Communication method and apparatus

Abstract

A communication method and apparatus, which reduce a service latency in computing power deployment scenarios. The method comprises: a first communication apparatus receiving first information from a terminal, wherein the first information is used for requesting computing nodes for a first service of the terminal, and the first information comprises computing requirement information of the first service and service information of the first service; the first communication apparatus determining a first computing node from among candidate computing nodes on the basis of the computing requirement information and computing capability information of the candidate computing nodes; and the first communication apparatus sending second information to the first computing node, wherein the second information is used for requesting the first computing node to execute a computing task of the first service, and the second information comprises the service information.

Description

A communication method and apparatus

[0001] Cross-reference to related applications

[0002] This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202411018546.X, filed on July 26, 2024, entitled "A Communication Method and Apparatus", the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0003] This application relates to the field of mobile communication technology, and in particular to a communication method and apparatus. Background Technology

[0004] With the development of applications such as extended reality (XR) and autonomous driving, increasing computing power is needed to provide higher-quality services. However, terminal devices (such as glasses, helmets, or vehicles) cannot provide such massive computing power. One possible architecture is a distributed computing power deployment architecture, where computing power is distributed across various nodes in the network. For example, base stations, routers, or gateways can all function as computing nodes. When a computing task needs to be performed, a suitable computing node can be selected from the nearest node in the network to provide services to the terminal. In this scenario, after the terminal learns about a suitable computing node through the network, it still needs to send a task to that computing node via signaling to request the execution of the computing task.

[0005] It is evident that current computing power deployment scenarios suffer from excessively high service latency. Summary of the Invention

[0006] This application provides a communication method and apparatus for reducing service latency in computing power deployment scenarios.

[0007] Firstly, embodiments of this application provide a communication method, which can be executed by a first communication device, or in other words, the method can be applied to a first communication device. Unless otherwise specified, the "first communication device" in this application can refer to the first network device itself, a component within the first network device (e.g., a functional module, communication module, processor, circuit, chip, or chip system), or a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the first network device. The first network device can be used to select computing nodes; for example, the first network device is a computing power management device.

[0008] Taking a first communication device as the executing entity as an example, the method includes: the first communication device receiving first information from a terminal, the first information being used to request a computing node for a first service of the terminal, the first information including computing requirement information and service information of the first service; the first communication device determining a first computing node from the candidate computing nodes based on the computing requirement information and computing capability information of the candidate computing nodes; the first communication device sending second information to the first computing node, the second information being used to request the first computing node to perform the computing task of the first service, the second information including the service information.

[0009] Based on the method described in the first aspect, the first network device can obtain the computing requirements information and service information of the first service from the terminal. After selecting a first computing node based on the computing requirements information, the first network device can send second information to the first computing node, enabling the first computing node to execute the first service according to the service information. In current conventional solutions for computing power deployment, after determining the first computing node, the first network device needs to provide the terminal with the information of the first computing node. The terminal then triggers the establishment of a session corresponding to the first service based on the information of the first computing node. Only after the session is established can the terminal send the service information of the first service to the first computing node through this session. Therefore, compared to solutions where the first computing node can only obtain the service information of the first service after the session is established, this method helps reduce service latency.

[0010] In one possible implementation, the first communication device may receive the first information from the second network device; in another possible implementation, it may also send third information to the second network device, the third information being used to trigger the establishment of a session between the second network device and the first computing node, the session being used to transmit data of the first service, and the third information including information of the first computing node.

[0011] Based on this implementation, the first network device can trigger the second network device to request the establishment of a session corresponding to the first service; that is, the second network device can trigger the session establishment process after receiving the third information. Therefore, in this application, it is not necessary for the terminal to trigger the second network device to request the establishment of the session, which can further reduce service latency.

[0012] In one possible implementation, the third information further includes session parameters of the session, which include at least one of the following: the quality of service parameters corresponding to the session; the identifier of the session; the network slice information corresponding to the session; and the session and service continuity mode information of the session.

[0013] Based on this implementation, the first network device can send session parameters to the second network device to trigger the establishment of a session with those session parameters.

[0014] In one possible implementation, the first communication device can receive the first information from the second network device; the second information further includes fourth information, which is used to trigger the establishment of a session between the second network device and the first computing node, the session being used to transmit data of the first service, and the fourth information includes information of the second network device.

[0015] Based on this implementation, the first network device can trigger the first computing node to request the establishment of a session corresponding to the first service; that is, the first computing node can trigger the session establishment process after receiving the fourth information. Therefore, in this application, it is not necessary for the terminal to trigger the second network device to request the establishment of the session, which can further reduce service latency.

[0016] In one possible implementation, the fourth information also includes session parameters of the session, which include at least one of the following: the quality of service parameters corresponding to the session; the identifier of the session; the network slice information corresponding to the session; and the session and service continuity mode information of the session.

[0017] In one possible implementation, the first information also includes the session parameters.

[0018] Based on this implementation method, session parameters can be provided by the terminal, which can ensure that the session corresponding to the first service meets the requirements of the service demander.

[0019] In one possible implementation, the first communication device may further determine a second computing node based on the computing requirement information and the computing capability information of the alternative computing nodes, and the computing task of the first service shall be jointly executed by the first computing node and the second computing node; the second information may also include information of the second computing node and fifth information, the fifth information being used to indicate that the first computing node is the master node of the computing task.

[0020] Based on this implementation, the first network device can determine multiple computing nodes (such as a first computing node and a second computing node) to jointly execute the computing tasks of the first service. Among them, the first computing node can be used as the primary computing node.

[0021] In one possible implementation, the first communication device may also send the service information to the second computing node, and send the information of the first computing node and the service information to the second computing node.

[0022] Based on this implementation, the first network device can provide the second computing node with first service information, enabling the second computing node to obtain the context information of the terminal's first service based on the service information and execute the computing task of the first service according to the context information. Therefore, this application can support the first computing node to execute computing tasks according to the context information of the terminal's first service, thereby improving service continuity and avoiding situations where the first computing node is unaware of the service's progress, leading to repeated or skipped execution of computing tasks.

[0023] Optionally, the first network device may also send information about the first computing node to the second computing node, so that the second computing node can send calculation results to the first computing node, thereby supporting the first computing node to summarize the calculation results of the first service calculated by multiple computing nodes respectively.

[0024] In one possible implementation, the computing power information includes at least one of the following: computing power type; computing power; storage capacity; supported network slice information; supported session and service continuity mode information; and location information.

[0025] Based on this implementation method, this application supports the flexible selection of the first computing node according to various computing capability information of the computing node.

[0026] In one possible implementation, the computing requirement information includes at least one of the following: a first identifier, which corresponds to at least one of the following: the type of computing power required, the computing power required, the storage required, or the computing latency required; the type of computing power required; the computing power required; the storage required; and the computing latency required.

[0027] Based on this implementation method, this application supports the flexible selection of the first computing node according to one or more computing requirement information. The first identifier can serve as an identifier for one or more computing requirement information, which can reduce the overhead of indicating computing requirement information.

[0028] In one possible implementation, the business information includes at least one of the following: information about the server corresponding to the first business; process information corresponding to the first business; and account information corresponding to the first business.

[0029] Based on this implementation, the context information of the terminal's first service can be flexibly determined according to the service information of the first service. The context information of the terminal's first service can be used to execute the computational tasks of the first service. This context information can be stored in the server corresponding to the first service. Information about the server corresponding to the first service can be used to address the server, and process information and / or account information corresponding to the first service can be used by the server to determine the context information of the terminal's first service. For example, there may be a correspondence between the process information and / or account information corresponding to the first service and the context information.

[0030] Secondly, embodiments of this application provide a communication method, which can be executed by a second communication device, or in other words, the method can be applied to a second communication device. Unless otherwise specified, the "second communication device" in this application can refer to the first computing node itself, or a component within the first computing node (e.g., a functional module, communication module, processor, circuit, chip, or chip system), or a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the first computing node. The first computing node can be a computing node, such as a base station or a centralized unit (CU), distributed unit (DU), or radio unit (RU) within a base station, or other network devices. Taking a second communication device as the executing entity as an example, the method includes: the second communication device receiving second information from a first network device, the second information being used to request the execution of a computing task for a first service of the terminal, the second information including service information of the first service, the service information including at least one of the following: information of the server corresponding to the first service; process information corresponding to the first service; or account information corresponding to the first service; the second communication device executing the computing task of the first service according to the service information to obtain the first data of the first service of the terminal.

[0031] Based on the method shown in the second aspect, the first computing node can determine the context information of the first service of the terminal according to the service information of the first service, and perform computing tasks according to the context information of the first service of the terminal, which can improve service continuity.

[0032] In one possible implementation, the second communication device can send sixth information to the server based on the information of the server corresponding to the first service. The sixth information is used to obtain context information corresponding to the first service. The sixth information includes process information and / or account information corresponding to the first service. The second communication device can also receive first context information corresponding to the first service from the server and perform the calculation task of the first service based on the first context information.

[0033] In one possible implementation, the business information includes at least one of the following: information about the server; information about the process; and information about the account.

[0034] In one possible implementation, the second information further includes fourth information, which is used to trigger the establishment of a session between the second network device and the first computing node. The session is used to transmit data of the first service, and the fourth information includes information about the second network device. The second communication device can also trigger the establishment of the session based on the fourth information.

[0035] In one possible implementation, the fourth information also includes session parameters of the session, which include at least one of the following: the quality of service parameters corresponding to the session; the identifier of the session; the network slice information corresponding to the session; and the session and service continuity mode information of the session.

[0036] In one possible implementation, the second information further includes information about the second computing node and the fifth information, wherein the fifth information is used to indicate that the first computing node is the master node of the computing task, and the computing task of the first service is jointly executed by the first computing node and the second computing node; the second communication device may also receive the first data of the first service from the terminal of the second computing node.

[0037] Based on this implementation, when the first computing node acts as the master node, it can receive the computation results from the second computing node. Therefore, the first computing node can summarize the computation results and provide the summarized results to the terminal. This eliminates the need for each computing node to provide computation results to the terminal separately, avoiding the establishment of multiple sessions and reducing the terminal's implementation complexity by eliminating the need for the terminal to be aware of multiple computing nodes.

[0038] In one possible implementation, the second information also includes information about the second computing node, and the second communication device can also send the first data to the second computing node.

[0039] Based on this implementation, when the second computing node acts as the master node, the first computing node can send the computing results to the second computing node.

[0040] In one possible implementation, the second information further includes information about the second computing node; the second communication device can send second context information to the second computing node, the second context information being obtained based on the first context information; receive second data of the first service from the terminal of the second computing node; and determine the first data based on the second data.

[0041] Based on this implementation, the first computing node can provide context information to the second computing node, instead of both the first and second computing nodes needing to obtain the terminal's first service context information from the server corresponding to the first service, thus reducing signaling overhead and service latency. Alternatively, the first computing node can allocate the terminal's first service context information; that is, the second context information can be a part of the complete context information. The second computing node only needs to perform computation tasks based on the second context information, not the complete context information, thus avoiding duplicate computation tasks between the first and second computing nodes.

[0042] In one possible implementation, the second communication device may also send computing capability information of the first computing node, which includes at least one of the following: computing power type; computing power; storage capacity; supported network slice information; supported session and service continuity mode information; and location information.

[0043] Thirdly, embodiments of this application provide a communication method, which can be executed by a third communication device, or in other words, the method can be applied to a third communication device. Unless otherwise specified, the "third communication device" in this application can refer to the second network device itself, or a component within the second network device (e.g., a functional module, communication module, processor, circuit, chip, or chip system), or a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the second network device. The second network device can be an access network device, such as a base station. Taking the third communication device as the executing entity as an example, the method includes: the third communication device receiving first information from a terminal, the first information being used to request a computing node for a first service of the terminal, the first information including computing requirement information and service information of the first service; the third communication device determining the second network device as the computing node for the first service based on the computing capability information of the second network device and the computing requirement information, and executing the computing task of the first service according to the service information to obtain third data of the first service of the terminal.

[0044] Based on this implementation, if the second network device supports acting as a computing node, it can act as the computing node for the first service if its computing capabilities, determined by the computing requirements of the first service and its own computing capabilities, are sufficient to meet those requirements. In this case, the second network device does not need to send the first information to the first network device, and therefore does not need to execute the method described in the first aspect. Compared to the scheme in the first aspect where the first network device allocates the computing node, the method described in the third aspect can further reduce service latency.

[0045] It is understandable that the first information in the third aspect can be carried in a non-access stratum (NAS) message sent from the second network device to the first network device. Since the terminal cannot know whether the second network device is needed as a computing node, when sending the first information, the computing requirement information and service information of the first service can be encapsulated within a container of the NAS message to allow the first network device to read the computing requirement information and service information within the container. Furthermore, the computing requirement information and service information of the first service can also be repeatedly encapsulated outside the container to facilitate the second network device reading the computing requirement information and service information outside the container.

[0046] In one possible implementation, the third communication device sends seventh information to the server based on the information of the server corresponding to the first service. The seventh information is used to obtain context information corresponding to the first service, including process information and / or account information corresponding to the first service. The third communication device receives the third context information corresponding to the first service from the server and performs the calculation task of the first service based on the third context information.

[0047] Based on this implementation, the second network device can obtain the context of the terminal's first service from the server corresponding to the first service, thereby improving service continuity.

[0048] In one possible implementation, the business information includes at least one of the following: information about the server; information about the process; and information about the account.

[0049] In one possible implementation, the third communication device may also determine eighth information based on the computing demand information and the computing capability information of the second network device, the eighth information being used to update the computing capability information of the second network device stored in the first network device; the third communication device may also send the eighth information to the first network device.

[0050] Based on this implementation, after the second network device is determined to be a computing node, it can send an update instruction on computing capabilities to the first network device to update the computing capability information of the second network device.

[0051] In one possible implementation, the third communication device may further determine that the first information is related to the calculation request of the first service.

[0052] Based on this implementation, the second network device can read the computational requirement information and / or service information of the first service from the first information, provided that the first information (or the message carrying the first information) is related to the computational request of the first service. For example, the first information may encapsulate information related to the computing power request or computing task outside of non-access layer messages. This information is used to indicate whether the first information or the message containing the first information is related to the computational request of the first service. This information may be, for example, an information unit, a field, or a bit. Alternatively, the second network device can also determine whether the first information is related to the computational request of the first service based on its name or content.

[0053] In one possible implementation, the computing power information of the second network device includes at least one of the following: computing power type; computing power; storage capacity; supported network slice information; supported session and service continuity mode information; and location information.

[0054] Fourthly, embodiments of this application provide a communication method, which can be executed by a fourth communication device, or in other words, the method can be applied to a fourth communication device. Unless otherwise specified, the "fourth communication device" in this application can refer to the terminal itself, or a component within the terminal (e.g., a functional module, communication module, processor, circuit, chip, or chip system), or a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the terminal's functions. Taking the fourth communication device as the executing entity as an example, the method includes: the fourth communication device sending first information, the first information including computational requirement information and service information of the first service, the first information being used to request a computing node for the first service; the fourth communication device can also receive data of the first service. The data of the first service, for example, includes first data of the first service.

[0055] In one possible implementation, referring to the description in the third aspect, the terminal may encapsulate the computational requirement information and service information of the first service in a non-access stratum container within a message sent to the second network device. Alternatively, the terminal may encapsulate duplicate computational requirement information and service information of the first service outside the message container, or encapsulate information related to computing power requests or computing tasks, so that the third communication device can determine whether the first information is related to the computational request of the first service based on the computational requirement information and service information of the first service encapsulated outside the container or the information related to computing power requests and / or computing tasks.

[0056] In one possible implementation, the computing requirement information includes at least one of the following: a first identifier, which corresponds to at least one of the following: the type of computing power required, the computing power required, the storage required, or the computing latency required; the type of computing power required; the computing power required; the storage required; and the computing latency required.

[0057] In one possible implementation, the business information includes at least one of the following: information about the server corresponding to the first business; process information corresponding to the first business; and account information corresponding to the first business.

[0058] Fifthly, embodiments of this application provide a communication method, which can be executed by a third communication device, or in other words, the method can be applied to a third communication device. Unless otherwise specified, the "third communication device" in this application can refer to the second network device itself, or a component within the second network device (e.g., a functional module, communication module, processor, circuit, chip, or chip system), or a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the second network device. The second network device can be an access network device, such as a base station. Taking the third communication device as the executing entity as an example, the method includes: the third communication device receiving first information from a terminal, the first information being used to request a computing node for a first service of the terminal, the first information including computing requirement information and service information of the first service; and the third communication device sending the first information to a first network device.

[0059] Optionally, the third communication device may send the first information to the first network device after determining that the first information (or the message carrying the first information) is related to the computation request of the first service. Referring to the description in the third aspect, the third communication device may determine whether the first information is related to the computation request of the first service based on information related to the computing power request or computing task encapsulated outside the non-access stratum message of the first information, or the third communication device may determine whether the first information is related to the computation request of the first service based on the name or content of the first information. Specifically, the terminal may encapsulate the first information in the non-access stratum of the message sent to the second network device, and encapsulate duplicate first information outside the non-access stratum of the message, or encapsulate information related to the computing power request or computing task, so that the third communication device can determine whether the first information is related to the computation request of the first service.

[0060] In one possible implementation, the third communication device may further determine that the first information is unrelated to the computation request of the first service; and / or, determine that the second network device is not a computation node for the first service based on the computation capability information of the second network device and the computation requirement information.

[0061] Based on this implementation, the second network device can send first information to the first network device if it is determined that the second network device will not serve as a computing node for the first service. For example, if the computing power required by the computing demand information exceeds the current computing power of the second network device, and / or the storage capacity required by the computing demand information exceeds the current storage capacity of the second network device, or the computing power type of the computing demand information does not match the computing power type of the second network device, the second network device will determine that it will not serve as a computing node for the first service, and in this case, the second network device can send first information to the first network device.

[0062] In one possible implementation, the computing requirement information includes at least one of the following: a first identifier, which corresponds to at least one of the following: the type of computing power required, the computing power required, the storage required, or the computing latency required; the type of computing power required; the computing power required; the storage required; and the computing latency required.

[0063] In one possible implementation, the business information includes at least one of the following: information about the server corresponding to the first business; process information corresponding to the first business; and account information corresponding to the first business.

[0064] Sixthly, a communication device is provided. The device can implement the methods described in any possible implementation of any of the first to fifth aspects. The device possesses the functions of the first or second communication device described above. The device is, for example, a first network device, a first computing node, a second network device, or a terminal, or a component of a first network device, a first computing node, a second network device, or a terminal. Components in this application can be part of a device; for example, a component may include a functional module, a communication module, a processor, a circuit, a chip, or a chip system, etc.

[0065] In one alternative implementation, the device may include modules that correspond one-to-one with the methods / operations / steps / actions described in any possible implementation of any of the first to fifth aspects. These modules may be hardware circuits, software, or a combination of hardware circuits and software.

[0066] In one optional implementation, the component includes functional modules such as a processing unit (sometimes also called a processing module) and a communication unit (sometimes also called a transceiver module, communication module, etc.). The transceiver unit is capable of both sending and receiving functions. When the transceiver unit performs the sending function, it can be called a sending unit (sometimes also called a sending module); when the transceiver unit performs the receiving function, it can be called a receiving unit (sometimes also called a receiving module). The sending unit and the receiving unit can be the same functional module, which is called the transceiver unit and can perform both sending and receiving functions; alternatively, the sending unit and the receiving unit can be different functional modules, and the transceiver unit is a collective term for these functional modules.

[0067] For example, when the apparatus is used to perform the method described in any one of the first to fifth aspects, the apparatus may include a communication unit and a processing unit.

[0068] In a seventh aspect, embodiments of this application also provide a communication device, including a processor for executing a computer program (or computer-executable instructions) stored in a memory, which, when executed, causes the device to perform the method as described in any possible implementation of any of the first to fifth aspects.

[0069] In one possible implementation, the processor and memory are integrated together;

[0070] In another possible implementation, the memory is located outside the communication device.

[0071] The communication device also includes a communication interface for communicating with other devices, such as sending or receiving data and / or signals. Exemplarily, the communication interface may be a transceiver, circuit, bus, module, or other type of communication interface.

[0072] Eighthly, a computer-readable storage medium is provided for storing a computer program or instructions that, when executed, enable the implementation of the method described in any possible implementation of any of the first to fifth aspects, and the method shown in any possible implementation of the method described therein.

[0073] A ninth aspect provides a computer program product containing instructions that, when run on a computer, enables the method described in any possible implementation of any of the first to fifth aspects to be implemented.

[0074] In a tenth aspect, embodiments of this application also provide a communication device for performing the method described in any possible implementation of any of the first to fifth aspects. This communication device may be, for example, a first network device, a first computing node, a second network device, or a terminal.

[0075] Eleventhly, a chip system is provided, comprising logic circuitry (or, as understood, a processor, which may include logic circuitry, etc.), and further comprising input / output interfaces. The input / output interfaces can be used to input messages or to output messages. The input / output interfaces can be the same interface, i.e., the same interface can implement both sending and receiving functions; or, the input / output interface includes an input interface and an output interface, the input interface being used to implement the receiving function, i.e., to receive messages; and the output interface being used to implement the sending function, i.e., to send messages. The logic circuitry can be used to perform operations other than the sending and receiving functions in any possible implementation of any of the first to fifth aspects described above; the logic circuitry can also be used to transmit messages to the input / output interfaces or to receive messages from other communication devices from the input / output interfaces. The chip system can be used to implement the methods described in any possible implementation of any of the first to fifth aspects described above. The chip system can be composed of chips or can include chips and other discrete devices.

[0076] Optionally, the chip system may also include a memory, which can be used to store instructions, and the logic circuits can call the instructions stored in the memory to implement the corresponding functions.

[0077] In a twelfth aspect, a communication method is provided. As one implementation, the communication method may include the method implemented by a first communication device as shown in the first aspect and any possible implementations thereof, and the method implemented by a second communication device as shown in the second aspect and any possible implementations thereof. The communication method may also include the method implemented by a fourth communication device as shown in the fourth aspect and any possible implementations thereof, and / or the method implemented by a third communication device as shown in the fifth aspect and any possible implementations thereof.

[0078] As another implementation, the communication method may include the method implemented by a third communication device as shown in the third aspect and any possible implementation thereof, and the method implemented by a fourth communication device as shown in the fourth aspect and any possible implementation thereof.

[0079] In a thirteenth aspect, a communication system is provided. As one implementation, the communication system may include a first communication device and a second communication device. The first communication device may be used to implement the methods shown in the first aspect and any possible implementation thereof, and the second communication device may be used to implement the methods shown in the second aspect and any possible implementation thereof. For example, the first communication device is a terminal or a chip in a terminal, and the second communication device is a network device or a chip in a terminal. The communication system may further include a third communication device and / or a fourth communication device, wherein the third communication device may be used to perform the methods shown in the fifth aspect and any possible implementation thereof, and the fourth communication device may be used to implement the methods shown in the fourth aspect and any possible implementation thereof.

[0080] As another implementation, the communication system may include a third communication device and a fourth communication device, wherein the third communication device may be used to perform the method shown in the third aspect and any possible implementation thereof, and the fourth communication device may be used to implement the method shown in the fourth aspect and any possible implementation thereof.

[0081] The technical effects brought about by the second to thirteenth aspects above can be found in the description of the beneficial effects of the corresponding solutions in the first aspect above, and will not be repeated here. Attached Figure Description

[0082] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a wireless communication system provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0083] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of an open access network system provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0084] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the same architecture of a 5G network provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0085] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of a computing power distribution method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0086] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of the computing task flow in a computing power distribution deployment scenario;

[0087] Figure 6 is a flowchart illustrating a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0088] Figure 7 is a flowchart illustrating another communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0089] Figure 8 is a flowchart illustrating another communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0090] Figure 9 is a flowchart illustrating another communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0091] Figure 10 is a flowchart illustrating another communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0092] Figure 11 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0093] Figure 12 is a schematic diagram of another communication device provided in an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0094] The specific implementation of this application will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of this application.

[0095] The embodiments of this application can be applied to various communication systems. For example, communication systems may include cellular systems such as Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), General Packet Radio Service (GPRS), Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE Frequency Division Duplex (FDD), LTE Time Division Duplex (TDD), Universal Mobile Telecommunication System (UMTS), 5th Generation (5G), or New Radio (NR), or may be applied to future communication systems or other similar communication systems. Alternatively, communication systems may include non-cellular systems such as Ultra Wide Band (UWB), Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WIMAX), or WiFi.

[0096] Figure 1 illustrates a possible, non-limiting system diagram. As shown in Figure 1, the communication system includes a radio access network (RAN) 100 and a core network (CN) 200. Optionally, the communication system may also include an Internet 300. The RAN 100 may include at least one RAN device (as shown in Figure 1, 110a and 110b) and at least one terminal (as shown in Figure 1, 120a-120j). The terminal connects wirelessly to the RAN device, and the RAN device connects wirelessly or via a wired connection to the core network. The core network device and the RAN device can be independent physical devices, or the functions of the core network device and the logical functions of the RAN device can be integrated into the same physical device, or a single physical device can integrate some of the functions of the core network device and some of the functions of the RAN device. Terminals and RAN devices can be interconnected via wired or wireless connections. Figure 1 is just a schematic diagram. The communication system may also include other network devices, such as wireless relay devices and wireless backhaul devices, which are not shown in Figure 1.

[0097] In this application, unless otherwise specified, access network equipment may be used to represent wireless access network equipment such as base stations.

[0098] Access network equipment can be a device in the RAN that provides priority and / or wireless communication functions for terminal equipment, referred to as RAN equipment or (R)AN equipment. RAN can be an access network in the 3rd generation partnership project (3GPP), such as 4th generation (4G), 5G, or future communication networks. RAN can also be an open access network (O-RAN or ORAN), a cloud radio access network (CRAN), or a communication network combining two or more of the above. RAN equipment can be a base station in a Long Term Evolution (LTE) or LTE Advanced (LTE-A) communication system, an evolved NodeB (eNodeB), a transmission reception point (TRP), a next-generation nodeB (gNB) in a 5th generation (5G) mobile communication system, a base station in a future mobile communication system, a wireless fidelity (WiFi) system, a long-range radio (LoRa) system, or an access node in a vehicle-to-everything (V2X) system. RAN equipment can also be a module or unit that performs some of the functions of a base station; for example, it can be a CU, a DU, a CU-user plane (UP), or a RU, etc. For example, the CU is configured to implement the functions of the Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer and above (such as the Radio Resource Control (RRC) layer and / or the Service Data Adaptation Protocol (SDAP) layer); the DU is configured to implement the functions of the protocol layers below the PDCP layer (such as the Radio Link Control (RLC) layer, the Media Access Control (MAC) layer, and / or the Physical (PHY) layer). For detailed descriptions of the aforementioned protocol layers, please refer to the relevant technical specifications of the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP).The CU and DU can be set up separately or included in the same network element, such as in the baseband unit (BBU). The RU can be included in radio frequency equipment or radio frequency units, such as in a remote radio unit (RRU), an active antenna unit (AAU), or a remote radio head (RRH). Any of the CU, CU-CP, CU-UP, DU, and RU in this application can be implemented through software modules, hardware modules, or a combination of software and hardware modules. The wireless access network equipment can also be a macro base station (as shown in Figure 1, 110a), a micro base station, or an indoor station (as shown in Figure 1, 110b), or a relay node or donor node, etc. The embodiments of this application do not limit the specific technology or specific equipment form used in the wireless access network equipment. For ease of description in this application, the base station can be used as an example of a wireless access network equipment.

[0099] In some examples, the CU can be split into CU-CP and CU-UP. CU-CP is a logical node carrying the RRC layer and the PDCP control plane (PDCP-C) layer, used to implement the CU's control plane functions. CU-CP can interact with network elements in the core network used to implement control plane functions. These network elements can be access and mobility function (AMF) network elements, such as the AMF network elements in a 5G system. CU-UP is a logical node carrying the SDAP layer and the PDCP-U (user plane part of PDCP) layer, used to implement the CU's user plane functions. CU-UP can interact with network elements in the core network used to implement user plane functions. These network elements in the core network, such as the user plane function (UPF) in a 5G system, are responsible for forwarding and receiving data in terminal devices. The above CU and DU configurations are merely examples; the functions of CU and DU can be configured as needed. For example, a CU or DU can be configured to have more protocol layer functions, or it can be configured to have only some protocol layer processing functions. For instance, some RLC layer functions and protocol layer functions above the RLC layer can be placed in the CU, while the remaining RLC layer functions and protocol layer functions below the RLC layer can be placed in the DU. As another example, the functions of the CU or DU can be divided according to service type or other system requirements. For instance, based on latency, functions that need to meet low latency requirements can be placed in the DU, while functions that do not need to meet this latency requirement can be placed in the CU.

[0100] In some examples, a DU can host logical nodes for the RLC layer, MAC layer, higher physical layer (higher PHY) layer, or other functionalities. In some examples, a DU can control at least one RU. The DU connects to the RU through interfaces, which can be fronthaul interfaces.

[0101] In some examples, the CU may not have a PDCP layer, for example, it may only include the RRC layer. The CU-CP may not have PDCP-C. The CU-UP may not have PDCP-U, or may not have CU-UP at all. In some examples, the DU may not have an RLC layer, for example, it may only have MAC and higher physical layers. Furthermore, in some examples, the O-RAN device may also not have a CU and only include the DU, i.e., without an RRC layer.

[0102] In some examples, the higher physical layer includes portions of the PHY layer processing, such as forward error correction (FEC) encoding and decoding, scrambling, modulation, and demodulation. In some examples, the RU is a logical node carrying both lower physical layer (lower PHY) and radio frequency (RF) processing. In some examples, the RU can be a 3GPP TRP or RRH or other similar entity. In some examples, the lower physical layer includes portions of the PHY processing, such as fast Fourier transform (FFT), inverse fast Fourier transform (IFFT), digital beamforming, and filtering. The RU communicates with one or more terminals via a wireless link.

[0103] As an example, as shown in Figure 2, the access network device can communicate with the core network device via a backhaul link. The access network device can also communicate with user equipment (UE) via an air interface. This access network device can include a BBU and an RU, where the BBU can include a CU and a DU. The specific communication process can include: the BBU in the access network device communicating with the core network via the backhaul link, and / or, the RU in the access network device communicating with at least one UE via an air interface. The BBU (such as a DU) can communicate with at least one RU via a fronthaul link. The BBU and RU can be co-located or not. The BBU includes at least one CU and at least one DU, which can communicate via at least one midhaul link.

[0104] It is understood that CU (or CU-CP and CU-UP), DU, or RU may have different names in different systems, but those skilled in the art will understand their meaning. For example, in an ORAN system, CU can also be called an open CU (O-CU), CU-CP can also be called an open CU-CP (O-CU-CP), CU-UP can also be called an open CU-UP (O-CU-UP), DU can also be called an open DU (O-DU), and RU can also be called an open RU (O-RU). For ease of description, this application uses CU, CU-CP, CU-UP, DU, and RU as examples. Any of the units among CU (or CU-CP, CU-UP), DU, and RU in this application can be implemented through software modules, hardware modules, or a combination of software modules and hardware modules.

[0105] In some examples, the CU (Control Unit) of an access network device is a logical node carrying the RRC (Redirect Relational Control) layer, Service Data Adaptation Protocol (SDAP) layer, Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer, and other control functions of the access network device. The CU connects to network nodes such as the core network through interfaces, which can be interfaces such as E2 interfaces. Optionally, the CU may have some core network functions. The CU (e.g., the PDCP layer and higher layers) connects to the DU (e.g., the Radio Link Control (RLC) layer and lower layers) through interfaces, which can be interfaces such as the F1 interface. In some examples, these interfaces (e.g., the F1 interface) can provide control plane (C-Plane) and user plane (U-Plane) functions (e.g., interface management, system information management, UE context management, RRC message transmission, etc.). F1AP is the application protocol of the F1 interface, defining the F1 signaling procedures in some examples. The F1 interface supports control plane F1-C and user plane F1-U.

[0106] In some examples, the DU and RU may or may not be co-located. The DU and RU exchange control plane and user plane information via a lower-layer split-control, user, and synchronization (LLS-CUS) interface through a fronthaul link. LLS-CUS may include LLS-C and LLS-U interfaces providing C-Plane and LLS-C and LLS-U interfaces providing U-Plane, respectively. In some examples, C-Plane refers to real-time control between the DU and RU. The DU and RU exchange management information, such as management plane (M-Plane) management information, through an LLS-M interface on the fronthaul link. M-Plane refers to non-real-time management operations between the DU and RU. The DU and RU can cooperate to implement PHY layer functions. A DU can be connected to one or more RUs. The functions of the DU and RU can be configured in various ways depending on the design. For example, the DU may be configured to implement baseband functions, and the RU may be configured to implement mid-RF functions. For example, DU is configured to implement higher-level functions in the PHY layer, and RU is configured to implement lower-level functions in the PHY layer, or to implement both lower-level functions and RF functions. Higher-level functions in the physical layer may include a portion of the physical layer's functions that are closer to the MAC layer, while lower-level functions in the physical layer may include another portion of the physical layer's functions that are closer to the mid-RF side.

[0107] It is understood that the embodiments of this application do not limit the specific technology or device form used in the access network equipment. The access network equipment can be one or more of BBU, CU, DU, or RU. In addition, the CU can be classified as a network device in the access network or as a network device in the core network, and this application does not limit this.

[0108] In this application, core network equipment can be deployed in the core network 200. As shown in Figure 3, the core network equipment in a 5G communication system may include access and mobility management function (AMF) network elements, session management function (SMF) network elements, and user plane function (UPF) elements.

[0109] The AMF network element is mainly used for mobility management and access management functions. As shown in Figure 3, in a 5G communication system, this AMF network element can be used for mobility management, access authentication, or authorization functions.

[0110] SMF network elements can be used to manage terminal devices' sessions (including session establishment, modification, and release), select and reselect user plane function network elements, allocate Internet Protocol (IP) addresses for terminal devices, and control quality of service (QoS).

[0111] UPF network elements can be used to forward and receive user data in terminal devices. A session (or connection, link, etc.) for transmitting user data can be established between the UPF network element and the access network device. The UPF network element can receive user data from the data network and transmit the user data to the terminal device through the session between the UPF network element and the access network device. The UPF network element can also receive user data sent by the terminal device through this session and forward the data to the data network. The transmission resources and scheduling functions in the UPF network element that provide services to the terminal device can be managed and controlled by the session management function network element.

[0112] The steps in different embodiments of the present invention can be used in combination, and no limitation is made here.

[0113] It is understood that, unless otherwise specified, the functional descriptions of the various network devices in Figure 3 can refer to the relevant standards or protocols of the 5G communication system.

[0114] In this application, network devices can represent access network devices and core network devices.

[0115] It is understood that a network device can be referred to as a communication device. For example, a network device can be understood as a device that has network device functions. For example, the device used to implement the functions of a network device can be the network device itself; or some components within the network device, such as CU, DU, or RU. The device used to implement the functions of a network device can also be a device capable of supporting the network device in implementing those functions, such as a chip system, hardware circuitry, software modules, or a combination of hardware circuitry and software modules. This device can be installed in the network device or can be used in conjunction with the network device. In the embodiments of this application, the chip system can be composed of chips or can include chips and other discrete devices.

[0116] A terminal can also be called a terminal device, user interface (UE), station (STA), mobile station (MS), or mobile terminal (MT). Terminals can be widely used in various scenarios, such as device-to-device (D2D), vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, machine-type communication (MTC), the Internet of Things (IoT), virtual reality, augmented reality, industrial control, autonomous driving, telemedicine, smart grids, smart furniture, smart offices, smart wearables, smart transportation, and smart cities. Terminals can be mobile phones, tablets, computers with wireless transceiver capabilities, wearable devices, vehicles, drones, helicopters, airplanes, ships, robots, robotic arms, smart home devices, etc.

[0117] The embodiments of this application do not limit the specific technology or device form used in the terminal. It is understood that a terminal can be referred to as a communication device. For example, a terminal can be understood as a device with terminal functions. For example, the device used to implement the terminal functions can be a terminal itself; it can also be a device capable of supporting the terminal in implementing those functions, such as a chip system, hardware circuit, software module, or hardware circuit plus software module. This device can be installed in the terminal or can be used in conjunction with the terminal.

[0118] Network devices and terminals can be fixed in location or mobile. They can be deployed on land, including indoors or outdoors, handheld or vehicle-mounted; they can also be deployed on water; and they can be deployed on aircraft, balloons, and satellites. The embodiments of this application do not limit the application scenarios of the network devices and terminals.

[0119] The roles of network devices and terminals can be relative. For example, the helicopter or drone 120i in Figure 1 can be configured as a mobile base station or access point (AP). For terminals 120j that access the wireless access network 100 via 120i, drone 120i is a network device; however, for network device 110a, 120i is a terminal, meaning that 110a and 120i communicate via a wireless air interface protocol. Of course, 110a and 120i can also communicate via a network device-to-network device interface protocol. In this case, relative to 110a, 120i is also a network device. Therefore, both network devices and terminals can be collectively referred to as communication devices. 110a and 110b in Figure 1 can be called communication devices with network device functions, and 120a-120j in Figure 1 can be called communication devices with terminal functions.

[0120] In this application, network devices and terminals can communicate with each other, and terminals can communicate with each other using licensed spectrum, unlicensed spectrum (or unlicensed spectrum), or both simultaneously. Communication can be conducted using spectrum below 6 GHz, spectrum above 6 GHz, or both simultaneously. The embodiments of this application do not limit the spectrum resources used for wireless communication.

[0121] In this application, "send" and "receive" indicate the direction of signal transmission. For example, "send information to XX" can be understood as the destination of the information being XX. "Send information" can include direct transmission or indirect transmission through other communication devices, communication apparatuses, units, or modules. "Receive information from YY" can be understood as the source of the information being YY. "Receive information" can include direct reception from YY or indirect reception from YY through other communication devices, communication apparatuses, units, or modules. Furthermore, "send" can also be understood as the "output" of a chip interface, and "receive" can be understood as the "input" of a chip interface. In other words, "send" or "receive" can occur between devices, such as a base station and a terminal transmitting or receiving data via an air interface. "Send" or "receive" can also occur within a device, such as transmitting or receiving data between components, modules, chips, software modules, or hardware modules within a device via a bus, wiring, or interface.

[0122] In this application, "for indicating" can include both direct and indirect indication. When describing "information" for indicating A, it can include whether the information directly indicates A or indirectly indicates A, but does not necessarily mean that the information carries A.

[0123] The information indicated by a given piece of information is called the information to be indicated. In the specific implementation process, there are many ways to indicate the information to be indicated, such as, but not limited to, directly indicating the information to be indicated, such as the information to be indicated itself or its index. It can also be indirectly indicated by indicating other information, where there is a relationship between the other information and the information to be indicated. It can also indicate only a part of the information to be indicated, while the other parts are known or pre-agreed upon. For example, the indication of specific information can be achieved by using a pre-agreed (e.g., protocol-defined) arrangement of various pieces of information, thereby reducing the indication overhead to some extent. At the same time, common parts of various pieces of information can be identified and indicated uniformly to reduce the indication overhead caused by individually indicating the same information.

[0124] Furthermore, the specific indication method can also be any existing indication method, such as, but not limited to, the above-mentioned indication methods and their various combinations. Specific details of various indication methods can be found in existing technologies, and will not be repeated here. As described above, for example, when multiple pieces of information of the same type need to be indicated, the indication methods for different pieces of information may differ. In the specific implementation process, the required indication method can be selected according to specific needs. This application embodiment does not limit the selected indication method; therefore, the indication methods involved in this application embodiment should be understood to cover various methods that enable the party to be indicated to obtain the information to be indicated.

[0125] The information to be indicated can be sent as a whole or divided into multiple sub-information messages, and the sending period and / or timing of these sub-information messages can be the same or different. This application does not limit the specific sending method. The sending period and / or timing of these sub-information messages can be predefined, for example, according to a protocol, or configured by the transmitting device by sending configuration information to the receiving device. Taking the configuration of the UE by the access network device as an example, the configuration information can include, for example but not limited to, one or a combination of at least two of RRC signaling (or RRC messages), MAC layer signaling, and PHY layer signaling. MAC layer signaling includes, for example, a MAC control element (CE). PHY layer signaling includes, for example, at least one of downlink control information (DCI).

[0126] In the embodiments shown below, the first, second, and various numerical designations are merely distinctions for descriptive convenience and are not intended to limit the scope of the embodiments of this application. For example, they distinguish different indication information.

[0127] "Preset," "predefined," or "preconfigured" can be achieved by pre-storing corresponding codes, tables, or other means of indicating relevant information in the device (e.g., including terminals and network devices), or by pre-defining them in a protocol. This application does not limit the specific implementation method. "Stored" can refer to storing in one or more memories. These memories can be separate installations or integrated into the encoder, decoder, processor, or communication device. Alternatively, some memories can be separate installations, while others are integrated into the decoder, processor, or communication device. The type of memory can be any form of storage medium, and this application does not limit this.

[0128] With the development of applications such as XR and autonomous driving, increasing computing power is needed to provide higher-quality services. However, terminal devices (such as glasses, helmets, or vehicles) cannot provide such computing power. Computing power refers to the computing capability of a device. Currently, there are several different methods for measuring computing power. Common ones include millions of instructions per second (MIPS), dhrystone million instructions executed per second (DMIPS), operations per second (OPS), floating-point operations per second (FLOPS), and hash operations per second (Hash / s).

[0129] As shown in Figure 4, the star-shaped pattern represents the nodes where computing power resides. One possible architecture is a centralized computing power deployment architecture, where computing nodes are centrally deployed on servers. Due to the long distance, the transmission latency between the terminal and the server is relatively large. For example, if a terminal uploads a raw image to the server, it will take a long time for the terminal to receive the rendered image returned by the server, resulting in high latency and a poor user experience. Another possible architecture is a distributed (or decentralized) computing power deployment architecture, where computing nodes are distributed across one or more nodes in the network, rather than centrally deploying computing power on the service server. For example, one or more nodes in base stations, routers, gateways, or other network devices can support serving as computing nodes. When a computing task needs to be performed, a suitable computing node can be selected from the nearest node in the network to provide services to the terminal. Compared to the centralized computing power deployment architecture, the distributed computing power deployment architecture shortens the distance between the terminal and the computing nodes, thereby reducing transmission latency.

[0130] However, in a distributed computing power deployment architecture, the terminal cannot know which nodes in the network have computing power deployed, nor does it know whether the type of computing power of the computing nodes is the type of computing power required by the terminal's service, nor can it know whether the computing power of the computing nodes can meet the computing power requirements of the terminal's service. Therefore, the terminal needs to send a computing power request through a computing power management device in the network to request a suitable computing node. This computing power management device can be a network element or other device deployed in the network, used to store and / or maintain the computing power information of each computing node in the network, and support the selection of a suitable computing node for the terminal based on the computing power request. The computing power management device can also send the identifier or address information of the selected computing node to the terminal for the terminal to establish a connection with the computing node. The terminal can provide the service data of the service to be computed to the computing node through the established connection. After the computing node performs the computing task based on the service data, the terminal can also receive the computed data provided by the computing node through the connection. Optionally, the computing node can register with the computing power management device. For example, the computing node can carry the computing capability information of the computing node in the registration message sent to the computing power management device.

[0131] As can be seen, in the distributed computing power deployment architecture, the terminal needs to perform two steps of interaction to realize the computation of business data, and the business latency is still relatively high. As shown in Figure 5, the two steps of interaction include: First, the interaction between the terminal and the computing power management device, which is used for the terminal to obtain information about the computing nodes from the computing power management device; Second, the interaction between the terminal and the computing nodes. After establishing a business session, the terminal provides the data and / or information required for the computing task to the computing nodes through the session. After receiving the corresponding data and / or information through the session, the computing nodes perform the computation of business data and obtain the computed data.

[0132] To reduce service latency, this application provides a communication method. In this method, a terminal can send first information to a first network device to request a computing node for a first service. The first information includes computing requirement information and service information for the first service. After the first network device determines a suitable computing node (referred to as the first computing node) based on the computing requirement information of the first service, it can send service information to the computing node so that the computing node can perform computing tasks according to the service information. In this scheme, the terminal does not need to establish a session corresponding to the first service after obtaining the computing node's information, nor does it need to send service information to the first computing node after the session is established. Instead, the first network device provides the terminal's service information to the computing node. That is, the first computing node obtains the service information of the first service independently of the establishment of the session corresponding to the first service. The first computing node can obtain the service information before the session corresponding to the first service is established. Therefore, compared to a scheme where the service information of the first service is received through the session after it is established, service latency can be reduced.

[0133] It is understood that the aforementioned first network device can be a computing power management device (or a computing power control network element, etc.), or a device used to perform computing power management functions, or the first network device can have other names. In this application, the computing power management device can be a network device used to manage computing nodes in a distributed computing power deployment scenario. Specifically, the computing power management device can be an access network device or a core network device, or a part of a module, function, or chip within an access network device or a core network device. It is understood that if the computing power management device and the access network device are different devices, the computing power management device and the access network device can be deployed in different physical entities or in the same physical entity. Furthermore, if the computing power management device and the access network device are different devices, the computing power management device and the core network device can be deployed in different physical entities or in the same physical entity.

[0134] The computing power management device can be a dedicated device for computing power management, or it can be reused by other network devices (such as AMF) for computing power management; this application does not specifically limit this. "Computing power management" here can include the computing power management device storing and updating the computing power information of computing nodes based on the computing tasks performed by the computing nodes. The access network device and the computing nodes can be deployed in different physical entities or in the same physical entity. The computing power information can be used to indicate at least one of the following: the computing power type supported by the computing node, computing power, storage capacity, supported network slices, supported session and service continuity (SSC) modes, or the location of the computing node. "Computing power management" can also include selecting a suitable computing node to serve the terminal based on the computing power information of the computing node. The content of the computing power information and the method of selecting computing nodes will be described in conjunction with the flowchart in Figure 6, and will not be elaborated here.

[0135] The aforementioned first computing node can be a computing node in a distributed computing power deployment scenario. Referring to the illustration in Figure 4, one or more nodes from base stations, router devices, gateway devices, or other network devices in a distributed computing power deployment scenario can serve as computing nodes, rather than centrally deploying computing power on business servers.

[0136] The technical solution in this application will now be described in conjunction with the process shown in S101-S105 of Figure 6.

[0137] Figure 6 illustrates an example where the executing entities are a terminal, a first network device, a second network device, and a first computing node. The actions performed by the terminal can be replaced by modules or chips within the terminal; similarly, actions performed by the first network device can be performed by modules or chips within the first network device; actions performed by the second network device can be performed by modules or chips within the second network device; and actions performed by the first computing node can be performed by modules or chips within the first computing node. The first network device can be a computing power management device.

[0138] S101: The terminal sends the first message.

[0139] The first information is used to request the computing node of the first service of the terminal. The first information includes the computing requirement information of the first service and the service information of the first service.

[0140] The following sections will introduce the computational requirements and business information for the first service.

[0141] 1. Calculate the demand information

[0142] In this application, the computing requirements information of the first service can be used by the first network device to determine a computing node that can meet the computing requirements of the data to be computed in the first service. The computing requirements information of the first service is related to information such as the service type or volume of the first service.

[0143] Specifically, the computing requirements information for the first service may include one or more of the following: the type of computing power required, the computing power required, the storage capacity required, or the computing latency required.

[0144] The following sections will introduce the types of computing power required, the computing power required, the storage capacity required, and the computation latency required.

[0145] (1) The type of computing power required, or computing power type requirement. Computing power type refers to the type of computing equipment of the computing node. For example, computing power type can include central processing unit (CPU), graphics processing unit (GPU), or network processing unit (NPU). Among them, CPU mainly relies on low latency and high complexity operations, and can perform various arithmetic and logical operations and complete them in a short time. It is suitable for a variety of computing tasks, especially scenarios that require complex logical judgment and data processing. GPU, due to its powerful parallel processing capabilities, has wide applications in many fields, such as computing processing for deep learning or graphics rendering. NPU is a processor similar to the human nervous system designed to accelerate AI applications. Due to its energy-saving characteristics, it can meet the needs of long-term use and is suitable for continuous processing of AU computing tasks, such as image generation or face recognition.

[0146] The terminal can determine the required computing power type based on the service type of the first service. For example, the computing power type required by the first service may include CPU and / or GPU. For example, for services involving logic judgment and data processing, the terminal may require CPU. For services such as graphics rendering, the terminal may require GPU. For services such as intelligent assistants, the terminal may require NPU.

[0147] It is understandable that in computing demand information, the type of computing power required by the terminal can be represented by an index or identifier of the computing power type. For example, index 0 represents the required computing power type as CPU, and index 1 represents the required computing power type as GPU. Accordingly, the computing demand information can contain index 0 and / or index 1, representing that the terminal's required computing power type is CPU and / or GPU. The correspondence between the index and the computing power type here is only an example and should not be construed as limiting.

[0148] (2) Required computing power, or computing power requirement. Computing power refers to the amount of computation required to perform the computation task of the data to be computed in the first business. The unit of computing power can be MIPS, DMIPS, OPS, FLOPS, or Hash / s, etc., without specific restrictions. The size of the data to be computed in the first business can be related to the required computing power. For example, the required computing power should not be less than the computing power corresponding to the data to be computed.

[0149] The computational demand information can include the numerical value of the required computing power. For example, if the computing power corresponding to the data to be computed is 100, the computational demand information can contain the value 100, indicating that the computing power required by the terminal is not less than 100.

[0150] Additionally, the computational demand information can also include an index of the computational power range to indicate the computational power required by the end user. For example, index 0 represents a computational power range of 50 to 100, index 1 represents a range of 101 to 200, and so on. If the computational power of the data to be computed is less than or equal to 100, the computational demand information can include index 1, indicating that the computational power required by the end user is not less than 100.

[0151] It is understood that the correspondence between computing power range and index can be preset, predefined or preconfigured, or it can be indicated by signaling between the first network device and the terminal. This application does not specifically require this.

[0152] (3) Storage requirements, also known as storage capacity requirements. Storage capacity refers to the amount of storage space required for the computation task of the data to be computed in the first business operation. This storage space can include one or more of the following: cache space, memory space, or hard disk storage space. The unit of storage capacity can be bits or bytes, etc., without specific limitations. The size of the data to be computed in the first business operation can be related to the required storage capacity. For example, the stored content can include the data to be computed, temporary data generated during the computation process, the final computation result, or one or more of other parameters required for computation execution (such as computation context or materials).

[0153] The required storage amount can be included in the calculation requirement information. For example, if the required storage amount is 100, the calculation requirement information can contain the value 100, indicating that the required storage amount of the terminal is not less than 100.

[0154] Additionally, the computational requirement information can also include an index representing the storage range required by the terminal. For example, index 0 represents a storage range of 50 to 100, index 1 represents a storage range of 101 to 200, and so on. If the required storage is less than or equal to 100, the computational requirement information can include index 1, indicating that the terminal requires at least 100 storage.

[0155] It is understood that the correspondence between the storage range and the index can be preset, predefined or preconfigured, or it can be indicated by signaling between the first network device and the terminal. This application does not specifically require this.

[0156] (4) Required computation latency, or latency requirement. Computation latency refers to the time between the terminal sending data to be computed and receiving the computation result calculated based on that data. This latency can include transmission latency and the latency of the computing node performing computation on the data to be computed. Transmission latency can include the latency of transmitting the data to be computed from the terminal to the computing node and the latency of transmitting the computation result from the computing node to the terminal. It can be understood that transmission latency is related to the distance between the terminal and the computing node. The required computation latency reflects the latency requirements of the service, so that the first network device can select a computing node with a suitable distance from the terminal. The unit of computation latency is, for example, milliseconds (ms) or microseconds (μm).

[0157] It is understandable that the computation latency of a requirement can be related to the business type and / or the computing power of the requirement.

[0158] It is also understandable that the computational latency of the requirement can refer only to the transmission latency.

[0159] The computational requirement information can include the computational latency value. If the computational latency of the requirement is less than or equal to 100, the computational requirement information can contain the value 100, indicating that the computational latency of the terminal requirement is not higher than 100.

[0160] Additionally, the computation requirement information can also include an index indicating the computation latency range to represent the computation latency required by the terminal. For example, index 0 represents a computation latency range of 50 to 100, index 1 represents a range of 101 to 200, and so on. If the computation latency of the requirement is less than or equal to 100, the computation requirement information can include index 0, indicating that the computation latency of the terminal requirement does not exceed 100.

[0161] It is understood that in this application, the computing demand information index or identifier can also be used to represent the computing demand information of the first service. For example, the first information can carry a first identifier to identify the computing demand information. The first identifier corresponds to at least one of the following: the computing power type of the demand, the computing power of the demand, the storage capacity of the demand, or the computing latency of the demand.

[0162] As shown in Table 1, multiple sets of computing demand information corresponding to multiple identifiers can be preset or configured via signaling. Accordingly, in the first information, one identifier can represent the computing demand information of the first service, which can reduce signaling overhead. Among them, #1, #2, and #3 in Table 1 can be used to represent the computing power type, computing power, storage capacity, or computing latency of the same or different demands.

[0163] For example, the first information may carry a first identifier in the information element (IE), bit or field of the computational demand information. For example, when carrying identifier 0, it can be used to indicate that the computational demand information includes the computational power type #1, the computational power #1, the storage capacity #1 and the computational delay #1.

[0164] Table 1

[0165] Table 1 is merely an example of the correspondence between computational demand information and identifiers, and should not be construed as a limitation on this correspondence. It is understood that any two different identifiers correspond to different types and / or values ​​of computational demand information. The type (or quantity) of computational demand information can refer to which of the following information is included in the computational demand information: the type of computing power required, the computing power required, the storage capacity required, or the computational latency required. The value of the computational demand information can refer to the value of one or more of the following information: the type of computing power required, the computing power required, the storage capacity required, or the computational latency required.

[0166] For example, in Table 1, the types of computing demand information corresponding to identifier 0 include the type of computing power required, the computing power required, the storage required, and the computing latency required. The types of computing demand information corresponding to identifier 1 include both the type of computing power required and the computing power required. That is, the types of computing demand information corresponding to identifier 0 are different from those corresponding to identifier 1. Furthermore, the types of computing demand information corresponding to identifier 1 are the same as those corresponding to identifier 3, both being the type of computing power required and the computing power required. However, the values ​​of computing power type #2 and computing power type #4 are different, and / or the values ​​of computing power #2 and computing power #4 are different. That is, the values ​​of the computing demand information corresponding to identifier 1 are different from those corresponding to identifier 3.

[0167] 2. Business Information

[0168] The business information of the first service can be used to determine the context information for obtaining the corresponding first service. In this application, the context information may be user information associated with the terminal (or the user or account corresponding to the terminal), such as personalized settings, operating habits, account level, value-added service purchase records, or business history. This context information may be stored on the server corresponding to the first service. This context information may be related to the historical information of the terminal (or the user or account corresponding to the terminal) executing the first service. In this application, the context information can be provided to the computing node along with the data to be computed, so that the computing node executes the computing task of the first service according to the context information of the first service and the data to be computed.

[0169] As an example, the first business is cloud gaming. The data to be computed can be game operations performed by users through terminals, such as attack operations by game characters. The computation task can be to calculate the attack effect of the attack operation, and the computation result is the attack effect. Among them, for different users, the character attributes of the user character, such as combat power, equipment or skills, and the character data of the attacked user will affect the attack effect. Character attributes, as an example of contextual information, will affect the computation results obtained by the computing nodes.

[0170] In this application, the business information of the first service may include at least one of the following: information of the server corresponding to the first service, process information, or account information.

[0171] (1) The information of the server corresponding to the first service can be used to identify the server corresponding to the first service. For example, the server information may include the server address and / or server identifier, etc. The server information can be used by the computing node to communicate with the server to support the computing node in obtaining the context information of the terminal's first service from the service.

[0172] (2) The process information corresponding to the first service can be used to determine the business process of the first service. The business process can indicate the progress of the first service. For example, in the first service with multiple tasks, completed tasks do not need to be executed again, and only the calculation of unfinished tasks needs to be executed. Taking cloud gaming as an example again, cloud gaming can contain multiple levels, and the business process can indicate the level that the game is currently in progress. Accordingly, only the business data calculation needs to be performed based on the level that is currently in progress.

[0173] Alternatively, the context information of the terminal's primary service can include process information, and also user information associated with that process. For example, process information can indicate cloud gaming levels, and users can have different character attributes in different game levels; the context information of the terminal's primary service can include character attribute information related to that level.

[0174] (3) The account information corresponding to the first business may include user identifier or business scenario identifier, etc.

[0175] User identifiers, also known as account identifiers, are user information registered by a user on the server corresponding to the first application and can be used to represent the user. In cloud gaming scenarios, user identifiers might include player identifiers or character identifiers.

[0176] A business scenario identifier can identify one of multiple business scenarios within a primary business. For example, a primary business may support multiple business scenarios, and the calculation results of the data to be computed may differ in different scenarios. Taking cloud gaming as an example, a business scenario might be the player's current game instance or game scene, and a business scenario identifier might be a game instance identifier or a game scene identifier.

[0177] As an example, context information can originate from the server of the first service. This context information is related to the process information and / or account information corresponding to the first service. For instance, a computing node can obtain information about the server corresponding to the first service, as well as the process information and / or account information corresponding to the first service. The computing node can then request the context information of the terminal's first service from the server based on this information. For example, the computing node can send process information and / or account information to the server. Correspondingly, the server can provide the computing node with the context information of the first service corresponding to the terminal based on the process information and / or account information, enabling the computing node to perform computing tasks according to the context information.

[0178] In one possible embodiment, the first information may further include session parameters of the session corresponding to the first service.

[0179] In this invention, a session can refer to a connection between a first computing node and a terminal, or a connection between a first computing node and an access network device (such as a second network device). The difference lies in whether the terminal can perceive the first computing node. For the latter (i.e., the connection between the first computing node and the access network device), the access network device can shield the terminal from the information of the first computing node. The terminal only needs to communicate with the access network device and does not need to know the information of the first computing node. When the computing node changes (e.g., switches to a computing node other than the first computing node) or undergoes changes (e.g., the slice types supported by the first computing node change), as long as the corresponding access network device remains unchanged, the terminal device can be completely unaware of this change. The latter can also shield multiple computing nodes from the terminal. For example, when multiple computing nodes need to provide services to the terminal together, the terminal only needs to communicate with the access network device, and then the access network device communicates with multiple computing nodes.

[0180] Session parameters can be used to establish the session. This session can be used to transmit data related to the first service. The session corresponding to the first service is, for example, a packet data unit (PDU) session. This session can be used to transmit data related to the first service. Specifically, the terminal can send the data to be calculated for the first service to the computing node through this session. Furthermore, the computing node can send the calculation results to the terminal through this session. That is, the data related to the first service can include the data to be calculated and / or the calculation results. The session establishment process will be described below with reference to the flowcharts shown in Figures 7 and 8; it will not be elaborated upon here.

[0181] Alternatively, session parameters can also be used by the first network device to determine the first computing node, as explained in S103. For example, if the computing node does not support establishing a session corresponding to the session parameters, a computing node other than that computing node can be selected as the first computing node.

[0182] In this application, session parameters may include at least one of the following:

[0183] (1) QoS parameters corresponding to the session.

[0184] The QoS parameters corresponding to a session include QoS class identifier (QCI), allocation and retention priority (ARP), guaranteed bit rate (GBR), and maximum bit rate (MBR).

[0185] This QoS parameter can be related to the QoS requirements of the first service. For example, the QoS parameter corresponding to a session can be derived from the configuration of the first service, or determined by the configuration of the first service.

[0186] (2) A session identifier, used to identify the session. The session identifier may be assigned by the terminal, the first network device, the second network device, or the first computing node. For the session identifier included in the first information, this identifier may be assigned by the terminal.

[0187] (3) Information about the network slice corresponding to the session, such as the identifier of the network slice.

[0188] Based on the differentiated needs of different services, the related data of different services can achieve differentiated transmission guarantees through network slicing. Therefore, session parameters can include information on the network slices supported or recommended by the first service. This network slice information can include network slice selection assistance information (NSSAI) or single-NSSAI (S-NSSAI).

[0189] (4) SSC mode supported by the session.

[0190] The SSC mode supported by the session can represent the continuity mode of the session.

[0191] Taking 5G as an example, it currently supports three SSC modes: Mode 1, Mode 2, and Mode 3. The SSC mode of a session will not change throughout the entire session's lifecycle.

[0192] SSC Mode 1 means that the session always supports service continuity. Throughout the session, the user's IP address remains unchanged, and the UPF, which serves as the session anchor, also remains unchanged. This mode is mainly suitable for services with high continuity requirements, such as autonomous driving services.

[0193] SSC Mode 2 refers to a scenario where the network releases old sessions and IP addresses, and establishes a new session, potentially selecting a new UPF. This mode can be applied to video services with some buffering.

[0194] SSC Mode 3 refers to establishing a new connection through a new session anchor point before releasing the old session, thereby ensuring session and service continuity. During this process, the user's IP address will change. This mode can be applied to services such as web browsing.

[0195] Understandably, if the session establishment request includes a supported SSC mode during the session establishment process, the SMF can determine the SSC mode for the session based on at least one of the following: the requested SSC mode, the SSC mode obtained from network elements such as user data management (UDM) that supports the terminal's subscription, or the SSC mode configured locally. If the session establishment request does not include a supported SSC mode during the session establishment process, the SMF can choose either the subscribed SSC mode or determine the SSC mode based on its local configuration as the session's SSC mode.

[0196] In step S101, the terminal can send the first information via the second network device. The second network device can be any network device on the path between the terminal and the first network device; that is, the first information can be sent by the terminal and then reach the first network device via the second network device.

[0197] As an example, the second network device can be an access network device, such as a base station, to which the terminal connects. Alternatively, the second network device can also be a router or other network element besides a base station.

[0198] The second network device can then forward the first information to the first network device.

[0199] In one possible embodiment, the second network device can transmit the first information transparently without needing to know the specific content of the first information; that is, the second network device will forward the information from the terminal to the first network device by default.

[0200] In another possible embodiment, the second network device may also send the first information to the first network device after determining that the first information sent by the terminal carries information related to the computing power request or computing task. The information related to the computing power request may be computing demand information and / or service information carried in the first information, or other identifiers or indexes used to indicate that the first information is related to the computing power request; this application does not specifically limit this.

[0201] As an example, the first information can be carried in a non-access stratum (NAS) message sent from the terminal to the first network device via the second network device. The computing requirement information and service information of the first service can be encapsulated in a container, and the second network device is unaware of the specific content of the information within the container. Information related to the computing power request or computing task can be encapsulated in locations such as IE, bits, or fields outside the container. The second network device can perceive the content outside the container and obtain information related to the computing power request or computing task, thus recognizing that the first information or the request carrying the first information is related to the computing requirement. When the second network device recognizes that the container of the NAS message contains information related to the computing power request or computing task, it forwards the container (such as the entire content of the first information) to the first network device.

[0202] As an example, information related to a computing power request or computing task may include a 1-bit indicator bit to indicate whether the information is related to the computing power request or computing task. When the value of this bit is set to a first value (such as 0 or 1), it indicates that the information is related to the computing power request or computing task; when the value of this bit is set to a second value (such as 1 or 0), it indicates that the information is not related to the computing power request or computing task. The first value and the second value are different.

[0203] Information related to the computing power request or computing task can also be other identifiers or other information used to indicate that the first information is related to the computing power request or computing task. For example, the first information can be indicated as being related to the computing power request or computing task by carrying a message name.

[0204] As another example, the information related to a computing power request or computing task may include partial or complete computing requirement information and / or business information. A second network device can access partial or complete computing requirement information and / or business information, and thus can determine that the first information is related to the computing power request or computing task. Alternatively, the complete computing requirement information and business information can be carried outside the container.

[0205] S102: The first network device receives the first information.

[0206] The first network device can receive first information from the second network device. Specifically, the first network device can receive the first information directly or indirectly from the second network device. Directly receiving the first information means that the first network device receives the first information sent by the network device through an interface or connection between the first and second network devices. Indirectly receiving the first information means that the first network device can receive first information sent by other network devices, and other network devices can receive the first information directly or indirectly from the second network device.

[0207] S103: The first network device determines the first computing node based on the computing demand information and the computing capability information of the candidate computing nodes.

[0208] In this application, a candidate computing node is a computing node that can be selected to provide services for the terminal's first service. For example, if multiple computing nodes are deployed in the current network, a candidate computing node can be considered as some or all of the multiple candidate computing nodes. Candidate computing nodes may include a first network device, a second network device, computing nodes, or other access network devices or core network devices, without specific limitations.

[0209] The first network device can maintain computing capability information for candidate computing nodes. Specifically, candidate computing nodes can send their computing capability information to the first network device, which in turn stores this information. For example, after a candidate computing node comes online, it sends its computing capability information to the computing power control network element. Furthermore, when the computing capability of a candidate computing node needs to be updated—for instance, after a candidate computing node determines to perform a computing task—it can send update information to the first network device. This update information can then be used to update the computing capability information stored by the first network device.

[0210] Furthermore, the first computing node can refer to a computing node used to provide computing services for the terminal's first service. The first computing node can be a computing node deployed in the network. In S103, the first network device can determine the first computing node based on the computing requirement information and the computing capability information of the candidate nodes. In addition, if the first information includes session parameters, the first network device can also determine the first computing node based on the session parameters and the computing capability information of the candidate nodes.

[0211] The following section describes how the first computing node was determined, taking into account the computing capabilities of the candidate computing nodes.

[0212] In this application, the computing power information of the candidate computing nodes may include at least one of the following:

[0213] (1) Computing power type, which can be used to indicate the type of candidate computing nodes. For example, the type of candidate computing nodes includes at least one of CPU, GPU, or NPU computing power. In the computing power information, the computing power type required by the terminal can be represented by the index or identifier of the computing power type. For example, index 0 represents that the computing power type of the candidate computing node is CPU, and index 1 represents that the computing power type of the candidate computing node is GPU.

[0214] In step S103, the first network device can select a first computing node based on the computing power type of the candidate computing nodes. For example, if the computing requirement information includes the required computing power type, the first network device can preferentially select a candidate computing node whose computing power type includes the required computing power type as the first computing node, so that the selection result meets the terminal's computing power requirements for the first service. Alternatively, if the computing requirement information does not include the required computing power type, the first network device can also select an appropriate type of computing node as the first computing node according to preset rules.

[0215] (2) Computing power, which can be used to indicate the amount of computing power that the candidate computing node can currently use. For example, if there is a computing task currently being executed on the candidate computing node, and the computing task occupies a portion of the computing power of the computing node, then the computing power of the candidate computing node can indicate the amount of remaining computing power, that is, the amount of computing power that the candidate computing node has not occupied (or not used).

[0216] In S103, the first network device can select a first computing node based on the computing power of the candidate computing nodes. For example, if the computing requirement information includes the required computing power, the first network device can prioritize selecting a candidate computing node with a computing power not lower than the required computing power as the first computing node, so that the selection result meets the terminal's computing power requirements for the first service. Alternatively, if the computing requirement information does not include the required computing power, the first network device can also select a computing node with appropriate computing power as the first computing node according to preset rules. For example, according to the ranking of the computing power of the candidate computing nodes, the candidate computing node with the largest (or relatively large) computing power can be prioritized as the first computing node.

[0217] (3) Storage capacity, which can be used to indicate the amount of storage that the candidate compute node can currently use. For example, storage capacity can indicate the size of one or more of the following storage spaces: cache space, memory space, or hard disk storage space.

[0218] In step S103, the first network device can select a first computing node based on the storage capacity of the candidate computing nodes. For example, if the computing requirement information includes the required storage capacity, the first network device can prioritize selecting a candidate computing node with a storage capacity not less than the required storage capacity as the first computing node, ensuring that the selection meets the terminal's computing power requirements for the first service. Alternatively, if the computing requirement information does not include the required computing power, the first network device can also select a computing node with an appropriate storage capacity as the first computing node according to preset rules. For example, based on the ranking of the storage capacity of the candidate computing nodes, the candidate computing node with the largest (or relatively large) storage capacity can be prioritized as the first computing node.

[0219] (4) Supported network slice information can be used to indicate network slices supported by candidate computing nodes, or it can be used to indicate network slices not supported by candidate computing nodes. In addition, if the computing capability information of candidate computing nodes does not include network slices supported by candidate computing nodes, it can be assumed that candidate computing nodes support all network slice information.

[0220] In S103, the first network device can select a first computing node based on the network slice information supported by the candidate computing nodes. For example, if the session parameters of the session corresponding to the first service contain information about the network slice corresponding to the session, the first network device can select a computing node that supports network slices including the network slice corresponding to the session as the first computing node. If the session parameters of the session corresponding to the first service do not contain information about the network slice corresponding to the session, the first network device can also select an appropriate computing node as the first computing node according to preset rules, such as selecting the computing node that supports the most (or more) network slices as the first receiving node.

[0221] (5) Supported session and service continuity mode information can be used to indicate the session and service continuity modes supported by the alternative computing nodes, or it can be used to indicate the session and service continuity modes not supported by the alternative computing nodes.

[0222] In step S103, the first network device can select a first computing node based on the session and service continuity mode information supported by the candidate computing nodes. For example, if the session parameters of the session corresponding to the first service contain session and service continuity mode information, the first network device can select a computing node that supports the session and service continuity modes, including the corresponding session and service continuity modes, as the first computing node. If the session parameters of the session corresponding to the first service do not contain session and service continuity mode information, the first network device can also select an appropriate computing node as the first computing node according to preset rules, such as selecting the computing node that supports the most (or more) session and service continuity modes as the first receiving node.

[0223] (6) Location information, which can be used to indicate the location of candidate computing nodes. The location of candidate computing nodes will affect the transmission latency between the candidate computing nodes and the terminal.

[0224] Since the terminal may have latency requirements for the first service, in S103, the first network device can select the first computing node based on the location information of the alternative computing nodes to meet the latency requirements of the first service.

[0225] For example, the first network device can determine the transmission delay between the candidate computing node and the terminal based on the location information of the candidate computing node and the location information of the second network device accessed by the terminal. This transmission delay can include the delay of transmitting the data to be computed from the terminal to the computing node and the delay of transmitting the computation result from the computing node to the terminal. Furthermore, if the computation requirement information includes the required computation delay, the first network device can select the candidate computing node that meets the delay requirement of the first service as the first computing node based on the transmission delay corresponding to the candidate computing node and the required computation delay. Alternatively, if the computation requirement information does not include the required computation delay, the first network device can select the candidate computing node with the smallest (or relatively small) transmission delay as the first computing node based on the transmission delay corresponding to the candidate computing node.

[0226] It is understood that the determination of the first computing node by the first network device based on computing demand information and computing capability information of candidate computing nodes may include: the first network device determining the first computing node based on the type of computing power required and the type of computing power of candidate computing nodes, the type of computing power required and the type of computing power of candidate computing nodes, the type of computing power required and the type of computing power of candidate computing nodes, the type of storage required and the storage required of candidate computing nodes, or determining one or more of the following based on the computing latency required and the location information of candidate computing nodes.

[0227] The first network device may determine the first computing node based on session parameters and computing capability information of candidate computing nodes, including: the first network device determining the first computing node based on the network slice information corresponding to the session and the network slice information supported by the candidate computing node, and / or, determining the first computing node based on the session and service continuity mode information corresponding to the session and the session and service continuity mode information supported by the candidate computing node.

[0228] In addition, in S103, the first network device can also determine the first computing node based on computing demand information, session parameters, and computing capability information of the computing node, which will not be elaborated further.

[0229] S104: The first network device sends the second information to the first computing node.

[0230] The second information is used to request the first computing node to execute the computing task of the first service, and the second information includes the service information of the first service.

[0231] Correspondingly, the first computing node can receive the second information and determine the computing task to execute the first service.

[0232] It is understood that the first network device can send the second information to the first computing node directly or indirectly through other network devices or nodes, and this application does not specifically limit this.

[0233] S105: The first computing node executes the computing task of the first service according to the service information and obtains the first data of the first service of the terminal.

[0234] The first data may include the calculation results obtained from the data to be calculated based on the first service.

[0235] As one possible implementation, the first computing node can obtain the context information of the terminal's first service from the server of the first service based on the service information. The first computing node can then perform computing tasks based on the context information of the terminal's first service.

[0236] For example, the service information of the first service may include information about the server corresponding to the first service. The first computing node can send sixth information to the server based on this server information to request the context information of the terminal's first service. As an example, the sixth information can be carried in the context request.

[0237] Optionally, the service information of the first service may further include process information and / or account information corresponding to the first service. Correspondingly, the context request may include the process information and / or account information corresponding to the first service. The server corresponding to the first service can determine the context information of the terminal's first service based on the process information and / or account information corresponding to the first service, and send the context information to the first computing node.

[0238] The first computing node can also obtain the data to be computed for the first service from the terminal, and perform computing tasks based on the computed data and context information to obtain the first data. For example, after the session corresponding to the first service is established, the terminal can send the data to be computed for the first service to the first computing node through the session.

[0239] Optionally, the server corresponding to the first service may also send the algorithm model of the first service to the first computing node. The algorithm model can be used to perform computational processing of the service data of the first service. The algorithm model can be carried in the same message as the context information, or it can be carried in different messages and sent independently. This application does not specifically limit this.

[0240] As an alternative implementation, the execution of the first service can be independent of context information. For example, S105 can be understood as being implemented in the following way: the first computing node can obtain the algorithm model from the server corresponding to the first service based on the service information, and obtain the data to be calculated for the first service from the terminal, and execute the calculation of the data to be calculated according to the algorithm model to obtain the first data.

[0241] Based on the process shown in Figure 6, in a scenario of distributed computing power deployment, it is no longer necessary for the terminal to obtain information about the first computing node and establish a session for the first service based on that information. Nor is it necessary for the terminal to send service information for the first service to the first computing node through the session. Instead, the first network device, after selecting the first computing node, sends second information to it, which may include the service information for the first service. Therefore, the step of the first computing node obtaining the service information for the first service does not depend on the establishment of a session. The first computing node can obtain the service information for the first service before the session is established, which helps reduce service latency.

[0242] In one possible embodiment of this application, the first network device may also trigger the second network device or the first computing node to request the establishment of a session corresponding to the first service. That is, this application does not require the terminal to trigger the establishment of the session corresponding to the first service. Since the distance between the second network device or the first computing node and the SMF is closer than the distance between the terminal and the SMF, triggering the establishment of the session by the second network device or the first computing node can further reduce service latency. The first computing node can send computation results to the terminal through this session. For example, after obtaining the first data through S105, the first computing node can send the first data to the second network device through the session corresponding to the first service.

[0243] Triggering a request from a second network device or a first computing node to establish a session corresponding to the first service can also be described as triggering the establishment of a session corresponding to the first service. This can mean triggering the second network device or the first computing node to request the SMF to establish the session. In other words, during the establishment of the PDU session, the first network device can trigger the second network device or the first computing node to send a session establishment request to the SMF to request the establishment of the session. That is, in this application, the establishment of the session can be triggered by the second network device or the first computing node, rather than by the terminal.

[0244] In one method of triggering session establishment, after identifying a first computing node, the first network device can send third information to the second network device. This third information is used to trigger the establishment of a session between the second network device and the first computing node, which is the session corresponding to the first service. Upon receiving the third information, the second network device can send a session establishment request to the SMF to establish the session. In other words, the first network device can trigger the second network device to request the establishment of the session corresponding to the first service through the third information.

[0245] The third information may include information about the first computing node; correspondingly, the session establishment request may include information about the first computing node. The information about the first computing node can be used to address the first computing node. For example, the information about the first computing node in this application may include the first computing node's identifier, interface information, location information, or address information, etc.

[0246] Optionally, the third information may also include session parameters. The second network device can trigger the establishment of a session between the second network device and the first computing node based on the session parameters and the information of the first computing node. For example, the session establishment request sent by the second network device to the SMF may include session parameters. Alternatively, the session parameters may be determined by the SMF or other network devices, and are not specifically required.

[0247] The following section describes how this session is established, using the process shown in Figure 7 as an example.

[0248] As shown in Figure 7, taking the base station as the second network device and the computing power management device as the first network device as an example, the communication method provided in this application when the second network device triggers session establishment may include the following steps:

[0249] S201: The terminal sends first information to the base station, which includes computing requirements information and service information for the first service.

[0250] Optionally, the first information may also include session parameters of the session corresponding to the first service.

[0251] The calculation requirements and business information can be found in the description in S101.

[0252] As shown in Figure 7, the first piece of information can be carried in the computing power request. The request carrying the first piece of information can also have other names; there are no specific requirements.

[0253] It is understood that S201 can be considered as an exemplary implementation of S101. The base station can be considered as an example of a second network device.

[0254] S202: The base station sends the first information to the computing power management device.

[0255] Optionally, before sending the first information to the computing power management device, the base station may determine that it is not a computing node, or determine that it is a computing node, but the computing capability information of the base station does not meet the requirements of the computing demand information.

[0256] It is understandable that computing power management devices can serve as an example of a primary network device.

[0257] As shown in Figure 7, the first piece of information can be carried in the computing power request.

[0258] S203: The computing power management device determines the first computing node based on the computing demand information and the computing capacity information of the alternative computing nodes.

[0259] Optionally, the computing power management device can determine the first computing node based on session parameters, computing demand information, and computing capacity information of alternative computing nodes.

[0260] In S203, the method for determining the first computing node can be referred to the description in S103. In other words, S203 can be considered as an example of one implementation of S103.

[0261] S204: The computing power management device sends the second information to the first computing node.

[0262] The second information may include business information of the first service, such as at least one of the following: information about the server corresponding to the first service, process information corresponding to the first service, or account information corresponding to the first service.

[0263] As shown in Figure 7, the second information can be carried in the computing power allocation message. The message carrying the second information can also have other names, and this application does not specifically limit it.

[0264] Correspondingly, the first computing node receives the second information.

[0265] S204 can be used as an example of one implementation of S104.

[0266] S205: The first computing node sends a context request to the server corresponding to the first service. Correspondingly, the server corresponding to the first service receives the context request.

[0267] Context requests can be used to request context information for the primary service.

[0268] The service information of the first service may include the server's information, so the first computing node can obtain the server's information from the second information. The first computing node can then send a context request to the server based on the server's information. Alternatively, the service information of the first service may not include the server's information, and the first computing node can still query the server information corresponding to the first service from network elements such as the UDM based on the identifier and other information of the first service.

[0269] The context request may carry process information and / or account information corresponding to the first service.

[0270] S206: The server corresponding to the first service sends the context information of the first service of the terminal to the first computing node. Correspondingly, the first computing node receives the context information of the first service.

[0271] The context information of the first service can be determined by the server based on the process information and / or account information corresponding to the first service. For example, the server stores the correspondence between the process information and / or account information corresponding to the first service and the context information.

[0272] Optionally, the server corresponding to the first service may also send the algorithm model of the first service to the first computing node. The algorithm model can be used to execute the computing tasks of the first service.

[0273] S207: The first computing node sends an acknowledgment response to the computing power management device, indicating that the first computing node acknowledges or agrees to execute the computing task of the terminal's first service.

[0274] For example, an acknowledgment response can be an acknowledgment character (ACK).

[0275] S208: After receiving the confirmation response from the first computing node, the computing power management device updates the computing power information of the first computing node.

[0276] In S208, the computing power management device can update the computing power information of the first computing node according to the computing demand information of the first service, for example, update the computing power and / or storage capacity of the first computing node.

[0277] For example, if the computing demand information includes the computing power of the first business demand, which is computing power #0, and the computing capability information of the first computing node before the update includes the computing power, which is computing power #1, then in the computing capability information of the first computing node after the update, the computing power is computing power #2, and the sum of computing power #2 and computing power #0 is less than or equal to computing power #1.

[0278] For example, if the computing requirement information includes the storage amount of the first business requirement, which is storage amount #0, and the computing capability information of the first computing node before the update includes the storage amount, which is storage amount #1, then in the computing capability information of the first computing node after the update, the storage amount is storage amount #2, and the sum of storage amount #2 and storage amount #0 is less than or equal to storage amount #1.

[0279] Based on S208, the computing power management device can update the computing power information of the first computing node in a timely manner. When determining the computing node that provides services for other terminals and / or services, the computing power management device can determine whether the first computing node should provide computing services based on the computing demand information of other terminals and / or services and the updated computing power information of the first computing node.

[0280] S209: The computing power management device sends third information to the base station to trigger the establishment of a session corresponding to the first service. In other words, the third information can be used to trigger the base station to request the establishment of the session.

[0281] The third piece of information may include information about the first computing node.

[0282] In addition, the third information may also include session parameters.

[0283] Figure 7 illustrates an example where the third information is carried in the confirmation response to the computing power request. However, the third information can also be carried in other information or messages besides the confirmation response; there are no specific limitations. The third information can also be independent of the confirmation response. For example, the third information and the confirmation response can be carried in the same message, or they can be carried in different messages and sent independently.

[0284] S210: After receiving the third information, the base station sends a session establishment request to the SMF to request the establishment of a session corresponding to the first service.

[0285] The session establishment request may include information about the first computing node in order to establish the session for transmitting data between the base station and the first computing node.

[0286] Correspondingly, SMF can establish a session between the base station and the first computing node after receiving a session establishment request.

[0287] Furthermore, if the third information includes session parameters, the session establishment request may also include session parameters accordingly. These session parameters can be provided by the terminal; for example, they may be included in the first information in S201, thus enabling session establishment based on session parameters provided by the terminal. Alternatively, the session parameters may also include parameters provided by the computing power management device, the second network device, or the SMF, without specific limitations.

[0288] S211: The base station sends a confirmation response to the terminal regarding the computing power request.

[0289] Accordingly, after receiving the confirmation response, the terminal can send the data to be calculated for the first service to the base station. The base station can then send the data to be calculated to the first computing node via a session. As an example of one implementation of S105, the first computing node can perform a calculation task based on the context information of the first service and the data to be calculated, and send the calculation result to the base station via a session. Subsequently, the base station can send the calculation result to the terminal.

[0290] Optionally, the confirmation response in S211 can be the same as the confirmation response in S209, that is, the confirmation response in S211 can include third information. Alternatively, the confirmation response in S211 may not include third information, or in other words, the base station may not provide third information to the terminal.

[0291] It is understood that any step in S207 to S211 can be executed after the first computing node receives the second information shown in S204, but this application does not restrict the execution order of any step in S207 to S211 with S205 and S206. For example, any step in S207 to S211 can be executed after the first computing node receives the context information in S206, or it can be executed before S205 or S206, without specific requirements.

[0292] In another method of triggering session establishment, after determining the computing node, the first network device can send a fourth message to the first computing node. This fourth message can be used to trigger the establishment of a session between the second network device and the first computing node, that is, to trigger the establishment of a session corresponding to the first service. Upon receiving the fourth message, the first computing node can send a session establishment request to the SMF to establish the session. In other words, the first network device can trigger the first computing node to request the establishment of a session corresponding to the first service through the fourth message.

[0293] The fourth piece of information may include information about the second network device. This information can be used to address the second network device. For example, the second network device's information may include its identifier, interface information, location information, or address information. The session request may contain this information.

[0294] Optionally, the fourth piece of information may also include session parameters; correspondingly, the session establishment request may contain session parameters. Furthermore, the session parameters may be determined by the SMF or other network devices; there are no specific requirements.

[0295] The following section describes how this session is established, using the process shown in Figure 8 as an example.

[0296] As shown in Figure 8, taking the base station as the second network device and the computing power management device as the first network device as an example, the communication method provided in this application when the first computing node triggers the session establishment may include the following steps:

[0297] For steps S301 to S303, please refer to the step descriptions for S201 to S203 respectively, which will not be repeated here.

[0298] Optionally, to distinguish different services from different terminals, in S301, the terminal may send an identifier (such as a second identifier) ​​representing the computing power request or the terminal's first service while sending the first information. This identifier may be a transaction ID, etc. This identifier can be used to distinguish different services from different terminals during subsequent session establishment.

[0299] S304: The computing power management device sends the second and fourth information to the first computing node.

[0300] For further information, please refer to the description in S204.

[0301] The fourth information may include information about the second network device. Optionally, the fourth information may also include session parameters.

[0302] Optionally, the computing power control node may also send a second identifier to the first computing node. For example, the second identifier may be carried in the same message along with the second and fourth information.

[0303] As shown in Figure 8, the second and fourth information can be carried in the computing power allocation message. The message carrying the second and fourth information can also have other names; this application does not specifically limit this. Furthermore, the second and fourth information can also be carried in different messages.

[0304] S304 can be used as an example of one implementation of S104.

[0305] For S305 to S308, please refer to the descriptions of S205 to S208 respectively.

[0306] It is understood that any step in S307 to S308 can be executed after the first computing node receives the second and fourth information shown in S204, but this application does not restrict the execution order of any step in S307 to S308 with S305 and S306. For example, any step in S307 to S308 can be executed after the first computing node receives the context information in S306, or it can be executed before S305 or S306, without specific requirements.

[0307] S309: After receiving the fourth message, the first compute node sends a session establishment request to the SMF to request the establishment of a session corresponding to the first service, and then executes the session establishment process. It can be understood that the fourth message is used to trigger the establishment of the session corresponding to the first service. Alternatively, the fourth message can be used to trigger the first compute node to request the establishment of the session.

[0308] The session establishment request may include information about the second network device in order to establish the session for transmitting data between the base station and the first computing node.

[0309] Correspondingly, SMF can establish a session between the base station and the first computing node after receiving a session establishment request.

[0310] Additionally, if the fourth information includes session parameters, the session establishment request may also include session parameters accordingly. These session parameters can be provided by the terminal; for example, they can be included in the first information of S301, thus enabling session establishment based on session parameters provided by the terminal. Furthermore, session parameters can also include parameters provided by the computing power management device, the second network device, or the SMF, without specific limitations.

[0311] S309 can be executed after S304. This application does not restrict the execution order of S309 and S305 to S308. For example, S309 can be executed after the first computing node receives the context information in S306, or it can be executed before S305 or S306, without specific requirements.

[0312] Optionally, the session establishment request may also carry a second identifier. Alternatively, the first computing node may send the second identifier to the base station during or after the session establishment process.

[0313] S310: After the session for the first service is established, the base station sends an acknowledgment response to the terminal regarding the computing power request.

[0314] During the session establishment process, the base station can receive a second identifier from the first computing node and / or SMF. Based on the second identifier, it can determine that the session is associated with the first information or computing power request in S201, and then send the confirmation response in S310.

[0315] Accordingly, after receiving the confirmation response, the terminal can send the data to be calculated for the first service to the base station. The base station can then send the data to be calculated to the first computing node via a session. As an example of one implementation of S105, the first computing node can perform a calculation task based on the context information of the first service and the data to be calculated, and send the calculation result to the base station via a session. Subsequently, the base station can send the calculation result to the terminal.

[0316] In one possible embodiment, if the second network device supports acting as a computing node, before sending the first information to the first network device, the second network device can determine whether it can act as a computing node for the computing tasks of the first service serving the terminal, based on the computing requirements information of the first service in the first information and the computing capability information of the second network device. As described in this application, the second network device may be a base station or router, etc., located on the path between the terminal and the first network device.

[0317] It is understandable that the second network device, acting as a computing node providing services to the terminal, can further reduce service latency. For example, if the second network device is the base station accessed by the terminal, then by acting as the computing node providing services to the terminal, the session establishment process corresponding to the first service can be eliminated; that is, there is no need to establish a session for transmitting the data of the first service between the second network device and the computing node. Furthermore, the distance between the second network device and the terminal is relatively short, resulting in lower transmission latency. It can be assumed that the transmission latency between the terminal and the second network device is less than the transmission latency between the terminal and other computing nodes in the network.

[0318] The method by which the second network device determines whether it can act as a computing node can be found in S103, where the first network device determines the first computing node based on computing demand information and the computing capabilities of alternative computing devices. Optionally, the second network device can also determine whether it can act as a computing node based on session parameters and its own computing capabilities.

[0319] For example, a second network device can act as a computing node if one or more of the following conditions are met:

[0320] Condition 1: The computing power type of the second network device includes the required computing power type. For example, if the computing power type required by the first service is CPU, and the computing power type of the second network device is CPU, or if the computing power type of the second network device is both CPU and GPU, then the computing power type of the second network device includes the required computing power type.

[0321] Condition 2: The computing power of the second network device is greater than or equal to the required computing power.

[0322] Condition 3: The storage capacity of the second network device is greater than or equal to the required storage capacity.

[0323] Condition 4: The network slices supported by the second network device include or are equal to the required supported network slices. For example, in a scenario where the second network device is a network device other than the base station accessed by the terminal, the second network device can determine whether it supports the network slices required by the session corresponding to the first service based on the supported network slice information and the network slice information corresponding to the session corresponding to the first service. If the second network device supports the network slices required by the session corresponding to the first service, then the second network device can act as a computing node. This session can be established between the base station accessed by the terminal and the second network device, or between the terminal and the second network device.

[0324] Condition 5: The session and service continuity modes supported by the second network device include or are equal to the required supported session and service continuity modes. For example, in a scenario where the second network device is a network device other than the base station accessed by the terminal, the second network device can determine whether it supports the session and service continuity modes required by the session corresponding to the first service based on the supported session and service continuity mode information and the session and service continuity mode information of the session corresponding to the first service. If the second network device supports the session and service continuity modes of the session corresponding to the first service, then the second network device can act as a computing node.

[0325] Condition 6: The location information of the second network device meets the computation latency requirements of the first service requirement. For example, in a scenario where the second network device is a network device other than the base station accessed by the terminal, the second network device can determine whether it meets the computation latency requirements of the first service requirement as a computing node based on its location information. If it meets the computation latency requirements of the first service requirement, then the second network device can serve as a computing node.

[0326] It is understandable that when the second network device determines that one or more of the above conditions 1 to 5 are met, the second network device can be identified as the computing node that provides services for the first service of the terminal.

[0327] As an example, if a second network device determines itself to be the computing node providing services for the terminal's first service, the second network device does not need to send the first information to the first network device; that is, the second network device can decide to act as the first computing node. In this example, the second network device can send a computing power update instruction (such as referred to as the eighth information) to the first network device, for the first network device to update the second network device's computing power information, such as updating computing power and / or storage capacity. This computing power update instruction may include one or more of the following: the computing power required for the first service, the required storage capacity, and the actual computing power or storage capacity actually required by the second network device to perform the computing task of the first service.

[0328] In this example, the second network device can obtain the context information of the terminal's first service based on the service information, and execute the computational task of the first service according to the context. For example, the service information of the first service may include information about the server corresponding to the first service. Accordingly, the second network device can send a seventh piece of information to the server corresponding to the first service based on the information of the server corresponding to the first service. This seventh piece of information is used to request the context information of the terminal's first service. The seventh piece of information may include process information and / or account information of the first service. The server corresponding to the first service can determine the context information of the terminal's first service based on the seventh piece of information and send the context information to the second network device.

[0329] As shown in Figure 9, taking the base station as the second network device and the computing power management device as the first network device as an example, the possible business process when the second network device acts as the first computing node may include the following steps:

[0330] S401 can be found in the description of S201.

[0331] S402: The base station determines the base station as the first computing node based on the computing requirements information of the first service and the computing capability information of the base station.

[0332] In S402, the base station can determine that the computing requirements and the base station's computing capacity information satisfy one or more of conditions 1 to 5. The specific conditions to be satisfied can be defined by the protocol, indicated by the computing power management device, or set or configured through other means.

[0333] S403: The base station sends a computing power update instruction to the computing power management device.

[0334] The computing power update instruction may include one or more of the following: the computing power required by the first service, the required storage capacity, the computing power actually required by the second network device to perform the computing tasks of the first service, or the actual storage capacity required.

[0335] S404: The computing power management device updates the base station's computing power information according to the computing power update instruction.

[0336] The computing power information of the base station can be maintained by the computing power management equipment. For example, after the base station goes online, it sends computing power information to the computing power control network element. The computing power management equipment can update the computing power information after the base station performs computing tasks.

[0337] S405: The base station sends a context request to the server corresponding to the first service. Correspondingly, the server corresponding to the first service receives the context request.

[0338] Context requests can be used to request context information for the primary service.

[0339] The service information of the first service may include the server's information, allowing the base station to obtain this information. The base station can then send a context request to the server based on this information. Alternatively, the service information of the first service may not include the server's information; in this case, the base station can still query the server information corresponding to the first service from network elements such as the UDM based on the service's identifier.

[0340] The context request may carry process information and / or account information corresponding to the first service.

[0341] S406: The server corresponding to the first service sends the context information of the terminal's first service to the base station. Correspondingly, the base station receives the context information of the first service.

[0342] The context information for the first service can be found in the description in S205, and will not be repeated here.

[0343] Optionally, the server corresponding to the first service may also send the algorithm model of the first service to the base station. The algorithm model can be used to perform the computational tasks of the first service.

[0344] S407: The base station sends a confirmation response to the terminal regarding the computing power request.

[0345] Furthermore, the base station can perform the computation task for the first service after S406. As an example, the base station can send an acknowledgment response to the terminal and receive the data to be computed for the first service from the terminal. Then, it can perform the computation task based on the context information in S406 and the data to be computed. After completing the computation task, the base station can send the computation result to the terminal, for example, sending the first data as the computation result.

[0346] Optionally, when sending an acknowledgment response to the terminal, the base station may send indication information indicating that the base station is a computing node, so that the terminal sends the data to be computed to the base station. For example, the terminal may carry the data to be computed in the access layer message sent to the base station according to the indication information.

[0347] It is understood that any step in S405 to S406 can be executed after the base station is determined as the first computing node in S402, but this application does not restrict the execution order of any step in S403 to S404 and S407 with S405 to S406. For example, any step in S403 to S404 and S407 can be executed after S405 to S406, or before S405 or S406, without specific requirements.

[0348] As another example, if the second network device determines that it is the computing node providing services for the first service of the terminal, the second network device still sends the first information to the first network device and sends the computing node indication information, which is used to indicate or instruct the second network device to meet the computing requirements of the first service, or in other words, to request, indicate or instruct the second network device to be the first computing node providing services for the first service of the terminal.

[0349] For example, after determining that the second network device is the computing node providing services for the first service of the terminal, the second network device can send a computing power request to the first network device. The computing power request includes first information and indication information of the computing node.

[0350] In this example, the first network device can determine whether the second network device should act as the first computing node. For example, the first network device can determine the second network device as the first computing node based on the first information and the computing node indication information; that is, the first network device can confirm the request of the second network device, such as sending a confirmation response to the computing power request to the second network device. Subsequently, steps S405 to S407 can be executed, as well as the computing task of the first service.

[0351] In addition, the first network device can still determine other alternative computing nodes besides the second network device as the first computing node based on the computing demand information. In this case, the first network device may not confirm the request of the second network device, but instead send the information of the first computing node (such as the third information) to the second network device to indicate that other computing nodes are selected as the first computing node. In this case, the processing of the terminal's first service can be performed by referring to steps S104 to S105.

[0352] Optionally, if the first network device determines that the second network device is the first computing node, the first network device can also update the computing capability information of the first computing node according to the computing requirements of the first service after receiving the computing power request. In this example, the first network device can send an acknowledgment response to the second network device and update the computing capability information of the second network device.

[0353] In one possible embodiment, the first network device may further select a second computing node, or multiple computing nodes including the second computing node, so that the first computing node and the second computing node (or multiple computing nodes including the second computing node) jointly provide services for the terminal's first service. That is, the computing tasks of the first service can be jointly executed by the first computing node and the second computing node (or multiple computing nodes including the second computing node). The first computing node can be called the master node, or the leader node, or simply the leader. The second computing node can be called the auxiliary node or the auxiliary computing node.

[0354] The following example illustrates how the first computing node and the second computing node work together to provide services for the terminal's first service. This method can be used as a reference when the first computing node and multiple computing nodes, including the second computing node, work together to provide services for the terminal's first service.

[0355] In this application, the first computing node, acting as the master node, can receive the data to be computed from the first service of the terminal, and send the data to be computed from the first service to the second computing node according to the information of the second computing node, so that the second computing node can perform the computing task based on the data to be computed and the context information of the first service of the terminal. Furthermore, this application does not preclude the possibility that the second computing node can obtain the data to be computed from the terminal, or that the second computing node can store the data to be computed locally.

[0356] It is understood that in this embodiment, the session corresponding to the first service is a session between the second network device and the first computing node, or a session between the terminal and the first computing node; that is, it is not necessary to establish a session between the terminal or the second network device and the second computing node. In other words, this application may not require the second computing node to support the network slicing and / or session and service continuity mode corresponding to the session. The selection criteria for the second computing node can be appropriately relaxed based on the selection method of the first computing node shown in S103, and the second computing node can be selected from more candidate computing nodes that meet the criteria. For example, when selecting the second computing node, at least one of the following is mainly considered: computing power type, computing power, storage capacity, or location information of the second computing node.

[0357] Optionally, the first computing node can also receive computation results, such as second data, from the second computing node through the session corresponding to the first service. The first computing node can also summarize the second computation result and the first computing node's computation result; the summarized data can be used as the first data. Summarization methods can include deduplication or summation, and are not specifically limited. The first computing node can also provide the first data to the terminal through the session corresponding to the first service.

[0358] In this application, the selection method for the second computing node can refer to the selection method for the first computing node in S102. Specifically, referring to the method by which the first network device obtains the computing capability information of the first computing node, the first network device can or maintain the computing capability information of the second computing node.

[0359] As an example, the computing power of the first computing node and the sum of the computing power of the second computing node meet the computing power requirement of the first business. For instance, both the computing power of the first and second computing nodes are less than the computing power required by the first business, but the sum of the computing power of the first and second computing nodes is greater than or equal to the computing power required by the first business. Similarly, the storage capacity of the first and second computing nodes meets the storage capacity requirement of the first business.

[0360] In addition, the computing power types supported by the first computing node include the computing power types required by the first business, and the computing power types supported by the second computing node also include the computing power types required by the first business, so as to support the first computing node and the second computing node to execute computing tasks of the corresponding type of the first business.

[0361] In this application, the second computing node can execute the computing task of the first service based on the context information of the terminal's first service, and obtain the computing result, which may be referred to as second data. The context information of the terminal's first service may come from the server corresponding to the first service or from the first computing node.

[0362] If the context information of the first service comes from the server corresponding to the first service, referring to the way the first computing node obtains the context of the terminal's first information, the first network device can send the service information of the terminal's first service to the second computing node. Accordingly, the second computing node can obtain the context information of the terminal's first service from the server corresponding to the first service based on the service information.

[0363] If the context information for the first service comes from the first computing node, then the second computing node does not need to obtain the context information from the server corresponding to the first service. Instead, the first computing node can send the context information to the second computing node after obtaining it from the server corresponding to the first service.

[0364] When the first computing node and the second computing node jointly provide services for the terminal's first service, the first network device can send information about the second computing node and / or fifth information (or master node indication) to the first computing node. The information about the second computing node can be used by the first computing node to determine that the second computing node and the first computing node jointly provide computing services for the terminal's first service. The information about the second computing node can also be used by the first computing node to address the second computing node. For example, the information about the second computing node may include its identifier, interface information, location information, or address information. The fifth information can be used to instruct the first computing node to act as the master node, causing the first computing node to perform the corresponding actions of the master node.

[0365] The first network device can also send service information of the first service and / or information of the first computing node to the second computing node. The information of the first computing node can be used to address the first computing node, including, for example, the identifier, interface information, location information, or address information of the first computing node. The second computing node can determine the primary node based on the information of the first computing node. Additionally, the first network device can also send a secondary node indication to the second computing node, indicating that the second computing node should act as a secondary node. It is understood that the fifth information and the secondary node indication can occupy 1 bit. When this bit takes a first value (e.g., 0 or 1), it represents the fifth information; when this bit takes a second value (e.g., 1 or 0), it represents the secondary node indication. The first and second values ​​are different. Furthermore, in this application, the fifth information and the secondary node indication can also be indicated in other ways, not limited to being represented by 1 bit.

[0366] In one possible implementation, the first network device can send information about the second computing node and fifth information to the first computing node. The first computing node can learn that the first computing node is the master node, and based on the information about the second computing node, it can learn that the second computing node is the auxiliary node corresponding to the first service of the terminal.

[0367] One example is that if the first computing node and the second computing node respectively obtain the context information of the terminal's first service, the first network device can also send the service information of the first service to the first computing node and the second computing node respectively. For example, the first network device can send second information to the first computing node, which may include the service information of the first service, the information of the second computing node, and fifth information; the first network device can also send the service information of the first service and the information of the first computing node to the second network device. In this example, the first computing node and the second computing node can respectively obtain the context information of the terminal's first service from the server corresponding to the first service based on the service information of the first service.

[0368] Another example is that if the first computing node sends the context information of the terminal's first service to the second computing node, then the first network device sends the service information of the first service to the first computing node, without needing to send the service information of the first service to the second computing node. For example, the first network device can send second information to the first computing node, which may include the service information of the first service, the information of the second computing node, and fifth information; the first network device can also send the information of the first computing node to the second network device. The first computing node can determine itself as the master node based on the fifth information, and after obtaining the context information of the terminal's first service based on the service information of the first service, it sends the context information to the second computing node based on the information of the second computing node.

[0369] It is understandable that if the first computing node sends at least one of the terminal's first service's data to be computed, service information, or context information to the second computing node, the first network device can ignore sending the first computing node's information to the second computing node. The second computing node can determine the first computing node as the master node based on at least one of the first service's data to be computed, service information, or context information from the first computing node, and then the second computing node can send the second computing node's second data to the first computing node.

[0370] As an example, if a first computing node sends data to be computed for a first service to a second computing node, the second computing node can determine the first computing node as the master node based on the data to be computed for the first service from the first computing node. Furthermore, in this example, the first network device can also send service information of the first service to the second computing node, or the first computing node can send service information of the first service to the second computing node, or the first computing node can send context information of the terminal's first service to the second computing node. In this example, it is not necessary for the first network device to send information about the first computing node and / or service information of the first service to the second computing node; the second computing node can determine the first computing node as the master node based on the data to be computed for the first service from the first computing node.

[0371] As another example, if the first computing node sends service information of the first service to the second computing node, the first network device does not need to send information about the first computing node to the second computing node. The second computing node can determine the first computing node as the master node based on the service information of the first service. Accordingly, the second computing node can obtain the context information of the first service from the server corresponding to the first service based on the service information of the first service from the first computing node. After the second computing node calculates the result based on the context information and the data to be calculated, it can send the calculation result to the first computing node, i.e., the master node.

[0372] As another example, the first network device can send the context information of the terminal's first service to the second computing node. Accordingly, the second computing node can determine the first computing node as the master node based on the context information of the first service from the first computing node. In this case, the first network device does not need to send the information of the first computing node to the second computing node.

[0373] In one possible implementation, the first computing node can split the computing task corresponding to the first service. For example, the first computing node can split the computing task into a first computing task and a second computing task. The first computing node executes the first computing task, and the second computing node executes the second computing task. Therefore, the first computing node only needs to send the data to be computed for the second computing task to the second computing node to reduce transmission overhead and computing latency.

[0374] Optionally, in a scenario where the first computing node provides context information of the terminal's first service to the second computing node, the first computing node can split the context information required by the second computing node according to the division of the computing task. For example, the first computing node may only need to provide the context information required by the second computing node to execute the second computing task, without having to provide the complete context information. Specifically, the first computing node can split the context information of the terminal's first service; for instance, the first computing node may determine the first context information required by the first computing node to execute the first computing task, and use the remaining context information as the second context information required by the second computing task. The first computing node may send the second context information to the second computing node without needing to send the first context information. Correspondingly, the second computing node only needs to execute the second computing task based on the second context information.

[0375] The method for splitting the computing tasks corresponding to the first service can be agreed upon by the computing nodes or it can be set by the nodes themselves; this is not within the scope of protection of this application. The splitting of computing tasks can be based on computing power type (or service type), computing power, or storage capacity, etc. For example, it can be split based on the computing power of the computing tasks. The first computing node can determine the computing task corresponding to its maximum computing power, based on its own computing power and the total computing power of the first service, as the first computing task, and the remaining computing tasks as the second computing task.

[0376] In another possible implementation, the first network device can also split the computing tasks corresponding to the first service. For example, when the first network device determines that the first computing node and the second computing node jointly execute the computing tasks of the first service, it can split the computing tasks, such as splitting the computing tasks into a first computing task for the first computing node and a second computing task for the second computing node. The first network device can send task information of the first computing task to the first computing node and / or send task information of the second computing task to the second computing node. The task information may include task type information. For example, if the first service is a cloud gaming service, the computing tasks include background rendering, progress task rendering, and attack effect rendering, etc. The first network device can send the task type information of background rendering to the first computing node. In addition, the task information may also include a task number or index.

[0377] Optionally, the service information of the first service may include task information. For example, the service information of the first service may include multiple task type information, indicating that the computing tasks of the first service include multiple types. Different task types may correspond to the same or different computing power types, without specific restrictions. The first network device can assign different types of tasks to the same or different computing nodes. As another example, the service information of the first service may include multiple correspondences between task numbers and subtasks, where different task numbers can indicate different subtasks. The types of different subtasks may be the same or different. The first network device can assign different subtasks to the same or different computing nodes.

[0378] In addition, the task information for the first computing task may also include information such as the computing power type, computing power, or storage capacity of the first computing task, and the task information for the second computing task may also include information such as the computing power type, computing power, or storage capacity of the second computing task.

[0379] In this embodiment, the first computing node can provide the second computing node with complete context information and / or data to be computed for the first service of the terminal. That is, the first computing node does not need to split the task, and the first computing node and the second computing node can execute the computing task according to their respective task information.

[0380] As shown in Figure 10, taking the base station as the second network device and the computing power management device as the first network device as an example, the possible business process when the first computing node and the second computing node provide services for the terminal's first service may include the following steps:

[0381] S501 to S502 can be referenced from S201 to S202.

[0382] S503: The computing power management device determines the first computing node and the second computing node based on the computing demand information and the computing capacity information of the alternative computing nodes.

[0383] Specifically, the sum of the computing power of the first computing node and the second computing node meets the required computing power, and / or the sum of the storage capacity of the first computing node and the second computing node meets the required storage capacity. Furthermore, the network slices supported by the first computing node may include network chips corresponding to sessions, and the session and service continuity modes supported by the first computing node may include session and service continuity modes corresponding to sessions.

[0384] In other words, at least the first computing node supports establishing a session corresponding to the first service.

[0385] S504: The computing power management device sends the second information, the information of the second computing node, and the fifth information to the first computing node.

[0386] Referring to the description in S204, the second information includes the business information of the first service, such as at least one of the following: information of the server corresponding to the first service, process information corresponding to the first service, or account information corresponding to the first service.

[0387] The information of the second computing node can be used to indicate the second computing node as the auxiliary node for the computing task of the first service of the terminal.

[0388] The fifth piece of information can be used to indicate that the first computing node is the master node for the computing task of the first service of the terminal.

[0389] As shown in Figure 10, the second information, the information of the second computing node, and the fifth information can be carried in the computing power allocation message.

[0390] S504 can serve as an example of another implementation of S104.

[0391] S505: The computing power control node sends the second information and the information of the first computing node to the second computing node.

[0392] The second piece of information can be found in the description in S204.

[0393] The information from the first computing node can indicate the primary node for the computing task of the terminal's first service. The second computing node can determine its role as a secondary node based on the information from the first computing node.

[0394] It is understood that this application does not restrict the time order between S505 and S505.

[0395] As shown in Figure 9, the second information and the information of the first computing node can be carried in the computing power allocation message.

[0396] S506 to S507 can be implemented with reference to S205 to S206.

[0397] It is understood that any step between S506 and S507 can be performed after S504, and this application does not restrict the time order between any step between S506 and S507 and S505.

[0398] S508: The first computing node sends an acknowledgment response to the computing power management device, indicating that the first computing node acknowledges or agrees to execute the computing task of the terminal's first service.

[0399] S509: After receiving the confirmation character sent by the first computing node, the computing power management device updates the computing power information of the first computing node.

[0400] S508 to S509 can be referred to in the descriptions of S207 to S208 respectively, and will not be repeated here.

[0401] S510: The second computing node sends a context request to the server corresponding to the first service. Correspondingly, the server corresponding to the first service receives the context request.

[0402] S511: The server corresponding to the first service sends the context information of the first service of the terminal to the second computing node. Correspondingly, the second computing node receives the context information of the first service.

[0403] S510 to S511 can be implemented with reference to S205 to S206, the difference being that the first computing node in S205 to S206 is replaced with the second computing node.

[0404] It is understood that any step between S510 and S511 can be performed after S505. This application does not restrict the time order between any step between S510 and S511 and any step between S506 and S509.

[0405] S512: The second computing node sends a confirmation response to the computing power management device to indicate that the second computing node confirms or agrees to execute the computing task of the terminal's first service.

[0406] S513: After receiving the confirmation character sent by the second computing node, the computing power management device updates the computing power information of the second computing node.

[0407] S512 to S513 can be referred to the descriptions of S205 to S206 respectively. The difference is that the first computing node in S205 to S206 is replaced with the second computing node.

[0408] S514 to S516 can be implemented with reference to S209 to S211, and will not be described in detail here.

[0409] S517: After the session corresponding to the first service is established, the terminal sends the data to be computed for the first service to the first computing node through the session.

[0410] The first computing node can execute the computation task of the first business based on the context information and the data to be computed, and obtain the computation result.

[0411] S518: The first computing node sends the data to be computed to the second computing node.

[0412] Optionally, the first computing node can assign computing tasks. For example, it only needs to send the data to be computed corresponding to the computing task executed by the second computing node to the second computing node, without sending the complete data to be computed.

[0413] S519: The second computing node executes the task to be computed based on the context information and the data to be computed, and obtains the second data.

[0414] S520: The second computing node sends the second data to the first computing node.

[0415] S521: The first computing node summarizes the data based on the second data and the calculation results of the first computing node to determine the first data.

[0416] The calculation result of the first computing node can be obtained by the first computing node performing a calculation task based on context information and the data to be calculated.

[0417] Subsequently, the first computing node can send the first data to the base station through the session corresponding to the first service, and the base station can then send the first data to the terminal.

[0418] As can be seen in Figure 10, the example shown is that the first computing node and the second computing node request the context information of the terminal's first service from the server corresponding to the first service. In the process shown in Figure 10, the second network device can still request and trigger the establishment of the session corresponding to the first service. Alternatively, the first computing node can also request and trigger the establishment of the session corresponding to the first service. For example, referring to S304 in the process of Figure 8, the computing power management device can send the fourth information in S504, so that the first computing node, after receiving the fourth information, sends a session establishment request to the SMF to establish the session corresponding to the first service.

[0419] It is understood that Figure 10 above, which illustrates the corresponding method embodiment, describes how the first computing node and the second computing node jointly provide services for the terminal's first service. Alternatively, the first computing node, the second computing node, and other computing nodes can also jointly provide services for the terminal's first service. The first computing node can still act as the master node, and the functions of the other computing nodes are the same as those of the second computing node. The actions performed by the other computing nodes can refer to the actions performed by the second computing node. Furthermore, the actions performed by the first network device and the first computing node can be adaptively extended by referring to the actions performed when the first computing node and the second computing node jointly provide services for the terminal's first service, and will not be elaborated further.

[0420] In one possible embodiment, if the second network device is an access network device to which the terminal accesses, this access network device can obtain information about the first computing node. If the terminal's location changes, for example, if the terminal moves from the coverage area of ​​the second network device to the coverage area of ​​a third network device (e.g., a base station or its CU, DU, RU, etc.), the terminal can switch from the second network device to the third network device. The second network device can send the information about the first computing node to the third network device during or after the terminal handover process. Accordingly, the third network device can restore or re-establish the session corresponding to the first service after obtaining the information about the first computing node. Alternatively, the second network device can send the information about the third network device to the first computing node during or after the terminal handover process. Accordingly, the first computing node can restore or re-establish the session corresponding to the first service after obtaining the information about the third network device.

[0421] The session corresponding to the first service that is restored or re-established may be a session between the third network device and the first computing node; or, the session corresponding to the first service may also be a session between the terminal and the first computing node, and the session includes the connection between the terminal and the third network device, and the connection between the third network device and the first computing node.

[0422] It is understood that, in order to achieve the functions in the above embodiments, the terminal device or network device includes hardware structures and / or software modules corresponding to perform each function. Those skilled in the art should readily recognize that, based on the units and method steps of the various examples described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed in this application, this application can be implemented in hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether a function is executed by hardware or by computer software driving hardware depends on the specific application scenario and design constraints of the technical solution.

[0423] Figures 11 and 12 are schematic diagrams of possible communication devices provided in embodiments of this application. These communication devices can be used to implement the functions of the first network device (or first communication device), the first computing node (or the second communication device), the second network device (or the third communication device), the second computing node, or the terminal (or the fourth communication device) in the above method embodiments, and thus can also achieve the beneficial effects of the above method embodiments. In the embodiments of this application, the communication device can be the first network device, the first computing node, the second network device, or the terminal, or it can be a module or component (such as a chip) applied to the first network device, the first computing node, the second network device, or the terminal. For example, the communication device can be used to implement the functions of the first network device (or computing power management device), the first computing node, the terminal, or the second network device (or base station) in the processes shown in Figures 6 to 10.

[0424] The communication device 1100 shown in Figure 11 includes a processing unit 1110 and a transceiver unit 1120. The communication device 1100 is used to implement the functions of the terminal device or network device in the above method embodiments.

[0425] Taking the process shown in Figure 6 as an example, when the communication device 1100 is used to implement the functions of the terminal in the method embodiment shown in Figure 6, the processing unit 1110 and / or the transceiver unit 1120 can be used to determine the first information. The transceiver unit 1120 can be used to send the first information. The first information may include the computational requirements information of the first service and the service information of the first service.

[0426] When the communication device 1100 is used to implement the function of the first network device in the method embodiment shown in FIG6, the transceiver unit 1120 can be used to receive first information. The processing unit 1110 can be used to determine the first computing node based on the computing requirements information of the first service and the computing capability information of the candidate computing nodes. The transceiver unit 1120 can also be used to send second information to the first computing node.

[0427] In one possible implementation, when the communication device 1100 is used to implement the function of the first network device, the transceiver unit 1120 can be used to send third information to the second network device or send fourth information to the first computing node.

[0428] When the communication device 1100 is used to implement the function of the first computing node in the method embodiment shown in FIG6, the transceiver unit 1120 can be used to receive second information. The processing unit 1110 can be used to execute the computing task of the first service according to the service information to obtain the first data of the first service.

[0429] In one possible implementation, when the communication device 1100 is used to implement the function of the first computing node in the above method embodiment, the transceiver unit 1120 can also be used to send sixth information to the server corresponding to the first service and receive context information of the first service from the terminal of the server, as detailed in the description of the method embodiment. The transceiver unit 1120 can also be used to receive fourth information from the first network device, and the processing unit 1110 can be used to trigger the establishment of a session corresponding to the first service based on the fourth information.

[0430] Taking the process shown in Figure 9 as an example, when the communication device 1100 is used to implement the function of the base station in the method embodiment shown in Figure 9, the transceiver unit 1120 can be used to receive the first information from the terminal. The processing unit 1110 can determine whether the base station is the first computing node based on the computing requirement information of the first service and the computing capability information of the base station. The transceiver unit 1120 can also be used to send a computing power update instruction to the computing power management device when the base station is the first computing node.

[0431] Taking the process shown in Figure 10 as an example, when the communication device 1100 is used to implement the function of the first computing node in the method embodiment shown in Figure 10, the transceiver unit 1120 can be used to send the data to be calculated for the first service to the second computing node. The transceiver unit 1120 can also receive second data from the second computing node, and the processing unit 1110 can summarize the second data and the calculation results of the first computing node to obtain the first data. The transceiver unit 1120 can also send the first data to the terminal (or the second network device) through the session corresponding to the first service.

[0432] When the communication device 1100 is used to implement the function of the second computing node in the method embodiment shown in FIG10, the transceiver unit 1120 can receive second information from the first network device and information from the first computing node. The transceiver unit 1120 can also send a context request to the server corresponding to the first service and receive context information of the first service from the terminal of the server. The processing unit 1110 can be used to execute the computing task of the first service according to the context information to obtain second data. The transceiver unit 1120 can also send the second data to the first computing node.

[0433] For a more detailed description of the processing unit 1110 and the transceiver unit 1120, please refer directly to the description of the relevant features in the above method embodiments, which will not be repeated here.

[0434] The communication device 1200 shown in Figure 12 includes a processor 1210 and an interface circuit 1220. The processor 1210 and the interface circuit 1220 are coupled to each other. It is understood that the interface circuit 1220 can be a transceiver or an input / output interface. Optionally, the communication device 1200 may also include a memory 1230 for storing instructions executed by the processor 1210, or storing input data required by the processor 1210 to execute instructions, or storing data generated after the processor 1210 executes instructions.

[0435] When the communication device 1200 is used to implement the above method embodiment, the processor 1210 is used to implement the function of the processing unit 1110, and the interface circuit 1220 is used to implement the function of the transceiver unit 1120.

[0436] It is understood that the processor in the embodiments of this application can be a central processing unit (CPU), or other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSPs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), microprocessors without interlocked piped stages architecture (MIPS), advanced instruction set computers (RISC) machines (ARM), network processors (NPs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), or other programmable logic devices, transistor logic devices, hardware components, or any combination thereof. A general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor or any conventional processor.

[0437] The method steps in the embodiments of this application can be implemented in hardware or by a processor executing software instructions. The software instructions can consist of corresponding software modules, which can be stored in random access memory, flash memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, erasable programmable read-only memory, electrically erasable programmable read-only memory, registers, hard disks, portable hard disks, compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), or any other form of storage medium known in the art. An exemplary storage medium is coupled to a processor, enabling the processor to read information from and write information to the storage medium. Of course, the storage medium can also be a component of the processor. The processor and storage medium can reside in an ASIC. Furthermore, the ASIC can reside in a first network device (or a first communication device), a first computing node (or a second communication device), a second network device (or a third communication device), a second computing node, or a terminal (or a fourth communication device). Of course, the processor and storage medium can also exist as discrete components in the first network device (or the first communication device), the first computing node (or the second communication device), the second network device (or the third communication device), the second computing node, or the terminal (or the fourth communication device).

[0438] In the above embodiments, implementation can be achieved entirely or partially through software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented using software, it can be implemented entirely or partially in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer programs or instructions. A computer program is a set of instructions that directs each step of an action of an electronic computer or other device with message processing capabilities. It is typically written in a programming language and runs on a target architecture. When the computer program or instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, the processes or functions described in the embodiments of this application are performed, in whole or in part. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable device. The computer program or instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transferred from one computer-readable storage medium to another. For example, the computer program or instructions can be transferred from one website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center via wired or wireless means. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that a computer can access or a data storage device such as a server or data center that integrates one or more available media. The available medium can be a magnetic medium, such as a floppy disk, hard disk, or magnetic tape; it can also be an optical medium, such as a digital video optical disc; or it can be a semiconductor medium, such as a solid-state drive. The computer-readable storage medium can be volatile or non-volatile, or it can include both types of storage media.

[0439] Based on the same technical concept, embodiments of this application also provide a computer-readable storage medium, including a program or instructions, which, when run on a computer, cause the methods in the above method embodiments to be executed.

[0440] Based on the same technical concept, embodiments of this application also provide a computer program product, including instructions that, when run on a computer, cause the methods in the above method embodiments to be executed.

[0441] Based on the same technical concept, embodiments of this application also provide a communication system. Taking the communication method shown in FIG6 as an example, the communication system may include a first network device (or a first communication device), a first computing node (or a second communication device), and a terminal (or a fourth communication device). Taking the communication methods shown in FIG7 to 9 as another example, the communication system may include a first network device (or a first communication device), a first computing node (or a second communication device), a second network device (or a third communication device, such as a base station or a CU, DU, RU, etc. in a base station), and a terminal (or a fourth communication device). Taking the communication method shown in FIG10 as yet another example, the communication system may include a first network device (or a first communication device), a second network device (or a third communication device, such as a base station or a CU, DU, RU, etc. in a base station), and a terminal (or a fourth communication device).

[0442] Those skilled in the art will understand that embodiments of this application can be provided as methods, systems, or computer program products. Therefore, this application can take the form of a completely hardware embodiment, a completely software embodiment, or an embodiment combining software and hardware aspects. Furthermore, this application can take the form of a computer program product embodied on one or more computer-usable storage media (including but not limited to disk storage, CD-ROM, optical storage, etc.) containing computer-usable program code.

[0443] In the various embodiments of this application, unless otherwise specified or in case of logical conflict, the terminology and / or descriptions of different embodiments are consistent and can be referenced by each other. The technical features of different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments according to their inherent logical relationship.

[0444] In this application, "at least one" means one or more, and "more than one" means two or more. "And / or" describes the relationship between related objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can represent: A alone, A and B simultaneously, or B alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. In the textual description of this application, the character " / " generally indicates an "or" relationship between the preceding and following related objects; in the formulas of this application, the character " / " indicates a "division" relationship between the preceding and following related objects.

[0445] It is understood that the various numerical designations used in the embodiments of this application are merely for descriptive convenience and are not intended to limit the scope of the embodiments of this application. The order of the process numbers described above does not imply the order of execution; the execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic.

Claims

1. A communication method characterized by comprising: A chip applied to or in a first network device, comprising: receiving first information of a terminal, the first information being used for requesting a computing node of a first service of the terminal, the first information comprising computing requirement information of the first service and service information of the first service; determining a first computing node from alternative computing nodes according to the computing requirement information and computing capability information of the alternative computing nodes; sending second information to the first computing node, the second information being used for requesting the first computing node to perform a computing task of the first service, the second information comprising the service information.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, The receiving first information of the terminal comprises: receiving the first information from a second network device; The method further comprises: sending third information to the second network device, the third information being used for triggering establishment of a session between the second network device and the first computing node, the session being used for transmission of data of the first service, the third information comprising information of the first computing node.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein, The third information further comprises session parameters of the session, the session parameters comprising at least one of the following information: quality of service parameters corresponding to the session; an identifier of the session; network slice information corresponding to the session; session and service continuity mode information of the session.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein, The receiving first information of the terminal comprises: receiving the first information from a second network device; The second information further comprises fourth information, the fourth information being used for triggering establishment of a session between the second network device and the first computing node, the session being used for transmission of data of the first service, the fourth information comprising information of the second network device.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein, The fourth information further comprises session parameters of the session, the session parameters comprising at least one of the following information: quality of service parameters corresponding to the session; an identifier of the session; network slice information corresponding to the session; session and service continuity mode information of the session.

6. The method of claim 3 or 5, wherein, The first information further comprises the session parameters.

7. The method of any one of claims 1-6, wherein, The method further comprises: determining a second computing node according to the computing requirement information and computing capability information of alternative computing nodes, the computing task of the first service being performed by the first computing node and the second computing node jointly; The second information further comprises information of the second computing node and fifth information, the fifth information being used for indicating the first computing node as a master node of the computing task.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein, The method further comprises: sending the service information to the second computing node; or sending information of the first computing node and the service information to the second computing node.

9. The method of any one of claims 1-8, wherein, The computing capability information comprises at least one of the following information: computing power type; computing power amount; storage amount; supported network slice information; supported session and service continuity mode information; location information.

10. The method of any one of claims 1-9, wherein, The computing requirement information comprises at least one of the following information: a first identifier corresponding to at least one of the following: required computing power type, required computing power amount, required storage amount, or required computing latency; required computing power type; required computing power amount; a storage amount of the demand; a calculation time delay of the demand.

11. The method of any one of claims 1-10, wherein, The service information includes at least one of the following information: information of a server corresponding to the first service; process information corresponding to the first service; account information corresponding to the first service.

12. A communication method characterized by comprising: An application applied to a first computing node or a chip in the first computing node includes: receiving second information from a first network device, the second information being used for requesting to perform a computing task of a first service of a terminal, and the second information including service information of the first service, the service information including at least one of the following information: information of a server corresponding to the first service, process information corresponding to the first service, or account information corresponding to the first service; performing the computing task of the first service according to the service information, to obtain first data of the first service of the terminal.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein, The performing the computing task of the first service according to the service information of the first service includes: sending sixth information to the server according to the information of the server corresponding to the first service, the sixth information being used for obtaining context information corresponding to the first service, and the sixth information including the process information and / or the account information corresponding to the first service; receiving first context information corresponding to the first service from the server; performing the computing task of the first service according to the first context information.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein, The service information includes at least one of the following information: information of the server; the process information; the account information.

15. The method of any one of claims 12-14, wherein, The second information further includes fourth information, the fourth information being used for triggering establishment of a session between a second network device and the first computing node, the session being used for transmission of data of the first service, and the fourth information including information of the second network device; The method further includes: triggering establishment of the session according to the fourth information.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein, The fourth information further includes session parameters of the session, and the session parameters include at least one of the following information: quality of service parameters corresponding to the session; an identifier of the session; network slice information corresponding to the session; session and service continuity mode information of the session.

17. The method of any one of claims 12-16, wherein, The second information further includes information of a second computing node and fifth information, the fifth information being used for indicating that the first computing node is a master node of the computing task, and the computing task of the first service being performed by the first computing node and the second computing node jointly; The method further includes: receiving first data of the first service of the terminal from the second computing node.

18. The method of any one of claims 12-16, wherein, The second information further includes information of a second computing node, and the method further includes: sending the first data to the second computing node.

19. The method of claim 13, wherein, The second information further includes information of a second computing node; The performing the computing task of the first service according to the first context information includes: sending second context information to the second computing node, the second context information being obtained according to the first context information; receiving second data of the first service of the terminal from the second computing node; determining the first data according to the second data.

20. The method of any one of claims 12-19, wherein, The method further comprises: sending the computing capability information of the first computing node, the computing capability information comprising at least one of: computing power type; computing power amount; storage amount; supported network slice information; supported session and service continuity mode information; location information.

21. A method of communication, comprising: The application applied to a second network device or a chip in the second network device comprises: receiving first information of a terminal, the first information being used for requesting a computing node of a first service of the terminal, the first information comprising computing requirement information of the first service and service information of the first service; determining the second network device as the computing node of the first service according to computing capability information of the second network device and the computing requirement information; performing a computing task of the first service according to the service information, and obtaining third data of the first service of the terminal.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein, sending seventh information to a server corresponding to the first service according to information of the server, the seventh information being used for obtaining context information corresponding to the first service, the seventh information comprising process information and / or account information corresponding to the first service; receiving third context information corresponding to the first service from the server; performing the computing task of the first service according to the third context information.

23. The method of claim 21 or 22, wherein, The service information comprises at least one of: information of the server; the process information; the account information.

24. The method of any one of claims 21-23, wherein, The method further comprises: determining eighth information according to the computing requirement information and the computing capability information of the second network device, the eighth information being used for updating the computing capability information of the second network device stored by the first network device; sending the eighth information to the first network device.

25. The method of any one of claims 21-24, wherein, The method further comprises: determining that the first information is related to a computing request of the first service.

26. The method of any one of claims 21-25, wherein, The computing capability information comprises at least one of: computing power type; computing power amount; storage amount; supported network slice information; supported session and service continuity mode information; location information.

27. A communications device, characterized by comprising units or modules for performing the method of any one of claims 1-11, or comprising units or modules for performing the method of any one of claims 12-20, or comprising units or modules for performing the method of any one of claims 21-26.

28. A communications device, characterized by comprising a processor for executing computer programs or instructions to implement the method of any one of claims 1-11, or to implement the method of any one of claims 12-20, or to implement the method of any one of claims 21-26.

29. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The storage medium stores computer programs or instructions, when the computer programs or instructions are executed by a communication device, the method of any one of claims 1-11 is implemented, or the method of any one of claims 12-20 is implemented, or the method of any one of claims 21-26 is implemented.

30. A computer program product, characterised in that, When the computer program product is executed by a computer, it causes the computer to perform the method of any one of claims 1-11, or, the method of any one of claims 12-20, or, the method of any one of claims 21-26.

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