First node, second node, computer system and methods performed thereby for handling a packet

Abstract

A method performed by a first node for handling a packet is provided. The first node operates in a computer system. The first node receives (201) a packet from a second node operating in the computer system. The packet comprises a set of Multi Protocol Label Switching, MPLS, Network Action, MNA, formatted Network Action Sub-Stack, NAS, elements specific to deterministic networks. The respective element in the set of NAS elements have a format comprising a Network Action Indicator, NAI associated with any one out of a flow identifier, a latency class or a sequence number.

Description

[0001] FIRST NODE, SECOND NODE, COMPUTER SYSTEM AND METHODS PERFORMED THEREBY FOR HANDLING A PACKET

[0002] TECHNICAL FIELD

[0003] The present disclosure relates generally to a first node and methods performed thereby for handling a packet. The present disclosure also relates generally to a second node, and methods performed thereby for handling the packet.

[0004] BACKGROUND

[0005] Computer systems in a communications network or communications system may comprise one or more nodes. A node may comprise a processing circuitry which, together with computer program code may perform different functions and actions, a memory, a receiving port, and a sending port. A node may be, for example, a server. Nodes may perform their functions entirely on the cloud.

[0006] The communications system may cover a geographical area which may be divided into cell areas, each cell area being served by a type of node, a network node in the Radio Access Network (RAN), radio network node or Transmission Point (TP), for example, an access node such as a Base Station (BS), e.g., a Radio Base Station (RBS), which sometimes may be referred to as e.g., gNB, evolved Node B (“eNB”), “eNodeB”, “NodeB”, “B node”, or Base Transceiver Station (BTS), depending on the technology and terminology used. The base stations may be of different classes such as e.g., Wide Area Base Stations, Medium Range Base Stations, Local Area Base Stations, and Home Base Stations, based on transmission power and thereby also cell size. A cell may be understood to be the geographical area where radio coverage may be provided by the base station at a base station site. One base station, situated on the base station site, may serve one or several cells. Further, each base station may support one or several communication technologies. The telecommunications network may also comprise network nodes which may serve receiving nodes, such as user equipments, with serving beams.

[0007] The standardization organization Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) is currently in the process of specifying a New Radio Interface called Next Generation Radio or New Radio (NR), as well as a Fifth Generation (5G) Packet Core Network, which may be referred to as 5G Core Network (5GC), abbreviated as 5GC.

[0008] In the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF), the Deterministic Networking Working Group (DetNet WG) focuses on deterministic data paths that may provide bounds on latency, loss, and packet delay variation, that is, jitter, and high reliability. Deterministic Networking (DetNet) may be understood as a networking principle, that may be understood to provide deterministic connectivity through the communication networks, that is, guaranteed packet transport with bounded latency, low packet delay variation, and low packet loss.

[0009] The Working Group addresses Layer 3 methods in support of applications requiring deterministic networking. Layer 3 data plane technologies that may be used in DetNet networks may include: Internet Protocol (IP) and Multi Protocol Label Switching (MPLS).

[0010] IP may be understood to be a network layer communications protocol in the Internet protocol suite for relaying datagrams across network boundaries. A routing function of IP may enable to deliver packets from a source host to a destination host based on the IP addresses in the packet headers. For this aim, IP may define packet structures that may encapsulate the data to be delivered. MPLS may be understood as a routing method in telecommunications networks that may direct data from one node to the next based on labels rather than network addresses. Whereas network addresses may be understood to identify endpoints, the labels may be understood to identify established paths between the endpoints.

[0011] The DetNet WG has defined packet replication (PRF) and packet elimination (PEF) functions for achieving extreme low packet loss. In general, usage of these per packet replication and elimination functions may result in out-of-order delivery of frames and / or packets. Out-of-order delivery may be caused by the PEF algorithms if a network failure may affect disjoint paths. Out-of-order delivery may depend also on the network scenario, e.g., characteristics of the packet flow, topology, etc. In some scenarios it may not happen. This characteristic of PRF / PEF was identified by IETF, and a packet ordering function (POF) was defined to address the issue. The POF function may be understood as a DetNet service sublayer function similar to PRF and PEF that may reorder packets within a DetNet flow that may be received out of order. This function may be implemented by a DetNet edge node, a DetNet relay node, or an end system.

[0012] DetNet functionality may be understood to be divided into two sub-layers. One of them may be understood to be the DetNet service sub-layer, at which a DetNet service, e.g., service protection, may be provided. The second may be understood to be the DetNet forwarding sublayer, which may optionally provide resource allocation for DetNet flows over paths that may be provided by the underlying network. All the DetNet service sub-layer functions may be usually referred as Packet Replication, Elimination and Ordering Functions (PREOF).

[0013] DetNet service sub-layer related functions may require ordering information, e.g., sequence number (SeqNum). The sequence number may be understood as a placement information of a packet within a packet flow and as a marking of replica packets. IETF DetNet WG has defined how sequencing information, such as the sequence number, may travel with DetNet packets using the DetNet Control Word (d-CW), as described for example in RFC8964, when an MPLS Data Plane may be used. The DetNet forwarding sub-layer related functions focus on ensuring the bounded latency requirements and they may intend to use packet specific latency information during the forwarding.

[0014] SUMMARY

[0015] As part of the development of embodiments herein, one or more challenges with the existing technology will first be identified and discussed.

[0016] There are three information elements that may be required during the forwarding of DetNet packets:

[0017] 1. Flow identifier (Flow-I D)

[0018] 2. Sequence information (SeqNum)

[0019] 3. Latency information (Latencyinfo)

[0020] “1” and “2” are used by the DetNet service sub-layer (i.e., by PREOF). “1” and “3” are used by the DetNet forwarding sub-layer to ensure the bounded latency for a DetNet packet.

[0021] No native solution exists that can add all the three information elements to a DetNet packet, when it is transported over a DetNet MPLS Data Plane. PW technology provides solution only for “1” and “2”.

[0022] According to the foregoing, it is an object of embodiments herein to improve the handling of a packet in a computer system. Embodiments herein may be understood to aim to provide a more tailor-made native approach for the DetNet MPLS Data Plane. This may be performed in order to enable packets to be subject to packet replication, elimination, ordering and latency functions.

[0023] According to a first aspect of embodiments herein, the object is achieved by a method performed by a first node for handling a packet. The first node operates in a computer system. The first node receives a packet from a second node operating in the computer system. The packet comprises a set of Multi Protocol Label Switching, MPLS, Network Action, MNA, formatted Network Action Sub-Stack, NAS, elements specific to deterministic networks. The respective element in the set of NAS elements have a format comprising a Network Action Indicator, NAI, associated with any one out of a flow identifier, a latency class or a sequence number.

[0024] According to a second aspect of embodiments herein, the object is achieved by a method performed by a second node for handling a packet. The second node operates in a computer system. The second node sends a packet to a first node operating in the computer system. The packet comprises a set of Multi Protocol Label Switching, MPLS, Network Action, MNA formatted Network Action Sub-Stack, NAS, elements specific to deterministic network. The respective element in the set of NAS elements having a format comprising a Network Action Indicator, NAI, associated with any one out of a flow identifier, a latency class or a sequence number.

[0025] According to a third aspect of embodiments herein, the object is achieved by a first node configured to handle a packet. The first node is configured to operate in a computer system. The first node is configured to receive a packet from a second node configured to operate in the computer system. The packet is configured to comprise a set of Multi Protocol Label Switching, MPLS, Network Action, MNA, formatted Network Action Sub-Stack, NAS, elements specific to deterministic networks. The respective element in the set of NAS elements being configured to have a format adapted to comprise a Network Action Indicator, NAI, associated with any one out of a flow identifier, a latency class or a sequence number.

[0026] According to a fourth aspect of embodiments herein, the object is achieved by a second node configured to handle a packet. The second node is configured to operate in a computer system. The second node is configured to send a packet to a first node configured to operate in the computer system. The packet is configured to comprise a set of Multi Protocol Label Switching, MPLS, Network Action, MNA formatted Network Action Sub-Stack, NAS, elements specific to deterministic network. The respective element in the set of NAS elements being configured to have a format adapted to comprise a Network Action Indicator, NAI, associated with any one out of a flow identifier, a latency class or a sequence number.

[0027] BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0028] Examples of embodiments herein are described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, according to the following description.

[0029] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a non-limiting example of a computer system, according to embodiments herein.

[0030] Figure 2 is a flowchart depicting embodiments of a method in a first node, according to embodiments herein.

[0031] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram depicting aspects of methods according to embodiments herein.

[0032] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram depicting aspects of methods according to embodiments herein.

[0033] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram depicting aspects of methods according to embodiments herein.

[0034] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram depicting aspects of methods according to embodiments herein.

[0035] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram depicting aspects of methods according to embodiments herein. Figure 8 is a flowchart depicting embodiments of a method in a second node, according to embodiments herein.

[0036] Figure 9 is a schematic block diagram illustrating a non-limiting example of a first node, according to embodiments herein.

[0037] Figure 10 is a schematic block diagram illustrating a non-limiting example of a second node, according to embodiments herein.

[0038] Figure 11 shows an example of a communication system QQ100 in accordance with some embodiments.

[0039] Figure 12 shows a UE QQ200 in accordance with some embodiments.

[0040] Figure 13 shows a network node QQ300 in accordance with some embodiments.

[0041] Figure 14 is a block diagram illustrating a virtualization environment QQ400 in which functions implemented by some embodiments may be virtualized.

[0042] DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0043] Certain aspects of the present disclosure and their embodiments address one or more of the challenges identified with the existing methods and provide solutions to the challenges discussed.

[0044] Embodiments herein may be understood to address the problems identified with the existing methods and may be understood to aim to provide a fully functional native DetNet MPLS Data Plane.

[0045] In order to support PREOF in the DetNet MPLS data plane with a native solution, embodiments herein may be understood to particularly aim to add processing information, such as sequencing information, e.g., flow identity and sequence number, to a header of a packet, In order to support forwarding with latency bounds in the DetNet MPLS data plane with a native solution, embodiments herein may be understood to particularly aim to add processing information, such as latency information, e.g., latency class and flow information, to a header of a packet. E.g., embodiments herein aim at adding e.g., flow identity, sequence number and latency class to an MPLS header of a packet.

[0046] Embodiments herein may be understood to provide an approach where existing MPLS technology to us re-used to define new DetNet specific Network Action Sub-Stack (NAS) elements.

[0047] More particularly, embodiments herein may relate to the usage of method to place flow identity, sequence number and latency class, in any combination, in the MPLS label stack of a DetNet data packet, and a set of DetNet specific MPLS Network Action (MNA) formatted NAS elements comprising the flow identity, sequence number, and latency class used by the two DetNet sub-layers, i.e. , forwarding and service.

[0048] Examples of embodiments herein may e.g., provide the advantage of a native MPLS data plane for DetNet networks without requiring any post-stack-data during the encapsulation. Embodiments may e.g., support the implementation of both DetNet sub-layer (service and forwarding) functionalities and allows adding all processing related information for (1) flow identification, (2) sequencing and (3) ensuring the bounded latency to the data packet, natively to the MPLS header. That is, embodiments may use native MPLS technology and does not require the usage of PW technology. Embodiments herein may be understood to be in line with the DetNet MPLS data plane concept, in which the MPLS encapsulation is used between the DetNet Relay nodes.

[0049] The embodiments will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which examples are shown. In this section, embodiments herein are illustrated by exemplary embodiments. It should be noted that these embodiments are not mutually exclusive. Components from one embodiment or example may be tacitly assumed to be present in another embodiment or example and it will be obvious to a person skilled in the art how those components may be used in the other exemplary embodiments. All possible combinations are not described to simplify the description.

[0050] Figure 1 depicts two non-limiting examples, in panels “a” and “b”, respectively, of a computer system 100, in which embodiments herein may be implemented. In some example implementations, such as that depicted in the non-limiting example of Figure 1a, the computer system 100 may be a computer network. In other example implementations, such as that depicted in the non-limiting example of Figure 1b, the computer system 100 may be implemented in a telecommunications system, sometimes also referred to as a telecommunications network, cellular radio system, cellular network, or wireless communications system. In some examples, the telecommunications system may comprise network nodes which may serve receiving nodes, such as wireless devices. The computer system 100 may for example be a network such as a 5G system, or a newer system supporting similar functionality, such as for example, a Sixth Generation (6G) system. In some examples, the computer system 100 may support, additionally or alternatively, a Long-Term Evolution (LTE) network and may support other technologies such as a for example, LTE Frequency Division Duplex (FDD), LTE Time Division Duplex (TDD), LTE Half-Duplex Frequency Division Duplex (HD-FDD), and LTE operating in an unlicensed band. The telecommunications system may also support other technologies, such as Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), Universal Mobile Telecommunications System Terrestrial Radio Access (UTRA) TDD, Global System for Mobile communications (GSM) network, GSM / Enhanced Data Rate for GSM Evolution (EDGE) Radio Access Network (GERAN) network, Ultra-Mobile Broadband (UMB), EDGE network, network comprising any combination of Radio Access Technologies (RATs) such as e.g. Multi-Standard Radio (MSR) base stations, multi-RAT base stations etc., any 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) cellular network, Wireless Local Area Network / s (WLAN) or WiFi network / s, Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMax), IEEE 802.15.4-based low-power short-range networks such as IPv6 over Low-Power Wireless Personal Area Networks (6LowPAN), Zigbee, Z-Wave, Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), or any cellular network or system. The telecommunications system may for example support a Low Power Wide Area Network (LPWAN). LPWAN technologies may comprise Long Range physical layer protocol (LoRa), Haystack, SigFox, LTE-M, and Narrow-Band loT (NB-loT).

[0051] The computer system 100 may comprise a plurality of nodes, whereof a first node 111 , a second node 112, and a third node 113 are depicted in Figure 1. It may be understood that the computer system 100 may comprise and / or operate in communication with more or less nodes than those represented on Figure 1.

[0052] Any of the first node 111 , the second node 112 and the third node 113 may be understood, respectively, as a first computer system, a second computer system, and a third computer system. In some examples, any of the first node 111 , the second node 112 and the third node 113 may be implemented as a standalone server in e.g., a host computer in the cloud 120, as depicted in the non-limiting example depicted in panel b) of Figure 1 for the second node 112. Any of the first node 111 , the second node 112 and the third node 113 may in some examples be a distributed node or distributed server, with some of their respective functions being implemented locally, e.g., by a client manager, and some of their functions implemented in the cloud 120, by e.g., a server manager. Yet in other examples, any of the first node 111, the second node 112 and the third node 113 may also be implemented as processing resources in a server farm.

[0053] The first node 111 may be understood to be a node having a capability to receive a packet from the second node 112. The first node 111 may further have a capability to send a packet to the third node 113. A packet may be understood as a Protocol Data Unit (PDU).

[0054] The second node 112 may be a node having a capability to send a packet to the first node 111.

[0055] The third node 113 may be understood to be a node having a capability to receive a packet from the first node 111.

[0056] Any of the first node 111 , the second node 112 and the third node 113 have a capability to operate in the computer system 100 using MPLS.

[0057] The computer system 100 may also comprise a device 130. The device 130 may be also known as a e.g., UE, wireless device, mobile terminal, wireless terminal and / or mobile station, mobile telephone, cellular telephone, or laptop with wireless capability, an Internet of Things (loT) device, or a Customer Premises Equipment (CPE), just to mention some further examples. The device 130 in the present context may be, for example, portable, pocket- storable, hand-held, computer-comprised, or a vehicle-mounted mobile device, enabled to communicate voice and / or data, via a RAN, with another entity, such as a server, a laptop, a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), or a tablet, a Machine-to-Machine (M2M) device, an Internet of Things (loT) device, e.g., a sensor or a camera, a device equipped with a wireless interface, such as a printer or a file storage device, modem, Laptop Embedded Equipped (LEE), Laptop Mounted Equipment (LME), USB dongles, CPE or any other radio network unit capable of communicating over a radio link in the computer system 100. The device 130 may be wireless, i.e. , it may be enabled to communicate wirelessly in the computer system 100 and, in some particular examples, may be able support transmission using beamforming. The communication may be performed e.g., between two devices, between a device and a radio network node, and / or between a device and a server. The communication may be performed e.g., via a RAN and possibly one or more core networks, comprised, respectively, within the computer system 100.

[0058] The computer system 100 may comprise one or more radio network nodes, whereof a radio network node 140 is depicted in Figure 1b. The radio network node 140 may typically be a base station or Transmission Point (TP), or any other network unit capable to serve a wireless device or a machine type node in the computer system 100. The radio network node 140 may be e.g., a 5G gNB, a 4G eNB, or a radio network node in an alternative 5G radio access technology, e.g., fixed or WiFi. The radio network node 140 may be e.g., a Wide Area Base Station, Medium Range Base Station, Local Area Base Station, and Home Base Station, based on transmission power and thereby also coverage size. The radio network node 140 may be a stationary relay node or a mobile relay node. The radio network node 140 may support one or several communication technologies, and its name may depend on the technology and terminology used. The radio network node 140 may be directly connected to one or more networks and / or one or more core networks.

[0059] The computer system 100 covers a geographical area which may be divided into cell areas, wherein each cell area may be served by a radio network node, although, one radio network node may serve one or several cells.

[0060] Any of the first node 111 , the second node 112 and the third node 113 may be a radio network node, such as the radio network node 140 just described, as depicted for the first node 111 in the non-limiting example of Figure 1b, a core network node, such as depicted for the second node 112 in the non-limiting example of Figure 1b, or a device, such as the device 130 described earlier, as depicted for the third node 113 in the non-limiting example of Figure 1b. In some examples, the telecommunication network comprised in the computer system 100 may comprise an access network, such as a radio access network (RAN), and a core network, which may include one or more core network nodes. The access network may include one or more access network nodes, such as the radio network node 140, e.g., which may be generally referred to as network nodes, or any other similar 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) access nodes or non-3GPP access points. Moreover, as will be appreciated by those of skill in the art, a network node is not necessarily limited to an implementation in which a radio portion and a baseband portion are supplied and integrated by a single vendor. Thus, it will be understood that network nodes may include disaggregated implementations or portions thereof. For example, in some embodiments, the telecommunication network may include one or more Open-RAN (ORAN) network nodes. An ORAN network node may be understood as a node in the telecommunication network that may support an ORAN specification, e.g., a specification published by the O-RAN Alliance, or any similar organization, and may operate alone or together with other nodes to implement one or more functionalities of any node in the telecommunication network, including one or more network nodes and / or core network nodes.

[0061] Examples of an ORAN network node include an open radio unit (0-Rll), an open distributed unit (0-Dll), an open central unit (O-CU), including an O-CU control plane (O-CU- CP) or an O-CU user plane (O-CU-UP), a RAN intelligent controller, near-real time or non-real time, hosting software or software plug-ins, such as a near-real time control application, e.g., xApp, or a non-real time control application, e.g., rApp, or any combination thereof, the adjective “open” designating support of an ORAN specification. The radio network node 140 may support a specification by, for example, supporting an interface defined by the ORAN specification, such as an A1, F1, W1, E1 , E2, X2, Xn interface, an open fronthaul user plane interface, or an open fronthaul management plane interface. Moreover, an ORAN access node may be a logical node in a physical node. Furthermore, an ORAN network node may be implemented in a virtualization environment, in which one or more network functions may be virtualized. For example, the virtualization environment may include an O-Cloud computing platform orchestrated by a Service Management and Orchestration Framework via an O-2 interface defined by the O-RAN Alliance or comparable technologies. The radio network node 140 may facilitate direct or indirect connection of user equipment (UE), such as by connecting the device 130 to the core network over one or more wireless connections.

[0062] The first node 111 may communicate with the second node 112 over a first link 151, e.g., a radio link or a wired link. The first node 111 may communicate with the third node 113 over a second link 152, e.g., a radio link or a wired link .

[0063] Any of the first link 151 and / or the second link 152 may be a direct link. Although terminology from Long Term Evolution (LTE) / 5G has been used in this disclosure to exemplify the embodiments herein, this should not be seen as limiting the scope of the embodiments herein to only the aforementioned system. Other wireless systems supporting similar or equivalent functionality may also benefit from exploiting the ideas covered within this disclosure. In future telecommunication networks, e.g., in the sixth generation (6G), the terms used herein may need to be reinterpreted in view of possible terminology changes in future technologies.

[0064] In general, the usage of “first”, “second” and / or “third” herein may be understood to be an arbitrary way to denote different elements or entities and may be understood to not confer a cumulative or chronological character to the nouns they modify.

[0065] Some of the embodiments contemplated herein will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. Other embodiments, however, are contained within the scope of the subject matter disclosed herein, the disclosed subject matter should not be construed as limited to only the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided by way of example to convey the scope of the subject matter to those skilled in the art.

[0066] Embodiments of a computer-implemented method, performed by the first node 111 , will now be described with reference to the flowchart depicted in Figure 2. The method may be understood to be for handling a packet. The first node 111 operates in the computer system 100.

[0067] In some examples, the computer system 100 may be a 3GPP network. In some particular examples, the computer system 100 may be a 5G network.

[0068] Several embodiments are comprised herein. In some embodiments, all the actions may be performed. In some embodiments, one action may be performed. It should be noted that the examples herein are not mutually exclusive. One or more embodiments may be combined, where applicable. All possible combinations are not described to simplify the description. Components from one embodiment may be tacitly assumed to be present in another embodiment and it will be obvious to a person skilled in the art how those components may be used in the other exemplary embodiments. A non-limiting example of the method performed by the first node 111 is depicted in Figure 2. In Figure 2, optional actions are represented with dashed lines.

[0069] Action 201

[0070] The first node 111 receives a packet from the second node 112 operating in the computer system.

[0071] The first node 111 may receive the packet, e.g., via first link 151. The packet comprises a set of MNA formatted NAS elements specific to deterministic networks (DetNet).

[0072] A NAS element may be understood to be a Label Stack Entry (LSE) appearing as part of an MPLS Label Stack.

[0073] An MNA may be understood to indicate actions for Label Switched Paths (LSP) and / or MPLS packets and to transfer data needed for these actions. The MNA framework is defined by IETF in draft-ietf-mpls-mna-fwk.

[0074] The respective element in the set of NAS elements have a format comprising a NAI associated with any one out of a flow identifier, a latency class or a sequence number.

[0075] A NAI may be understood to be an indicator indicating the semantics of its NAS element, e.g., LSE. That is, the NAI may be understood to be an instruction that may represent a function to be called at a specific location in the network. The NAI may be understood to be an OPCODE.

[0076] The NAS elements may use one of number of different formats. According to IETF draft- ietf-mpls-mna-hdr formats A, B, C and D are defined. A NAS comprising a NAI associated with a latency class may e.g., have a format according to format B, format C, or format C+D.

[0077] Figure 3 shows an example of an MNA comprising a NAS element with an NAI associated with a latency class. Format-B may provide enough bits to encode e.g., several latency classes. For longer latency related parameters, e.g., time stamp, format C or format C+D may be used. The NAS element in figure 3 has a format according to format B. The NAS element is shown as the second row of the MNA. The first row is a format A LSE, also referred to as a Network action Sub-Stack Indicator (NSI), that is present before any NAS element in the MNA.

[0078] Figure 4 shows an example of an MNA comprising a NAS element with an NAI associated with a sequence number. Depending on the location of the SeqNum parameter within the MNA part of the MPLS stack a Format B+C / C / C+D is needed (contains 28 / 16 bits of the SeqNum). In these formats there are unused “Data bits” to carry additional FLAGs related to the SeqNum. The NAS element in Figure 4 has a format according to format B+C, i.e. , the NAS comprises two LSEs. The NAS element is shown as the second and third rows of the MNA. The first row is a format A LSE, also referred to as a Network action Sub-Stack Indicator (NSI), that is present before any NAS element in the MNA.

[0079] Figure 5 shows an example of an MNA comprising a NAS element with an NAI associated with a flow identifier. Depending on the location of the Flow-ID a Format C / B+C is needed (contains 20 bits of the ID). The NAS element in Figure 5 has a format according to format B+C, i.e., the NAS comprises two LSEs. The NAS element is shown as the second and third rows of the MNA. The first row is a format A LSE, also referred to as a Network action Sub-Stack Indicator (NSI), that is present before any NAS element in the MNA. Figure 6 shows an example of an MNA comprising three NAS elements: a first NAS element with a NAI associated with a latency class, a second NAS with a NAI associated with a flow identifier, and a third NAS associated with a sequence number. In Fig 6 MNA-6 contains the DetNet Latency parameter being encoded in Format-B. MNA-7 contains the DetNet Flow- ID, a 20 bits Flow-ID is encoded in Format C. MNA-8 contains the DetNet SeqNum in Format C with a 16 bits sequence number. The first row is a format A LSE, also referred to as a Network action Sub-Stack Indicator (NSI), that is present before any NAS element in the MNA.

[0080] The format may further comprise an ancillary data field associated with the NAI.

[0081] An ancillary data field may be understood to be a field that may carry data related to the NAI, e.g., data needed to perform the action associated with the NAI.

[0082] The ancillary data filed comprises any one of a flow identifier indicating a flow comprising the packet, a latency class indicating a latency class of the packet, and a sequence number indicating a sequence number of the packet.

[0083] That is, the ancillary data field may comprise the flow identifier, the sequence number or the latency class. Referring back to Figures 3-6, the data fields shown in said figures may be understood to be the ancillary data fields described above.

[0084] Major characteristics of MNAs are described in draft-ietf-mpls-mna-fwk and draft-ietf- mpls-mna-hdr documents of the IETF MPLS workgroup.

[0085] MPLS MNA encapsulation is used between DetNet Relay nodes.

[0086] DetNet specific parameters used during forwarding are e.g.: (1) Flow-ID, such as flow identity, (2) SeqNum, such as sequence number, and (3) Latencyinfo, such as latency class. For each of them, a specific NAS may be defined to carry the related variable in an MPLS MNA network:

[0087] 1. PREOF specific NAS: --> e.g., SeqNum

[0088] 2. Latency specific NAS: --> e.g., LatencyClass

[0089] 3. Flow specific NAS: --> i.e. , Flow-ID

[0090] DetNet aggregate flows may be described with the same set of parameters.

[0091] DetNet functions may use these NASes as follow:

[0092] • DetNet PREOF requires Flow-ID+SeqNum parameters. They are used only at DetNet Relay nodes implementing the service sub-layer.

[0093] • DetNet latency bound related functions use Flow-ID+Latencylnfo, for selecting proper queuing hop-by-hop along a transmission path. They are used at DetNet Transit nodes implementing the forwarding sub-layer.

[0094] Using these NASes in DetNet scenarios may result in the following MPLS encapsulation format example, that ensures placing all DetNet parameters in the NASes:

[0095] • LSP(s) = F-Label(s): used for describing the forwarding path. • MNA Sub-Stack Indicator

[0096] • NAS-3: (NAI: Flow-1 D, Ancillary Data (AD): i.e., Flow-1 D)

[0097] • NAS-2: (NAI: Latency, Ancillary Data (AD): e.g., LatencyClass)

[0098] • NAS-1 : (NAI: SeqNum, Ancillary Data (AD): i.e., SeqNum (16 / 28 bits))

[0099] • Payload

[0100] Note, that “NAI: Latency” may be combined with “NAI: Flow-ID”. This is possible e.g., if the number of latency classes is limited and they may be described for example with 4 bits.

[0101] Note further, that using PW (S-Label) in the label stack is optional, it is not precluded by the method described in this document, and not shown in the above example.

[0102] Characteristics of the DetNet specific NASes

[0103] • Encoding a Network Action: Different Operation Codes are used for the above DetNet specific NASes.

[0104] • Scope is encoded implicitly, all DetNet NAIs (Network Action Indicator) have a predefined scope. o All DetNet specific NAI use “Select” mode, so usage of these NAIs may be restricted for DetNet-aware nodes if the operator intends to do so. o Optional scope for the NAIs:

[0105] ■ NAI: Flow-ID can have Hop-by-hop (HBH) scope

[0106] ■ NAI: Latency can have Hop-by-hop (HBH) scope

[0107] ■ NAI: SeqNum can have Ingress-to-Egress (I2E) scope

[0108] • Recognition action: o NAI: Flow-ID is used for flow identification, and this NAI must be ignored if unrecognized. o NAI: Latency is used by every node along the path that perform latency related action, e.g., queuing. This NAI must be ignored if unrecognized. o NAI: SegNum is used only by the last node on the path defined by the F- Label(s) and performs the PREOF action. If this NAI is unrecognized the packet may be dropped.

[0109] • Encoding of Post-Stack Data: N / A for these NASes.

[0110] Via using the “Select” mode for the DetNet specific NASes, the network operation can emulate the MS-PW (Multi-Segment PW) pop-push characteristics on the S-Label. There is no need to define at ingress the whole forwarding graph across the MPLS network. Furthermore, “Select” mode allows that the payload is an MPLS packet using the same label stack (as used by the MNA). In some embodiments, the packet comprises a further set of MNA formatted NAS elements specific to deterministic networks. The elements in the further set of NAS elements have a format comprising a NAI. Multiple flows, such as DetNet flows, are aggregated into a single aggregate, such as a single aggregated flow. The set of NAS elements are associated with flow specific NAS elements and the further set of NAS elements are associated with aggregate specific NAS elements.

[0111] Figure 7 shows an example where multiple DetNet flows are aggregated into a single aggregate. MNA-A part comprises the aggregate specific DetNet NASes, and MNA-F part comprises the flow specific NASes of the data packet.

[0112] NAS-x is understood to denote the NAS containing the DetNet parameter, “x” just a number on the figure to denote that they contain different information.

[0113] Aggregation may re-use the same Options code points, such as OPCODE, for the aggregated and specific flows. The interpretation is based on the order of NASes. During deaggregation of flows the MNA comprising the aggregate parameters are removed from the label stack (poped).

[0114] Encapsulation format example:

[0115] ■ LSP(s)

[0116] ■ MNA Sub-Stack Indicator o MNA-A: contains the aggregate specific NASes o NAS-16: DetNet Latency

[0117] ■ LatencyClass encoded in Format-B o NAS-17: DetNet Flow-ID

[0118] ■ 20 bits Flow-ID encoded in Format C o NAS-18: DetNet SeqNum

[0119] ■ Format C with 16 bits of SeqNum

[0120] ■ MNA Sub-Stack Indicator o MNA-F: contains the flow specific NASes o NAS-6: DetNet Latency

[0121] ■ LatencyClass encoded in Format-B o NAS-7: DetNet Flow-ID

[0122] ■ 20 bits Flow-ID encoded in Format C o NAS-8: DetNet SeqNum

[0123] ■ Format C with 16 bits of SeqNum

[0124] Payload The numbers in the example above, i.e., NAS-6, NAS-7 etc., are only examples for illustrative purpose. The OPCODE numbers are to be allocated by IANA during the standardization.

[0125] Action 202

[0126] In some embodiments, the first node 111 processes the received packet based on the set of NAS elements by executing functions related to a flow of the deterministic networks corresponding to the packet.

[0127] Executing functions may be understood to comprise executing e.g., PREOF related functions and / or latency related functions. As mentioned above, PREOF functions may comprise packet replication, packet elimination and / or packet ordering, such as PRF, PEF and / or POF functions. Latency related functions may comprise functions for ensuring the bunded latency of the packet. Executing a PREOF function may comprise using a NAS comprising a NAI associated with the flow identifier and a NAS comprising a NAI associated with a sequence number. Executing a latency related function may comprise using a NAS comprising a NAI associated with the flow identifier and a NAS comprising a NAI associated with a latency class.

[0128] Action 203

[0129] In some embodiments, the first node 111 sends the processed packet to the third node 113 operating in the computer system.

[0130] The first node 111 may send the packet, e.g., via second link 152.

[0131] By sending the processed packet to the third node 113, the first node 111 may enable the third node 113 to, e.g., upon receiving the packet comprising set of NAS elements specific to deterministic networks, which elements has the format comprising a NAI, also obtain information associated with the NAI. This may in turn enable the third node 113 to execute a replication, elimination or ordering function serving a specific flow.

[0132] This may enable the third node 113 to obtain the NAI and data associated with the using a native MPLS data plane for DetNet networks. The third node 113 may therefore be enabled to support the implementation of PREOF functionalities the implementation of both DetNet sub-layer (service and forwarding) functionalities and allows adding all processing related information for (1) flow identification, (2) sequencing and (3) ensuring the bounded latency to the data packet, natively to the MPLS header. By enabling to use native MPLS technology, the third node 113 may therefore be advantageously enabled to not require any post-stack-data during encapsulation.

[0133] Embodiments of a computer-implemented method, performed by the second node 112, will now be described with reference to the flowchart depicted in Figure 8. The method may be understood to be for handling a packet. The second node 112 operates in the computer system 100.

[0134] In some examples, the computer system 100 may be a 3GPP network. In some particular examples, the computer system 100 may be a 5G network.

[0135] Several embodiments are comprised herein. In some embodiments, all the actions may be performed. In some embodiments, one action may be performed. It should be noted that the examples herein are not mutually exclusive. One or more embodiments may be combined, where applicable. All possible combinations are not described to simplify the description. Components from one embodiment may be tacitly assumed to be present in another embodiment and it will be obvious to a person skilled in the art how those components may be used in the other exemplary embodiments. A non-limiting example of the method performed by the second node 112 is depicted in Figure 8. In Figure 8, optional actions are represented with dashed lines. The detailed description of some of the following corresponds to the same references provided above, in relation to the actions described for the first node 111 and will thus not be repeated here to simplify the description.

[0136] Action 801

[0137] In some embodiments, the second node 112 processes a received packet, or payload to be sent in a packet, based on the a of M NA formatted NAS elements by executing functions related to a flow of the deterministic networks corresponding to the packet. The NAS elements may have a format comprising a NAI associated with any one out of a flow identifier, a latency class or a sequence number.

[0138] Action 802

[0139] The second node 112 sends a packet to the first node 111 operating in the computer system. The packet comprises a set of MNA formatted NAS elements specific to deterministic networks. The elements in the set of NAS elements have a format comprising a NAI associated with any one out of a flow identifier, a latency class or a sequence number.

[0140] In some embodiments, the NAS elements have a format further comprising an ancillary data field associated with the NAI.

[0141] In some embodiments, the ancillary data filed comprises any one of a flow identifier indicating a flow comprising the packet, a latency class indicating a latency class of the packet, and a sequence number indicating a sequence number of the packet.

[0142] In some embodiments, the packet comprises a further set of MNA formatted NAS elements specific to deterministic networks, the elements in the further set of NAS elements having a format comprising a NAI, wherein multiple flows are aggregated into a single aggregate, and wherein the set of NAS elements are associated with flow specific NAS elements and the further set of NAS elements are associated with aggregate specific NAS elements. Figure 9 depicts an example of the arrangement that the first node 111 may comprise to perform the method described in Figure 2. The first node 111 may be understood to be for handling the packet. The first node 111 is configured to operate in the computer system 100.

[0143] Several embodiments are comprised herein. It should be noted that the examples herein are not mutually exclusive. One or more embodiments may be combined, where applicable. All possible combinations are not described to simplify the description. Components from one embodiment may be tacitly assumed to be present in another embodiment and it will be obvious to a person skilled in the art how those components may be used in the other exemplary embodiments. The detailed description of some of the following corresponds to the same references provided above, in relation to the actions described for the first node 111 and will thus not be repeated here to simplify the description.

[0144] The first node 111 may comprise an input and output interface 900 configured to communicate with each other. The input and output interface 900 may comprise a receiver, e.g. wired and / or wireless, (not shown) and a transmitter, e.g. wired and / or wireless, (not shown).

[0145] The embodiments herein may be implemented through a respective processor or one or more processors, such as at least one processor 910 of a processing circuitry in the first node 111 depicted in Figure 9, together with computer program code for performing the functions and actions of the embodiments herein. The program code mentioned above may also be provided as a computer program product, for instance in the form of a data carrier carrying computer program code for performing the embodiments herein when being loaded into the first node 111. One such carrier may be in the form of a CD ROM disc. It is however feasible with other data carriers such as a memory stick. The computer program code may furthermore be provided as pure program code on a server and downloaded to the first node 111.

[0146] The first node 111 and / or processor 910 is configured to receive a packet from the second node 112 configured to operate in the computer system 100. The packet is configured to comprise a set of MNA formatted NAS elements specific to deterministic networks. The respective element in the set of NAS elements is configured to have a format adapted to comprise a NAI associated with any one out of a flow identifier, a latency class or a sequence number.

[0147] In some embodiments, the format is further adapted to comprise an ancillary data field associated with the NAI.

[0148] In some embodiments, the ancillary data field is adapted to comprise any one of a flow identifier indicating a flow comprising the packet, a latency class indicating a latency class of the packet, and a sequence number indicating a sequence number of the packet. The first node 111 and / or processor 910 is configured to process the received packet based on the set of NAS elements by executing functions related to a flow of the deterministic networks corresponding to the packet.

[0149] The first node 111 and / or processor 910 is configured to send the processed packet to a third node 113 configured to operate in the computer system 100.

[0150] In some embodiments, the packet is configured to comprise a further set of MNA formatted NAS elements specific to deterministic networks. The elements in the further set of NAS elements is configured to have a format comprising a NAI. Multiple flows are aggregated into a single aggregate. The set of NAS elements are associated with flow specific NAS elements and the further set of NAS elements are associated with aggregate specific NAS elements.

[0151] The first node 111 may further comprise respective a memory 920 comprising one or more memory units. The memory 920 comprises instructions executable by the processor 910 in the first node 111.

[0152] The memory 920 is arranged to be used to store instructions, data, configurations, packets, NAS elements, NAIs, and applications to perform the methods herein when being executed in the first node 111.

[0153] In some embodiments, a computer program 930 comprises instructions, which when executed by the at least one processor 910, cause the at least one processor 910 of the first node 111 to perform the actions above.

[0154] In some embodiments, a respective carrier 940 comprises the respective computer program 930, wherein the carrier 940 is one of an electronic signal, an optical signal, an electromagnetic signal, a magnetic signal, an electric signal, a radio signal, a microwave signal, or a computer-readable storage medium.

[0155] Thus, embodiments herein may disclose the first node 111 configured to handle a packet. The first node is configured to operate in the computer system 100. The first node 111 comprises the processor 910 and the memory 920, said memory 920 comprising instructions executable by said processor 910 whereby said first node 111 is operative to perform any of the methods herein.

[0156] As will be readily understood by those familiar with communications design, that functions means or modules may be implemented using digital logic and / or one or more microcontrollers, microprocessors, or other digital hardware. In some embodiments, several or all of the various functions may be implemented together, such as in a single applicationspecific integrated circuit (ASIC), or in two or more separate devices with appropriate hardware and / or software interfaces between them. Several of the functions may be implemented on a processor shared with other functional components of a radio network node, for example. Alternatively, several of the functional elements of the processing means discussed may be provided through the use of dedicated hardware, while others are provided with hardware for executing software, in association with the appropriate software or firmware. Thus, the term “processor” or “controller” as used herein does not exclusively refer to hardware capable of executing software and may implicitly include, without limitation, digital signal processor (DSP) hardware, read-only memory (ROM) for storing software, random-access memory for storing software and / or program or application data, and non-volatile memory. Other hardware, conventional and / or custom, may also be included. Designers of communications receivers will appreciate the cost, performance, and maintenance trade-offs inherent in these design choices.

[0157] Any appropriate steps, methods, features, functions, or benefits disclosed herein may be performed through one or more functional units or modules of one or more virtual apparatuses. Each virtual apparatus may comprise a number of these functional units. These functional units may be implemented via processing circuitry, which may include one or more microprocessor or microcontrollers, as well as other digital hardware, which may include digital signal processors (DSPs), special-purpose digital logic, and the like. The processing circuitry may be configured to execute program code stored in memory, which may include one or several types of memory such as read-only memory (ROM), random-access memory (RAM), cache memory, flash memory devices, optical storage devices, etc. Program code stored in memory includes program instructions for executing one or more telecommunications and / or data communications protocols as well as instructions for carrying out one or more of the techniques described herein. In some implementations, the processing circuitry may be used to cause the respective functional unit to perform corresponding functions according one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0158] Figure 10 depicts an example of the arrangement that the second node 112 may comprise to perform the method described in Figure 8. The second node 112 may be understood to be for handling the packet. The second node 112 is configured to operate in the computer system 100.

[0159] Several embodiments are comprised herein. It should be noted that the examples herein are not mutually exclusive. One or more embodiments may be combined, where applicable. All possible combinations are not described to simplify the description. Components from one embodiment may be tacitly assumed to be present in another embodiment and it will be obvious to a person skilled in the art how those components may be used in the other exemplary embodiments. The detailed description of some of the following corresponds to the same references provided above, in relation to the actions described for the second node 112 and will thus not be repeated here to simplify the description. The second node 112 may comprise an input and output interface 1000 configured to communicate with each other. The input and output interface 1000 may comprise a receiver, e.g. wired and / or wireless, (not shown) and a transmitter, e.g. wired and / or wireless, (not shown).

[0160] The embodiments herein may be implemented through a respective processor or one or more processors, such as at least one processor 1010 of a processing circuitry in the second node 112 depicted in Figure 10, together with computer program code for performing the functions and actions of the embodiments herein. The program code mentioned above may also be provided as a computer program product, for instance in the form of a data carrier carrying computer program code for performing the embodiments herein when being loaded into the second node 112. One such carrier may be in the form of a CD ROM disc. It is however feasible with other data carriers such as a memory stick. The computer program code may furthermore be provided as pure program code on a server and downloaded to the second node 112.

[0161] The second node 112 and / or processor 1020 is configured to send a packet to the first node 111 configured to operate in the computer system 100. The packet is configured to comprise a set of MNA formatted NAS elements specific to deterministic networks. The respective element in the set of NAS elements is configured to have a format adapted to comprise a NAI associated with any one out of a flow identifier, a latency class or a sequence number.

[0162] In some embodiments, the format is further adapted to comprise an ancillary data field associated with the NAI.

[0163] In some embodiments, the ancillary data field is adapted to comprise any one of a flow identifier indicating a flow comprising the packet, a latency class indicating a latency class of the packet, and a sequence number indicating a sequence number of the packet.

[0164] The second node 112 and / or processor 1020 is configured to process the received payload based on the set of NAS elements by executing functions related to a flow of the deterministic networks corresponding to the packet.

[0165] In some embodiments, the packet is configured to comprise a further set of MNA formatted NAS elements specific to deterministic networks. The elements in the further set of NAS elements is configured to have a format comprising a NAI. Multiple flows are aggregated into a single aggregate. The set of NAS elements are associated with flow specific NAS elements and the further set of NAS elements are associated with aggregate specific NAS elements.

[0166] The second node 112 may further comprise respective a memory 1020 comprising one or more memory units. The memory 1020 comprises instructions executable by the processor 1010 in the second node 112. The memory 1020 is arranged to be used to store instructions, data, configurations, packets, NAS elements, NAIs, and applications to perform the methods herein when being executed in the second node 112.

[0167] In some embodiments, a computer program 1030 comprises instructions, which when executed by the at least one processor 1010, cause the at least one processor 1010 of the second node 112 to perform the actions above.

[0168] In some embodiments, a respective carrier 1040 comprises the respective computer program 1030, wherein the carrier 1040 is one of an electronic signal, an optical signal, an electromagnetic signal, a magnetic signal, an electric signal, a radio signal, a microwave signal, or a computer-readable storage medium.

[0169] Thus, embodiments herein may disclose the second node 112 configured to handle a packet. The second node 112 is configured to operate in the computer system 100. The second node 112 comprises the processor 1010 and the memory 1020, said memory 1020 comprising instructions executable by said processor 1010 whereby said second node 112 is operative to perform any of the methods herein.

[0170] As will be readily understood by those familiar with communications design, that functions means or modules may be implemented using digital logic and / or one or more microcontrollers, microprocessors, or other digital hardware. In some embodiments, several or all of the various functions may be implemented together, such as in a single applicationspecific integrated circuit (ASIC), or in two or more separate devices with appropriate hardware and / or software interfaces between them. Several of the functions may be implemented on a processor shared with other functional components of a radio network node, for example.

[0171] Alternatively, several of the functional elements of the processing means discussed may be provided through the use of dedicated hardware, while others are provided with hardware for executing software, in association with the appropriate software or firmware. Thus, the term “processor” or “controller” as used herein does not exclusively refer to hardware capable of executing software and may implicitly include, without limitation, digital signal processor (DSP) hardware, read-only memory (ROM) for storing software, random-access memory for storing software and / or program or application data, and non-volatile memory. Other hardware, conventional and / or custom, may also be included. Designers of communications receivers will appreciate the cost, performance, and maintenance trade-offs inherent in these design choices.

[0172] Any appropriate steps, methods, features, functions, or benefits disclosed herein may be performed through one or more functional units or modules of one or more virtual apparatuses. Each virtual apparatus may comprise a number of these functional units. These functional units may be implemented via processing circuitry, which may include one or more microprocessor or microcontrollers, as well as other digital hardware, which may include digital signal processors (DSPs), special-purpose digital logic, and the like. The processing circuitry may be configured to execute program code stored in memory, which may include one or several types of memory such as read-only memory (ROM), random-access memory (RAM), cache memory, flash memory devices, optical storage devices, etc. Program code stored in memory includes program instructions for executing one or more telecommunications and / or data communications protocols as well as instructions for carrying out one or more of the techniques described herein. In some implementations, the processing circuitry may be used to cause the respective functional unit to perform corresponding functions according one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0173] ADDITIONAL EXPLANATION

[0174] Some of the embodiments contemplated herein will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. Embodiments are provided by way of example to convey the scope of the subject matter to those skilled in the art.

[0175] Figure 11 shows an example of a communication system QQ100 in accordance with some embodiments.

[0176] In the example, the communication system QQ100 includes a telecommunication network QQ102 that includes an access network QQ104, such as a radio access network (RAN), and a core network QQ106, which includes one or more core network nodes QQ108. The access network QQ104 includes one or more access network nodes, such as network nodes QQ110a and QQ110b (one or more of which may be generally referred to as network nodes QQ110), or any other similar 3rdGeneration Partnership Project (3GPP) access nodes or non-3GPP access points. Moreover, as will be appreciated by those of skill in the art, a network node is not necessarily limited to an implementation in which a radio portion and a baseband portion are supplied and integrated by a single vendor. Thus, it will be understood that network nodes include disaggregated implementations or portions thereof. For example, in some embodiments, the telecommunication network QQ102 includes one or more Open- RAN (ORAN) network nodes. An ORAN network node is a node in the telecommunication network QQ102 that supports an ORAN specification (e.g., a specification published by the O- RAN Alliance, or any similar organization) and may operate alone or together with other nodes to implement one or more functionalities of any node in the telecommunication network QQ102, including one or more network nodes QQ110 and / or core network nodes QQ108.

[0177] Examples of an ORAN network node include an open radio unit (O-RU), an open distributed unit (O-DU), an open central unit (O-CU), including an O-CU control plane (O-CU- CP) or an O-CU user plane (O-CU-UP), a RAN intelligent controller (near-real time or non-real time) hosting software or software plug-ins, such as a near-real time control application (e.g., xApp) or a non-real time control application (e.g., rApp), or any combination thereof (the adjective “open” designating support of an ORAN specification). The network node may support a specification by, for example, supporting an interface defined by the ORAN specification, such as an A1, F1, W1, E1 , E2, X2, Xn interface, an open fronthaul user plane interface, or an open fronthaul management plane interface. Moreover, an ORAN access node may be a logical node in a physical node. Furthermore, an ORAN network node may be implemented in a virtualization environment (described further below) in which one or more network functions are virtualized. For example, the virtualization environment may include an O-Cloud computing platform orchestrated by a Service Management and Orchestration Framework via an 0-2 interface defined by the O-RAN Alliance or comparable technologies. The network nodes QQ110 facilitate direct or indirect connection of user equipment (UE), such as by connecting UEs QQ112a, QQ112b, QQ112c, and QQ112d (one or more of which may be generally referred to as UEs QQ112) to the core network QQ106 over one or more wireless connections.

[0178] Example wireless communications over a wireless connection include transmitting and / or receiving wireless signals using electromagnetic waves, radio waves, infrared waves, and / or other types of signals suitable for conveying information without the use of wires, cables, or other material conductors. Moreover, in different embodiments, the communication system QQ100 may include any number of wired or wireless networks, network nodes, UEs, and / or any other components or systems that may facilitate or participate in the communication of data and / or signals whether via wired or wireless connections. The communication system QQ100 may include and / or interface with any type of communication, telecommunication, data, cellular, radio network, and / or other similar type of system.

[0179] The UEs QQ112 may be any of a wide variety of communication devices, including wireless devices arranged, configured, and / or operable to communicate wirelessly with the network nodes QQ110 and other communication devices. Similarly, the network nodes QQ110 are arranged, capable, configured, and / or operable to communicate directly or indirectly with the UEs QQ112 and / or with other network nodes or equipment in the telecommunication network QQ102 to enable and / or provide network access, such as wireless network access, and / or to perform other functions, such as administration in the telecommunication network QQ102.

[0180] In the depicted example, the core network QQ106 connects the network nodes QQ110 to one or more host computing systems, such as host QQ116. These connections may be direct or indirect via one or more intermediary networks or devices. In other examples, network nodes may be directly coupled to hosts. The core network QQ106 includes one more core network nodes (e.g., core network node QQ108) that are structured with hardware and software components. Features of these components may be substantially similar to those described with respect to the UEs, network nodes, and / or hosts, such that the descriptions thereof are generally applicable to the corresponding components of the core network node QQ108. Example core network nodes include functions of one or more of a Mobile Switching Center (MSC), Mobility Management Entity (MME), Home Subscriber Server (HSS), Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF), Session Management Function (SMF), Authentication Server Function (ALISF), Subscription Identifier De-concealing function (SIDF), Unified Data Management (UDM), Security Edge Protection Proxy (SEPP), Network Exposure Function (NEF), and / or a User Plane Function (UPF).

[0181] The host QQ116 may be under the ownership or control of a service provider other than an operator or provider of the access network QQ104 and / or the telecommunication network QQ102. The host QQ116 may host a variety of applications to provide one or more service. Examples of such applications include live and pre-recorded audio / video content, data collection services such as retrieving and compiling data on various ambient conditions detected by a plurality of UEs, analytics functionality, social media, functions for controlling or otherwise interacting with remote devices, functions for an alarm and surveillance center, or any other such function performed by a server.

[0182] As a whole, the communication system QQ100 of Figure 11 enables connectivity between the UEs, network nodes, and hosts. In that sense, the communication system may be configured to operate according to predefined rules or procedures, such as specific standards that include, but are not limited to: Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM); Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS); Long Term Evolution (LTE), and / or other suitable 2G, 3G, 4G, 5G standards, or any applicable future generation standard (e.g., 6G); wireless local area network (WLAN) standards, such as the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 standards (WiFi); and / or any other appropriate wireless communication standard, such as the Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMax), Bluetooth, Z-Wave, Near Field Communication (NFC) ZigBee, LiFi, and / or any low- power wide-area network (LPWAN) standards such as LoRa and Sigfox.

[0183] In some examples, the telecommunication network QQ102 is a cellular network that implements 3GPP standardized features. Accordingly, the telecommunications network QQ102 may support network slicing to provide different logical networks to different devices that are connected to the telecommunication network QQ102. For example, the telecommunications network QQ102 may provide Ultra Reliable Low Latency Communication (URLLC) services to some UEs, while providing Enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB) services to other UEs, and / or Massive Machine Type Communication (mMTC) / Massive loT services to yet further UEs.

[0184] In some examples, the UEs QQ112 are configured to transmit and / or receive information without direct human interaction. For instance, a UE may be designed to transmit information to the access network QQ104 on a predetermined schedule, when triggered by an internal or external event, or in response to requests from the access network QQ104. Additionally, a UE may be configured for operating in single- or multi-RAT or multi-standard mode. For example, a UE may operate with any one or combination of Wi-Fi, NR (New Radio) and LTE, i.e. being configured for multi-radio dual connectivity (MR-DC), such as E-UTRAN (Evolved-UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access Network) New Radio - Dual Connectivity (EN-DC).

[0185] In the example, the hub QQ114 communicates with the access network QQ104 to facilitate indirect communication between one or more UEs (e.g., UE QQ112c and / or QQ112d) and network nodes (e.g., network node QQ110b). In some examples, the hub QQ114 may be a controller, router, content source and analytics, or any of the other communication devices described herein regarding UEs. For example, the hub QQ114 may be a broadband router enabling access to the core network QQ106 for the UEs. As another example, the hub QQ114 may be a controller that sends commands or instructions to one or more actuators in the UEs. Commands or instructions may be received from the UEs, network nodes QQ110, or by executable code, script, process, or other instructions in the hub QQ114. As another example, the hub QQ114 may be a data collector that acts as temporary storage for UE data and, in some embodiments, may perform analysis or other processing of the data. As another example, the hub QQ114 may be a content source. For example, for a UE that is a VR device, display, loudspeaker, or other media delivery device, the hub QQ114 may retrieve VR assets, video, audio, or other media or data related to sensory information via a network node, which the hub QQ114 then provides to the UE either directly, after performing local processing, and / or after adding additional local content. In still another example, the hub QQ114 acts as a proxy server or orchestrator for the UEs, in particular if one or more of the UEs are low energy loT devices.

[0186] The hub QQ114 may have a constant / persistent or intermittent connection to the network node QQ110b. The hub QQ114 may also allow for a different communication scheme and / or schedule between the hub QQ114 and UEs (e.g., UE QQ112c and / or QQ112d), and between the hub QQ114 and the core network QQ106. In other examples, the hub QQ114 is connected to the core network QQ106 and / or one or more UEs via a wired connection. Moreover, the hub QQ114 may be configured to connect to an M2M service provider over the access network QQ104 and / or to another UE over a direct connection. In some scenarios, UEs may establish a wireless connection with the network nodes QQ110 while still connected via the hub QQ114 via a wired or wireless connection. In some embodiments, the hub QQ114 may be a dedicated hub - that is, a hub whose primary function is to route communications to / from the UEs from / to the network node QQ110b. In other embodiments, the hub QQ114 may be a non-dedicated hub - that is, a device which is capable of operating to route communications between the UEs and network node QQ110b, but which is additionally capable of operating as a communication start and / or end point for certain data channels.

[0187] Figure 12 shows a UE QQ200 in accordance with some embodiments. The UE QQ200 presents additional details of some embodiments of the UE QQ112 of Figure 1. As used herein, a UE refers to a device capable, configured, arranged and / or operable to communicate wirelessly with network nodes and / or other UEs. Examples of a UE include, but are not limited to, a smart phone, mobile phone, cell phone, voice over IP (VoIP) phone, wireless local loop phone, desktop computer, personal digital assistant (PDA), wireless cameras, gaming console or device, music storage / playback device, wearable terminal device, wireless endpoint, mobile station, tablet, laptop, laptop-embedded equipment (LEE), laptop-mounted equipment (LME), an Augmented Reality (AR) or Virtual Reality (VR) device, wireless customer-premise equipment (CPE), vehicle, vehicle-mounted or vehicle embedded / integrated wireless device, etc. Other examples include any UE identified by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), including a narrow band internet of things (NB-loT) UE, a machine type communication (MTC) UE, and / or an enhanced MTC (eMTC) UE.

[0188] A UE may support device-to-device (D2D) communication, for example by implementing a 3GPP standard for sidelink communication, Dedicated Short-Range Communication (DSRC), vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V), vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I), or vehicle-to-everything (V2X). In other examples, a UE may not necessarily have a user in the sense of a human user who owns and / or operates the relevant device. Instead, a UE may represent a device that is intended for sale to, or operation by, a human user but which may not, or which may not initially, be associated with a specific human user (e.g., a smart sprinkler controller). Alternatively, a UE may represent a device that is not intended for sale to, or operation by, an end user but which may be associated with or operated for the benefit of a user (e.g., a smart power meter).

[0189] The UE QQ200 includes processing circuitry QQ202 that is operatively coupled via a bus QQ204 to an input / output interface QQ206, a power source QQ208, a memory QQ210, a communication interface QQ212, and / or any other component, or any combination thereof. Certain UEs may utilize all or a subset of the components shown in Figure 12. The level of integration between the components may vary from one UE to another UE. Further, certain UEs may contain multiple instances of a component, such as multiple processors, memories, transceivers, transmitters, receivers, etc.

[0190] The processing circuitry QQ202 is configured to process instructions and data and may be configured to implement any sequential state machine operative to execute instructions stored as machine-readable computer programs in the memory QQ210. The processing circuitry QQ202 may be implemented as one or more hardware-implemented state machines (e.g., in discrete logic, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), etc.); programmable logic together with appropriate firmware; one or more stored computer programs, general-purpose processors, such as a microprocessor or digital signal processor (DSP), together with appropriate software; or any combination of the above. For example, the processing circuitry QQ202 may include multiple central processing units (CPUs).

[0191] In the example, the input / output interface QQ206 may be configured to provide an interface or interfaces to an input device, output device, or one or more input and / or output devices. Examples of an output device include a speaker, a sound card, a video card, a display, a monitor, a printer, an actuator, an emitter, a smartcard, another output device, or any combination thereof. An input device may allow a user to capture information into the UE QQ200. Examples of an input device include a touch-sensitive or presence-sensitive display, a camera (e.g., a digital camera, a digital video camera, a web camera, etc.), a microphone, a sensor, a mouse, a trackball, a directional pad, a trackpad, a scroll wheel, a smartcard, and the like. The presence-sensitive display may include a capacitive or resistive touch sensor to sense input from a user. A sensor may be, for instance, an accelerometer, a gyroscope, a tilt sensor, a force sensor, a magnetometer, an optical sensor, a proximity sensor, a biometric sensor, etc., or any combination thereof. An output device may use the same type of interface port as an input device. For example, a Universal Serial Bus (USB) port may be used to provide an input device and an output device.

[0192] In some embodiments, the power source QQ208 is structured as a battery or battery pack. Other types of power sources, such as an external power source (e.g., an electricity outlet), photovoltaic device, or power cell, may be used. The power source QQ208 may further include power circuitry for delivering power from the power source QQ208 itself, and / or an external power source, to the various parts of the UE QQ200 via input circuitry or an interface such as an electrical power cable. Delivering power may be, for example, for charging of the power source QQ208. Power circuitry may perform any formatting, converting, or other modification to the power from the power source QQ208 to make the power suitable for the respective components of the UE QQ200 to which power is supplied.

[0193] The memory QQ210 may be or be configured to include memory such as random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), magnetic disks, optical disks, hard disks, removable cartridges, flash drives, and so forth. In one example, the memory QQ210 includes one or more application programs QQ214, such as an operating system, web browser application, a widget, gadget engine, or other application, and corresponding data QQ216. The memory QQ210 may store, for use by the UE QQ200, any of a variety of various operating systems or combinations of operating systems. The memory QQ210 may be configured to include a number of physical drive units, such as redundant array of independent disks (RAID), flash memory, USB flash drive, external hard disk drive, thumb drive, pen drive, key drive, high-density digital versatile disc (HD-DVD) optical disc drive, internal hard disk drive, Blu-Ray optical disc drive, holographic digital data storage (HDDS) optical disc drive, external mini-dual in-line memory module (DIMM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), external micro-DIMM SDRAM, smartcard memory such as tamper resistant module in the form of a universal integrated circuit card (UICC) including one or more subscriber identity modules (SIMs), such as a USIM and / or ISIM, other memory, or any combination thereof. The UICC may for example be an embedded UICC (eUlCC), integrated UICC (iUICC) or a removable UICC commonly known as ‘SIM card.’ The memory QQ210 may allow the UE QQ200 to access instructions, application programs and the like, stored on transitory or non-transitory memory media, to off-load data, or to upload data. An article of manufacture, such as one utilizing a communication system may be tangibly embodied as or in the memory QQ210, which may be or comprise a device- readable storage medium.

[0194] The processing circuitry QQ202 may be configured to communicate with an access network or other network using the communication interface QQ212. The communication interface QQ212 may comprise one or more communication subsystems and may include or be communicatively coupled to an antenna QQ222. The communication interface QQ212 may include one or more transceivers used to communicate, such as by communicating with one or more remote transceivers of another device capable of wireless communication (e.g., another UE or a network node in an access network). Each transceiver may include a transmitter QQ218 and / or a receiver QQ220 appropriate to provide network communications (e.g., optical, electrical, frequency allocations, and so forth). Moreover, the transmitter QQ218 and receiver QQ220 may be coupled to one or more antennas (e.g., antenna QQ222) and may share circuit components, software or firmware, or alternatively be implemented separately.

[0195] In the illustrated embodiment, communication functions of the communication interface QQ212 may include cellular communication, Wi-Fi communication, LPWAN communication, data communication, voice communication, multimedia communication, short-range communications such as Bluetooth, near-field communication, location-based communication such as the use of the global positioning system (GPS) to determine a location, another like communication function, or any combination thereof. Communications may be implemented in according to one or more communication protocols and / or standards, such as IEEE 802.11, Code Division Multiplexing Access (CDMA), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), GSM, LTE, New Radio (NR), UMTS, WiMax, Ethernet, transmission control protocol / internet protocol (TCP / IP), synchronous optical networking (SONET), Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM), QUIC, Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), and so forth. Regardless of the type of sensor, a UE may provide an output of data captured by its sensors, through its communication interface QQ212, via a wireless connection to a network node. Data captured by sensors of a UE can be communicated through a wireless connection to a network node via another UE. The output may be periodic (e.g., once every 15 minutes if it reports the sensed temperature), random (e.g., to even out the load from reporting from several sensors), in response to a triggering event (e.g., when moisture is detected an alert is sent), in response to a request (e.g., a user initiated request), or a continuous stream (e.g., a live video feed of a patient).

[0196] As another example, a UE comprises an actuator, a motor, or a switch, related to a communication interface configured to receive wireless input from a network node via a wireless connection. In response to the received wireless input the states of the actuator, the motor, or the switch may change. For example, the UE may comprise a motor that adjusts the control surfaces or rotors of a drone in flight according to the received input or to a robotic arm performing a medical procedure according to the received input.

[0197] A UE, when in the form of an Internet of Things (loT) device, may be a device for use in one or more application domains, these domains comprising, but not limited to, city wearable technology, extended industrial application and healthcare. Non-limiting examples of such an loT device are a device which is or which is embedded in: a connected refrigerator or freezer, a TV, a connected lighting device, an electricity meter, a robot vacuum cleaner, a voice controlled smart speaker, a home security camera, a motion detector, a thermostat, a smoke detector, a door / window sensor, a flood / moisture sensor, an electrical door lock, a connected doorbell, an air conditioning system like a heat pump, an autonomous vehicle, a surveillance system, a weather monitoring device, a vehicle parking monitoring device, an electric vehicle charging station, a smart watch, a fitness tracker, a wearable for tactile augmentation or sensory enhancement, a water sprinkler, an animal- or item-tracking device, a sensor for monitoring a plant or animal, an industrial robot, an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), and any kind of medical device, like a heart rate monitor or a remote controlled surgical robot. A UE in the form of an loT device comprises circuitry and / or software in dependence of the intended application of the loT device in addition to other components as described in relation to the UE QQ200 shown in Figure 12.

[0198] As yet another specific example, in an loT scenario, a UE may represent a machine or other device that performs monitoring and / or measurements, and transmits the results of such monitoring and / or measurements to another UE and / or a network node. The UE may in this case be an M2M device, which may in a 3GPP context be referred to as an MTC device. As one particular example, the UE may implement the 3GPP NB-loT standard. In other scenarios, a UE may represent a vehicle, such as a car, a bus, a truck, a ship and an airplane, or other equipment that is capable of monitoring and / or reporting on its operational status or other functions associated with its operation.

[0199] In practice, any number of UEs may be used together with respect to a single use case. For example, a first UE might be or be integrated in a drone and provide the drone’s speed information (obtained through a speed sensor) to a second UE that is a remote controller operating the drone. When the user makes changes from the remote controller, the first UE may adjust the throttle on the drone (e.g. by controlling an actuator) to increase or decrease the drone’s speed. The first and / or the second UE can also include more than one of the functionalities described above. For example, a UE might comprise the sensor and the actuator, and handle communication of data for both the speed sensor and the actuators.

[0200] Figure 13 shows a network node QQ300 in accordance with some embodiments. As used herein, network node refers to equipment capable, configured, arranged and / or operable to communicate directly or indirectly with a UE and / or with other network nodes or equipment, in a telecommunication network. Examples of network nodes include, but are not limited to, access points (APs) (e.g., radio access points), base stations (BSs) (e.g., radio base stations, Node Bs, evolved Node Bs (eNBs) and NR NodeBs (gNBs)), O-RAN nodes or components of an O-RAN node (e.g., O-RU, O-DU, O-CU).

[0201] Base stations may be categorized based on the amount of coverage they provide (or, stated differently, their transmit power level) and so, depending on the provided amount of coverage, may be referred to as femto base stations, pico base stations, micro base stations, or macro base stations. A base station may be a relay node or a relay donor node controlling a relay. A network node may also include one or more (or all) parts of a distributed radio base station such as centralized digital units, distributed units (e.g., in an O-RAN access node) and / or remote radio units (RRUs), sometimes referred to as Remote Radio Heads (RRHs). Such remote radio units may or may not be integrated with an antenna as an antenna integrated radio. Parts of a distributed radio base station may also be referred to as nodes in a distributed antenna system (DAS).

[0202] Other examples of network nodes include multiple transmission point (multi-TRP) 5G access nodes, multi-standard radio (MSR) equipment such as MSR BSs, network controllers such as radio network controllers (RNCs) or base station controllers (BSCs), base transceiver stations (BTSs), transmission points, transmission nodes, multi-cel l / multicast coordination entities (MCEs), Operation and Maintenance (O&M) nodes, Operations Support System (OSS) nodes, Self-Organizing Network (SON) nodes, positioning nodes (e.g., Evolved Serving Mobile Location Centers (E-SMLCs)), and / or Minimization of Drive Tests (MDTs).

[0203] The network node QQ300 includes a processing circuitry QQ302, a memory QQ304, a communication interface QQ306, and a power source QQ308. The network node QQ300 may be composed of multiple physically separate components (e.g., a NodeB component and a RNC component, or a BTS component and a BSC component, etc.), which may each have their own respective components. In certain scenarios in which the network node QQ300 comprises multiple separate components (e.g., BTS and BSC components), one or more of the separate components may be shared among several network nodes. For example, a single RNC may control multiple NodeBs. In such a scenario, each unique NodeB and RNC pair, may in some instances be considered a single separate network node. In some embodiments, the network node QQ300 may be configured to support multiple radio access technologies (RATs). In such embodiments, some components may be duplicated (e.g., separate memory QQ304 for different RATs) and some components may be reused (e.g., a same antenna QQ310 may be shared by different RATs). The network node QQ300 may also include multiple sets of the various illustrated components for different wireless technologies integrated into network node QQ300, for example GSM, WCDMA, LTE, NR, WiFi, Zigbee, Z- wave, LoRaWAN, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) or Bluetooth wireless technologies. These wireless technologies may be integrated into the same or different chip or set of chips and other components within network node QQ300.

[0204] The processing circuitry QQ302 may comprise a combination of one or more of a microprocessor, controller, microcontroller, central processing unit, digital signal processor, application-specific integrated circuit, field programmable gate array, or any other suitable computing device, resource, or combination of hardware, software and / or encoded logic operable to provide, either alone or in conjunction with other network node QQ300 components, such as the memory QQ304, to provide network node QQ300 functionality.

[0205] In some embodiments, the processing circuitry QQ302 includes a system on a chip (SOC). In some embodiments, the processing circuitry QQ302 includes one or more of radio frequency (RF) transceiver circuitry QQ312 and baseband processing circuitry QQ314. In some embodiments, the radio frequency (RF) transceiver circuitry QQ312 and the baseband processing circuitry QQ314 may be on separate chips (or sets of chips), boards, or units, such as radio units and digital units. In alternative embodiments, part or all of RF transceiver circuitry QQ312 and baseband processing circuitry QQ314 may be on the same chip or set of chips, boards, or units.

[0206] The memory QQ304 may comprise any form of volatile or non-volatile computer- readable memory including, without limitation, persistent storage, solid-state memory, remotely mounted memory, magnetic media, optical media, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), mass storage media (for example, a hard disk), removable storage media (for example, a flash drive, a Compact Disk (CD) or a Digital Video Disk (DVD)), and / or any other volatile or non-volatile, non-transitory device-readable and / or computer-executable memory devices that store information, data, and / or instructions that may be used by the processing circuitry QQ302. The memory QQ304 may store any suitable instructions, data, or information, including a computer program, software, an application including one or more of logic, rules, code, tables, and / or other instructions capable of being executed by the processing circuitry QQ302 and utilized by the network node QQ300. The memory QQ304 may be used to store any calculations made by the processing circuitry QQ302 and / or any data received via the communication interface QQ306. In some embodiments, the processing circuitry QQ302 and memory QQ304 is integrated.

[0207] The communication interface QQ306 is used in wired or wireless communication of signaling and / or data between a network node, access network, and / or UE. As illustrated, the communication interface QQ306 comprises port(s) / terminal(s) QQ316 to send and receive data, for example to and from a network over a wired connection. The communication interface QQ306 also includes radio front-end circuitry QQ318 that may be coupled to, or in certain embodiments a part of, the antenna QQ310. Radio front-end circuitry QQ318 comprises filters QQ320 and amplifiers QQ322. The radio front-end circuitry QQ318 may be connected to an antenna QQ310 and processing circuitry QQ302. The radio front-end circuitry may be configured to condition signals communicated between antenna QQ310 and processing circuitry QQ302. The radio front-end circuitry QQ318 may receive digital data that is to be sent out to other network nodes or UEs via a wireless connection. The radio front-end circuitry QQ318 may convert the digital data into a radio signal having the appropriate channel and bandwidth parameters using a combination of filters QQ320 and / or amplifiers QQ322. The radio signal may then be transmitted via the antenna QQ310. Similarly, when receiving data, the antenna QQ310 may collect radio signals which are then converted into digital data by the radio front-end circuitry QQ318. The digital data may be passed to the processing circuitry QQ302. In other embodiments, the communication interface may comprise different components and / or different combinations of components.

[0208] In certain alternative embodiments, the network node QQ300 does not include separate radio front-end circuitry QQ318, instead, the processing circuitry QQ302 includes radio frontend circuitry and is connected to the antenna QQ310. Similarly, in some embodiments, all or some of the RF transceiver circuitry QQ312 is part of the communication interface QQ306. In still other embodiments, the communication interface QQ306 includes one or more ports or terminals QQ316, the radio front-end circuitry QQ318, and the RF transceiver circuitry QQ312, as part of a radio unit (not shown), and the communication interface QQ306 communicates with the baseband processing circuitry QQ314, which is part of a digital unit (not shown).

[0209] The antenna QQ310 may include one or more antennas, or antenna arrays, configured to send and / or receive wireless signals. The antenna QQ310 may be coupled to the radio front-end circuitry QQ318 and may be any type of antenna capable of transmitting and receiving data and / or signals wirelessly. In certain embodiments, the antenna QQ310 is separate from the network node QQ300 and connectable to the network node QQ300 through an interface or port.

[0210] The antenna QQ310, communication interface QQ306, and / or the processing circuitry QQ302 may be configured to perform any receiving operations and / or certain obtaining operations described herein as being performed by the network node. Any information, data and / or signals may be received from a UE, another network node and / or any other network equipment. Similarly, the antenna QQ310, the communication interface QQ306, and / or the processing circuitry QQ302 may be configured to perform any transmitting operations described herein as being performed by the network node. Any information, data and / or signals may be transmitted to a UE, another network node and / or any other network equipment.

[0211] The power source QQ308 provides power to the various components of network node QQ300 in a form suitable for the respective components (e.g., at a voltage and current level needed for each respective component). The power source QQ308 may further comprise, or be coupled to, power management circuitry to supply the components of the network node QQ300 with power for performing the functionality described herein. For example, the network node QQ300 may be connectable to an external power source (e.g., the power grid, an electricity outlet) via an input circuitry or interface such as an electrical cable, whereby the external power source supplies power to power circuitry of the power source QQ308. As a further example, the power source QQ308 may comprise a source of power in the form of a battery or battery pack which is connected to, or integrated in, power circuitry. The battery may provide backup power should the external power source fail.

[0212] Embodiments of the network node QQ300 may include additional components beyond those shown in Figure 13 for providing certain aspects of the network node’s functionality, including any of the functionality described herein and / or any functionality necessary to support the subject matter described herein. For example, the network node QQ300 may include user interface equipment to allow input of information into the network node QQ300 and to allow output of information from the network node QQ300. This may allow a user to perform diagnostic, maintenance, repair, and other administrative functions for the network node QQ300. In some embodiments providing a core network node, such as core network node 108 of FIG. QQ1 , some components, such as the radio front-end circuitry QQ318 and the RF transceiver circuitry QQ312 may be omitted.

[0213] Figure 14 is a block diagram illustrating a virtualization environment QQ400 in which functions implemented by some embodiments may be virtualized. In the present context, virtualizing means creating virtual versions of apparatuses or devices which may include virtualizing hardware platforms, storage devices and networking resources. As used herein, virtualization can be applied to any device described herein, or components thereof, and relates to an implementation in which at least a portion of the functionality is implemented as one or more virtual components. Some or all of the functions described herein may be implemented as virtual components executed by one or more virtual machines (VMs) implemented in one or more virtual environments QQ400 hosted by one or more of hardware nodes, such as a hardware computing device that operates as a network node, UE, core network node, or host. Further, in embodiments in which the virtual node does not require radio connectivity (e.g., a core network node or host), then the node may be entirely virtualized. In some embodiments, the virtualization environment QQ400 includes components defined by the O-RAN Alliance, such as an O-Cloud environment orchestrated by a Service Management and Orchestration Framework via an 0-2 interface. Virtualization may facilitate distributed implementations of a network node, UE, core network node, or host.

[0214] Applications QQ402 (which may alternatively be called software instances, virtual appliances, network functions, virtual nodes, virtual network functions, etc.) are run in the virtualization environment Q400 to implement some of the features, functions, and / or benefits of some of the embodiments disclosed herein.

[0215] Hardware QQ404 includes processing circuitry, memory that stores software and / or instructions executable by hardware processing circuitry, and / or other hardware devices as described herein, such as a network interface, input / output interface, and so forth. Software may be executed by the processing circuitry to instantiate one or more virtualization layers QQ406 (also referred to as hypervisors or virtual machine monitors (VMMs)), provide VMs QQ408a and QQ408b (one or more of which may be generally referred to as VMs QQ408), and / or perform any of the functions, features and / or benefits described in relation with some embodiments described herein. The virtualization layer QQ406 may present a virtual operating platform that appears like networking hardware to the VMs QQ408.

[0216] The VMs QQ408 comprise virtual processing, virtual memory, virtual networking or interface and virtual storage, and may be run by a corresponding virtualization layer QQ406. Different embodiments of the instance of a virtual appliance QQ402 may be implemented on one or more of VMs QQ408, and the implementations may be made in different ways. Virtualization of the hardware is in some contexts referred to as network function virtualization (NFV). NFV may be used to consolidate many network equipment types onto industry standard high volume server hardware, physical switches, and physical storage, which can be located in data centers, and customer premise equipment.

[0217] In the context of NFV, a VM QQ408 may be a software implementation of a physical machine that runs programs as if they were executing on a physical, non-virtualized machine. Each of the VMs QQ408, and that part of hardware QQ404 that executes that VM, be it hardware dedicated to that VM and / or hardware shared by that VM with others of the VMs, forms separate virtual network elements. Still in the context of NFV, a virtual network function is responsible for handling specific network functions that run in one or more VMs QQ408 on top of the hardware QQ404 and corresponds to the application QQ402.

[0218] Hardware QQ404 may be implemented in a standalone network node with generic or specific components. Hardware QQ404 may implement some functions via virtualization. Alternatively, hardware QQ404 may be part of a larger cluster of hardware (e.g. such as in a data center or CPE) where many hardware nodes work together and are managed via management and orchestration QQ410, which, among others, oversees lifecycle management of applications QQ402. In some embodiments, hardware QQ404 is coupled to one or more radio units that each include one or more transmitters and one or more receivers that may be coupled to one or more antennas. Radio units may communicate directly with other hardware nodes via one or more appropriate network interfaces and may be used in combination with the virtual components to provide a virtual node with radio capabilities, such as a radio access node or a base station. In some embodiments, some signaling can be provided with the use of a control system QQ412 which may alternatively be used for communication between hardware nodes and radio units.

[0219] Although the computing devices described herein (e.g., UEs, network nodes) may include the illustrated combination of hardware components, other embodiments may comprise computing devices with different combinations of components. It is to be understood that these computing devices may comprise any suitable combination of hardware and / or software needed to perform the tasks, features, functions and methods disclosed herein. Determining, calculating, obtaining or similar operations described herein may be performed by processing circuitry, which may process information by, for example, converting the obtained information into other information, comparing the obtained information or converted information to information stored in the network node, and / or performing one or more operations based on the obtained information or converted information, and as a result of said processing making a determination. Moreover, while components are depicted as single boxes located within a larger box, or nested within multiple boxes, in practice, computing devices may comprise multiple different physical components that make up a single illustrated component, and functionality may be partitioned between separate components. For example, a communication interface may be configured to include any of the components described herein, and / or the functionality of the components may be partitioned between the processing circuitry and the communication interface. In another example, non-computationally intensive functions of any of such components may be implemented in software or firmware and computationally intensive functions may be implemented in hardware.

[0220] In certain embodiments, some or all of the functionality described herein may be provided by processing circuitry executing instructions stored on in memory, which in certain embodiments may be a computer program product in the form of a non-transitory computer- readable storage medium. In alternative embodiments, some or all of the functionality may be provided by the processing circuitry without executing instructions stored on a separate or discrete device-readable storage medium, such as in a hard-wired manner. In any of those particular embodiments, whether executing instructions stored on a non-transitory computer- readable storage medium or not, the processing circuitry can be configured to perform the described functionality. The benefits provided by such functionality are not limited to the processing circuitry alone or to other components of the computing device, but are enjoyed by the computing device as a whole, and / or by end users and a wireless network generally.

[0221] When using the word "comprise" or “comprising”, it shall be interpreted as non- limiting, i.e. , meaning "consist at least of".

[0222] The embodiments herein are not limited to the above-described preferred embodiments. Various alternatives, modifications and equivalents may be used. Therefore, the above embodiments should not be taken as limiting the scope of the invention.

[0223] Generally, all terms used herein are to be interpreted according to their ordinary meaning in the relevant technical field, unless a different meaning is clearly given and / or is implied from the context in which it is used. All references to a / an / the element, apparatus, component, means, step, etc. are to be interpreted openly as referring to at least one instance of the element, apparatus, component, means, step, etc., unless explicitly stated otherwise. The steps of any methods disclosed herein do not have to be performed in the exact order disclosed, unless a step is explicitly described as following or preceding another step and / or where it is implicit that a step must follow or precede another step. Any feature of any of the embodiments disclosed herein may be applied to any other embodiment, wherever appropriate. Likewise, any advantage of any of the embodiments may apply to any other embodiments, and vice versa. Other objectives, features and advantages of the enclosed embodiments will be apparent from the following description.

[0224] As used herein, the expression “at least one of:” followed by a list of alternatives separated by commas, and wherein the last alternative is preceded by the “and” term, may be understood to mean that only one of the list of alternatives may apply, more than one of the list of alternatives may apply or all of the list of alternatives may apply. This expression may be understood to be equivalent to the expression “at least one of:” followed by a list of alternatives separated by commas, and wherein the last alternative is preceded by the “or” term.

[0225] Any of the terms processor and circuitry may be understood herein as a hardware component. As used herein, the expression “in some embodiments” has been used to indicate that the features of the embodiment described may be combined with any other embodiment or example disclosed herein.

[0226] As used herein, the expression “in some examples” has been used to indicate that the features of the example described may be combined with any other embodiment or example disclosed herein.

[0227] REFERENCES

[0228] 1. RFC8655, https: / / datatracker.ietf.org / doc / html / rfc8655 2. RFC8964, https: / / datatracker.ietf.org / doc / html / rfc8964

[0229] 3. draft-ietf-mpls-mna-fwk: https: / / datatracker.ietf.org / doc / draft-ietf-mpls-mna-fwk /

[0230] 4. draft-ietf-mpls-mna-hdr: https: / / datatracker.ietf.org / doc / draft-ietf-mpls-mna-hdr /

[0231] 5. RFC9550, https: / / datatracker.ietf.org / doc / rfc9550 /

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. A method performed by a first node (111) for handling a packet, the first node (111) operating in a computer system (100), the method comprising: receiving (201) a packet from a second node (112) operating in the computer system (100), the packet comprising a set of Multi Protocol Label Switching, MPLS, Network Action, MNA, formatted Network Action Sub-Stack, NAS, elements specific to deterministic networks, the respective element in the set of NAS elements having a format comprising a Network Action Indicator, NAI, associated with any one out of a flow identifier, a latency class or a sequence number.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the format further comprises an ancillary data field associated with the NAI.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the ancillary data filed comprises any one of: a flow identifier indicating a flow comprising the packet, a latency class indicating a latency class of the packet, and a sequence number indicating a sequence number of the packet.

4. The method according to any of claims 1-3, wherein the method further comprises:- processing (202) the received packet based on the set of NAS elements by executing functions related to a flow of the deterministic networks corresponding to the packet, and sending (203) the processed packet to a third node (113) operating in the computer system (100).

5. The method according to any of claims 1-4, wherein the packet comprises a further set of MNA formatted NAS elements specific to deterministic networks, the elements in the further set of NAS elements having a format comprising a NAI, wherein multiple flows are aggregated into a single aggregate, and wherein the set of NAS elements are associated with flow specific NAS elements and the further set of NAS elements are associated with aggregate specific NAS elements.

6. A method performed by a second node (112) for handling a packet, the second node (112) operating in a computer system (100), the method comprising: sending (802) a packet to a first node (111) operating in the computer system (100), the packet comprising a set of Multi Protocol Label Switching, MPLS, Network Action, MNA formatted Network Action Sub-Stack, NAS, elements specific to deterministicnetwork, the respective element in the set of NAS elements having a format comprising a Network Action Indicator, NAI, associated with any one out of a flow identifier, a latency class or a sequence number.

7. The method according to claim 6 wherein the format further comprises an ancillary data field associated with the NAI.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein the ancillary data filed comprises any one of: a flow identifier indicating a flow comprising the packet, a latency class indicating a latency class of the packet, and a sequence number indicating a sequence number of the packet.

9. The method according to any of claims 6-8, wherein the method further comprises:- processing (801) a received payload to be sent in a packet by executing functions related to a flow of the deterministic networks corresponding to the packet.

10. The method according to any of claims 6-9, wherein the packet comprises a further set of MNA formatted NAS elements specific to deterministic networks, the elements in the further set of NAS elements having a format comprising a NAI, wherein multiple flows are aggregated into a single aggregate, and wherein the set of NAS elements are associated with flow specific NAS elements and the further set of NAS elements are associated with aggregate specific NAS elements.

11. A first node (111) configured to handle a packet, the first node (111) being configured to operate in a computer system (100), the first node (111) is further configured to: receive a packet from a second node (112) configured to operate in the computer system (100), the packet being configured to comprise a set of Multi Protocol Label Switching, MPLS, Network Action, MNA, formatted Network Action Sub-Stack, NAS, elements specific to deterministic networks, the respective element in the set of NAS elements being configured to have a format adapted to comprise a Network Action Indicator, NAI, associated with any one out of a flow identifier, a latency class or a sequence number.

12. The first node (111) according to claim 11, wherein the first node (111) is further configured to perform the method according to any of claims 2-5.

13. A second node (112) configured to handle a packet, the second node (112) being configured to operate in a computer system (100), the second node (112) is further configured to: send a packet to a first node (111) configured to operate in the computer system (100), the packet being configured to comprise a set of Multi Protocol Label Switching, MPLS, Network Action, MNA formatted Network Action Sub-Stack, NAS, elements specific to deterministic network, the respective element in the set of NAS elements being configured to have a format adapted to comprise a Network Action Indicator, NAI, associated with any one out of a flow identifier, a latency class or a sequence number.

14. The second node (112) according to claim 13 wherein the second node (112) is further configured to perform the method according to any of claims 7-10.

15. A computer program comprising instructions, which when executed by a processor, causes the processor to perform actions according to any of claims 1-10, as performed by the first node (111) and the second node (112), respectively.

16. A carrier comprising the computer program of claim 15, wherein the carrier is one of an electronic signal, an optical signal, an electromagnetic signal, a magnetic signal, an electric signal, a radio signal, a microwave signal, or a computer-readable storage medium.

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