one access node, including the access node 20; the access node 20 can be connected with at least one computing node, including the computing node 30, and the network topology between the access node 20 and the at least one computing node is a star structure with the access node 20 as the central node; the access node 20 can be connected with at least one terminal device, including the terminal device 10. The computing node control node can be one entity, or can also be multiple entities distributed in different geographical locations. Multiple terminal devices can be connected to one computing node through one access node, or multiple terminal devices can also be connected to multiple computing nodes through one access node.

[0142] In some implementations, there is a communication connection between the computing node 30 and the access node 20, and the existence of the communication connection can include at least one of the following: a zero-hop direct connection (i.e., there is no other network device participating in data forwarding on the communication path between the computing node and the access point), belonging to the same local area network, belonging to the same virtual local area network, or existing a same protocol layer direct connection. Among them, the same protocol layer direct connection means that there is a reference point between the computing node and the access point, and the reference point does not exist segmentation or proxy intermediate node. For example, if the reference point between the computing node and the access point is NG-1, then the computing node-NG-1-access node belongs to the same protocol layer direct connection; and if the computing node is connected with the access node through an intermediate node, such as computing node-NG-2-intermediate node-NG-2 / NG-3-access node, then it does not belong to the same protocol layer direct connection. It should be noted that the reference points NG-1, NG-2, and NG-3 can be ground interfaces, such as X2 interfaces and the like. In addition, the existence of the communication connection between the computing node 30 and the access node 20 can also be understood / defined as: the communication delay between the computing node 30 and the access node 20 satisfies the delay requirement, for example, the communication delay between the computing node 30 and the access node 20 is less than or equal to a delay threshold. The delay threshold can be 1 millisecond, 2 milliseconds, 5 milliseconds, or other values.

[0143] The management module 50 can be a management module of a computing service, which can be an independent computing service management module in an operator network, can be a functional module integrated in an existing network management system, or can be a functional module in a third-party computing service management system. The management module 50 includes a computing resource management unit, which controls the computing service provided by the computing node 30, or deploys a function instance in the computing node 30, so that the computing resource provided by the computing node 30 can meet the SLA requirement of the corresponding computing service. The management module 50 can also communicate with a service management module for managing third-party services.

[0144] In addition, the core network 40 can include a network exposure function (NEF) network element, and the service module can access internal data of the core network 40 through the NEF.

[0145] Exemplarily, the terminal device 10 can include any one of the terminal devices 120 shown in FIG. 1; if the terminal device 10 includes any one of the terminal devices 120a, 120b, 120c, 120i shown in FIG. 1, the access node 20 can include the RAN node 110a in FIG. 1, and the computing node 30 can include the RAN node 110b in FIG. 1; or if the terminal device 10 includes any one of the terminal devices 120f, 120g, 120h shown in FIG. 1, the access node 20 can include the RAN node 110b in FIG. 1, and the computing node 30 can include the RAN node 110a in FIG. 1. The core network 40 can communicate with each network element through a control plane, and the control plane can include one or more control plane function entities in the core network 200.

[0146] More specifically, the communication mode between the computing node control node and the access node 20, the computing node 30 can be as follows:

[0147] 1) Referring to FIG. 2, there is a direct connection reference point between the computing node control node and the access node, and the computing node control node and the access node communicate through the direct connection reference point; there is a direct connection reference point between the computing node control node and the computing node, and the computing node control node and the computing node communicate through the direct connection reference point. Exemplarily, the direct connection reference point can be a reference point based on a next generation application protocol (NG-AP), or a reference point based on a non-access stratum (NAS) protocol, or a service interface protocol based on hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) 1 / 2 / 3.

[0148] 2) Referring to FIG. 3, the computing node control node communicates with the access node through the AMF, there is a direct connection reference point between the AMF and the access node, and the AMF and the access node communicate through the direct connection reference point; there is a direct connection reference point between the computing node control node and the computing node, and the computing node control node and the computing node communicate through the direct connection reference point. Exemplarily, the direct connection reference point can be a reference point based on an NG-AP, or a reference point based on an NAS protocol, or a reference point based on a service interface protocol based on HTTP 1 / 2 / 3.

[0149] 3) Referring to FIG. 4, the computing node control node communicates with the access node 20 and the computing node 30 based on a service based architecture (SBA), that is, the computing node control node communicates with the access node 20 and the computing node 30 through an SBA bus mechanism. Alternatively, in the architecture shown in FIG. 4, the computing node control node and the access node 20 can also communicate through a direct connection reference point.

[0150] 4) Referring to FIG. 5, the computing node control node can also be arranged in the access node 20, and there is a direct connection reference point between the access node 20 and the computing node 30, and the computing node control node communicates with the computing node 30 through the direct connection reference point.

[0151] It should be noted that the above reference point can also be understood as an interface, and the existence of a direct connection reference point or a direct connection interface between two nodes can be understood as: the two nodes are directly connected with zero hops, that is, information between the two nodes does not need to be protocol converted and forwarded by a third party.

[0152] The above describes the system provided by the present application in combination with FIGS. 1 to 5, and the following describes in detail the configuration method based on the foregoing communication system in combination with FIGS. 6 to 10. The configuration method shown in FIGS. 6 to 9 can be executed by the access node, the computing node control node, the computing node, and the terminal device. In some scenarios, the configuration method provided by the embodiments of the present application also needs the participation of the AMF and / or the network storage function (NRF). The terminal device can include the terminal device 10 in FIGS. 2 to 4, the access node can include the access node 20 in FIGS. 2 to 4, the computing node control node can include the computing node control node in the core network 40 in FIGS. 2 to 4, and the computing node can include the computing node 30 in FIGS. 2 to 4.

[0153] FIG. 6 shows a schematic flowchart of the configuration method provided by the embodiments of the present application. In this embodiment, there is a direct connection reference point between the computing node control node and the access node, and the computing node control node and the access node communicate through the direct connection reference point; there is a direct connection reference point between the computing node control node and the computing node, and the computing node control node and the computing node communicate through the direct connection reference point. That is, each subject executes the method 600 based on the architecture shown in FIG. 2, and specifically, the method 600 can include the following steps or all the steps.

[0154] S601, the computing node 1 sends registration information to the computing node control node 1.

[0155] In an example, the registration information can include a communication address of each of the at least one computing service provided by the computing node 1 and attribute information of each of the at least one computing service. The registration information can further include an identity of each of the at least one computing service, which can include, but is not limited to, an identifier (ID) of the computing service, a name of the computing service, and a calling path (also referred to as an access path, such as a URL) of the computing service.

[0156] The communication address of each of the at least one computing service provided by the computing node 1 can include an entry point address or an interface address of each of the at least one computing service, which is an address for invoking the computing service, such as a gateway address, an IP address, an IP address and a port number, or a protocol layer format address.

[0157] The communication address of each of the at least one computing service provided by the computing node 1 can be the same, specifically, the value of the communication address of each of the at least one computing service is the same.

[0158] The attribute information of each of the at least one computing service can include a performance requirement of the computing service, which can include a requirement of the computing service on a quality of service (QoS) or the like. The attribute information of the computing service can also be referred to as characteristic information of the computing service. For example, the performance requirement of the computing service includes information of a QoS expected by the computing service. Specifically, the performance requirement of the computing service can be a total time delay required from sending a scheduling request of the computing service by a terminal device to receiving a result of execution of the computing service (a total time delay requirement including a communication time delay and a computing time delay). In actual implementation, the performance requirement of the computing service can include SLA requirement information. In addition, the attribute information of each of the at least one computing service can further include a maximum number of users or connections supported by the computing service, which indicates how many terminal devices can be simultaneously served by the computing service.

[0159] For example, the computing node 1 provides computing services 1 to 3, and the registration information can include the following content:

[0160] {<ID-1, name-1, URL-1, entrypoint-1 / interface-1, SLA-1>, <ID-2, name-2, URL-2, entrypoint-2 / interface-2, SLA-2>, <ID-3, name-3, URL-3, entrypoint-3 / interface-3, SLA-3>}.

[0161] It should be noted that the above three groups of information are information corresponding to the computing service 1, the computing service 2 and the computing service 3 respectively. Among them, ID-n represents the identity of the computing service n, name-n represents the name of the computing service n, URL-n represents the calling path of the computing service n, entrypoint-n represents the entry point address of the computing service n, interface-n represents the interface address of the computing service n, SLA-n represents the SLA of the computing service n, and n takes any one of 1, 2 or 3. It should be understood that the form and content of the above registration information are only exemplary, and in actual implementation, the information of each computing service in the registration information can include more or less content, for example, the registration information can not include the identity of each computing service, the name of the computing service, or can not include the SLA and the like; for another example, the registration information can further include the maximum number of users or connections supported by each computing service.

[0162] In yet another example, the registration information can include the communication address 1 of the computing node 1 and the capability information 1 of the computing node 1. The registration information can further include the identity of the computing node 1, which can be the ID of the computing node 1 or the name of the computing node 1, for example. Among them:

[0163] The communication address 1 can include the IP address of the computing node 1, the gateway address of the computing node 1 or other communication protocol addresses (such as RDMA address), and the communication address is an address used by other functional entities to communicate with the computing node, specifically, an address used by other functional entities to call the computing service of the computing node 1.

[0164] The capability information 1 can include at least one computing service provided by the computing node 1, or the capability information 1 can further include attribute information of each computing service in the at least one computing service. Among them, the attribute information of each computing service can be as described above. Exemplarily, the computing node 1 can send a computing service list (list) to the computing node control node 1 to indicate at least one computing service provided by the computing node 1 and the performance requirement of each computing service in the at least one computing service, and the computing service list includes the computing service identity and the performance requirement thereof, such as a set of <computing service identity, performance requirement (such as SLA requirement information)>.

[0165] Exemplarily, the computing node 1 provides computing services 1 and 2, and the registration information can be in any of the following forms:

[0166] 1){computing node ID 1, computing node name 1, communication address 1, capability information 1 {ID-1, name-1, URL-1, SLA-1; ID-2, name-2, URL-2, SLA-2}};

[0167] 2) {Compute Node ID1, Compute Node name1, Capability Information1 {ID-1, name-1, URL-1, SLA-1, entrypoint-1 / interface-1; ID-2, name-2, URL-2, SLA2, entrypoint-2 / interface-2} ;

[0168] 3) {Compute Node ID1, Compute Node name1, Communication Address1, Capability Information1 {ID-1, name-1, URL-1, SLA-1, entrypoint-1 / interface-1; ID-2, name-2, URL-2, SLA2, entrypoint-2 / interface-2}.

[0169] It should be noted that the above-mentioned Compute Node ID1, Compute Node name1, and Communication Address1 are the identity, name, and communication address of the Compute Node 1 respectively, and entrypoint-1 / interface-1 and entrypoint-2 / interface-2 are different addresses of the Compute Node 1, or different anycast IP addresses or virtual IP addresses, i.e., the communication addresses of the Compute Service 1 and the Compute Service 2 respectively. That is, for the Compute Service 1 and the Compute Service 2, the aforementioned 1) provides the communication address 1 of the Compute Node 1, and calling the Compute Service 1 or the Compute Service 2 needs to be completed through the communication address 1; the aforementioned 2) provides the communication addresses of the two compute services, and calling the Compute Service 1 or the Compute Service 2 can be completed through their respective communication addresses; and the aforementioned 3) provides the communication address 1 of the Compute Node 1 and the communication addresses of the two compute services.

[0170] S602, the Compute Node 1 sends a registration response to the Compute Node Control Node 1.

[0171] Exemplarily, the registration response is used to indicate that the Compute Node Control Node 1 has received and recorded (or registered, saved) the relevant information of the Compute Node 1.

[0172] Optionally, before S602 is executed, the method further comprises:

[0173] S602', the Compute Node Control Node 1 allocates an IP address for the Compute Node 1.

[0174] In an example, the computing node control node 1 can assign an IP address to the computing node 1 when the computing node control node 1 receives the registration information of the computing node 1. For example, the computing node control node 1 can assign an IP address to the computing node 1 when the registration information includes a communication address of the computing node 1 (and the communication address is not an IP address) and does not include a communication address of the computing service provided by the computing node 1; or the computing node control node 1 can assign an IP address to the computing node 1 when the registration information includes a communication address of the computing service provided by the computing node 1 (and the communication address is not an IP address) and does not include a communication address of the computing node 1; or the computing node control node 1 can assign an IP address to the computing node 1 when the registration information includes a communication address of the computing node 1 and a communication address of the computing service provided by the computing node 1, but the communication address of the computing node 1 and the communication address of the computing service are not IP addresses. In another example, the computing node control node 1 can assign an IP address to the computing node 1 when the computing node control node 1 receives the registration information of the computing node 1 and the registration information does not include a communication address of the computing node 1 and a communication address of the computing service provided by the computing node 1.

[0175] When the computing node control node 1 assigns an IP address to the computing node 1, the registration response in S602 also carries the IP address assigned to the computing node 1.

[0176] It should be understood that the computing node control node 1 can manage other computing nodes in addition to the computing node 1, and thus the computing node control node 1 can also receive registration information from the other computing nodes. That is, the computing node control node 1 can store registration information of multiple computing nodes, and two or more of the computing nodes can provide different computing services, or two or more of the computing nodes can provide the same computing service. It should be noted that when the registration information includes a communication address of a computing service, and two or more of the computing nodes provide the same computing service, the communication address of the computing service can be one or more. When the communication address of the computing service is the same, the communication address can be an anycast IP address, or can be a virtual IP address.

[0177] In summary, the computing node control node 1 can store information of M computing services, and the M computing services can be provided by one computing node, or the M computing services can be provided by multiple computing nodes. In addition, each of the M computing services can be provided by one or more computing nodes.

[0178] More specifically, the information of the M computing services can comprise the communication addresses associated with the M computing services, which can be one or more communication addresses of each of the M computing services, or the addresses of one or more computing nodes providing the M computing services. In addition, the information of the M computing services can further comprise the attribute information of each of the computing services, the specific content of which can refer to the foregoing, and will not be described here again.

[0179] S603, the access node sends the request information to the computing node control node 1.

[0180] In some implementations, the request information is used to request the configuration of at least one computing service for the access node, which is provided by one or more computing nodes.

[0181] It can be understood that the computing node control node 1 can determine that the computing service needs to be configured for the access node according to the request information.

[0182] Exemplarily, the request information can comprise the identity of the access node, which can include but is not limited to: the access node ID, the name of the access node, the communication address of the access node, which can include the IP address information of the access node (such as the IP address range of the access node, or the IP address and mask of the access node), or can also include the MAC address and other addresses. Optionally, the request information can further comprise at least one of the following: the geographic location of the access node, the service area of the access node, or the capability information of the access node, wherein the capability information of the access node can comprise at least one of the following: the capability of supporting the computing service, or the capability of supporting the communication with the computing node.

[0183] In some implementations, the request information can be carried by the reference point (or interface) connection establishment request message between the access node and the computing node control node, and the computing node control node 1 can determine that the computing service needs to be configured for the access node according to the reference point (or interface) connection establishment request message. At this time, the request information can be understood as an implicit request, for example, when it contains the capability information of the access node supporting the computing service feature, it is an implicit indication that the access node can accept the configuration of the computing service.

[0184] In some implementations, the capability of supporting the computing service can be understood as: the access node supports the feature of the computing service; the capability of supporting the communication with the computing node can be understood as: whether the access node can support the communication with the computing node using the reference point protocol, or the capability of supporting the communication with the computing node can further comprise: the access node supports the communication with the computing node through one or more reference point protocols that can be used.

[0185] Exemplarily, the access node can send the request information to the compute node control node 1 according to the pre-configured communication address of the compute node control node 1, the request information can be an NG setup message between the access node and the compute node control node 1, the NG setup message is also used to establish the reference point connection between the access node and the compute node control node 1, and the request information can be based on the NG-AP protocol and transmitted through the stream control transmission protocol (SCTP).

[0186] Exemplarily, the pre-configured communication address of the compute node control node 1 can be configured before the access node and the compute node control node 1 establish the communication connection, for example, the communication address of the compute node control node 1 is configured in the access node by the network management system.

[0187] S604, the compute node control node 1 sends the response information to the access node.

[0188] It should be noted that the compute node 1 can be one of a plurality of compute nodes managed (or controlled, served, connected) by the compute node control node 1. The plurality of compute nodes can have a direct connection with the compute node 1, or some of the plurality of compute nodes can have a direct connection reference point with the access node, and the remaining compute nodes do not have a direct connection reference point with the access node. Specifically, the compute node control node 1 can select the compute nodes having a direct connection reference point with the access node or the compute services having a direct connection reference point with the access node (at this time, the compute nodes providing the compute services also have a direct connection reference point with the access node) from the plurality of compute nodes according to the communication addresses of the compute nodes and the IP address of the access node.

[0189] The response information is a response to the request information in S603, which can be a response message or one or more information elements (IEs) in a message.

[0190] Exemplarily, the compute node control node 1 can determine the compute services configured for the access node by any of the following methods:

[0191] ① According to the identity of the access node and the M communication addresses associated with the compute services stored by itself, select N compute services configured for the access node.

[0192] In an example, the communication address of the M computing services is the communication address of the plurality of computing nodes providing the M computing services; the identity of the access node comprises IP address information of the access node, or the identity of the access node further comprises other identity, such as MAC address, and the IP address information of the access node can be determined according to the other identity. Then, the computing node control node 1 can select at least one computing node from the plurality of computing nodes providing the M computing services according to the identity of the access node, the at least one computing node collectively providing the N computing services, and the communication address of each computing node in the at least one computing node matches the communication address information of the access node. The matching of the communication address of the computing node and the access node can include any one of the following: IP address matching, MAC address matching, or combination matching of IP address and MAC address. For example, the IP address of each computing node and the IP address of the access node are located in the same network segment, or the IP address of each computing node and the access node are located in the same address pool, or are located in the same local area network.

[0193] In another example, the communication address of the M computing services is one or more communication addresses of each of the M computing services, the identity of the access node comprises IP address information of the access node, or the identity of the access node further comprises other identity, such as MAC address, and the IP address information of the access node can be determined according to the other identity. Then, the computing node control node 1 determines the communication address of the computing node providing the M computing services according to the communication address of each computing service, and then selects at least one computing node from the plurality of computing nodes providing the M computing services according to the identity of the access node, the at least one computing node collectively providing the N computing services, and the communication address of each computing node in the at least one computing node matches the IP address information of the access node.

[0194] In another example, the communication address of the M computing services is one or more communication addresses of each of the M computing services, the identity of the access node comprises IP address information of the access node, or the identity of the access node further comprises other identity, such as MAC address, and the IP address information of the access node can be determined according to the other identity. Then, the computing node control node 1 determines the communication address of the computing node providing the M computing services according to the communication address of each computing service, and then selects at least one computing node from the plurality of computing nodes providing the M computing services according to the identity of the access node, the at least one computing node collectively providing the N computing services, and the communication address of each computing node in the at least one computing node matches the IP address information of the access node.

[0195] ②According to the identity of the access node, the communication address associated with the M computing services, and the attribute information of each of the M computing services, select N computing services configured for the access node.

[0196] Exemplarily, according to the identifier of the access node and the communication addresses associated with the M computing services, a plurality of computing nodes are determined, which are in the same network segment or the same address pool as the communication address of the access node, and which provide Q computing services, and then N computing services that match the access node are selected from the Q computing services.

[0197] In an example, the attribute information of the computing services indicates the computing performance (such as SLA, i.e., the total latency of the computing services) corresponding to the computing services, and then according to the attribute information of each computing service, computing services with too large total latency (or too strict latency requirement, for example, the latency requirement is less than a specified threshold) are removed from the Q computing services, to obtain N computing services; or computing nodes with long required communication latency between the access node and the computing nodes are removed from the plurality of computing nodes providing the Q computing services, and the remaining computing nodes provide N computing services.

[0198] In another example, the attribute information of the computing services indicates the maximum number of users or connections supported by each computing service, and then according to the attribute information of each computing service, computing services with small maximum number of users or connections are removed from the Q computing services, to obtain N computing services. Wherein, Q is a positive integer and Q is greater than or equal to N.

[0199] ③ According to the identifier of the access node, the communication addresses associated with the M computing services stored by itself, and the capability information of the access node, N computing services configured for the access node are selected. For example, according to the identifier of the access node and the communication addresses associated with the M computing services, a plurality of computing nodes are determined, which are in the same network segment or the same address pool as the communication address of the access node, and which provide Q computing services, and then combined with the capability information of the access node, N computing services whose performance requirements meet the needs of the access node are selected from the Q computing services. For example, the capability information of the access node indicates that the access node supports reference point protocol 1 and reference point protocol 2, and then computing services that do not support reference point protocol 1 and reference point protocol 2 can be removed from the Q computing services, to obtain N computing services.

[0200] Further, the response information of the request information sent by the computing node control node 1 to the access node can include the following two forms:

[0201] 1) The response information includes information organized by the granularity of the computing services. Specifically, the response information includes information of each of the N computing services, and the information of each of the computing services includes a communication address corresponding to the computing service (such as a communication address of a computing node providing the computing service, an entry point address or interface address of the computing service, and / or a port number of the computing service, etc.). Optionally, the information of each of the computing services can also include attribute information of the computing service. For example, the N computing services include computing service a and computing service b, and the response information can be in any of the following forms:

[0202] ①{ <entrypoint-a interface-a> ， <entrypoint-b interface-b>};

[0203] ②{<entrypoint-a / interface-a, SLA-a>, <entrypoint-b / interface-b, SLA-b>};

[0204] ③{<entrypoint-a / interface-a, SLA-a, max user / connection-a>, <entrypoint-b / interface-b, SLA-b, max user / connection-b>};

[0205] ④{<ID-a, name-a, URL-a, entrypoint-a / interface-a, SLA-a>, <ID-b, name-b, URL-b, entrypoint-b / interface-b, SLA-b>};

[0206] ⑤{<ID-a, name-a, URL-a, entrypoint-a / interface-a, SLA-a, max user / connection-a>, <ID-b, name-b, URL-b, entrypoint-b / interface-b, SLA-b, max user / connection-b>}.

[0207] Wherein, ID-m represents the identity of the computing service m, name-m represents the name of the computing service m, URL-m represents the calling path of the computing service m, entrypoint-m represents the entry point address of the computing service m, interface-m represents the interface address of the computing service m, SLA-m represents the SLA of the computing service m, and m is a or b. It should be noted that the above ① to ⑤ are not all forms of the response information, and in actual implementation, the response information can also include the combination of other information of the computing service in addition to the communication address of the computing service.

[0208] 2) the response information includes information organized in the granularity of computing nodes. Specifically, the response information includes information of each of the at least one computing node providing the N computing services, and each of the information of the at least one computing node includes a communication address of each of the at least one computing node (such as the above communication address 1, or an IP address assigned to the computing node), and information of at least one computing service that each of the at least one computing node can provide. The information of the at least one computing service includes at least one of the following: a communication address of each of the at least one computing service, an identification of each of the at least one computing service, or attribute information of each of the at least one computing service. For example, the N computing services include a computing service a and a computing service b, the computing service a can be provided by a computing node a, and the computing service b can be provided by the computing node a and a computing node b, the response information can be in any of the following forms:

[0209] ① {<computing node a-communication address, [computing service list]-a>, <computing node b-communication address, [computing service list]-b>};

[0210] ② {<computing node a-communication address, computing node a-ID, [computing service list]-a>, <computing node b-communication address, computing node b-ID, [computing service list]-b>};

[0211] ③ {<computing node a-communication address, computing node a-ID, computing node a-name, [computing service list]-a>, <computing node b-communication address, computing node b-ID, computing node a-name, [computing service list]-b>}.

[0212] Wherein, the above computing node m-ID, computing node m-name, and computing node m-communication address are the identity, name, and communication address of the computing node m, and m is a or b. Exemplarily, [computing service list] includes at least one of the following information that each of the computing nodes can provide: an identification of a computing service, a communication address of a computing service, and attribute information of a computing service. For example, [computing service list]-a includes at least one of the following: an identification of the computing service a and the computing service b, a communication address of the computing service a and the computing service b, an SLA of the computing service a and the computing service b, and a maximum number of users / connections of the computing service a and the computing service b; [computing service list]-b includes at least one of the following: an identification of the computing service b, a communication address of the computing service b, an SLA of the computing service b, and a maximum number of users / connections of the computing service b.

[0213] It should be noted that the above ① to ③ are not all forms of response information, and in actual implementation, in addition to the communication address of the computing node, the response information can also include a combination of other information related to the computing node or the computing service.

[0214] In some implementations, the computing node control node 1 can determine not to configure the computing service for the access node according to the capability information of the access node. For example, if the capability information of the access node indicates that the direct reference point protocol is not supported, that is, the access node cannot communicate with the computing node through the direct reference point, the computing service is not configured for the access node, and further, the response information can include any one of the following: information indicating that the communication connection between the computing node control node 1 and the access node is successfully established, but does not contain any computing service related information; information indicating that the communication connection between the computing node control node 1 and the access node is failed to be established, and does not contain any computing service related information; information rejecting to establish the communication connection between the computing node control node 1 and the access node, and does not contain any computing service related information.

[0215] Optionally, when or after the access node obtains the information related to the computing service (such as the communication address of the computing service, or the communication address of the computing node providing the computing service, etc.), the suitable computing node can be determined (or selected) according to the computing task scheduling request from the terminal device and / or the data associated with the computing task, and the processing data of the computing task (such as the data to be processed by the computing service) can be transmitted to the computing node, or the processed data (such as the data processed by the computing service) can also be received from the computing node. More detailed steps are described as S605 to S608:

[0216] S605, the terminal device 1 sends a scheduling request of the computing task 1 or a data packet of the computing task 1 to the access node.

[0217] Exemplarily, when the terminal device 1 sends the scheduling request of the computing task 1 to the access node, the scheduling request can carry the identifier of the computing task 1, which can include the identifier or the communication address of the computing service (such as the computing service 1) associated with the computing task 1. More specifically, the scheduling request can be an air interface control signaling, for example, an access stratum (AS) signaling. More specifically, the scheduling request can be an RRC layer signaling, or also can be a MAC layer signaling, etc. When the terminal device 1 sends the data packet of the computing task 1 to the access node, the IP address of the data packet can include the communication address of the computing service 1.

[0218] S606, the access node determines the computing service 1 associated with the computing task 1, and selects the computing node 1 from at least one computing node according to the computing service 1.

[0219] For example, the access node determines the computing service 1 according to the identity of the computing task 1, and then selects a computing node that can provide the computing service 1 from the at least one computing node. In actual implementation, there can be multiple computing nodes that can provide the computing service 1 in the at least one computing node, but these computing nodes can not all have a direct reference point with the access node, or the load of part of the computing nodes can not be able to provide services for new users, for example, the number of connections of the computing node can have reached the upper limit. Then the access node can select a computing node that has a direct reference point with itself and whose number of connections has not reached the upper limit to provide the computing service 1 for the terminal device. More specifically, the access node can also select a computing node with the least number of connections to provide the computing service 1 for the terminal device. In some scenarios, the access node can also select multiple computing nodes to provide the computing service 1 for the terminal device.

[0220] It should be noted that this step is described by taking an example that the at least one computing node includes the computing node 1 and the computing node 1 provides the computing service 1, and in actual implementation, the access node can also select other computing nodes that provide the computing service 1 to provide the computing service 1 for the terminal device.

[0221] S608, the access node performs scheduling of the computing service 1.

[0222] Specifically, the access node receives data (such as data to be processed by the computing service 1) of the computing task 1 from the terminal device 1, and routes it to the computing node (such as the computing node 1) that provides the computing service 1. When the computing node 1 provides the computing service 1 for the terminal device, the access node receives data (such as data processed by the computing service 1) of the computing task 1 from the computing node 1, and routes it to the terminal device 1.

[0223] Optionally, before S608 is performed, the method can further include: S607, the access node sends air interface bearer related configuration information to the terminal device 1.

[0224] Exemplarily, the access node pre-acquires or stores the computing power QoS information, which can indicate the correspondence between at least one computing task and its corresponding computing power QoS, and the at least one computing task includes the computing task 1. In an implementation, the access node can allocate an air interface bearer (such as air interface bearer 1) for the transmission of the computing task 1 according to the computing power QoS information and the scheduling request of the computing task 1 or the identifier of the computing task 1 carried in the data packet of the computing task 1, and send air interface bearer related information to the terminal device 1, for example, a data bearer identifier indicating the air interface bearer 1, more specifically, the air interface bearer related information can be a data radio bearer (DRB) identifier indicating the air interface bearer 1, or can also be a data bearer identifier finer than the existing DRB, for example, one DRB can carry multiple aforementioned air interface bearers. In another implementation, the scheduling request of the computing task 1 or the data packet of the computing task 1 carries the identifier of the computing task 1 and the air interface bearer 2 for the computing task 1, then the access node can determine the air interface bearer 1 according to the computing power QoS information and the identifier of the computing task 1, and further notify the terminal device 1 of the information of the updated air interface bearer.

[0225] It should be noted that the terminal device 1 can be one of a plurality of terminal devices to which the access service provided by the access node is directed, that is, the access node provides the access service for the terminal device 1 while also providing the access service for other terminal devices. In addition, the computing service corresponding to the computing task 1 can be scheduled by the terminal device 1 while also accepting scheduling by other terminal devices. The specific implementation of the access node for determining the computing node and the routing related data for the computing task scheduling of other terminal devices can refer to the description in S605 to S608, which will not be repeated here.

[0226] In some implementations, when a new computing node is deployed near the access node, S601-S602 can be performed to register the new computing node to the computing node control node 1, and the computing node control node 1 can push the information of the new computing node to the access node. Specifically, the computing node control node 1 can actively send the information of the new computing node to the access node based on the registration of the new computing node, or the computing node control node 1 can periodically send the information of the new computing node to the access node, for example, the access node periodically sends a request information to the computing node control node 1, and the computing node control node 1 can send the information of the new computing node to the access node in response to the request of the access node, or the computing node control node 1 periodically sends the information of the new computing node registered in the period to the access node. In addition, when a computing node deployed near the access node is removed, the computing node control node 1 can also notify the access node 1 of the information of the removed computing node, so as to notify the access node 1 that the computing node is removed, and then the access node 1 can remove the computing node from the local optional (or available) computing nodes.

[0227] In yet some implementations, when a new computing service is added in the computing node 1 or the computing node 1 no longer supports some computing services, the computing node 1 can send new registration information (or registration update information) to the computing node control node 1; or, when a new computing service is added, the computing node 1 can notify the computing node control node 1 of the information of the added computing service, such as the communication address of the added computing service and the attribute information of the added computing service, and when a computing service is deleted, the computing node 1 can notify the computing node control node 1 of the identifier of the deleted computing service. Further, the computing node control node 1 can also notify the access node 1 of the information of the removed computing service, so that the access node 1 can remove the information corresponding to the computing service from the local optional (or available) computing services.

[0228] In yet some implementations, when a new computing service is added in the computing node 1 or the computing node 1 no longer supports some computing services, the computing node 1 can send new registration information (or registration update information) to the computing node control node 1; or, when a new computing service is added, the computing node 1 can notify the computing node control node 1 of the information of the added computing service, such as the communication address of the added computing service and the attribute information of the added computing service, and when a computing service is deleted, the computing node 1 can notify the computing node control node 1 of the identifier of the deleted computing service. Further, the computing node control node 1 can also notify the access node 1 of the information of the removed computing service, so that the access node 1 can remove the information corresponding to the computing service from the local optional (or available) computing services.

[0229] The configuration method provided in the embodiments of the present application can configure one or more optimal computing nodes for an access node in the granularity of a computing service or a computing node before a terminal requests. In this way, when a terminal device accessed by the access node requests to schedule a computing service in a computing node, the access node can select an optimal computing node for providing the computing service according to the information of the pre-configured computing node. The signaling interaction between the access node and the computing node control node, and between the computing node control node and the computing node can be reduced. In this way, on the one hand, the signaling overhead required in the process of selecting a computing node for providing a computing service for a terminal device can be saved, and on the other hand, the computing node for providing a computing service for a terminal device can be selected in time, thereby helping to reduce the time delay required for executing a computing task, and further helping to guarantee the performance of the computing task.

[0230] FIG. 7 shows another schematic flowchart of the configuration method provided in the embodiments of the present application. In the embodiments, the computing node control node communicates with the access node through the AMF; there is a direct connection reference point between the computing node control node and the computing node, and the computing node control node and the computing node communicate through the direct connection reference point. That is, the subjects communicate with each other based on the architecture shown in FIG. 3 to perform the method 700, and specifically, the method 700 can include the following steps or all the steps.

[0231] The computing node 1 can register the related information in the computing node control node 1 through S701 to S702, and more detailed content can be referred to the description in S601 to S602, which will not be repeated here.

[0232] S703, the access node 1 sends information 1 to the AMF.

[0233] Exemplarily, the information 1 can carry the identifier of the access node 1; optionally, the information 1 can further include at least one of the following: the geographic position of the access node 1, the service area of the access node 1, or the capability information of the access node 1. The specific content of the identifier and the capability information of the access node 1 can be referred to the description in S603, which will not be repeated here. The access node 1 can send the information 1 through the NG, N2 setup message.

[0234] In an implementation, the information 1 is used to request to obtain the configuration information of the computing service. After receiving the information 1, the AMF directly sends (or transmits) the information 1 to the computing node control node 1. In this implementation, the information 1 can be an explicit request. For example, the information 1 can be a message named service configuration request, or the information 1 can also be service request indication information carried in an existing protocol message (such as N2 setup message) between the access node 1 and the AMF, which is used to request to obtain the configuration information of the computing service. Alternatively, the information 1 can also be an implicit request. For example, the information 1 can be the capability information (such as a parameter of the computing service support capability) of the access node 1 carried in an existing message or other message, which indicates that the access node 1 has the capability to accept and process the computing service. Then, the opposite end (i.e., the AMF) of the access node 1 sends the configuration information of the computing service to the access node 1 according to the indication. Finally, even if the access node 1 does not send an explicit request, the access node 1 can also receive the configuration information of the computing service. Therefore, in this case, the information 1 can be referred to as an implicit request.

[0235] In another implementation, the information 1 is a field carrying the capability information (such as a parameter of the computing service support capability) of the access node 1 or an existing request message (such as N2 setup message). At this time, after receiving the information 1, the AMF determines that the computing service needs to be configured for the access node 1 according to the computing service support capability and other information of the access node 1, and then the AMF further selects the computing node control node 1 and sends the information 2 to the computing node control node 1 to request the computing node control node 1 to configure the computing service for the access node 1.

[0236] It can be understood that the foregoing explicit request can be understood as that the sending end (such as the access node 1 or the AMF) explicitly knows that it needs to request to configure the computing service for the access node 1. The explicit request can be realized by the name of the request message or the way of including the request indication in the existing message, such as service request indication. The implicit request means that the sending end does not know that it needs to request to configure the computing service for the access node 1. The implicit request can include the related information of the access node 1, and the receiving end (such as the AMF or the computing node control node 1) can determine that the computing service needs to be configured for the access node 1 according to the related information of the access node 1.

[0237] S705, the AMF sends the information 2 to the computing node control node 1.

[0238] For example, the AMF can send the information 2 to the computing node control node 1. The computing node control node 1 is included in a plurality of computing node control nodes in communication with the AMF.

[0239] It should be understood that for the case of AMF transparent information 1, information 2 can be the same as the function and role of information 1. Among them, information 1 can be the same as information 2 content, for example, the name and contained information element of information 1 and information 2 are the same, or information 1 and information 2 are the same information element parameters. Alternatively, the content of information 2 is different from that of information 1, but information 2 contains information 1, for example, information 2 and information 1 are both a message, then information 1 can be contained in information 2 as a container, and for another example, information 2 and information 1 are both information element parameters, then information 1 can be part of the information element parameters in information 2. Specifically, when information 1 is a service configuration request message between access node 1 and AMF, information 2 can be a service configuration request message between AMF and control node, and the parameters contained in the two messages for requesting service configuration are the same, and if other parameters are also contained, the other parameters can be different.

[0240] For the case of AMF non-transparent information 1 in S703, information 2 and information 1 can have different functions and roles. Among them, the content of information 1 and information 2 can be different. For example, the name of information 1 and information 2 is different or the information element contained in information 1 and information 2 is different. Specifically, when information 1 is a node connection establishment message (such as N2 setup message) between access node 1 and AMF, then the AMF can determine that the access node 1 supports computing services according to the capability information of the access node 1, and then the AMF requests the configuration information of the computing services for the access node 1 to the computing node control node 1, that is, sends information 2 to the control node. At this time, information 2 is used to request the computing node control node 1 to configure the computing services for the access node 1.

[0241] Optionally, for the case of AMF determining the computing node control node 1 according to the information of the access node 1, before performing S705, the method further comprises: S704, the AMF selects the computing node control node 1.

[0242] Exemplarily, the AMF can select the computing node control node 1 for the access node 1 according to the related information of the access node 1. For example, the AMF can select the computing node control node 1 according to at least one of the identifier of the access node 1, the geographic location of the access node 1, and the service area of the access node 1. The communication address of the computing node control node 1 and the communication address of the access node 1 are located in the same network segment or the same address pool, or the service area or geographic location of the computing node control node 1 matches the service area of the access node 1, so that there is a communication connection between the computing node managed by the computing node control node 1 and the access node 1.

[0243] It should be noted that the access node 1 can be one of a plurality of access nodes served by the AMF. In actual implementation, the AMF can receive information from a plurality of access nodes including the access node 1, and configure a plurality of access nodes with computing services respectively through the information of the plurality of access nodes. Then, the information 2 can be used only for configuring the access node 1 with the computing services, or the information 2 can also be used for configuring a plurality of access nodes including the access node 1 with the computing services. More specifically, the information 2 can include the following two forms:

[0244] 1) If the information 2 is used for configuring the access node 1 with the computing services, the information 2 can carry an identifier of the access node 1; optionally, the information 2 can further include at least one of the following: a geographic position of the access node 1, a service area of the access node 1, or capability information of the access node 1. That is, the information 2 carries the same content as the information 1.

[0245] 2) If the information 2 is used for configuring a plurality of access nodes including the access node 1 with the computing services, the information 2 can carry an identifier of each of the plurality of access nodes; optionally, the information 2 can further include at least one of the following: a geographic position of each of the plurality of access nodes, a service area of each of the plurality of access nodes, or capability information of each of the plurality of access nodes.

[0246] It should be understood that, in the case that the AMF transmits the information 1 transparently, the information 2 can be an implicit request, or can also be an explicit request; in the case that the AMF determines that the configuration information of the computing services needs to be requested for the access node 1 according to the capability information of the access node 1 carried by the information 1, the information 2 can be an explicit request. More specific descriptions can be referred to the foregoing content.

[0247] S706, the computing node control node 1 sends the response information 2 to the AMF.

[0248] In the case that the information 2 is in the form (1) described above, after the computing node control node 1 receives the information 2, the computing node control node 1 can determine at least one computing node or at least one computing service configured for the access node 1, and carry information of the at least one computing node or the at least one computing service in the response information 2. At this time, the form of the response information 2 can be referred to the description in S604, which will not be described herein again.

[0249] When the information 2 is in the form (2) described above, the computing node control node 1 can determine the computing service configured for each of the plurality of access nodes respectively after receiving the information 2, and carry the configuration information and the information about the association between the configuration information and the access node in the response information 2. That is, the response information 2 can carry the identification of the access node and the corresponding configuration information (i.e., the information of the computing service configured for the access node), and the form of the configuration information corresponding to one access node can refer to the description in S604, which will not be repeated here.

[0250] It should be understood that the computing node control node 1 can also determine not to configure the computing service for the access node 1 or some of the plurality of access nodes, and the specific implementation of determining not to configure the computing service for a certain access node, and the specific implementation of determining at least one computing node or at least one computing service configured for the access node can also refer to the description in S604, which will not be repeated here.

[0251] S707, the AMF sends a response to the information 1 to the access node 1.

[0252] In some implementations, after S703 is performed, S704 to S707 can be sequentially performed, and at this time, the configuration information can be carried in the response to the information 1. In this case, the content of the response to the information 1 can be similar to the content of the response information in S604, and when the response information 2 only carries the configuration information corresponding to the access node 1, the content of the response information 2 and the response information 1 can also be the same.

[0253] In yet another implementation, when the AMF selects the computing node control node according to the identification of the access node and other information, and sends information to the computing node control node, S707 can be executed synchronously with S704 to S706, and further, the AMF obtains the configuration information and then sends the configuration information to the access node 1 separately. In this case, the response to the information 1 in S707 can be understood as a connection establishment response, and does not carry the information about the computing service.

[0254] When the AMF also receives the information of other access nodes, and receives the information about the computing service configured for the other access nodes from the computing node control node, the AMF also sends a response information to the other access nodes respectively, and the response information carries the information about the computing service configured for the other access nodes.

[0255] Optionally, when or after the access node 1 obtains the related information of the computing service, S708-S711 can be performed, i.e., determining a suitable computing node (e.g., the computing node 1) according to the computing task scheduling request or the data packet of the computing task from the terminal device 1, and routing the data of the computing task between the computing node. The specific implementation of S708-S711 can refer to the description in S605-S608, which will not be described here.

[0256] In some implementations, when a new computing node is deployed near the access node 1, S701-S702 can be performed to register the new computing node to the computing node control node 1, and the computing node control node 1 can push the information of the new computing node to the access node 1. Specifically, the computing node control node 1 can actively send the information of the new computing node to the AMF based on the registration of the new computing node, or the computing node control node 1 can periodically send the information of the new computing node to the AMF, for example, the AMF periodically sends a request information to the computing node control node 1, and the computing node control node 1 can send the information of the new computing node to the AMF in response to the request of the AMF, or the computing node control node 1 periodically sends the information of the new computing node registered in the period to the AMF. Further, the AMF sends the information of the new computing node to the access node 1. For example, the AMF can periodically send the information of the new computing node to the access node 1, or the AMF sends the information of the new computing node to the access node 1 when obtaining the information of the new computing node. In addition, when a computing node deployed near the access node is removed, the computing node control node 1 can also notify the AMF of the information of the removed computing node, so that the AMF notifies the access node 1 that the computing node is removed, and then the access node 1 can remove the computing node from the local optional (or available) computing nodes.

[0257] In yet some implementations, when a new computing service is added in the computing node 1 or the computing node 1 no longer supports some computing services, the computing node 1 can send new registration information (or registration update information) to the computing node control node 1; or, when a new computing service is added, the computing node 1 can notify the computing node control node 1 of the information of the added computing service, such as the communication address of the added computing service and the attribute information of the added computing service, and when a computing service is deleted, the computing node 1 can notify the computing node control node 1 of the identifier of the deleted computing service. Further, the computing node control node 1 can also notify the AMF of the information of the removed computing service, and then the AMF forwards the information to the access node 1, and the access node 1 can remove the information corresponding to the computing service from the local optional (or available) computing services.

[0258] In some other implementation manners, when the computing service 1 is offline, disabled, or the like on the computing node 1 or / and other computing nodes, the computing node 1 or / and other computing nodes update the information to the computing node control node 1, the computing node control node 1 can also notify the AMF of the updated information of the computing service, and then the AMF forwards the information to the access node 1, which can remove the information corresponding to the computing service 1 from the locally optional (or available) computing services. The configuration method provided in the embodiments of the present application can configure the computing service for the access node by the computing node control node in response to the request of the AMF when there is no direct reference point between the access node and the computing node control node.

[0259] It can be understood that the AMF described above can also be replaced by a signaling plane border gateway or a signaling plane proxy between the RAN and the CN, which is responsible for the relay of the signaling plane communication between the access domain and the core network, and the information related to the AMF in the above steps is replaced by the information related to the signaling plane border gateway or the signaling plane proxy.

[0260] FIG. 8 shows another schematic flowchart of the configuration method provided in the embodiments of the present application. In the present embodiment, there is a direct reference point between the computing node control node and the access node, and the two communicate through the direct reference point, or there is no direct reference point between the computing node control node and the access node, and the computing node control node communicates with the access node through the AMF; there is a direct reference point between the computing node control node and the computing node, and the computing node control node and the computing node communicate through the direct reference point. That is, the subjects communicate based on the architecture shown in FIG. 2 or FIG. 3 to perform the method 800, and specifically, the method 800 can include the following steps or all of the steps.

[0261] The computing node 1 can register the related information in the computing node control node 1 through S801 to S802, and more detailed content can be referred to the description in S601 to S602, which will not be repeated here.

[0262] In the present embodiment, the computing node control node can actively configure the computing service for the access node, for example, the computing node control node can configure the computing service for each of the plurality of access nodes in communication connection with itself respectively; or the computing node control node can also configure one computing service (which can be provided by one or more computing nodes) to part of the plurality of access nodes in communication connection with itself. More specifically, taking the computing node control node 1 as an example, the computing node control node 1 can actively configure the computing service for the access node in the following two ways.

[0263] Method 1 (in the case that there is a direct reference point between the computing node control node and the access node):

[0264] S803, the computing node control node 1 determines the to-be-configured access node 1 and / or the to-be-configured computing service.

[0265] It should be noted that the "to-be-configured computing service" refers to the computing service to be configured to the access node.

[0266] In some implementations, when the computing node control node 1 has obtained the information of the M computing services (such as one computing service), it is necessary to determine the to-be-configured access node according to the information of the M computing services. Illustratively, the computing node control node 1 determines a plurality of access nodes that have a communication relationship (such as communication through a direct reference point) with itself, and then determines at least one access node (such as b, and b is less than or equal to a) from the plurality of access nodes (such as a) as the to-be-configured access node, and then configures the computing service for each access node in the at least one access node.

[0267] Illustratively, the computing node control node 1 can determine at least one to-be-configured access node by any of the following methods:

[0268] ① According to the identifier of each access node in the plurality of access nodes and the communication address associated with the M computing services, select the access node to be configured. For example, if it is determined according to the identifier of each access node and the communication address associated with the M computing services that a certain access node in the plurality of access nodes does not have a communication connection with any computing node providing the M computing services, then the access node does not need to be configured; if it is determined according to the identifier of each access node and the communication address associated with the M computing services that a certain access node in the plurality of access nodes has a communication connection with a certain computing node providing the M computing services, then the access node is determined to be the to-be-configured access node. For example, the plurality of access nodes includes access node 1 and access node 2, and the M computing services are provided by computing node 1. If it is determined according to the communication address of access node 1 that computing node 1 and access node 1 are located in the same address pool or the same network segment, then access node 1 is determined to be the to-be-configured access node, and the M computing services are configured to access node 1; if it is determined according to the communication address of access node 2 that computing node 1 and access node 2 are not located in the same address pool or the same network segment, then it is determined that the M computing services do not need to be configured to access node 2.

[0269] According to the identity and capability information of each of the plurality of access nodes and the communication address associated with the M computing services, an access node that needs to be configured is selected. For example, if it is determined according to the identity of each of the plurality of access nodes and the communication address associated with the M computing services that c access nodes of the plurality of access nodes have a communication connection with the M computing services, and if it is determined according to the capability information of the access nodes that a certain access node of the c access nodes does not support communication with the computing node through the direct reference point, it is determined that the access node does not need to be configured. If it is determined according to the capability information of the access nodes that a certain access node of the c access nodes supports communication with the computing node through the reference point protocol 1, and if it is determined that the computing node providing the M computing services supports the reference point protocol 1, it is determined that the access node is the access node to be configured. Otherwise, it is determined that the access node does not need to be configured.

[0270] According to the identity of each of the plurality of access nodes, the communication address associated with the M computing services, and the attribute information of each of the M computing services, an access node that needs to be configured is selected. For example, according to the identity of each of the plurality of access nodes and the communication address associated with the M computing services, it is determined that c access nodes of the plurality of access nodes have a communication connection with the M computing services, and if the attribute information of the computing services indicates that the total latency of each computing service is large, d access nodes with smaller communication latency between the access nodes and the computing node providing the M computing services are selected from the c access nodes as the access nodes to be configured.

[0271] It should be noted that the communication connection between the access node and the computing service in the present application can be understood as a communication connection between the access node and the computing node providing the computing service.

[0272] In some implementations, the computing node control node 1 has determined at least one access node to be configured, and the computing node control node 1 configures the computing services for each of the at least one access node to be configured according to the stored information of the computing services. For example, the computing node control node 1 can determine the access node to be configured according to the preconfigured information of the access node, wherein the preconfigured information of the access node (such as the identity of the access node, the communication address, etc.) can be configured before the access node and the computing node control node 1 establish a communication connection, for example, the information of the access node is configured in the computing node control node 1 by the network management system.

[0273] For more specific implementations of configuring the computing services for each of the access nodes to be configured, reference can be made to the description in S604, which will not be repeated here.

[0274] Further, the computing node control node 1 can send configuration information to the access node 1 in S804, the configuration information can include the communication address of the at least one computing service, or the configuration information can further include attribute information of the at least one computing service. Specifically, the content and form of the configuration information can refer to the description of the response information in S604, and will not be described here.

[0275] S804, the computing node control node 1 sends configuration information to the access node 1.

[0276] It should be understood that the computing node control node 1 can also send configuration information to other to-be-configured access nodes in addition to the access node 1 among multiple access nodes.

[0277] Exemplarily, the configuration information can be carried in a service configuration request message sent by the computing node control node 1 to the access node 1, which is used to send the configuration information to the access node 1; optionally, the access node 1 returns confirmation information or response information to the computing node control node 1, indicating that the receiving of the configuration information is successful, failed or rejected.

[0278] Method 2 (in the case that the computing node control node needs to communicate between the AMF and the access node):

[0279] The computing node control node selects the access nodes to be configured according to the information of the registered computing nodes, and these access nodes can belong to different geographical locations or service areas (or logical topology areas) and be served by different AMFs. For each AMF, the following S803', S805 and S806 can be performed:

[0280] S803', the computing node control node 1 determines the to-be-configured access node 1 and / or the to-be-configured computing service.

[0281] In an example, the computing node control node 1 has obtained the computing service to be configured, and then configures the computing service to be configured to at least one access node in communication connection with the computing node control node 1. The specific method of determining the access node 1 to be configured and / or the computing service to be configured can refer to the description in the former implementation manner of S803, and will not be described herein again. In another example, the computing node control node 1 has determined at least one access node to be configured in the service area or geographical location corresponding to the AMF, and then configures the computing service to part or all of the at least one access node. The specific method of determining the access node 1 to be configured and / or the computing service to be configured can refer to the description in the latter implementation manner of S803, and will not be described herein again. Further, the computing node control node 1 sends the configuration information 1 to the AMF. The configuration information 1 can include the information of the computing service configured for one access node and the identifier of the access node, or the configuration information 1 can include the information of the computing service configured for all the access nodes to be configured and the identifier of the access nodes to be configured. It should be noted that the content of the configuration information 1 except the identifier of the access node is similar to the content of the response information in S604.

[0282] For example, when the configuration information 1 is organized in the granularity of the computing service, and the configuration information 1 includes the computing service a and the computing service b configured for the access node 1, the form of the configuration information 1 can include any of the following:

[0283] ①{the identifier of the access node 1, <entrypoint-a interface-a> ， <entrypoint-b interface-b>};

[0284] ②{access node 1's identity, <entrypoint-a / interface-a, SLA-a>, <entrypoint-b / interface-b, SLA-b>};

[0285] ③{access node 1's identity, <entrypoint-a / interface-a, SLA-a, max users / connections-a>, <entrypoint-b / interface-b, SLA-b, max users / connections-b>};

[0286] ④{access node 1's identity, <ID-a, name-a, URL-a, entrypoint-a / interface-a, SLA-a>, <ID-b, name-b, URL-b, entrypoint-b / interface-b, SLA-b>};

[0287] ⑤{access node 1's identity, <ID-a, name-a, URL-a, entrypoint-a / interface-a, SLA-a, max users / connections-a>, <ID-b, name-b, URL-b, entrypoint-b / interface-b, SLA-b, max users / connections-b>}.

[0288] It should be noted that the above ① to ⑤ are not all forms of the configuration information 1, and in actual implementation, in addition to the communication address of the computing service and the identity of the access node 1, the configuration information 1 can also include combinations of other information of the computing service.

[0289] For example, when the configuration information 1 is organized in the granularity of the computing service, and the configuration information 1 includes the computing service a and the computing service b configured for the access node 1, and includes the computing service c configured for the access node 2, the form of the configuration information 1 can include any of the following:

[0290] ①{[access node 1's identity, <entrypoint-a interface-a> ， <entrypoint-b interface-b>], an identity of the access node 2, <entrypoint-c interface-c>]};

[0291] ②{[access node 1's identity, <entrypoint-a / interface-a, SLA-a>, <entrypoint-b / interface-b, SLA-b>], [access node 2's identity, <entrypoint-c / interface-c, SLA-c>]};

[0292] ③{[access node 1's identity, <entrypoint-a / interface-a, SLA-a, max users / connections-a>, <entrypoint-b / interface-b, SLA-b, max users / connections-b>], [access node 2's identity, <entrypoint-c / interface-c, SLA-c, max users / connections-c>]};

[0293] ④{[access node 1's identity, <ID-a, name-a, URL-a, entrypoint-a / interface-a, SLA-a>, <ID-b, name-b, URL-b, entrypoint-b / interface-b, SLA-b>], [access node 2's identity, <ID-c, name-c, URL-c, entrypoint-c / interface-c, SLA-c>]};

[0294] ⑤{[access node 1's identity, <ID-a, name-a, URL-a, entrypoint-a / interface-a, SLA-a, max users / connections-a>, <ID-b, name-b, URL-b, entrypoint-b / interface-b, SLA-b, max users / connections-b>], [access node 2's identity, <ID-c, name-c, URL-c, entrypoint-c / interface-c, SLA-c, max users / connections-c>]}.

[0295] It should be noted that the above ① to ⑤ are not all forms of the configuration information 1, in actual implementation, in addition to the communication address of the computing service and the identity of the access node 1 and the access node, the configuration information 1 can also include other information of the computing service.

[0296] Exemplarily, in the case that the configuration information 1 is organized in the granularity of the computing node, and the configuration information 1 includes the computing service a and the computing service b configured for the access node 1, if the computing service a can be provided by the computing node a, and the computing service b can be provided by the computing node a and the computing node b, the form of the configuration information 1 can include any one of the following:

[0297] ① {the identifier of the access node 1, <the communication address of the computing node a, [the list of computing services]-a>, <the communication address of the computing node b, [the list of computing services]-b>};

[0298] ② {the identifier of the access node 1, <the communication address of the computing node a, the computing node a-ID, [the list of computing services]-a>, <the communication address of the computing node b, the computing node b-ID, [the list of computing services]-b>};

[0299] ③ {the identifier of the access node 1, <the communication address of the computing node a, the computing node a-ID, the computing node a-name, [the list of computing services]-a>, <the communication address of the computing node b, the computing node b-ID, the computing node a-name, [the list of computing services]-b>}.

[0300] It should be noted that the above ① to ③ are not a list of all forms of the configuration information 1, and in actual implementation, in addition to the communication address of the computing node and the identifier of the access node 1, the configuration information 1 can also include a combination of other information related to the computing node or the computing service.

[0301] Exemplarily, in the case that the configuration information 1 is organized in the granularity of the computing node, and the configuration information 1 includes the computing service a and the computing service b configured for the access node 1, and includes the computing service c configured for the access node 2, if the computing service a can be provided by the computing node a, the computing service b can be provided by the computing node a and the computing node b, the computing service c can be provided by the computing node c and the computing service d, the form of the configuration information 1 can include any one of the following:

[0302] ① {[the identifier of the access node 1, <the communication address of the computing node a, [the list of computing services]-a>, <the communication address of the computing node b, [the list of computing services]-b>], [the identifier of the access node 2, <the communication address of the computing node c, [the list of computing services]-c>, <the communication address of the computing node d, [the list of computing services]-d]};

[0303] {[identity of access node 1, <communication address of computing node a, computing node a-ID, [computing service list]-a>, <communication address of computing node b, computing node b-ID, [computing service list]-b>], [identity of access node 2, <communication address of computing node c, computing node c-ID, [computing service list]-c>, <communication address of computing node d, computing node d-ID, [computing service list]-d>]}.

[0304] {[identity of access node 1, <communication address of computing node a, computing node a-ID, computing node a-name, [computing service list]-a>, <communication address of computing node b, computing node b-ID, computing node a-name, [computing service list]-b>], [identity of access node 2, <communication address of computing node c, computing node c-ID, computing node c-name, [computing service list]-c>, <communication address of computing node d, computing node d-ID, computing node d-name, [computing service list]-d>]}.

[0305] The [computing service list]-c or [computing service list]-d includes at least one of the following: a computing service c identifier, a communication address of the computing service c, an SLA of the computing service c, and a maximum number of users / connections of the computing service c.

[0306] It should be noted that the above ① to ③ are not all forms of the configuration information 1, and in actual implementation, the configuration information 1 can further include a combination of other information related to the computing node or the computing service in addition to the communication address of the computing node, the identity of the access node 1 and the access node 2.

[0307] S805, the computing node sends the configuration information 1 to the AMF.

[0308] It should be noted that the configuration information 1 can be carried by any one of the service configuration request message, the service configuration update message, or the service configuration notification message, or can be carried by other messages.

[0309] Exemplarily, if at least one of the access nodes in S805 includes the access node 1, S806 is performed.

[0310] S806, the AMF sends the configuration information 2 to the access node 1.

[0311] The AMF determines the information of the computing service configured to the access node 1 according to the configuration information 1. Then, the AMF sends the configuration information 2 to the access node 1, where the configuration information 2 includes the information of the computing service configured to the access node 1. The form of the configuration information 2 can refer to the description of the response information in S604, which will not be repeated here. The configuration information 2 can be carried by any one of the service configuration request message, the service configuration update message, or the service configuration notification message; or, the configuration information 2 can also be carried by other messages.

[0312] The method that the AMF sends the configuration information to the access nodes other than the access node 1 among the plurality of access nodes can refer to the description in S806, which will not be repeated here.

[0313] In the embodiment, the action of configuring the computing service to the access node (i.e., knowing the access node to be configured, and then configuring the computing service to the access node; or, knowing the computing service to be configured, and then configuring the computing service to be configured to some access nodes) can also be performed by the AMF (i.e., the method 3 in FIG. 8), and the computing node control node is only used to provide the information of the computing service. More specifically, taking the configuration of the computing node control node 1 as an example, the process of configuring the computing service to the access node by the AMF can include the following S807 to S809:

[0314] S807, the computing node control node 1 sends the configuration information 3 to the AMF.

[0315] The computing node control node 1 sends the information of the computing node registered to itself to the AMF. The configuration information 3 includes the information of the plurality of computing nodes, or the configuration information 3 includes the information of the plurality of computing services. The form of the configuration information 3 can be consistent with the form of the response information in S604, except that the computing service indicated by the configuration information 3 is not fixedly configured to a certain access node.

[0316] The configuration information 3 can be carried in the reference point protocol message between the computing node control node 1 and the AMF, which is used for the computing node control node 1 to send the configuration information to the AMF.

[0317] S808, the AMF determines the access node 1 to be configured.

[0318] Exemplarily, the AMF pre-stores the information of at least one access node served by the AMF (such as the identification, the communication address, etc. of each of the at least one access node).

[0319] In some implementations, the AMF takes each of the at least one access node it serves as an access node to be configured. For each access node, according to the communication address of the access node, the AMF determines from the configuration information 3 a computing node n that has a direct reference point with the access node to be configured, and then sends information of the computing service provided by the computing node n to the access node to be configured. The AMF configures the specific implementation of the computing service for each access node to be configured according to the configuration information 3, which can be referred to the description in S604, and will not be described here again.

[0320] In some implementations, the at least one access node determines the computing service to be configured according to the configuration information 3, and then selects the access node to be configured from the at least one access node it serves, and then sends information of the computing service to be configured to the access node to be configured. The computing service to be configured can be each computing service included in the configuration information 3. The specific implementation of the AMF configuring one or more access nodes according to the computing service to be configured can be referred to the description in the former implementation in S803, and will not be described here again.

[0321] For example, if the AMF determines that the access node to be configured includes the access node 1, S809 is performed.

[0322] S809, the AMF sends the configuration information 4 to the access node 1.

[0323] The form of the configuration information 4 can be consistent with the form of the response information in S604.

[0324] Optionally, when or after the access node 1 obtains the related information of the computing service, S810 to S813 can be performed, that is, determining a suitable computing node (such as the computing node 1) according to the computing task scheduling request or the data packet of the computing task from the terminal device 1, and routing the data of the computing task between the computing node. The specific implementation of S810 to S813 can be referred to the description in S605 to S608, and will not be described here again.

[0325] The configuration information 4 can be carried in the reference point protocol message between the AMF and the access node, which is used for the AMF to send the configuration information to the access node.

[0326] In some implementations, when a new computing node is deployed near the access node 1, or a computing node deployed near the access node 1 is removed, or a computing service in the deployed computing node is updated (e.g., a new computing service is added, or an existing computing service is offline or deactivated), the computing node control node 1 can update the relevant information to the access node 1. The implementation of updating the relevant information to the access node 1 can refer to the description of the computing node or computing service information update in the method 600 and the method 700, which will not be repeated here.

[0327] The configuration method provided by the embodiments of the present application can be used to actively configure the computing service for the access node by the computing node control node, and directly or indirectly (e.g., via the AMF) send the information of the computing node to the access node; or the AMF can also actively configure the computing service for the access node.

[0328] FIG. 9 shows another schematic flowchart of the configuration method provided by the embodiments of the present application. In the embodiments of the present application, there is a direct connection reference point between the computing node control node and the access node, and the two communicate through the direct connection reference point, or there is no direct connection reference point between the computing node control node and the access node, and the computing node control node communicates with the access node through the AMF; there is no direct connection reference point between the computing node control node and the computing node, and the computing node control node and the computing node communicate through the NRF. That is, each subject executes the method 900 based on the architecture shown in FIG. 4, and specifically, the method 900 can include the following steps or all the steps.

[0329] S901, the computing node 1 sends the registration information 1 to the NRF.

[0330] Exemplarily, the content of the registration information 1 can refer to the content of the registration information in S601, which will not be repeated here.

[0331] S902, the computing node control node 1 sends the registration information 2 to the NRF.

[0332] Exemplarily, the registration information 2 can include at least one of the following: the identifier (e.g., the name, the entry point address or the interface address, etc.) of the computing node control node 1, the service area or the geographical location.

[0333] S903, the AMF sends the registration information 3 to the NRF.

[0334] Exemplarily, the registration information 3 can include the identifier (e.g., the name) of the AMF and the service area. Optionally, the registration information 3 can also include the information of the access node served by the AMF, wherein the information of the access node can include the identifier of at least one access node served by the AMF.

[0335] S904, the access node 1 sends the registration information 4 to the NRF.

[0336] Exemplarily, the registration information 4 can include the identity (such as the name) of the access node 1 and the service area. Optionally, the registration information 4 can also include the AMF information of the service access node 1, wherein the AMF information can include the identity of at least one AMF serving the access node 1.

[0337] S905, the computing node control node 1 sends a computing node discovery request to the NRF.

[0338] Exemplarily, the computing node discovery request can carry a computing node screening condition, which includes the service area 1 and / or the IP address information 1, and the IP address information 1 can include an IP address range.

[0339] Further, the NRF selects at least one computing node whose service area is consistent with the service area 1 according to the computing node screening condition, or selects at least one computing node whose IP address satisfies the IP address information 1 according to the computing node screening condition. Wherein, the IP address of the computing node satisfying the IP address information 1 can be understood as that the IP address of the computing node is located in the same address pool or the same network segment as the address indicated by the IP address information 1.

[0340] S906, the NRF sends a computing node discovery response to the computing node control node 1.

[0341] The computing node discovery response includes the information of at least one computing node determined in S905, including the capability information and the communication address of each computing node in the at least one computing node. The specific content of the capability information of the computing node can refer to the description in S604, which will not be repeated here.

[0342] It should be noted that the NRF can accept the registration of multiple computing nodes, multiple computing node control nodes, multiple AMFs and multiple access nodes. The specific registration process can refer to the description in S901 to S904.

[0343] Further, the following takes the access node 1 as an example, and the implementation mode of configuring the computing service for the access node 1 can be divided into the following three cases:

[0344] Case 1 (the computing node control node 1 configures the computing service for the access node 1 in response to the request of the access node 1, and there is a direct connection reference point between the computing node control node 1 and the access node 1):

[0345] S907, the access node 1 sends a computing node control node discovery request 1 to the NRF.

[0346] Exemplarily, the computing node control node discovery request 1 can comprise an identity (such as a name and / or IP address information) of the access node 1. The NRF determines at least one computing node control node having a direct reference point with the access node 1 according to the identity of the access node 1.

[0347] S908, the NRF sends a computing node control node discovery response 1 to the access node 1.

[0348] The computing node control node discovery response 1 can comprise information of the at least one computing node control node determined in S907, the information of the at least one computing node control node comprising a communication address of each of the at least one computing node control node.

[0349] S909, the access node 1 sends a request information 1 to the computing node control node 1.

[0350] Exemplarily, the at least one computing node control node comprises the computing node control node 1, the access node 1 sends the request information 1 to the computing node control node 1 according to the communication address of the computing node control node 1 carried in the computing node control node discovery response 1.

[0351] S910, the computing node control node 1 sends a response information 1 to the access node 1.

[0352] The specific content of the request information 1 and the response information 1 can refer to the description in S603 and S604, which will not be repeated here.

[0353] Case 2 (the computing node control node 1 configures a computing service for the access node 1 in response to a request of the access node 1, and there is no direct reference point between the computing node control node 1 and the access node 1, the computing node control node 1 and the access node communicate through the AMF):

[0354] S911, the access node 1 sends a computing node control node discovery request 1' to the NRF.

[0355] Exemplarily, the computing node control node discovery request 1' can comprise an identity (such as a name and / or IP address information) of the access node 1. The NRF determines at least one AMF serving the access node 1 according to the identity of the access node 1.

[0356] S912, the NRF sends a computing node control node discovery response 1' to the access node 1.

[0357] The computing node control node discovery response 1' can comprise information of the at least one AMF determined in S911, the information of the at least one AMF comprising a communication address of each of the at least one AMF.

[0358] S913, the access node 1 sends the request information to the AMF.

[0359] Exemplarily, the access node 1 sends the request information to the AMF according to the communication address of the AMF. The form and specific content of the request information can refer to the description of the information 1 in S703, and will not be repeated here.

[0360] S914, the computing node control node is discovered.

[0361] Specifically, the AMF sends a computing node control node discovery request 2 to the NRF, and the computing node control node discovery request 2 can include information of the access node served by the AMF (such as the identification of at least one access node served by the AMF). The NRF determines the computing node control node corresponding to each access node respectively according to the identification of the at least one access node. Further, the NRF sends a computing node control node discovery response 2 to the AMF, and the computing node discovery response 2 includes information of the computing node control node (such as the address of the computing node control node) and the correspondence between the computing node control node and the access node, which indicates that the computing node control node is used for computing node configuration and / or management of the access node.

[0362] S915, the AMF sends a request information 2 to the computing node control node 1. S915', the computing node control node 1 sends a response information 2 to the AMF.

[0363] Exemplarily, the request information 2 is used to request information of the computing node or the computing service managed by the computing node control node 1, and the request information 2 can include the identification information of the AMF; further, the response information 2 can include the information of the computing node or the computing service managed by the computing node control node 1. Exemplarily, the response information 2 can include information organized in the granularity of the computing service, or the response information 2 can also include information organized in the granularity of the computing node. The content and form of the response information 2 can refer to the form of the response information in S604, and the difference is that the computing service or the computing node in the response information 2 in the embodiment is not configured to a specific access node, and the response information 2 in the embodiment can include information of multiple (such as all) computing nodes which have communication connection with the computing node control node 1.

[0364] S916, the AMF sends a response information to the access node 1.

[0365] Exemplarily, the AMF can determine the computing service configured for the access node 1 according to the identification and other information of the access node 1, and the form and specific content of the response information can refer to the description of the response of the information 1 in S707, and will not be repeated here.

[0366] It can be understood that, in case 2, the access node 1 does not know that there is no direct reference point between itself and the computing node control node; or, it can also be understood that the access node regards the AMF as the computing node control node.

[0367] In the above steps, the information related to the AMF can be replaced by the information related to a signaling plane border gateway or a signaling plane proxy between the RAN and the CN, which is responsible for the relay of the signaling plane communication between the access domain and the core network.

[0368] Case 3 (the computing node control node 1 or the AMF actively configures the computing service for the access node 1):

[0369] S917, the computing node control node 1 sends a network element discovery request to the NRF.

[0370] Exemplarily, the network element discovery request is used to discover the access node, and the network element discovery request can carry the service area or IP address information (such as the IP address range) of the computing node control node 1, so that the NRF determines at least one access node according to the network element discovery request, the service area of the at least one access node is consistent with the service area of the computing node control node 1, or the at least one access node and the computing node control node 1 are located in the same address pool or the same network segment.

[0371] S918, the NRF sends a network element discovery response to the computing node control node 1.

[0372] Exemplarily, the network element discovery response contains the information related to the access node. When there is a direct reference point between the computing node control node 1 and the access node, the access node discovery response includes the communication address of the at least one access node in S917, that is, the communication address of the at least one access node can be understood as an example of the information related to the access node; when the communication between the computing node control node 1 and the access node needs to pass through the AMF, the access node discovery response can include the communication address of at least one AMF, which is used to serve the at least one access node in S917, that is, the communication address of the at least one AMF can be understood as an example of the information related to the access node. Wherein, the AMF can also be replaced by a signaling plane border gateway or a signaling plane proxy between the RAN and the CN, which is responsible for the relay of the signaling plane communication between the access domain and the core network.

[0373] Further, according to whether there is a direct reference point between the computing node control node 1 and the access node 1, the manner in which the computing node control node 1 configures the computing service for the access node 1 is divided into manner 1, manner 2 and manner 3. The specific implementation of the manner 1, the manner 2 and the manner 3 can refer to the description in S803 to S809, and will not be described here.

[0374] Case 4 (the computing node control node 1 configures the computing service for the access node 1 in response to the request of the access node 1, there is no direct reference point between the computing node control node 1 and the access node 1, and the computing node control node 1 and the access node 1 communicate through the AMF):

[0375] S927, the access node 1 sends an AMF discovery request to the NRF.

[0376] Exemplarily, the AMF discovery request can include the identity (such as the name and / or IP address information) of the access node 1. The NRF determines at least one AMF serving the access node 1 according to the identity of the access node 1.

[0377] S928, the NRF sends an AMF discovery response to the access node 1.

[0378] The AMF discovery response can include the information of the at least one AMF determined in S927, and the information of the at least one AMF includes the communication address of each AMF in the at least one AMF.

[0379] S929, the access node 1 sends information 3 to the AMF.

[0380] Exemplarily, the access node 1 sends the information 3 to the AMF according to the communication address of the AMF. The form and specific content of the information 3 can refer to the description of the information 1 in S703, and will not be described here.

[0381] S930, discover the computing node control node.

[0382] Specifically, the AMF sends a computing node control node discovery request 3 to the NRF, and the computing node control node discovery request 3 can include the identity of the access node 1 and the like. The NRF determines the computing node control node in communication relationship with the access node 1 according to the identity of the access node 1 and the like. Further, the NRF sends a computing node control node discovery response 3 to the AMF, and the computing node discovery response 3 includes the information (such as the address of the computing node control node) of the computing node control node.

[0383] S931, the AMF sends information 4 to the computing node control node 1.

[0384] Exemplarily, the form and specific content of the information 4 can refer to the description of the request information 2 in S705, which will not be repeated here.

[0385] S932, the computing node control node 1 sends the response information 4 to the AMF.

[0386] The form and specific content of the response information 4 can refer to the description of the response information 2 in S706, which will not be repeated here.

[0387] S933, the AMF sends the response information 3 to the access node 1.

[0388] The form and specific content of the response information 3 can refer to the description of the response of the information 1 in S707, which will not be repeated here.

[0389] It can be understood that in case 4, the access node 1 knows that there is no direct reference point between itself and the computing node control node, and communicates with the computing node control node through the AMF.

[0390] Optionally, when or after the access node 1 obtains the capability information of the computing node, S934 to S937 can be performed, that is, determining a suitable computing node (such as the computing node 1) according to the computing task scheduling request or the data packet of the computing task from the terminal device 1, and routing the data of the computing task between the computing node. The specific implementation of S934 to S937 can refer to the description in S605 to S608, which will not be repeated here.

[0391] In some implementations, when a new computing node is deployed near the access node, S901 can be performed to register the new computing node to the NRF, and the NRF can push the information of the new computing node to the computing node control node 1. Specifically, the NRF can actively send the information of the new computing node to the computing node control node 1 based on the registration of the new computing node, or the NRF can periodically send the information of the new computing node to the computing node control node 1, for example, the computing node control node 1 periodically sends a request for information to the NRF, and the NRF can send the information of the new computing node to the access node in response to the request of the computing node control node 1, or the NRF periodically sends the information of the new computing node registered in the period to the computing node control node 1. Further, the computing node control node 1 can update the relevant information to the access node 1. The implementation of updating the relevant information to the access node 1 can refer to the description of updating the computing node or computing service information in the method 600 and the method 700, which will not be repeated here. In addition, when a computing node deployed near the access node 1 is removed, the NRF can also notify the computing node control node 1 of the information of the removed computing node, so as to inform the computing node control node 1 that the computing node is removed, and the computing node control node 1 can inform the access node 1 that the computing node is removed through the method of updating the computing node such as the method 600 and the method 700, and then the access node 1 can remove the computing node from the local optional (or available) computing node.

[0392] In yet some implementations, when a new computing service is added in the computing node 1 or the computing node 1 no longer supports some computing services, the computing node 1 can send new registration information (or registration update information) to the NRF; or when a new computing service is added, the computing node 1 can inform the NRF of the information of the added computing service, such as the communication address of the added computing service and the attribute information of the added computing service, and when a computing service is deleted, the computing node 1 can inform the NRF of the identifier of the deleted computing service. Further, the NRF can inform the computing node control node 1 of the information of the removed computing service, and the computing node control node 1 can update the information of the computing service to the access node 1 through the method of updating the computing service such as the method 600 and the method 700. Then the access node 1 can remove the information corresponding to the computing service from the local optional (or available) computing service.

[0393] In some other implementations, when the computing service 1 is offline, disabled, or the like on the computing node 1 or / and other computing nodes, the computing node 1 or / and other computing nodes update the information to the NRF, the NRF updates the relevant information to the computing node control node 1, and then the computing node control node 1 notifies the access node 1 of the updated information of the computing service, and then the access node 1 can remove the information corresponding to the computing service 1 from the locally optional (or available) computing services.

[0394] The configuration method provided by the embodiments of the present application can be used to configure the computing service for the access node based on the service-based architecture (SAB), and directly or indirectly send the relevant information of the computing service to the access node.

[0395] FIG. 10 shows another exemplary flowchart of the configuration method provided by the embodiments of the present application, which is performed by a third node and a first access node. The third node can include the computing node control node or a component (such as a chip or a module) in the computing node control node in any one of the methods 600 to 900, and the first access node can include the access node or a component (such as a chip or a module) in the access node in any one of the methods 600 to 900. In some scenarios, the method 1000 also needs the participation of a first node and / or a second node, the first node can include the AMF or a component (such as a chip or a module) in the AMF in any one of the methods 700 to 900, and the second node can include the NRF or a component (such as a chip or a module) in the NRF in the method 900. The method can include S1010 to S1030, specifically:

[0396] S1010, the third node obtains computing service information, the computing service information including a communication address associated with M computing services, wherein each of the M computing services is provided by at least one computing node.

[0397] In some implementations, the computing service information further includes attribute information of each of the M computing services. The specific content of the attribute information can refer to the description in the foregoing embodiments, which will not be repeated here.

[0398] For example, the computing service information can include the registration information in the method 600, or can also include the computing node discovery response in the method 900.

[0399] The way in which the third node obtains the computing service information can be divided into way a and way b:

[0400] In a manner a, the at least one computing service includes a first computing service, and the first computing node provides the first computing service. S1010 can include S1011: the third node receives first registration information from the first computing node, the first registration information including a communication address associated with the first computing service. Illustratively, the first registration information can include the registration information in the foregoing embodiments. The specific implementation of the registration of the first computing node to the third node can refer to the description in S601-S602, which will not be repeated here.

[0401] In a manner b, the third node obtains the computing service information from the second node. S1010 can include S1012 and S1013: the third node sends first request information to the second node, the first request information including first communication address information, and the first request information being used to request information of a computing service whose communication address matches the first communication address information; and the third node receives first response information from the second node, the first response information including the computing service information, and the communication addresses of the M computing services matching the first communication address information. Alternatively, the third node sends second request information to the second node, the second request information including first service area information, and the second request information being used to request information of a computing service whose service area matches the first service area information; and the third node receives second response information from the second node, the second response information including the computing service information, and the service areas of the M computing services matching the first service area information. Illustratively, the first response information can include the computing node discovery response in method 900. The specific implementation of the obtaining of the related information of the computing service and the determination of the computing service information by the second node can refer to the description in S917 and S918, which will not be repeated here.

[0402] In some implementations, when the third node needs to obtain the computing service information from the second node, the method further includes: the third node sends second registration information to the second node, the second registration information including at least one of a service area, a name, a communication address, and a geographic location of the third node. Illustratively, the second registration information can include the registration information 2 in S902. The specific implementation of the registration of the third node to the second node can refer to the description in method 900, which will not be repeated here.

[0403] In S1020, the third node obtains access node information, the access node information including an identifier of at least one access node, and the at least one access node including the first access node.

[0404] In an implementation, the obtaining of the access node information by the third node includes: the third node receives first information from the first access node or a first node, the first node serving the first access node; and the first information being used to obtain the configuration information. Illustratively, the first information can include the request information in S603, or can further include information 2 in S705.

[0405] In yet another implementation, the third node pre-stores information of the access nodes it serves, and then obtains the access node information from the pre-stored information.

[0406] At S1030, the third node sends the configuration information to the first access node.

[0407] More specifically, the third node sends the configuration information to the first access node according to the access node information and the computing service information, the configuration information including the communication addresses associated with the N computing services, the M computing services including the N computing services, and one or more computing nodes providing the N computing services being in communication connection with the first access node, where M and N are positive integers, and M is greater than or equal to N.

[0408] In some implementations, the third node determines the first access node as the access node to be configured according to the access node information. For example, the third node determines the access node as the access node to be configured according to the first information. For another example, the access node information further includes first capability information of each access node of the at least one access node, the first capability information indicating at least one of the following: a capability of supporting the computing service, or a capability of supporting communication with the computing node; and the third node determines the first access node as the access node to be configured according to the first capability information and the identity of the at least one access node. Exemplarily, the first capability information can include the capability information of the access node in the foregoing embodiments, and the method for the third node to determine the access node to be configured according to the access node information can refer to the description in S803, which will not be repeated here.

[0409] In yet some implementations, the third node determines the first access node as the access node to be configured according to the access node information and the computing service information. For example, the computing service information further includes attribute information of each computing service of the M computing services, the attribute information indicating at least one of the following: a computing performance corresponding to each computing service, or a maximum number of users or connections supported by each computing service; and the method further includes: determining the first access node as the access node to be configured according to the identity of the at least one access node, the communication addresses associated with the N computing services, and the attribute information.

[0410] In some embodiments, the third node determines the configuration information by selecting N computing services from M computing services according to the information of the first access node to be configured and the computing service information. In one example, the N computing services matching the first access node are determined according to the identity of the first access node and the communication addresses associated with the M computing services. In another example, the computing service information further includes attribute information of each of the M computing services, the attribute information indicating at least one of: a computing performance corresponding to each of the M computing services, or a maximum number of users or connections supported by each of the M computing services; and the N computing services matching the first access node are determined according to the identity of the first access node, the communication addresses associated with the M computing services, and the attribute information. The more specific implementation of the third node selecting the N computing services for the first access node can refer to the description of S603, and will not be described here.

[0411] In some embodiments, the third node can send the configuration information to the first access node in the following two ways:

[0412] In way 1, the third node directly sends the configuration information to the first access node (i.e., S1031).

[0413] In way 2, the third node sends the configuration information to the first access node through the first node (i.e., S1032 and S1033). In this way, S1032 further includes the identity of the first access node, so that the first node knows that the configuration information is sent to the third node.

[0414] It should be noted that the third node can actively configure the computing services for the first access node and send the configuration information to the first access node. When there is a direct reference point between the third node and the first access node, the configuration information can be transmitted in the above way 1; when there is no direct reference point between the third node and the first access node, the configuration information can be transmitted in the above way 2. In addition, the third node can also configure the computing services for the first access node in response to a request from the first access node and send the configuration information to the first access node. The request can be sent directly by the first access node to the third node, and the third node transmits the configuration information in the above way 1; or the request can also be sent by the first access node to the third node through the first node, and the third node transmits the configuration information in the above way 2.

[0415] In the case that the first access node directly requests the third node to configure the computing service for itself, the method further comprises: the first access node sending second information to the third node, the second information comprising an identifier of the first access node, and the second information being used for requesting the first access node to configure the computing service. Exemplarily, the second information can be the request information in S603. In some scenarios, before the first access node sends the second information to the third node, the first access node has not learned the communication address of the third node, or a communication connection has not been established between the first access node and the third node, the method further comprises: the first access node sending third information to the second node, the third information comprising an identifier of the first access node, and the third information being used for discovering the registration information of the third node; and the first access node receiving fourth information from the second node, the fourth information comprising an access address, and the access address being used for sending the second information to the third node. The access address can comprise the communication address of the third node and / or the communication address of the first node. Exemplarily, the second information can be the request information 1 in S903, and the third information and the fourth information can be the computing node control node discovery request 1 in S907 and the computing node control node discovery response 1 in S908 respectively; or the second information can be the request information in S913, and the third information and the fourth information can be the computing node control node discovery request 1' in S911 and the computing node control node discovery response 1' in S912 respectively.

[0416] In the case that the first access node sends information to the third node through the first node to request the third node to configure the computing service for itself, the method further comprises: the first access node sending fifth information to the first node, the fifth information comprising an identifier of the first access node, and the fifth information being used for requesting or instructing the first access node to configure the computing service. Exemplarily, the fifth information can be the request information 1 in S703. In some scenarios, before the first access node sends the fifth information to the first node, the first access node has not learned the communication address of the first node, or a communication connection has not been established between the first access node and the first node, the method further comprises: the first access node sending sixth information to the second node, the sixth information comprising an identifier of the first access node, and the sixth information being used for discovering the registration information of the first node; and the first access node receiving seventh information from the second node, the seventh information comprising the communication address of the first node; and the first access node sending the first information to the first node, comprising: the first access node sending the fifth information to the first node according to the communication address of the first node. The fifth information can be the request information in S913, and the sixth information and the seventh information can be the computing node control node discovery request 1' in S911 and the computing node control node discovery response 1' in S912 respectively.

[0417] Before the first access node sends the third information or the sixth information to the first node, the method further includes: the first access node sends fourth registration information to the second node, the fourth registration information including at least one of a service area, a name, a communication address, and a geographic location of the first access node. Exemplarily, the fourth registration information can be the registration information 4 in S904.

[0418] It should be understood that S1030 can also be understood as: the first access node obtains the configuration information. After the first access node obtains the configuration information by the above method, the method further includes: the first access node receives a scheduling request or first data of a first computing task from the terminal device, the scheduling request being used to request scheduling the first computing task, the first computing task corresponding to a first computing service of the N computing services; and the first access node determines a third computing node providing the first computing service from one or more computing nodes according to the scheduling request or the first data and the configuration information. Exemplarily, the first computing service can include the computing service 1 in the method 600, the third computing node can include the computing node 1 in the method 600, and a more specific method for the first access node to determine the third computing node can refer to the description in S605 to S606, which will not be described here.

[0419] In some implementations, in the case that the computing node registers information of the computing service to the third node, the third node can also send the related information of the computing service to the first node, and then the first node configures the computing service for the first access node and sends the configuration information to the first access node. Exemplarily, the third node obtains eighth information, the eighth information including communication addresses of P computing services, wherein each of the P computing services is provided by at least one computing node; and the third node sends configuration information to the first access node according to the preconfigured identifiers of a plurality of access nodes, the plurality of access nodes including the first access node, the configuration information including communication addresses associated with the N computing services, the P computing services including the N computing services, and one or more computing nodes providing the N computing services being in communication connection with the first access node, wherein P and N are positive integers, and P is greater than or equal to N. Wherein, the eighth information can include the configuration information 3 in the method 800. A more specific configuration method can refer to the description of the method 3 in the method 800, which will not be described here.

[0420] In some implementations, the communication addresses associated with the N computing services include: one or more communication addresses of each of the N computing services, or a communication address of each of the one or more computing nodes.

[0421] In some embodiments, the at least one computing node comprises a second computing node, the communication address associated with the M computing services comprises a third communication address of the second computing node, and the method further comprises: receiving, by the third node, third registration information of the second computing node; and allocating, by the third node, the third communication address to the second computing node according to the third registration information. For example, the second computing node can comprise the computing node 1 in the method 600, and the third communication address can comprise a communication address allocated to the computing node 1 by the third node. For more details, refer to the description of S602' and the like.

[0422] In some embodiments, the configuration information further comprises attribute information of each of the N computing services, and the attribute information indicates at least one of: a computing performance corresponding to each of the N computing services, or a maximum number of users or connections supported by each of the N computing services.

[0423] In some embodiments, the communication connection comprises at least one of: a zero-hop direct connection, a connection in a same local area network, a connection in a same virtual local area network, or a direct connection at a same protocol layer.

[0424] The configuration method provided by the embodiments of the present application configures the information of the computing services that can be provided by the computing nodes for the access nodes in the granularity of the computing services, thereby establishing the association relationship between the access nodes and the computing nodes that provide the computing services. When the computing services that can be provided by the computing nodes change (e.g., new computing services are added or existing computing services are reduced), the computing service related information can be updated to the access nodes in a timely manner. On the one hand, since only the information of the added or reduced computing services needs to be sent to the access nodes, the communication overhead can be saved. On the other hand, the computing service related information is configured or updated to the access nodes in a timely manner, which helps the access nodes to determine the computing nodes that are suitable for executing the computing tasks (i.e., providing the computing services) in a timely manner when the computing task related scheduling is received, such as selecting the computing nodes that can meet the required latency of the computing tasks to provide the computing services, which helps to ensure the performance of the computing tasks.

[0425] The configuration method provided by the embodiments of the present application is described above in combination with FIGS. 1 to 10. In various embodiments of the present application, the terms and / or descriptions of various embodiments are consistent and can be mutually referred to if there is no special description and logical conflict. The technical features in different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments according to their inherent logical relationship.

[0426] The communication device provided by the embodiments of the present application is described in detail below in combination with FIGS. 11 to 13. It should be understood that the description of the device embodiments corresponds to the description of the method embodiments, and therefore, the content not described in detail can be referred to the method embodiments described above. For brevity, the description is not repeated here.

[0427] FIG. 11 is a schematic block diagram of a communication apparatus 2000 provided in an embodiment of the present application. The communication apparatus 2000 can be an access node, a compute node control node, a compute node, an AMF or an NRF, or can be a chip or module of the access node, the compute node control node, the compute node, the AMF or the NRF, and is configured to implement the actions performed by the access node, the compute node control node, the compute node, the AMF or the NRF in the embodiments shown in FIGS. 6 to 10. Details can be referred to the related description in the method embodiments.

[0428] The communication apparatus 2000 includes a transceiver unit 2010 (or a transceiver module) and a processing unit 2020 (or a processing module). The processing unit 2020 can be configured to implement corresponding processing functions, for example, determining configuration information according to an access node. The transceiver unit 2010 can be configured to implement corresponding information receiving or information obtaining functions. The transceiver unit 2010 can include a sending unit and a receiving unit. The sending unit is configured to perform sending actions of the communication apparatus, and the receiving unit is configured to perform receiving actions of the communication apparatus. For ease of description, the sending unit and the receiving unit are combined into one transceiver unit in the embodiments of the present application. This is uniformly described here, and will not be described again hereinafter. The transceiver unit 2010 can implement corresponding communication functions. The transceiver unit 2010 can also be referred to as a communication interface or a communication module.

[0429] It should be noted that the communication apparatus 2000 can include the sending unit and not include the receiving unit. Alternatively, the communication apparatus 2000 can include the receiving unit and not include the sending unit. This can be determined according to whether the sending actions and the receiving actions are included in the above-mentioned schemes performed by the communication apparatus 2000.

[0430] Optionally, the communication apparatus 2000 further includes a storage unit configured to store programs or codes for implementing the foregoing method. Alternatively, the storage unit can be configured to store instructions and / or data. The processing unit 2020 can read the instructions and / or data in the storage unit, so that the communication apparatus 2000 implements the foregoing method embodiments. For example, the communication apparatus 2000 can be configured to implement the schemes shown in FIGS. 6 to 10.

[0431] It should be understood that the specific processes of the units performing the corresponding steps are described in detail in the foregoing method embodiments. For brevity, they will not be described here again.

[0432] It should also be understood that the apparatus 2000 described above can be embodied in the form of a functional unit. The term "unit" herein can refer to an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), an electronic circuit, a processor (for example, a shared processor, a dedicated processor, or a group processor, etc.) and a memory for executing one or more software or firmware programs, a combination of logic circuitry and / or other suitable components that support the described functions. In an optional example, those skilled in the art can understand that the apparatus 2000 can be embodied as a communication device in the above-described embodiments, and can be used to execute the processes and / or steps corresponding to the communication device in each of the above-described method embodiments. To avoid repetition, details are not described here.

[0433] The apparatus 2000 of the above solution has the function of implementing the corresponding steps performed by the communication device (such as the access node, the computing node control node, the computing node, the AMF, the NRF) in the above-described method. The function can be implemented by hardware, or by hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more modules corresponding to the above functions; for example, the transceiver unit can be replaced by a transceiver (for example, the transmitting unit in the transceiver unit can be replaced by a transmitter, and the receiving unit in the transceiver unit can be replaced by a receiver), and other units, such as the processing unit, can be replaced by a processor, which respectively performs the transceiving operation and the related processing operation in each of the method embodiments.

[0434] In addition, the above-mentioned transceiver unit can also be a transceiver circuit (for example, it can include a transmitting circuit, or it can also include a receiving circuit), and the processing unit can be a processing circuit.

[0435] FIG. 12 shows a schematic diagram of another communication device 2100 provided by the embodiments of the present application. The device 2100 includes a processor 2110, and the processor 2110 is coupled with a memory 2120, the memory 2120 is used to store computer programs or instructions and / or data, and the processor 2110 is used to execute the computer programs or instructions stored in the memory 2120, or read the data stored in the memory 2120, to perform the methods in the above method embodiments.

[0436] Optionally, the processor 2110 is one or more.

[0437] Optionally, the memory 2120 is one or more.

[0438] Optionally, the memory 2120 can also be referred to as a storage medium or a storage device, and the memory 2120 can be integrated with the processor 2110, or can be separately arranged.

[0439] Optionally, as shown in FIG. 12, the apparatus 2100 further includes a transceiver 2130 for receiving and / or sending signals. For example, the processor 2110 is configured to control the transceiver 2130 to receive and / or send signals.

[0440] For example, the processor 2110 can have the functions of the processing unit 2020 shown in FIG. 11, the memory 2120 can have the functions of the storage unit, and the transceiver 2130 can have the functions of the transceiving unit 2010 shown in FIG. 11.

[0441] As an example, the apparatus 2100 is configured to implement operations performed by a communication apparatus (such as an access node, a computing node control node, a computing node, an AMF, an NRF) in each of the method embodiments above.

[0442] For example, the processor 2110 is configured to execute computer programs or instructions stored in the memory 2120 to implement the related operations of the communication apparatus in each of the method embodiments above.

[0443] In some implementations, when the apparatus 2100 is a terminal device, the transceiver 2130 can include a transmitter, a receiver, a radio frequency circuit, an antenna, and an input / output device. The processor 2110 is mainly configured to process communication protocols and communication data, control the terminal device, execute software programs, process data of the software programs, and the like. The memory 2120 is mainly configured to store software programs and data. Specifically:

[0444] The radio frequency circuit is mainly configured to convert baseband signals and radio frequency signals and process the radio frequency signals.

[0445] The antenna is mainly configured to transceive radio frequency signals in the form of electromagnetic waves.

[0446] The input / output device (for example, a touch screen, a display screen, a keyboard, and the like) is mainly configured to receive data input by a user and output data to the user.

[0447] It should be noted that some kinds of terminal devices can not have an input / output device.

[0448] When data needs to be sent, the processor processes the data to be sent in the baseband, and then outputs the baseband signal to the radio frequency circuit. The radio frequency circuit processes the baseband signal in the radio frequency, and then transmits the radio frequency signal in the form of electromagnetic waves through the antenna. When data is sent to the terminal device, the radio frequency circuit receives the radio frequency signal through the antenna, converts the radio frequency signal into a baseband signal, and outputs the baseband signal to the processor. The processor converts the baseband signal into data and processes the data.

[0449] In some implementations, the processor 2110 can also be referred to as a processing unit, a processing board, a processing module, a processing device, etc. The transceiver 2130 can also be referred to as a transceiving unit, a transceiver, a transceiving device, etc.

[0450] The processor 2110 and the memory 2120 can include one or more boards, each of which can include one or more processors and one or more memories. The processors are configured to read and execute programs in the memories to implement baseband processing functions and control the apparatus 2100. If there are multiple boards, the boards can be interconnected to enhance processing capability. As an optional implementation, multiple boards can also share one or more processors, or multiple boards can share one or more memories, or multiple boards can share one or more processors at the same time.

[0451] In the embodiments of the present application, the antenna and the radio frequency circuit with transceiving functions can be regarded as a transceiving module of the terminal device or the network device, and the processor with processing functions can be regarded as a processing module of the terminal device or the network device.

[0452] In some implementations, the processor 2110 can also be referred to as a processing unit, a processing board, a processing module, a processing device, etc. The transceiver 2130 can also be referred to as a transceiving unit, a transceiver, a transceiving device, etc.

[0453] When the apparatus 2100 is a chip, the chip includes a processor, a memory and a transceiver. The transceiver can be an input / output circuit or a communication interface; the processor can be a processing module integrated on the chip or a microprocessor or an integrated circuit. The sending operation of the terminal device in the above method embodiments can be understood as the output of the chip, and the receiving operation of the terminal device in the above method embodiments can be understood as the input of the chip.

[0454] It should be appreciated that a processor as mentioned in this application can be any known or future developed processor, and more particularly, any custom made or commercially available processor series (or any other processor orders) from any manufacturer.

[0455] It should also be appreciated that a memory as mentioned in this application can be any known or future developed memory, and more particularly, a memory unit. The memory can be a volatile memory or a non-volatile memory. The non-volatile memory can be, for example, read-only memory (ROM), programmable ROM (PROM), erasable PROM (EPROM), electrically EPROM (EEPROM) or flash memory. The volatile memory can be, for example, random access memory (RAM). The RAM can be, for example, external cache memory. By way of example and not limitation, RAM includes the following types: static RAM (SRAM), dynamic RAM (DRAM), synchronous DRAM (SDRAM), double data rate SDRAM (DDR SDRAM), enhanced SDRAM (ESDRAM), synchlink DRAM (SLDRAM) and direct rambus RAM (DR RAM).

[0456] It should be noted that when the processor is a general processor, DSP, ASIC, FPGA or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware component, the memory (storage module) can be integrated in the processor.

[0457] It should also be noted that the memory described herein is intended to include, but not be limited to, the memory types and any other suitable type of memory.

[0458] FIG. 13 shows a schematic diagram of a chip system 2200 according to an embodiment of the present application. The chip system 2200 (or also referred to as a processing system) includes a logic circuit 2210 and an input / output interface 2220.

[0459] The logic circuit 2210 can be a processing circuit in the chip system 2200. The logic circuit 2210 can be coupled to a storage unit, and invoke instructions in the storage unit, so that the chip system 2200 can implement the methods and functions of the embodiments of the present application. The input / output interface 2220 can be an input / output circuit in the chip system 2200, and output information processed by the chip system 2200, or input data or signaling information to be processed by the chip system 2200.

[0460] As an option, the chip system 2200 is configured to implement operations performed by a communication apparatus (such as an access node, a compute node control node, a compute node, an AMF, an NRF) in the above method embodiments.

[0461] For example, the logic circuit 2210 is configured to implement processing-related operations performed by a communication apparatus (such as an access node, a compute node control node, a compute node, an AMF, an NRF) in the above method embodiments; and the input / output interface 2220 is configured to implement sending and / or receiving-related operations performed by a communication apparatus (such as an access node, a compute node control node, a compute node, an AMF, an NRF) in the above method embodiments.

[0462] The present application also provides a processor configured to be coupled to a memory, and configured to implement the methods and functions related to an access node, a compute node control node, a compute node, an AMF, an NRF in any of the above embodiments.

[0463] In another embodiment of the present application, a computer program product containing computer programs or instructions is provided, and when the computer program product is run on a computer, the method of the above embodiments is implemented.

[0464] The embodiments of the present application also provide a computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon computer instructions for implementing the methods performed by a communication apparatus (such as an access node, a compute node control node, a compute node, an AMF, an NRF) in the above method embodiments.

[0465] For example, the computer program is executed by a computer, so that the computer can implement the methods performed by a communication apparatus (such as an access node, a compute node control node, a compute node, an AMF, an NRF) in the above method embodiments.

[0466] The embodiments of the present application further provide a computer program product comprising instructions which, when executed by a computer, implement the method performed by the communication device (such as the access node, the compute node control node, the compute node, the AMF, the NRF) in any of the above method embodiments.

[0467] The embodiments of the present application further provide a communication system comprising the access node and the compute node control unit in any of the above embodiments, the access node and the compute node control unit being configured to perform the method in any of the embodiments shown in FIG. 6 to FIG. 10.

[0468] In some implementations, the communication system can further comprise the AMF, the AMF being configured to perform the actions performed by the AMF in any of the embodiments shown in FIG. 6 to FIG. 10.

[0469] Those skilled in the art can clearly understand that the units and algorithm steps of the examples described in combination with the embodiments disclosed herein can be realized by electronic hardware or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether the functions are realized in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solutions. Those skilled in the art can use different methods to realize the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of the present application.

[0470] Those skilled in the art can clearly understand that, for the convenience and brevity of the description, the specific working processes of the above-described system, device and unit can refer to the corresponding processes in the foregoing method embodiments, which will not be described here.

[0471] In several embodiments provided in the present application, it should be understood that the disclosed system, device and method can be implemented in other ways. For example, the above-described device embodiments are only schematic. For example, the division of the units is only a logical function division, and there can be another division manner in actual implementation. For example, a plurality of units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. In addition, the coupling or direct coupling or communication connection between the units shown or discussed can be indirect coupling or communication connection through some interface, device or unit, and can be electrical, mechanical or in other forms.

[0472] The units described as separate components can or can not be physically separate, and the components shown as units can or can not be physical units, i.e. they can be located in one place, or can be distributed on a plurality of network units. Some or all of the units can be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purpose of the embodiments.

[0473] In addition, each function unit in each embodiment of the present application can be integrated in one processing unit, or each unit can be physically present separately, or two or more units can be integrated in one unit.

[0474] The functions, if implemented in the form of software function units and sold or used as independent products, can be stored in a computer readable storage medium. Based on such understanding, the technical solutions of the present application, essentially or in part, or parts of the technical solutions can be embodied in the form of a software product. The computer software product is stored in a storage medium, and includes several instructions for causing a computer device (which can be a personal computer, a server, or a network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the methods described in the various embodiments of the present application. The aforementioned storage medium includes: U disk, mobile hard disk, read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), magnetic disk or optical disk, and various other storage media that can store program codes.

[0475] The above is merely specific embodiments of the present application, but the protection scope of the present application is not limited thereto. Any person skilled in the art can easily think of changes or replacements within the technical scope disclosed in the present application, which shall be covered within the protection scope of the present application. Therefore, the protection scope of the present application shall be subject to the protection scope of the claims. < / entrypoint-a> < / entrypoint-a> < / entrypoint-a>

Claims

1. A configuration method, characterized in that, include: Obtain computing service information, which includes communication addresses associated with M computing services, wherein each of the M computing services is provided by at least one computing node; Obtain access node information, wherein the access node information includes the identifier of at least one access node, and the at least one access node includes a first access node; Based on the access node information and the computing service information, configuration information is sent to the first access node. The configuration information includes communication addresses associated with N computing services. The M computing services include the N computing services. One or more computing nodes providing the N computing services have a communication connection with the first access node. M and N are both positive integers, and M is greater than or equal to N.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first information includes the identifier of the first access node, and obtaining the access node information includes: The system receives the first information from the first access node or the first node, whereby the first node serves the first access node; the first information is used to obtain the configuration information.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, The step of sending configuration information to the first access node based on the access node information and the computing service information includes: Based on the first information, the first access node is determined to be the access node to be configured; Based on the identifier of the first access node and the communication addresses associated with the M computing services, determine the N computing services that match the first access node; The configuration information is sent to the first access node.

4. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The method further includes: Based on the computing service information and the identifier of the first access node, the first access node is determined to be the access node to be configured.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that, The access node information also includes first capability information for each of the at least one access node, wherein the first capability information indicates at least one of the following: the ability to support computing services, or the ability to support communication with computing nodes; The method further includes: Based on the first capability information and the identifier of the at least one access node, the first access node is determined to be the access node to be configured.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that, The computing service information also includes attribute information for each of the M computing services, wherein the attribute information indicates at least one of the following: the computing performance corresponding to each computing service, or the maximum number of users or connections supported by each computing service; The method further includes: Based on the identifier of the at least one access node, the communication addresses associated with the N computing services, and the attribute information, the first access node is determined to be the access node to be configured.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that, The computing service information also includes attribute information for each of the M computing services, wherein the attribute information indicates at least one of the following: the computing performance corresponding to each computing service, or the maximum number of users or connections supported by each computing service; The method further includes: Based on the identifier of the first access node, the communication addresses associated with the M computing services, and the attribute information, the N computing services that match the first access node are determined.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that, Sending configuration information to the first access node includes: The configuration information is sent from the first node to the first access node, and the first node serves the first access node. Send the configuration information and the identifier of the first access node to the first node.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that, The at least one computing service includes a first computing service, and the first computing node provides the first computing service; The acquisition of computing service information includes: Receive first registration information from the first computing node, the first registration information including the communication address associated with the first computing service.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that, The acquisition of computing service information includes: Send a first request message to the second node. The first request message includes first communication address information. The first request message is used to request information on computing services whose communication address matches the first communication address information. Receive first response information from the second node, the first response information including the computing service information, wherein the communication addresses of the M computing services match the first communication address information.

11. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that, The acquisition of computing service information includes: Send a second request message to the second node. The second request message includes first service area information. The second request message is used to request information on computing services whose service areas match the first service area information. Receive second response information from the second node, the second response information including the computing service information, wherein the service areas of the M computing services match the first service area information.

12. The method according to claim 10 or 11, characterized in that, The method is executed by a third node, and the method further includes: Send second registration information to the second node, the second registration information including at least one of the third node's service area, name, communication address, and geographical location.

13. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 12, characterized in that, The communication connection includes at least one of the following: zero-hop direct connection, belonging to the same local area network, belonging to the same virtual local area network, or direct connection at the same protocol layer.

14. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 13, characterized in that, The communication addresses associated with the N computing services include: one or more communication addresses of each of the N computing services, or the communication address of each of the one or more computing nodes.

15. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 14, characterized in that, The at least one computing node includes a second computing node, and the communication addresses associated with the M computing services include a third communication address of the second computing node. The method further includes: Receive the third registration information from the second computing node; The third communication address is assigned to the second computing node based on the third registration information.

16. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 15, characterized in that, The configuration information also includes attribute information for each of the N computing services, and the attribute information indicates at least one of the following: the computing performance of each computing service, or the maximum number of users or connections supported by each computing service.

17. A configuration method, characterized in that, A chip applied to an access node or the access node, including: Obtain configuration information, which includes communication addresses associated with N computing services, and one or more computing nodes providing the N computing services have communication connections with the access node, where N is a positive integer; Receive a scheduling request or first data of a first computing task from a terminal device, wherein the scheduling request is used to request the scheduling of the first computing task, and the first computing task corresponds to the first computing service among the N computing services; Based on the scheduling request or the first data, and the configuration information, a third computing node is determined from the one or more computing nodes to provide the first computing service.

18. The method according to claim 17, characterized in that, The acquisition of configuration information includes: The configuration information is received from a first node or a third node, wherein the first node serves the access node and the third node manages the computing node and / or the computing services provided by the computing node.

19. The method according to claim 18, characterized in that, The method further includes: Send a second message to the third node, the second message including the identifier of the access node, the second message being used to request the configuration of computing services for the access node.

20. The method according to claim 19, characterized in that, The method further includes: Send third information to the second node, the third information including the identifier of the access node, the third information being used to discover information about the third node; The system receives fourth information from the second node, the fourth information including an access address, the access address being used to send the second information to the third node.

21. The method according to claim 20, characterized in that, The access address includes the communication address of the third node and / or the communication address of the first node.

22. The method according to claim 18, characterized in that, The method further includes: Send a fifth message to the first node, the fifth message including the identifier of the access node, the fifth message being used to request or indicate that computing services be configured for the access node.

23. The method according to claim 22, characterized in that, The method further includes: Send a sixth message to the second node, the sixth message including the identifier of the access node, the sixth message being used to discover the information of the first node; Receive seventh information from the second node, the seventh information including the communication address of the first node; Sending the fifth message to the first node includes: The fifth message is sent to the first node based on the communication address of the first node.

24. The method according to claim 20 or 23, characterized in that, The method further includes: Send fourth registration information to the second node, the fourth registration information including at least one of the access node's service area, name, communication address, and geographical location.

25. The method according to any one of claims 17 to 24, characterized in that, The communication addresses associated with the N computing services include: the first communication address of each of the N computing services, or the second communication address of the computing node providing the N computing services.

26. The method according to any one of claims 17 to 25, characterized in that, The configuration information also includes attribute information for each computing service, the attribute information indicating at least one of the following: the computing performance corresponding to each computing service, or the maximum number of users or connections supported by each computing service.

27. A communication device, characterized in that, It includes modules for performing the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 16, or modules for performing the method as described in any one of claims 17 to 26.

28. A communication device, characterized in that, The device includes at least one processor coupled to at least one memory, the at least one processor being configured to execute a computer program or instructions stored in the at least one memory to cause the communication device to perform the method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 16, or to perform the method as claimed in any one of claims 17 to 26.

29. A communication system, characterized in that, This includes access nodes, computing nodes, and control nodes; The computing node control node is used to execute the configuration method as described in any one of claims 1 to 16; The access node is used to perform the configuration method as described in any one of claims 17 to 26.

30. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, It stores instructions or program code thereon, which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to implement the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 16, or the method as described in any one of claims 17 to 26.

31. A chip, characterized in that, The chip includes a processor and a communication interface, the communication interface being used to send information to and / or receive information from other communication devices besides the communication device including the chip, and the processor being used to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 16, or to perform the method as described in any one of claims 17 to 26.

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