Communication method and communication apparatus

Abstract

Provided in the present application are a communication method and a communication apparatus. In the method, an access network device can obtain one or more sets of QoS parameters for computing service granularity. The one or more sets of QoS parameters are determined on the basis of a transmission performance requirement of a computing service, and are applicable to one or more terminals accessing the computing service. When a terminal needs to access the computing service, the access network device can determine a target QoS parameter, for example, the determination can be made according to the wireless transmission capability, thereby ensuring the transmission performance of the computing service. Since the requirement of the computing service for transmission performance is determined according to the service requirement of the computing service and the computing performance, it is also conducive to meeting the service requirement of the computing service. In addition, this application further provides a plurality of combinations of transmission performance and computing performance to dynamically ensure the service requirement of the computing service.

Description

Communication method and communication apparatus

[0001] The present application claims priority to the Chinese patent application No. 202411301172.2, filed on September 14, 2024, with the State Intellectual Property Office of China, and the Chinese patent application No. 202411301172.2 has the invention name of “Communication method and communication apparatus”, the whole content of which is incorporated herein by reference. TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] The present application relates to the field of communication, in particular to a communication method and a communication apparatus. BACKGROUND

[0003] Computing service, also known as computing power service, provides computing power as a service to users through cloud computing, edge computing, etc.

[0004] At present, cloud edge nodes are gradually moving down to network access nodes, and the access network can undertake part of the computing function. The computing function can be an internal function of the access network device, or an external function separate from the logical function of the access network device.

[0005] However, due to the real-time changes in the environment of the wireless channel, when the computing service data is shunted to the access network, how to guarantee the transmission performance of the computing service to meet the business requirements of the computing service is still a technical problem that has not been solved. SUMMARY

[0006] The present application provides a communication method and a communication apparatus to meet the transmission performance requirements of the computing service, and further meet the business requirements of the computing service.

[0007] In a first aspect, a communication method is provided, which can be executed by a communication apparatus. The communication apparatus can be an access network device, or can be a component in the access network device, such as a circuit, a processor, a chip, a chip system, etc., or can be a part or all of the functional logic modules or software of the access network device, etc. In the following, for the convenience of understanding and description, the method is described by taking the access network device as an example, but this should not constitute any limitation on the present application.

[0008] Exemplarily, the method comprises: obtaining one or more sets of quality of service (QoS) parameters of a computing service, the one or more sets of QoS parameters being applicable to one or more terminals accessing the computing service; receiving first indication information from a first terminal, the first indication information being used to indicate that the first terminal accesses the computing service; and determining, according to the first indication information, a target QoS parameter of the computing service, the target QoS parameter supporting transmission performance meeting a requirement of the computing service on transmission performance, the target QoS parameter being one of the one or more sets of QoS parameters.

[0009] The requirement of the computing service on transmission performance can be represented by parameters such as transmission delay and transmission bandwidth. Transmission performance can be supported by one or more sets of QoS parameters. A QoS parameter can be regarded as a parameter used to guarantee communication (or information transmission).

[0010] Based on the above technical solution, the access network device can obtain one or more sets of QoS parameters at the granularity of a computing service, and can determine a target QoS parameter in response to access of a terminal to a computing service, so as to meet a requirement of the computing service on transmission performance. This is equivalent to providing a QoS parameter specially for the computing service, that is, providing a dedicated bearer for data of the computing service. Therefore, the computing service level transmission performance can be guaranteed without the data routing passing through the core network and / or the core network control plane being moved down.

[0011] In addition, since the QoS parameter in the present application is at the granularity of a computing service, the access network device does not need to obtain a QoS parameter for each session of a terminal, thereby avoiding obtaining a QoS parameter at the granularity of a terminal through excessive signaling interaction and a lengthy process, so that the response of the QoS is more rapid, and thus the business requirement of the computing service can be met and the user experience can be improved.

[0012] Optionally, the obtaining one or more sets of QoS parameters of the computing service comprises: receiving second indication information, the second indication information indicating the one or more sets of QoS parameters.

[0013] In combination with the first aspect, in some possible implementation manners of the first aspect, the determining, according to the first indication information, the target QoS parameter of the computing service comprises: determining, according to the first indication information and wireless transmission capability, the target QoS parameter of the computing service.

[0014] The wireless transmission capability mainly refers to transmission capability of a wireless transmission link between the access network device and the terminal, which can be represented by parameters such as transmission delay and transmission speed.

[0015] Since one or more sets of QoS parameters are configured for one computing service, the access network device can select one set of QoS parameters as target QoS parameters from the one or more sets of QoS parameters according to the current wireless transmission capability. The one or more sets of QoS parameters can cope with different wireless transmission capabilities of the access network device in different time periods, different wireless transmission capabilities of the access network device in different locations, and different terminals or terminals accessing the network in different locations, and provide alternative QoS parameters for the same computing service, which is beneficial to dynamically guarantee the service requirements of the computing service.

[0016] In combination with the first aspect, in some possible implementation manners of the first aspect, the requirement of the computing service on the transmission performance is determined according to a service requirement of the computing service and a computing performance supported by the computing service.

[0017] The service requirement of the computing service can refer to the time (or latency) required for one computing task (i.e., one computing task invocation) to be completed, including the transmission part and the computing part. Therefore, the service requirement of the computing service is met from the two aspects of transmission and computing.

[0018] The computing performance can be represented by the time (or latency) required for the computing part of one computing task (i.e., one computing task invocation) to be completed. The computing performance supported by the computing service refers to the computing performance that can be supported by a service instance providing the computing service.

[0019] Since the requirement of the computing service on the transmission performance is determined according to the service requirement of the computing service and the computing performance supported by the computing service, and the transmission performance supported by the target QoS parameters meets the requirement of the computing service on the transmission performance, the guarantee of the transmission performance of the computing service is also beneficial to meet the service requirement of the computing service and improve the user experience.

[0020] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementation manners of the first aspect, the one or more sets of QoS parameters have a corresponding relationship with one or more levels of computing performance.

[0021] Since each set of QoS parameters can support one level of transmission performance, in this application, the corresponding relationship between the one or more sets of QoS parameters and one or more levels of computing performance can also be replaced by the corresponding relationship between one or more levels of transmission performance and one or more levels of computing performance.

[0022] Optionally, the second indication information further indicates the corresponding relationship between the one or more levels of computing performance and the one or more sets of QoS parameters.

[0023] In a possible implementation, the second indication information indicates the parameter values in each of the one or more sets of QoS parameters while indicating the correspondence between the one or more levels of computing performance and the one or more sets of QoS parameters. In this case, a possible implementation of the second indication information indicating the one or more sets of QoS parameters is to indicate the correspondence between the one or more levels of computing performance and the one or more sets of QoS parameters.

[0024] In another possible implementation, the second indication information can separately indicate the one or more sets of QoS parameters and the correspondence between the one or more levels of computing performance and the one or more sets of QoS parameters.

[0025] Optionally, a transmission performance supported by each of the one or more sets of QoS parameters corresponds to a level of computing performance supported by the computing service.

[0026] In other words, the one or more sets of QoS parameters correspond to the one or more levels of computing performance in one-to-one correspondence. A set of QoS parameters corresponding to a level of computing performance satisfies the service requirement of the computing service. Alternatively, a transmission performance supported by a set of QoS parameters corresponding to a level of computing performance satisfies the service requirement of the computing service.

[0027] Optionally, the computing service supports multiple levels of computing performance, the multiple levels of computing performance are different, and each of the one or more sets of QoS parameters corresponds to a level of computing performance in the multiple levels of computing performance.

[0028] In the case of a certain service requirement of the computing service, the computing service supports multiple levels of computing performance, and the requirement of the computing service on the transmission performance also has multiple levels, so that multiple combinations of computing performance and transmission performance can be provided to dynamically guarantee the service requirement of the computing service, for example, when the transmission quality is degraded, a service instance with better computing performance can be selected. In addition, different wireless transmission capabilities of access network devices in different locations can also be considered, and for different terminals, a terminal accessing a network in a different location, a combination of different QoS parameters and computing performance is selected for the same computing service to dynamically guarantee the service requirement of the computing service and improve user experience.

[0029] With reference to the first aspect, in some possible implementation of the first aspect, the method further includes: receiving a first data packet from the first terminal; and sending a second data packet to a second network element, the second data packet being generated according to the first data packet, and the second data packet carrying indication information of the target QoS parameter, the second network element being configured to provide and / or manage the computing service.

[0030] The indication information of the target QoS parameter can be used by a second network element receiving the first data packet to determine a target computing performance, and then select a target service instance supporting the target computing performance, so as to provide the computing service for the first terminal through the target service instance. Since the target service instance corresponds to the target computing performance, and the target computing performance corresponds to the target QoS parameter, the business requirement of the computing service can be met from both the computing performance and the transmission performance.

[0031] In combination with the first aspect, in some possible implementation manners of the first aspect, the method further includes: receiving a first data packet from the first terminal; determining a target computing performance corresponding to a target QoS parameter according to the correspondence between the one or more sets of QoS parameters and the one or more levels of computing performance; and sending a second data packet to a second network element, the second data packet being generated according to the first data packet, and the second data packet carrying indication information of the target computing performance, the second network element being configured to provide and / or manage the computing service.

[0032] The indication information of the target computing performance can be used by a second network element receiving the first data packet to determine a target service instance supporting the target computing performance, so as to provide the computing service for the first terminal through the target service instance. Since the target service instance corresponds to the target computing performance, and the target computing performance corresponds to the target QoS parameter, the business requirement of the computing service can be met from both the computing performance and the transmission performance.

[0033] In combination with the first aspect, in some possible implementation manners of the first aspect, the one or more levels of computing performance have a correspondence with one or more service instances configured to provide the computing service.

[0034] The one or more service instances are configured to provide the computing service, and each level of computing performance in the one or more levels of computing performance corresponds to at least one service instance in the one or more service instances, and each level of computing performance is supported by the corresponding at least one service instance.

[0035] Optionally, the second indication information further indicates the correspondence between the one or more levels of computing performance and the one or more service instances.

[0036] The second indication information indicates the correspondence between the one or more levels of computing performance and the one or more service instances, and indicates the correspondence between the one or more levels of computing performance and the one or more sets of QoS parameters, and the one or more sets of QoS parameters at the same time. Alternatively, the one or more sets of QoS parameters, the correspondence between the one or more levels of computing performance and the one or more sets of QoS parameters, and the correspondence between the one or more levels of computing performance and the one or more service instances can be indicated separately. The present application does not limit this.

[0037] With reference to the first aspect, in some possible implementation forms of the first aspect, the method further includes: receiving a first data packet from the first terminal; determining a target computing performance corresponding to the target QoS parameter according to the correspondence between the one or more sets of QoS parameters and the one or more levels of computing performance; determining a service instance corresponding to the target computing performance according to the correspondence between the one or more levels of computing performance and the one or more service instances, the service instance supporting the target computing performance; and sending a second data packet to a second network element, the second data packet being generated according to the first data packet, the second data packet carrying indication information of the service instance, the second network element being configured to provide and / or manage the computing service.

[0038] The indication information of the service instance can be used to indicate one or more service instances supporting the target computing performance. The second network element receiving the first data packet determines a target service instance to provide the computing service for the first terminal through the target service instance. Since the target service instance corresponds to the target computing performance, and the target computing performance corresponds to the target QoS parameter, the service requirement of the computing service can be met from both the computing performance and the transmission performance.

[0039] With reference to the first aspect, in some possible implementation forms of the first aspect, the first data packet further carries an identifier of the computing service.

[0040] The identifier of the computing service can be used to identify the computing service, thereby facilitating the access network device to identify the computing service, and further determine the target QoS parameter and the computing node capable of providing the computing service, so as to provide the corresponding computing service for the first terminal.

[0041] With reference to the first aspect, in some possible implementation forms of the first aspect, the one or more sets of QoS parameters are included in a configuration file of the computing service, or the one or more sets of QoS parameters are included in a configuration file of a computing node, the computing node being configured to provide and / or manage the computing service.

[0042] Alternatively, the second indication information is included in a configuration file of the computing service, or the second indication information is included in a configuration file of a computing node, the computing node being configured to provide the computing service.

[0043] In a second aspect, a communication method is provided, which can be performed by a communication apparatus. The communication apparatus can be a network element capable of implementing intelligent unit control functions, hereinafter referred to as a first network element, or can be a component such as a circuit, processor, chip, chip system, etc. in the first network element, or can be a part or all of the functional logic modules or software of the first network element, etc. Hereinafter, the method is described by taking the first network element as an example for the convenience of understanding and description, but this should not constitute any limitation on the present application.

[0044] Exemplarily, the method comprises: determining one or more sets of QoS parameters corresponding to one or more levels of computing performance supported by a computing service, each level of transmission performance meeting the service requirement of the computing service supported by a corresponding set of QoS parameters; and sending second indication information to an access network device, the second indication information indicating the one or more sets of QoS parameters.

[0045] Based on the above technical solution, the first network element can determine one or more sets of QoS parameters at the granularity of the computing service, and indicate the one or more sets of QoS parameters to the access network device through the second indication information, so as to facilitate the access network device to determine the target QoS parameter capable of meeting the requirement of the computing service on transmission performance when receiving an access to the computing service (or a scheduling of a computing task). Thus, the transmission performance at the computing service level can be guaranteed for the computing service without the data routing passing through the core network and / or the core network control plane being downshifted.

[0046] In combination with the second aspect, in some possible implementation manners of the second aspect, the method further comprises: determining the one or more sets of QoS parameters corresponding to the one or more levels of computing performance according to computing service information of a computing node, the computing node being configured to provide the computing service, the computing service information indicating one or more of the following: an identifier of the computing service, a service requirement of the computing service, one or more levels of computing performance supported by the computing service, a requirement of the computing service on transmission performance under the one or more levels of computing performance supported by the computing service, or a service characteristic parameter of the computing service.

[0047] That is, the first network element can determine the mapping relationship information between the one or more levels of computing performance supported by the computing service and the one or more sets of QoS parameters by itself using the above information.

[0048] With reference to the second aspect, in some possible implementation of the second aspect, the method further includes: sending, to a policy control function (PCF), computing service information of a computing node, the computing node being configured to provide the computing service, the computing service information indicating one or more of an identity of the computing service, a traffic demand of the computing service, one or more levels of computing performance supported by the computing service, a demand of the computing service on transmission performance under the one or more levels of computing performance supported by the computing service, or a traffic characteristic parameter of the computing service; receiving, from the PCF, mapping relationship information, the mapping relationship information indicating a correspondence between the one or more levels of computing performance supported by the computing service and one or more sets of QoS parameters; and determining, according to the mapping relationship information, the one or more sets of QoS parameters corresponding to the one or more levels of computing performance supported by the computing service.

[0049] That is, the first network element obtains the mapping relationship information through interaction with the PCF.

[0050] Optionally, before the determining the one or more sets of QoS parameters corresponding to the one or more levels of computing performance supported by the computing service, the method further includes: receiving the computing service information from a second network element, the second network element being configured to provide and / or manage the computing service.

[0051] It should be understood that the second network element can be a computing node, can be a service management system configured to manage the computing service, or can be a load balance (LB) function of the computing node, which can be integrated in the computing node or can exist independently of the computing node. The present application does not limit this. It can be understood that when the LB function is integrated in the computing node, the computing node can also be configured to manage the computing service.

[0052] By receiving the computing service information from the computing node, the first network element can obtain the mapping relationship information.

[0053] With reference to the second aspect, in some possible implementation of the second aspect, the method further includes: sending, to a PCF, an identity of the computing service, the identity of the computing service being used to obtain mapping relationship information, the mapping relationship information indicating a correspondence between one or more levels of computing performance supported by the computing service and one or more sets of QoS parameters; receiving, from the PCF, the mapping relationship information; and determining, according to the mapping relationship information, the one or more sets of QoS parameters corresponding to the one or more levels of computing performance supported by the computing service.

[0054] That is, the first network element obtains the mapping relationship information through interaction with the PCF.

[0055] With reference to the second aspect, in some possible implementation of the second aspect, the method further includes: sending the mapping relationship information to the second network element.

[0056] The mapping relationship information is sent to the second network element, so that the second network element can determine the target computing performance corresponding to the target QoS parameter according to the mapping relationship information in a case where a data packet from the access network device is received, and then route the data packet to a service instance capable of supporting the target computing performance, so as to meet the business requirement of the computing service.

[0057] With reference to the second aspect, in some possible implementation of the second aspect, the second indication information further indicates a correspondence between the one or more levels of computing performance and the one or more sets of QoS parameters.

[0058] The correspondence between the computing performance and the QoS parameter is indicated to the access network device, so that the access network device can determine the target QoS parameter according to the correspondence between the computing performance and the QoS parameter in a case where a data packet from the terminal is received, and then determine the corresponding target computing performance.

[0059] Further, the one or more levels of computing performance have a correspondence with one or more service instances for providing the computing service; and the second indication information further indicates a correspondence between the one or more levels of computing performance and the one or more service instances.

[0060] The correspondence between the computing performance and the service instance is indicated to the access network device, so that the access network device can first determine the target QoS parameter, and then determine the corresponding target computing performance according to the correspondence between the computing performance and the QoS parameter, and then select a service instance supporting the target computing performance according to the correspondence between the computing performance and the service instance in a case where a data packet from the terminal is received.

[0061] For some possible implementation and beneficial effects of the second aspect, refer to the related description of the first aspect, which will not be repeated here.

[0062] In a third aspect, a communication method is provided, which can be executed by a communication apparatus. The communication apparatus can be a network element having a function of providing and / or managing a computing service, hereinafter referred to as a second network element, or can also be a component in the second network element, such as a circuit, a processor, a chip, a chip system, etc., or can also be a part or all of the function logic module or software of the second network element, etc. Hereinafter, for the convenience of understanding and description, the method is described by taking the second network element as an example, but this should not constitute any limitation to the present application.

[0063] Exemplarily, the method comprises: receiving a second data packet from an access network device, the second data packet carrying data from a first terminal and one or more of the following: indication information of a target QoS parameter, indication information of a target computing performance, or indication information of a service instance; wherein the target QoS parameter supports a transmission performance and the target computing performance meet a service requirement of a computing service, the service instance is used to provide the computing service and supports the target computing performance; determining a target service instance according to one or more of the second data packet: the indication information of the target QoS parameter, the indication information of the target computing performance, or the indication information of the service instance, the target service instance being used to provide the computing service for the first terminal and supporting the target computing performance.

[0064] Based on the above technical solution, the second network element can determine a target service instance according to the information carried in the data packet when receiving the data packet, and then provide the computing service for the first terminal through the target service instance. Since the target service instance can be determined according to the target service performance, and the target service performance can be determined according to the target QoS parameter, the determination of the target service instance takes into account both the computing performance and the transmission performance, which is conducive to meeting the service requirement of the computing service and improving the user experience.

[0065] In combination with the third aspect, in some possible implementation manners of the third aspect, the method further comprises: sending a third data packet to the target service instance, the third data packet being generated according to the second data packet, and the third data packet carrying data from the first terminal.

[0066] It should be understood that the target service instance can be integrated in the second network element or can be independent of the second network element. In the case where the target service instance is integrated in the second network element, sending the third data packet to the target service instance can be regarded as the transmission of the third data packet inside the device of the second network element.

[0067] In combination with the third aspect, in some possible implementation manners of the third aspect, one or more levels of computing performance supported by the computing service have a corresponding relationship with one or more sets of QoS parameters; the second data packet carries the indication information of the target QoS parameter, and the method further comprises: determining the target computing performance according to the target QoS parameter and the corresponding relationship; the target QoS parameter is one of the one or more sets of QoS parameters, and the target computing performance is one of the one or more levels of computing performance; and obtaining the identifier of the target service instance according to the target computing performance.

[0068] That is, the second network element determines the target computing performance according to the target QoS parameter, and then determines the target service instance according to the target computing performance or through interaction with other network elements.

[0069] Optionally, the method further comprises: obtaining mapping relationship information, the mapping relationship information indicating a corresponding relationship between the one or more levels of computing performance and the one or more sets of QoS parameters.

[0070] With reference to the third aspect, in some possible implementation of the third aspect, the one or more levels of computing performance have a corresponding relationship with one or more service instances; the second data packet carries indication information of the target computing performance, and the method further comprises: obtaining an identifier of the target service instance according to the indication information of the target computing performance.

[0071] That is, the second network element determines the target service instance according to the target computing performance, or determines the target service instance through interaction with other network elements.

[0072] With reference to the third aspect, in some possible implementation of the third aspect, the second data packet further carries an identifier of the computing service.

[0073] With reference to the third aspect, in some possible implementation of the third aspect, the method further comprises: generating computing service information of a computing node, the computing node being configured to provide a computing service, the computing service information indicating one or more of the following: an identifier of the computing service, a service requirement of the computing service, one or more levels of computing performance supported by the computing service, a requirement of the computing service on transmission performance under the one or more levels of computing performance supported by the computing service, or a service characteristic parameter of the computing service; and sending the computing service information to the first network element.

[0074] By sending the computing service information of the computing node to the first network element, the first network element can determine one or more sets of QoS parameters corresponding to the one or more levels of computing performance supported by the computing service based on the computing service information. Since the computing service information contains information of at least one of the service requirement of the computing service, the computing performance supported by the computing service, and the requirement of the computing service on transmission performance, the QoS parameters determined based on the computing service information can meet the requirement of the computing service on transmission performance, and thus can be conducive to meeting the service requirement of the computing service and improving user experience.

[0075] For some possible implementation and beneficial effects of the third aspect, refer to the related description of the first and second aspects, which will not be repeated here.

[0076] In a fourth aspect, a communication method is provided, which can be performed by a communication apparatus. The communication apparatus can be a second network element, or can also be a component in the second network element, such as a circuit, a processor, a chip, a chip system, etc., or can also be a part or all of the functional logic modules or software of the second network element, etc. Illustratively, the second network element can be a computing node, can also be a service management system for managing the computing service, and can also be an LB function of the computing node, which can be integrated inside the computing node or can exist independently of the computing node. The present application does not make any limitation in this regard. Hereinafter, for the convenience of understanding and description, the method is described by taking the second network element as an example, but this should not constitute any limitation on the present application.

[0077] Illustratively, the method comprises: generating computing service information of a computing node, the computing node being configured to provide a computing service, the computing service information indicating one or more of the following: an identity of the computing service, a traffic demand of the computing service, one or more levels of computing performance supported by the computing service, a demand of the computing service on transmission performance under one or more levels of computing performance supported by the computing service, or a traffic characteristic parameter of the computing service; and sending the computing service information to a first network element.

[0078] Based on the above technical solution, the second network element can expose the computing service information provided by itself to the first network element, so as to facilitate the first network element to determine one or more sets of QoS parameters corresponding to one or more levels of computing performance supported by the computing service based on the computing service information. Since the computing service information contains information of at least one of the traffic demand of the computing service, the computing performance supported by the computing service, and the demand of the computing service on transmission performance, the QoS parameters determined based thereon can meet the demand of the computing service on transmission performance, and thus facilitate to meet the traffic demand of the computing service and improve user experience.

[0079] In a fifth aspect, a communication method is provided, which can be performed by a communication apparatus. The communication apparatus can be a PCF, or can also be a component in the PCF, such as a circuit, a processor, a chip, a chip system, etc., or can also be a part or all of the functional logic modules or software of the PCF, etc. Hereinafter, for the convenience of understanding and description, the method is described by taking the PCF as an example, but this should not constitute any limitation on the present application.

[0080] Exemplarily, the method comprises: obtaining computing service information of a computing node, the computing node being configured to provide a computing service, the computing service information comprising one or more of the following: an identity of the computing service, a service requirement of the computing service, parameters corresponding to one or more levels of computing performance supported by the computing service, a requirement of the computing service on transmission performance under the one or more levels of computing performance supported by the computing service, and a service characteristic parameter of the computing service; determining mapping relationship information according to the computing service information of the computing node, the mapping relationship information indicating a correspondence between the one or more levels of computing performance and one or more sets of QoS parameters; and sending the mapping relationship information to a first network element.

[0081] With reference to the fifth aspect, in some possible implementation manners of the fifth aspect, the obtaining the computing service information of the computing node comprises: receiving the computing service information of the computing node from the first network element.

[0082] With reference to the fifth aspect, in some possible implementation manners of the fifth aspect, the obtaining the computing service information of the computing node comprises: receiving the identity of the computing service from the first network element; and obtaining the computing service information of the computing node according to the identity of the computing service.

[0083] For the possible implementation manners and beneficial effects of the fifth aspect, refer to the related descriptions of the first to fourth aspects, which will not be repeated here.

[0084] The sixth aspect provides a communication apparatus, which can implement the method in the above-described first to fifth aspects and any possible implementation manner of the first to fifth aspects. The apparatus comprises one or more functional units or modules for performing the above-described method. The functional units or modules comprised by the apparatus can be implemented in a software and / or hardware manner.

[0085] The seventh aspect provides a communication apparatus, comprising a processor configured to perform the method in the first to fifth aspects and any possible implementation manner of the first to fifth aspects.

[0086] Optionally, the apparatus can further comprise a memory configured to store instructions and data. The memory is coupled to the processor, and the processor, when executing the instructions stored in the memory, can implement the method described in the above aspects.

[0087] Optionally, the apparatus can further comprise a communication interface configured to enable the apparatus to communicate with other devices. Exemplarily, the communication interface can be a transceiver, a circuit, a bus, a module, or other types of communication interfaces.

[0088] In an eighth aspect, a chip system is provided, which includes at least one processor configured to support implementation of the functions involved in the first to fifth aspects and any possible implementation of the first to fifth aspects, e.g., receiving or processing data and / or information involved in the above-described methods.

[0089] In a possible design, the chip system further includes a memory configured to store program instructions and data, and the memory is located in or out of the processor.

[0090] In a possible design, the chip system further includes an interface circuit configured to transmit data and / or a power supply circuit configured to supply power for the chip system.

[0091] The chip system can be composed of a chip, or can include a chip and other discrete devices.

[0092] In a ninth aspect, a communication system is provided, which includes one or more of the following: an access network device, a first network element, a second network element, or a PCF. The access network device can be configured to implement the method in any possible implementation of the first aspect. The first network element can be configured to implement the method in any possible implementation of the second aspect. The second network element can be configured to implement the method in any possible implementation of the third aspect or the fourth aspect. The PCF can be configured to implement the method in any possible implementation of the fifth aspect.

[0093] In a tenth aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, which includes a computer program, and when the computer program is run on a computer, the computer program causes the computer to implement the method in the first to fifth aspects and any possible implementation of the first to fifth aspects.

[0094] In an eleventh aspect, a computer program product is provided, which includes a computer program (also referred to as code or instructions), and when the computer program is run, the computer program causes a computer to perform the method in the first to fifth aspects and any possible implementation of the first to fifth aspects.

[0095] It should be understood that the sixth aspect to the eleventh aspect of the present application correspond to the technical solutions of the first aspect to the fifth aspect of the present application, and the beneficial effects achieved by each aspect and the corresponding possible implementation manners are similar, which will not be described herein again. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0096] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a system architecture suitable for the communication method provided by the embodiments of the present application;

[0097] FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 are schematic diagrams of system architectures provided by the embodiments of the present application;

[0098] FIG. 4 is a schematic flowchart of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0099] FIG. 5 and FIG. 6 are schematic diagrams of a computing node deployed with multiple service instances according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0100] FIG. 7 to FIG. 9 show several possible processes for the first network element to determine one or more sets of QoS parameters;

[0101] FIG. 10 is a schematic flowchart of a communication method according to another embodiment of the present application;

[0102] FIG. 11 is a schematic flowchart of a communication method according to yet another embodiment of the present application;

[0103] FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram of a first data packet and a second data packet according to yet another embodiment of the present application;

[0104] FIG. 13 is a schematic flowchart of a communication method according to another embodiment of the present application;

[0105] FIG. 14 is a schematic diagram of a first data packet and a second data packet according to another embodiment of the present application;

[0106] FIG. 15 is a schematic flowchart of a communication method according to yet another embodiment of the present application;

[0107] FIG. 16 is a schematic diagram of a first data packet and a second data packet according to yet another embodiment of the present application;

[0108] FIG. 17 is a schematic flowchart of a communication method according to still another embodiment of the present application;

[0109] FIG. 18 is a schematic diagram of a first data packet, a second data packet and a third data packet according to still another embodiment of the present application;

[0110] FIG. 19 and FIG. 20 are schematic block diagrams of a communication apparatus according to an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0111] The technical solutions in the present application will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0112] Before introducing the solutions in the present application, the following points will be explained.

[0113] First, in this application, indication includes explicit indication (also referred to as direct indication) and implicit indication (also referred to as indirect indication). Among them, the explicit indication information A means to include the information A; the implicit indication information A means to indicate the information A through the correspondence between the information A and the information B and the direct indication information B, and the correspondence between the information A and the information B can be predefined, pre-stored, pre-burned, or pre-configured; or it can also mean to indicate the information A through the information B and the preset rule.

[0114] Second, in this application, the information C used for the determination of the information D includes that the information D is determined based on the information C only, and also includes that the information D is determined based on the information C and other information. In addition, the information C used for the determination of the information D can also be the case of indirect determination, such as the case that the information D is determined based on the information E, and the information E is determined based on the information C.

[0115] Third, in this application, "at least one" means one or more, and "multiple" means two or more. The expression " / " is used to represent that the objects associated before and after are in an "or" relationship; for example, A / B can represent: A or B. The expression "and / or" is used to represent that the objects associated before and after can be in an "and" relationship or an "or" relationship, for example, A and / or B, which can represent: the case of A alone, the case of A and B, and the case of B alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. The character " / " generally represents that the objects associated before and after are in an "or" relationship, but does not exclude the case that the objects associated before and after are in an "and" relationship. The specific meaning can be understood in combination with the context. "At least one of the following" or similar expressions means any combination of these items, including any combination of single item or multiple items. For example, at least one of a, b, or c can represent: a, b, c; a and b; a and c; b and c; or a and b and c. Where a, b, and c can be single or multiple.

[0116] Fourth, in this application, the use of prefixes such as "first", "second", etc. is only for the convenience of describing different things belonging to the same name category, and does not constrain the order, size or quantity of the things. For example, "first indication information" and "second indication information" are only different indication information, and there is no time sequence, quantity size relationship or priority relationship between the two. It should be understood that the objects thus described can be interchanged under appropriate circumstances, so as to be able to describe schemes other than the embodiments of the application.

[0117] Fifth, in the present application, "sending" and "receiving" represent the direction of signal transmission. For example, "sending information to XX" can be understood as that the destination of the information is XX, which can include direct sending through a wireless channel, and also includes indirect sending through a wireless channel by other units or modules. "Receiving information from YY" can be understood as that the source of the information is YY, which can include direct receiving from YY through a wireless channel, and also includes indirect receiving from YY through a wireless channel by other units or modules. "Sending" can also be understood as "output" of a chip interface, and "receiving" can also be understood as "input" of a chip interface. In other words, sending and receiving can be carried out between devices, for example, between a terminal device and a computing node, or can be carried out within a device, for example, between components, between modules, between chips, between software modules or hardware modules in the device through a bus, a wire or an interface.

[0118] Sixth, in the embodiments of the present application, "when", "if" and "whether" all refer to that the device will make corresponding processing under certain objective circumstances, and are not limited by time, and do not require the device to have a judgment action when implemented, nor mean that there are other limitations.

[0119] Seventh, in the present application, "example", "exemplarily", "for example" or "such as" are used to represent as an example, illustration or description. Any embodiment or design scheme described as "example", "exemplarily", "for example" or "such as" in the present application should not be interpreted as more preferred or more advantageous than other embodiments or design schemes. Rather, the use of "example", "exemplarily", "for example" or "such as" is intended to present the relevant concept in a specific manner.

[0120] Eighth, in various embodiments of the present application, the terms and / or descriptions of different embodiments are consistent and can be mutually referred to if there is no special description and no logical conflict. The technical features in different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments according to their inherent logical relationship.

[0121] The method provided by the present application can be applied to various communication systems, for example: a long term evolution (LTE) system, an LTE frequency division duplex (FDD) system, an LTE time division duplex (TDD) system, a 5G mobile communication system or a new radio access technology (NR). The 5G mobile communication system can include non-standalone (NSA) and / or standalone (SA).

[0122] The technical solutions provided in the present application can also be applied to machine type communication (MTC), long term evolution-machine (LTE-M), device-to device (D2D) network, machine to machine (M2M) network, internet of things (IoT) network or other network. The IoT network may, for example, include a vehicle network. In the vehicle network system, the communication modes are collectively referred to as vehicle to X (V2X) system, for example, the V2X may include vehicle to vehicle (V2V) communication, vehicle to infrastructure (V2I) communication, vehicle to pedestrian (V2P) communication or vehicle to network (V2N) communication, etc. The technical solutions provided in the present application can also be applied to future communication systems. The present application does not limit this.

[0123] The radio access network (RAN) device in the present application is a device with wireless transceiving function. The radio access network device can provide wireless communication function service and can access terminals to a wireless network. The radio access network device can also be referred to as an access network device or a network device. The access network device in the embodiments of the present application can refer to a radio access network (RAN) node (or device) applied to a cellular network (or mobile network) to access terminals to a wireless network.

[0124] The RAN node can be a base station. The base station can be variously named, or be replaced by, a NodeB, an evolved NodeB (eNB), a next generation NodeB (gNB), a relay station, an access point, a transmitting and receiving point (TRP), a transmitting point (TP), a master station, a secondary station, a multi-standard radio (MSR) node, a home base station, a network controller, an access node, a radio node, an access point (AP), a transmission node, a transceiver node, a base band unit (BBU), a remote radio unit (RRU), an active antenna unit (AAU), a remote radio head (RRH), a central unit (CU), a distributed unit (DU), a radio unit (RU), a positioning node, etc., in a broad coverage area. The base station can be a macro base station, a micro base station, a relay node, a donor node, or the like, or a combination thereof. The base station can also refer to a communication module, a modem, or a chip for setting in the aforementioned devices or apparatuses. The base station can also be a mobile switching center, a device assuming a base station function in D2D, V2X, M2M communication, a device assuming a base station function in a future communication system, etc. The base station can support networks of the same or different access technologies. Alternatively, the RAN node can also be a server, a wearable device, a vehicle or a vehicle-mounted device, etc. For example, an access network device in vehicle to everything (V2X) technology can be a road side unit (RSU). Embodiments of the present application do not limit the specific technology and specific device form of the network device.

[0125] In some deployments, the network device mentioned in the embodiments of the present application can be a device including a CU, or a DU, or including a CU and a DU, or a control plane CU node (central unit-control plane (CU-CP)) and a user plane CU node (central unit-user plane (CU-UP)) and a DU node. For example, the network device can include a gNB-CU-CP, a gNB-CU-UP and a gNB-DU.

[0126] In some deployments, wireless access is facilitated by a terminal being cooperatively assisted by multiple RAN nodes that each implements part of the functionalities of a base station. For example, a RAN node can be a CU, a DU, a CU-CP, a CU-UP, or an RU, etc. A CU and a DU can be separately deployed or can be included in the same network element, e.g., a BBU. An RU can be included in a radio frequency device or a radio frequency unit, e.g., an RRU, an AAU, or an RRH.

[0127] In different systems, a CU (or a CU-CP and a CU-UP), a DU, or an RU can also have different names, but those skilled in the art can understand their meanings. For example, in an open radio access network (open-RAN, O-RAN, or ORAN) system, a CU can also be referred to as an O-CU (open CU), a DU can also be referred to as an O-DU, a CU-CP can also be referred to as an O-CU-CP, a CU-UP can also be referred to as an O-CU-UP, and an RU can also be referred to as an O-RU.

[0128] Any of the CUs (or CU-CPs, CU-UPs), DUs, and RUs in this application can be implemented by a software module, a hardware module, or a combination of a software module and a hardware module. The network device in this application can be a virtualized device, which can be implemented by general hardware and instantiated virtualized functions, or special hardware and instantiated virtualized functions. The general hardware can be a server, such as a cloud server.

[0129] In an embodiment of this application, the apparatus for implementing the function of the network device can be the network device; or can be an apparatus capable of supporting the network device to implement the function, such as a chip system, a hardware circuit, a software module, or a hardware circuit plus a software module. The apparatus can be installed in the network device or used in combination with the network device. In this embodiment of this application, only the apparatus for implementing the function of the network device is taken as an example for illustration, and the scheme of this embodiment of this application is not limited in this way.

[0130] The terminal in this application can also be referred to as a user equipment (UE), an access terminal, a user unit, a user station, a mobile station, a mobile station, a remote station, a remote terminal, a mobile device, a user terminal, a terminal device, a wireless communication device, a user agent, or a user apparatus.

[0131] The terminal can be a device providing voice / data, such as a handheld device having a wireless connection function, a vehicle-mounted device, etc. Currently, some examples of the terminal are a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a notebook computer, a palm computer, a mobile internet device (MID), a wearable device, a virtual reality (VR) device, an augmented reality (AR) device, a wireless terminal in industrial control, a wireless terminal in self driving, a wireless terminal in remote medical surgery, a wireless terminal in smart grid, a wireless terminal in transportation safety, a wireless terminal in smart city, a wireless terminal in smart home, a cellular phone, a cordless phone, a session initiation protocol (SIP) phone, a wireless local loop (WLL) station, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a handheld device having a wireless communication function, a computing device or other processing device connected to a wireless modem, a wearable device, a terminal in a 5G network, or a terminal in a future evolved public land mobile network (PLMN), etc. The embodiments of the present application are not limited thereto.

[0132] The terminal can also be a terminal in an IoT system, which can also be referred to as an IoT node. IoT is an important part of future information technology development, and its main technical feature is to connect objects through communication technology and network, so as to realize the intelligent network of man-machine interconnection and object-object interconnection. The connection can be through broadband technology or narrowband technology. IoT technology can achieve mass connection, deep coverage and terminal power saving through, for example, narrowband (NB) technology. IoT technology includes reflection communication technology, spread spectrum technology, ultra wide band (UWB), etc., which will not be described in detail.

[0133] In addition, the terminal can also include intelligent printers, train detectors, gas station sensors, etc., and the main functions include collecting data (for some terminals), receiving control information and downlink data of network devices, and transmitting electromagnetic waves to transmit uplink data to network devices.

[0134] By way of example and not limitation, in embodiments of the present application, the terminal can also be a wearable device. The wearable device can also be referred to as a wearable smart device, which is a general term for devices that are designed and developed by applying wearable technology to daily wear, such as glasses, gloves, watches, clothing, and shoes. The wearable device is a portable device that can be directly worn on the body or integrated into the clothes or accessories of the user. The wearable device is not only a hardware device, but also a powerful function achieved through software support and data interaction and cloud interaction. The general wearable smart device includes a full function, a large size, and can realize complete or partial functions without relying on a smart phone, such as a smart watch or smart glasses, and focuses on a certain application function and needs to be used with other devices such as a smart phone, such as various smart wristbands and smart jewelry for monitoring vital signs.

[0135] In embodiments of the present application, the device for implementing the function of the terminal can be a terminal or a device capable of supporting the terminal to implement the function, such as a chip system, which can be installed in the terminal or used with the terminal. In embodiments of the present application, the chip system can be composed of a chip or include a chip and other discrete devices. In embodiments of the present application, only the device for implementing the function of the terminal is taken as an example for description, and the scheme of the embodiments of the present application is not limited.

[0136] The terminal in the present application can be a hardware device, a software function running on a special hardware, or a software function running on general hardware, and can also be a virtualized device, such as a general hardware and an instantiated virtualization function, or a special hardware and an instantiated virtualization function. The general hardware can be a server, such as a cloud server.

[0137] The access network device and / or the terminal can be deployed on land, including indoors or outdoors, handheld or vehicle-mounted; can also be deployed on the water surface; and can also be deployed on airplanes, balloons, and satellites in the air. The present application does not limit the scenario in which the access network device and the terminal are located.

[0138] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a system architecture applicable to the communication method provided by the embodiments of the present application. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system 10 to which the embodiments of the present application are applied. FIG. 1 shows a schematic diagram of a possible, non-limiting system architecture. As shown in FIG. 1, the communication system 10 includes a radio access network (RAN) 100 and a core network (CN) 200. Optionally, the communication system 10 further includes an Internet 300. The RAN 100 can include at least one RAN node (e.g., 110a and 110b in FIG. 1) and at least one terminal (e.g., 120a-120j in FIG. 1). The terminals can be connected to the RAN devices wirelessly. The terminals and the terminals, and the RAN devices and the RAN devices, can be connected to each other by wire or wirelessly. The RAN node 110a or 110b is connected to the core network 200 wirelessly or by wire. The core network device in the core network 200 and the RAN node 110a or 110b in the RAN 100 can be different physical devices, or can be the same physical device integrated with the core network logic function and the RAN logic function.

[0139] FIG. 1 is only a schematic diagram, and the communication system 10 can further include other network devices, such as wireless relay devices and wireless backhaul devices, which are not shown in FIG. 1.

[0140] The RAN 100 can be a 3rd generation partnership project (3GPP) related cellular system, such as a 4G, 5G mobile communication system, or a future-oriented evolved system. The RAN 100 can also be an ORAN, a cloud radio access network (CRAN). The RAN 100 can also be a communication system that combines two or more of the above systems.

[0141] The RAN node can be a base station deployed in the air, such as a satellite base station 110a, or a base station deployed indoors, such as a micro base station or an indoor station 110b. It should be understood that the present application does not limit the specific technology and specific device form of the wireless access network device. For ease of description, the following describes the base station as an example of the wireless access network device.

[0142] The terminal can be a terminal deployed in the air, such as a helicopter or a drone 120i in FIG. 1, or a terminal deployed on the ground, such as a mobile phone 120a, 120e, 120f, and 120j, a vehicle 120b, a computer 120g, a printer 120h, a gas station 120c, a smart home device 120d, etc. in FIG. 1.

[0143] Optionally, a terminal can also be configured to function as a RAN node. For example, a UE can be configured to function as a scheduling entity, which provides sidelink signals between terminals in vehicle-to-everything (V2X), device-to-device (D2D), or peer to peer, etc.

[0144] The RAN nodes and terminals can be fixed in location or mobile. The RAN nodes and terminals can be deployed on land, including indoors or outdoors, handheld or vehicle-mounted; can be deployed on water; can also be deployed in the air, on airplanes, balloons and artificial satellites. Embodiments of the present application do not limit the application scenarios of the RAN nodes and terminals.

[0145] The roles of the RAN nodes and terminals can be relative, for example, the helicopter or drone 120i in FIG. 1 can be configured as a RAN node, and for those terminals 120j that access the RAN 100 through 120i, the terminal 120i is a RAN node; but for the RAN node 110a, 120i is a terminal, that is, 110a and 120i communicate through a wireless transmission protocol. Of course, 110a and 120i can also communicate through an interface protocol between RAN nodes, in which case, relative to 110a, 120i is also a RAN node. Therefore, the RAN nodes and terminals can be collectively referred to as communication devices, and 110a, 110b and 120a-120j in FIG. 1 can be referred to as communication apparatuses with their respective corresponding functions, such as a communication device with RAN node function or a communication device with terminal function.

[0146] In embodiments of the present application, the functions of the RAN nodes can also be performed by modules (such as chips) in the RAN nodes, or by control subsystems containing RAN node functions. The control subsystems containing RAN node functions herein can be control centers in the application scenarios of the above terminals, such as smart grids, industrial control, intelligent transportation, smart city, etc. The functions of the terminals can also be performed by modules (such as chips) in the terminals, or by devices containing terminal functions. The present application does not limit this.

[0147] FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 show schematic diagrams of system architectures provided by embodiments of the present application. Referring to FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, the system includes a RAN node, a computing node, and a core network. Optionally, the system also includes a terminal. The difference between FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 is that the system shown in FIG. 2 does not include an application programming interface (API) gateway or proxy, while the system shown in FIG. 3 includes an API gateway or proxy. The system architectures shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 are briefly described below.

[0148] In the system architectures shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, an AI application can be an application program deployed on a cloud or an edge. The terminal and the AI application perform data interaction of a computing service. Exemplarily, the data interaction between the AI application and the terminal can be carried over a link formed by a RAN, a gateway (optional, as shown in FIG. 3), a computing node, etc., or the data interaction between the AI application and the terminal can be carried over a link formed by a RAN, a UPF, a general-purpose computing server, etc., where the general-purpose computing server can also be regarded as a kind of computing node providing a computing service.

[0149] The RAN node is configured to provide access services for the terminal, and the RAN node has the capability of providing and / or allocating computing resources for a computing service requested by the terminal for scheduling, and the RAN node can be a computing node. The RAN node shown in the figure includes a CU, a DU, and an RU.

[0150] The computing node can also be referred to as a computing unit, an intelligent node, an intelligent unit, etc. The computing node can be configured to provide a computing service, through which one or more functions of connection, computation, or data storage are provided for a user. More specifically, one or more service instances can be loaded on the computing node, and each service instance can be configured to provide a computing service.

[0151] The computing node has a protocol reference point with the computing power service on the terminal, which can support the computing power service module on the terminal to call the computing power service. The computing node also has a protocol reference point with the RAN node, including control plane signaling and user plane data. The protocol reference point can use an IP protocol or a tunneling protocol such as a general packet radio service (GPRS) tunneling protocol (GTP). The network connection between the RAN node and the computing node can be based on layer 2 (L2) switch forwarding or layer 3 (L3) internet protocol (IP) routing forwarding. The RAN node and the computing node can be L2 or L3 direct, that is, there is no other intermediate node on the transmission path between the two nodes. One RAN node or multiple RAN nodes can be connected to the same computing node.

[0152] Optionally, the computing node can only have computing capability and the ability to transmit and receive computing service related information and data with the RAN node, but does not have the ability to provide access services for terminals, that is, the computing node only provides function instances. That is, the computing node and the RAN node can be two independent physical devices.

[0153] Optionally, the computing node can also have computing capability and communication capability, that is, the computing node is a computing node. That is, the computing node and the RAN node are co-located and integrated in the same physical device. In this case, the interaction between the computing node and the RAN node is internal interaction of the device.

[0154] Optionally, the computing node also has an LB function. The LB function can select a suitable service instance for a computing task according to the load of each service instance on the computing node.

[0155] The LB function can be understood as a module, which can be integrated in the computing node or exist independently of the computing node. The LB function can manage one computing node or multiple computing nodes. The present application does not limit this.

[0156] The core network can communicate with at least one RAN node. The RAN node can communicate with at least one computing node. The core network includes a computing node control entity. The computing node control entity can be used to manage the computing node. The computing node control entity can be a logical functional entity, which can be deployed independently or together with other functional modules, or can be distributed in multiple entities in different geographical locations. The present application does not limit this. Corresponding to the name of the computing node, the computing node control entity can also be called a computing unit control entity, an intelligent node control entity, an intelligent unit control entity, or can also be called a computing node control function network element, a computing unit control function network element, an intelligent node control function network element, an intelligent unit control function network element, or can also be called a computing node control function, a computing unit control function, an intelligent node control function, an intelligent unit control function, and the like.

[0157] Illustratively, the computing node control entity can have the following functions:

[0158] 1. Service registration center function: or computing unit warehouse function, service warehouse function, etc., responsible for managing computing nodes, including receiving registration of computing nodes, address allocation, etc. This part of the function can be combined with NRF. Among them, the registration of the computing node includes: the computing node can register the configuration information (profile) of the computing node to the computing node control entity, and / or the computing node can register the configuration information of the computing power service on the computing node to the computing node control entity.

[0159] 2. Computing node or computing service configuration function: configure the information of the computing node and the computing service to the RAN node. This part of the function can be combined with AMF.

[0160] 3. Function related to service demand: decomposition of service demand, generation of QoS parameters, interaction with PCF to obtain QoS information. This part of the function can be combined with SMF or PCF.

[0161] Operation administration and maintenance (OAM) includes a RAN management platform and a computing node management platform. The RAN management platform has a connection relationship with the RAN node, for example, is connected with the CU in the RAN node, and is used to manage the RAN. The computing node management platform has a connection relationship with the computing node, and is used to manage the computing node. For example, the computing node management platform can control the creation, update, or deletion of service instances in the computing node.

[0162] In addition, the core network can include an AMF, an SMF, a PCF, and a network exposure function (NEF), and the service module can access internal data of the core network through the NEF.

[0163] Exemplarily, the terminal device can include any one of the terminal devices 120a-120j shown in FIG. 1. If the terminal device includes any one of the terminal devices 120a, 120b, 120c, and 120i shown in FIG. 1, the RAN node can include the RAN node 110a in FIG. 1, and the computing node can include the RAN node 110b in FIG. 1; or if the terminal device includes any one of the terminal devices 120f, 120g, and 120h shown in FIG. 1, the RAN node can include the RAN node 110b in FIG. 1, and the computing node can include the RAN node 110a in FIG. 1. The core network can communicate with each network element through a control plane, and the control plane can include one or more control plane function entities in the core network 200.

[0164] Unlike FIG. 2, FIG. 3 further includes an API gateway or proxy. The API gateway or proxy can provide proxy functions for signaling and data between the RAN node and the computing node (including the service instance deployed thereon), or for signaling and data between the terminal and the computing node (including the service instance deployed thereon). The proxy can be a transparent proxy or a reverse proxy function. The API gateway or proxy can also provide a load balancing function to select a computing node and / or a service instance to serve the terminal.

[0165] In addition, the API gateway or proxy can also provide layer 4 (L4) and layer 7 (L7) proxy functions. The L4 proxy includes proxy functions at the transmission control protocol (TCP) / user datagram protocol (UDP) / quick UDP internet connection (QUIC) layer. The L7 proxy includes application layer proxy functions, such as proxy functions at the hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) layer.

[0166] For the convenience of understanding the embodiments of the present application, first, several terms involved in the present text are introduced.

[0167] 1、Communication computing node: hereinafter referred to as a computing node, is a network device with computing and communication capabilities. Among them, the communication capability refers to the ability to provide access services for terminal devices and / or communicate with other network devices.

[0168] 2、Computing node: also known as intelligent node, computing unit, intelligent unit, etc. A device with computing capability. In some implementations, the computing unit can also be a computing node.

[0169] 3、Computing function: also known as computing function, a way to run code snippets (functions) as services without worrying about server and infrastructure management. Developers only need to write business logic code and upload it to the function computing platform provided by cloud service providers to quickly deploy and run applications. It is a serverless computing model, usually composed of a series of configurations and a series of executable code / software packages. The business logic code is a software program code written to support computing and processing of input data or events according to a specified algorithm. Illustratively, the above computing and processing can include video stream transcoding, picture rendering, picture detection, artificial intelligence (AI) computing, etc.

[0170] 4、Computing service: or computing power service, an independent application process that implements a set or a specific computing function to solve a specific problem. Computing services use lightweight application programming interfaces (APIs) to communicate through well-defined interfaces. Generally, one computing service can correspond to one or more computing functions (or computing functions) that provide the same function, that is, multiple different computing functions implement the same function and can provide the same computing service. Generally, the function implemented by a computing function can be encapsulated as a service and provided to external entities through an API. The computing capability (or computing function) of a computing node or computing unit can be understood as the ability to provide computing resources for computing services.

[0171] 5、Computing service instance: or computing service instance, computing power function instance, function instance. The application program obtained by installing the computing power function code on the computing node or computing unit. A function instance can be understood as an entity that can provide computing power function running, for example, it can be carried by a container, which has the running environment of the computing power function, can process the input of the function and execute the code logic to give the output result.

[0172] 6、Computing function scheduling: or, computing power function scheduling, using function instances to perform computing processing on specified data, hereinafter referred to as function scheduling. The same computing function can be scheduled multiple times, and the inputs of multiple scheduling can be the same or different; accordingly, the outputs of multiple scheduling can also be the same or different. The computing function scheduling can also be understood as computing task scheduling, or computing power task scheduling.

[0173] 7、Computing task: or, computing power task, to complete a transaction in business logic, execute a computing power function call or obtain a result from a computing power service. For example, performing a video transcoding operation on specified data, for a video segment or video tile, a computing power function call / computing power service can be executed, taking a video segment or video tile as the input of the computing power function / computing power service, until the computing power function / computing power service runs to obtain a complete transcoded segment or tile, which is referred to as a computing task; the processing of the next different video segment or video tile requires a new computing task, i.e., calling or executing the computing power function / computing power service again. That is, the calling / execution of different computing power functions / computing power services is referred to as different computing tasks. The same computing power function, or computing logic / transaction, can be executed multiple times, and the inputs of multiple executions can be the same or different, and the outputs can also be the same or different accordingly.

[0174] 8、Scheduling computing task: preparing transmission resources for computing task, or preparing computing resources and transmission resources for computing task, and starting to execute computing power service call until computing power function / computing power service runs to obtain data processing result. It should be noted that if the computing resources required by the computing task have been prepared, only transmission resources are prepared for the computing task; if the computing resources required by the computing task have not been prepared, transmission resources and computing resources are prepared for the computing task.

[0175] 9、Computing network: or, computing power network, referred to as computing network, is a new type of information infrastructure that connects multiple computing nodes and / or computing units based on mobile communication network, Internet Protocol (IP) network, etc., so that computing tasks can be scheduled to computing nodes or computing units that can execute the computing tasks according to the resources required by the computing tasks.

[0176] 10、Computing service identifier: or computing power service identifier, a global identifier uniquely identifying a computing service (or computing power service). The computing service identifier can be in any of the following formats: ① a globally unique identifier, such as a combination of one or more of letters, numbers, and special characters; ② a uniform resource locator (URL) format identifier; ③ a fully qualified domain name (FQDN); or ④ an IP address, such as an IP anycast address or an IP unicast address; ⑤ an IP address + port number; ⑥ a uniform resource identifier (URI) format identifier.

[0177] 11、Computing service quality (QoS): or computing power service quality, or computing network QoS, etc. The computing service quality can be reflected in two aspects: transmission performance and computing performance. The transmission performance is a parameter representing the communication (or information transmission) and computing characteristics, which can include at least one of the following: transmission resource type, priority, packet delay budget, packet error rate, packet loss rate, default maximum data burst, default average window, etc. It can also include computing resource types such as central processing unit (CPU) resources, graphics processing unit (GPU) resources, neural network processing unit (NPU) resources, tensor processing unit (TPU) resources, deep learning processing unit (DPU) resources, field programmable gate array (FPGA) resources, memory resources, storage resources, etc. It can also include resource consumption granularity and computing power demand such as at least one of the following: floating point operations per second (FLOPS), operations per second (OPS), etc.

[0178] 12、Transmission performance and QoS parameters: Transmission performance can be characterized by transmission delay, transmission bandwidth, etc. Under certain computing service business requirements and computing performance, the computing service's demand for transmission performance can be determined.

[0179] The transmission performance can be supported by one or more sets of QoS parameters. The QoS parameters can be regarded as parameters for guaranteeing communication (or information transmission). Exemplarily, each set of QoS parameters can include one or more of the following: QoS class identifier (QCI), allocation and retention priority (ARP), flow bitrates, packet delay budget (PDB). Among them, the same parameter item in different sets of QoS parameters can have different values, or can have the same value. For example, the QCI of different sets of QoS parameters is different. Therefore, the QCI can be used to uniquely indicate a set of QoS parameters. For another example, the ARP in different sets of QoS parameters can be the same or different.

[0180] In some implementations, the QoS parameters corresponding to the transmission performance can also be referred to as transmission QoS parameters, in order to be distinguished from the calculation QoS parameters below.

[0181] 13. Calculation performance and calculation parameters: The calculation performance can be represented by the time (or latency) required for a calculation task to be completed by a call (i.e., a calculation task). Exemplarily, the latency can be the minimum latency, the maximum latency, the average latency, the cumulative distribution latency (such as 99%, 99.9%, 99.99% latency), or the latency of processing a unit of data, etc., which can be a value in time units, such as Nms, Mms, etc. The calculation performance can also depend on the processing power, bandwidth, required computing resources (such as CPU resources, GPU resources, NPU resources, storage resources, or memory resources, etc.), input data size, etc. Therefore, it can also be a unit of data latency or a data amount processed per unit of time, such as Nbit / ms, Nbyte / ms, xM / ms, Nms / M, Nms / byte, etc. In summary, the calculation performance can be characterized by calculation latency or calculation speed, etc.

[0182] Based on different latencies or calculation speeds, the calculation performance can be divided into one or more levels. Each level of calculation performance can correspond to an interval range of latency or calculation speed. The different levels of calculation performance correspond to different ranges of latency or calculation speed, and the interval ranges of latency or calculation speed corresponding to the different levels of calculation performance do not overlap. Different levels of calculation performance can be represented by different indexes, identities (IDs), or QCI, etc.

[0183] For convenience of distinguishing and description, the QCI in the QoS parameter (or the transmission QoS parameter) supporting the transmission performance is referred to as a transmission QCI, and the QCI corresponding to the computing performance of different levels is referred to as a computing QCI.

[0184] Each level of computing performance can be supported by one or more sets of computing parameters. The computing parameters can be regarded as parameters for guaranteeing the computing performance. For example, each set of computing parameters can include one or more of the following: a computing resource type, a resource consumption granularity, and a computing power demand. The computing resource type includes but is not limited to a central processing unit (CPU) resource, a graphics processing unit (GPU) resource, a neural network processing unit (NPU) resource, a tensor processing unit (TPU) resource, a deep learning processing unit (DPU) resource, a field programmable gate array (FPGA) resource, a memory resource, a storage resource, and the like. The computing power demand includes but is not limited to a floating point operations per second (FLOPS) and an operations per second (OPS).

[0185] In some implementations, the computing parameters corresponding to the computing performance can also be referred to as computing QoS parameters, so as to be distinguished from the transmission QoS parameters described above.

[0186] 14. Service requirement of the computing service: time (or latency) required for completing one computing task call (i.e., one computing task), including the transmission part and the computing part. Therefore, the service requirement of the computing service is met from the aspects of transmission and computing.

[0187] For example, the service requirement of the computing service can be embodied by an end to end (E2E) latency threshold. The E2E latency refers to the total latency from the terminal sending a computing task request to the terminal receiving a computing task execution result. For example, the computing task is a picture rendering task, and the total latency can be the total time length from the terminal sending a picture rendering request to the terminal receiving a picture rendering result. When the E2E latency does not exceed the E2E latency threshold, it can be considered that the service requirement of the computing service is met.

[0188] The E2E latency can include a transmission latency and a computation latency, where the transmission latency can include an uplink transmission latency and a downlink transmission latency, the uplink transmission latency refers to a time length for sending a computing request task from a terminal to a computing node via a wireless channel, and the downlink transmission latency refers to a time length for sending a computing task execution result from the computing node to the terminal via the wireless channel, and the transmission latency can also be referred to as a round trip time (RTT). The computation latency can refer to a time length required for a function instance to complete a computing task. For example, the computing task is a picture rendering task, and a time length required for executing the computing task can be a time length required for rendering one frame of picture.

[0189] In one example, the service requirement of the computing service can be embodied as service level agreement (SLA) requirement information.

[0190] 15. A service interface: only for a single function body, the function body interacts with other function bodies through the service interface, and other function bodies interact with the function body through the service interface exposed by the function body. The function body can be a functional module in a network entity, such as a terminal device, an access node (more specifically, a radio unit (RU), a distributed unit (DU), a central unit (CU) in the access node), an access and mobility management function (AMF), a network repository function (NRF), an entity providing (or bearing) a function instance, and the like.

[0191] 16. A reference point: refers to an interface mutually agreed by two function bodies for mutual access, and the reference point between the two function bodies can generally be replaced by one or more service interfaces (or interfaces).

[0192] 17. Everything as a service (XaaS): Services are provided over the Internet. The Internet can provide users with various services on demand, such as, but not limited to, infrastructure as a service (IaaS), platform as a service (PaaS), analysis as a service (AaaS), backend as a service (BaaS), function as a service (FaaS), data as a service (DaaS), and the like.

[0193] At present, cloud edge nodes are gradually moving down to the access network location. The RAN can provide part of the computing function. However, due to the real-time change of the environment of the wireless channel, when the data of the computing service is shunted to the access network, how to guarantee the transmission performance of the computing service to meet the business requirements of the computing service is a technical problem to be solved.

[0194] Therefore, the present application provides a method, and the access network device can obtain the QoS parameter of the computing service granularity, which can be applicable to one or more terminals accessing the computing service. In this way, for each terminal accessing the computing service, the access network device can determine the QoS parameter corresponding to the computing service for it, thereby guaranteeing the transmission performance of the computing service. This is like providing a QoS parameter specially for the computing service, that is, providing a dedicated bearer for the data of the computing service. Since the business requirements of the computing service can be met from the aspects of computing performance and transmission performance, the guarantee of the transmission performance of the computing service is also conducive to meeting the business requirements of the computing service.

[0195] On the other hand, the current QoS guarantee is in the granularity of the terminal, and the signaling interaction is much, the process is long, and the response of the QoS implementation is slow, which does not meet the business requirements of the computing service, especially for short interaction services, the guarantee effect of the business requirements is worse. In the method provided by the present application, since the QoS parameter is in the granularity of the computing service, the access network device does not need to obtain the QoS parameter for each session of the terminal, thereby avoiding excessive signaling interaction and lengthy process, making the response of the QoS more rapid, and thereby being conducive to meeting the business requirements of the computing service and improving the user experience.

[0196] The technical solutions provided by the present application will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0197] It should be noted that the following embodiments respectively describe various processes from the perspective of network element interaction. The network elements therein are only examples and should not constitute any limitation on the present application. For example, the access network device can be replaced by a component (such as a chip, a chip system, a processor, or other logical modules or software that can be used to implement part or all of the functions of the access network device) configured in the access network device. The first terminal can be replaced by a component (such as a chip, a chip system, a processor, or other logical modules or software that can be used to implement part or all of the functions of the access network device) configured in the first terminal. For another example, the first network element is a core network element for managing a computing node, which can be replaced by a computing node control function, or can be replaced by a component (such as a chip, a chip system, a processor, or other logical modules or software that can be used to implement part or all of the functions of the computing node control function) configured in the computing node control function, or can be replaced by a module having part or all of the functions of the computing node control function distributed in multiple other network elements (such as AMF, SMF, NRF, PCF, etc.). The third network element is a network element for providing a computing service, which can be replaced by a computing node, or can be replaced by a component (such as a chip, a chip system, a processor, or other logical modules or software that can be used to implement part or all of the functions of the computing node) configured in the computing node. The fourth network element is a network element for managing a computing service, which can be replaced by a service management system or a load balancing function module, or can be replaced by a component (such as a chip, a chip system, a processor, or other logical modules or software that can be used to implement part or all of the functions of the computing node or the service management system of the computing node) configured in the service management system, or can be replaced by a device configured with the load balancing function module, such as a computing node or a UPF, and the present application does not limit the specific product form of the network elements.

[0198] It should be understood that the third network element and the fourth network element described above can be understood as two examples of the second network element, and it can be understood that the third network element and the fourth network element can be the same network element, such as a computing node, or can be different network elements, such as a service management system and a UPF, and the present application does not limit the specific product form of the network elements.

[0199] It should also be noted that in the following embodiments, the transmission performance can be replaced by the transmission QoS, the QoS parameter can be replaced by the transmission QoS parameter, and the computing performance can be replaced by the computing QoS.

[0200] FIG. 4 is a schematic flowchart of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application. The method 400 shown in FIG. 4 can include steps 410 to 430. Optionally, steps 440 to 480 are also included. The various steps of the method 400 are described in detail below.

[0201] In step 410, the access network device obtains one or more sets of QoS parameters of the computing service.

[0202] In embodiments of the present application, the one or more sets of QoS parameters of the computing service are applicable to one or more terminals accessing the computing service. In other words, the one or more sets of QoS parameters are computing service-granular, rather than terminal-granular or session-granular. The one or more sets of QoS parameters of the computing service are applicable to one or more terminals accessing the computing service, which means that the one or more sets of QoS parameters of the computing service are applicable to all terminals accessing the computing service.

[0203] In step 420, the first terminal sends first indication information to the access network device, the first indication information indicating the computing service accessed by the first terminal. Accordingly, the access network device receives the first indication information from the first terminal.

[0204] The first terminal can access the computing service through the access network device. It can be understood that the first terminal is an example of the one or more terminals accessing the computing service.

[0205] For example, the first terminal can send a scheduling request of a computing task to the access network device, the scheduling request carrying an identifier of the computing task or an identifier of the computing service, the scheduling request being used to request access to the computing service, or in other words, the scheduling request being used to request scheduling of the computing task. For example, the scheduling request can be access stratum (AS) control signaling between the UE and the access network device.

[0206] For another example, the first terminal can send a data packet of the computing task to the access network device, the data packet being destined for a service instance of the computing task, at this time the access network device assumes a data forwarding role and does not process the payload of the data packet, the data packet carrying the identifier of the computing task or the identifier of the computing service, for example, in the header of the data packet.

[0207] The identifier of the computing task and the identifier of the computing service can be the same. Alternatively, the identifier of the computing task and the identifier of the computing service correspond to each other, and the correspondence between the two can be predefined, the access network device and the terminal (including the first terminal) can be preconfigured with the correspondence between the identifier of the computing task and the identifier of the computing service. Alternatively, the identifier of the computing task can contain the identifier of the computing service, for example, the identifier of the computing task is a structured identifier, which can be composed of the identifier of the computing service and a task identifier (or task index).

[0208] It should be understood that, whether the identifier of the computing task or the identifier of the computing service can indicate the computing service, which can be regarded as two examples of the first indication information. That is, the access network device can determine the computing service accessed by the first terminal according to the identifier of the computing task or the identifier of the computing service.

[0209] Of course, the first indication information is not limited to the identifier of the computing task or the identifier of the computing service, but can also be other information that can be used to indicate the computing service, which is contained but not limited to the present application.

[0210] In step 430, the access network device determines the target QoS parameter of the computing service according to the first indication information.

[0211] The access network device can determine the target QoS parameter for the first terminal in the case that the first terminal accesses the computing service. The target QoS parameter is determined (or selected) from one or more sets of QoS parameters of the computing service. The target QoS parameter determined by the access network device from the one or more sets of QoS parameters should meet the requirement that the transmission performance supported by the target QoS parameter meets the demand of the computing service on the transmission performance.

[0212] It should be understood that, when the QoS parameter of the computing service obtained by the access network device is one set, the access network device can take the one set of QoS parameters as the target QoS parameter; when the QoS parameter of the computing service obtained by the access network device is multiple sets, the access network device can select one set from the multiple sets of QoS parameters as the target QoS parameter.

[0213] It should be noted that, if there is no QoS parameter in the one or more sets of QoS parameters of the computing service obtained by the access network device that meets the condition met by the target QoS parameter, the request or computing task of the first terminal can be rejected, and the subsequent steps are not executed.

[0214] Based on the above technical solution, the access network device can obtain one or more sets of QoS parameters at the granularity of the computing service, and can determine the target QoS parameter in response to the access of the terminal to the computing service, to meet the demand of the computing service on the transmission performance. This is like providing QoS parameters specially for the computing service, that is, providing a dedicated bearer for the data of the computing service. Since the business demand of the computing service can be met from the computing performance and the transmission performance, the guarantee of the transmission performance of the computing service is also conducive to meeting the business demand of the computing service.

[0215] In addition, since the QoS parameter in the present application is in the granularity of a computing service, the access network device does not need to obtain the QoS parameter for each session of a terminal, thereby avoiding obtaining the QoS parameter in the granularity of a terminal through excessive signaling interaction and a lengthy process, so that the response of the QoS is more rapid, and thus the business demand of the computing service is met and the user experience is improved.

[0216] It should be understood that the step 410 above can be performed before the step 420, can be performed synchronously with the step 420, or can be performed after the step 420, and the present application does not limit this.

[0217] Optionally, a possible implementation manner of the step 410 is shown as step 410a, and the access network device receives second indication information from a first network element, the second indication information indicating one or more sets of QoS parameters of the computing service. The first network element may, for example, be a computing node control entity for managing a computing node.

[0218] For example, the access network device can request the first network element to obtain the QoS parameter of the computing service. The first network element can determine one or more sets of QoS parameters corresponding to one or more levels of computing performance supported by the computing service, and indicate the one or more sets of QoS parameters to the access network device through the second indication information.

[0219] For another example, the access network device can obtain the QoS parameter of the computing service through an initial connection setup process with the first network element when being online.

[0220] For example, the access network device can send a connection setup request message to the first network element after being online, and the connection setup request message carries one or more of the following: an identifier (ID) of the access network device, a name of the access network device or an IP address of the access network device, capability information or indication information of the access network device supporting the computing service. In response, the first network element sends a setup response message to the access network device, and the setup response message carries the second indication information indicating one or more sets of QoS parameters.

[0221] The one or more sets of QoS parameters corresponding to one or more levels of computing performance supported by the computing service can be determined by the first network element itself, or can be obtained from other core network elements (such as a PCF), and the present application does not limit this. The specific process of the first network element determining the one or more sets of QoS parameters corresponding to one or more levels of computing performance supported by the computing service can be referred to the description of FIGS. 7 to 9 below, and will not be described here in detail.

[0222] In a possible implementation, the access network device sends a connection establishment request message to the first network element, and the connection establishment request message contains a container sent by the access network device to the PCF, which is used to trigger the PCF to provide the QoS parameter of the computing service. The first network element can further send a request message (for example, denoted as request message #1) to the PCF and carry the container. The PCF can provide one or more sets of QoS parameters of the computing service to the first network element according to the container. The first network element further sends the one or more sets of QoS parameters of the computing service to the access network device. Alternatively, the first network element can also determine the computing service configured for the access network according to the container, and then carry the computing service information in the request message #1 sent to the PCF to obtain the QoS parameter of the computing service from the PCF. Exemplarily, the container can contain computing service QoS request information or computing service QoS request indication.

[0223] In another possible implementation, the access network device sends a connection establishment request message to the first network element, and the connection establishment request message contains an identifier of the computing service. The access network device has received the identifier of the computing service from the first network element. The first network element can further send a request message (for example, denoted as request message #2) to the PCF, and the request message #2 can carry the identifier of the computing service to request the QoS parameter of the computing service indicated by the identifier of the computing service. The request message #2 can be used to trigger the PCF to send one or more sets of QoS parameters of the computing service to the first network element. The first network element further sends the one or more sets of QoS parameters of the computing service to the access network device.

[0224] When the first network element indicates the one or more sets of QoS parameters to the access network device through the second indication information, the first network element can indicate the one or more sets of QoS parameters through different formats of information.

[0225] A possible design is that the one or more sets of QoS parameters are contained in a configuration file of the computing service, or the second indication information is contained in the configuration file of the computing service. That is, the one or more sets of QoS parameters can be configured to the access network device in the granularity of the computing service.

[0226] An example of the configuration file of the computing service is as follows: profile (ID, one or more sets of QoS parameters, name, entry point / interface address, port, location) of the computing service.

[0227] It can be understood that when the first network element indicates the QoS parameters of multiple computing services to the access network device, the configuration files of the multiple computing services can form a list of configuration files of the computing services.

[0228] Based on the profile of the computing service, the access network device can establish a computing service granularity communication connection, such as a GTP-U tunnel, with the computing node.

[0229] Another possible design is that the one or more sets of QoS parameters are included in the profile of the computing node, or in other words, the second indication information is included in the configuration information of the computing node. That is, the one or more sets of QoS parameters can be configured to the access network device in the granularity of the computing node.

[0230] An example of the profile of the computing node is as follows: profile of the computing node (address of the computing node, name of the computing node, profile of the computing service <ID of the computing service, one or more sets of QoS parameters, name of the computing service, entry point / interface address of the computing service, port of the computing service, location of the computing service>).

[0231] It can be understood that if the same computing node can provide multiple computing services, the profile of the computing node can include the configuration files of multiple computing services, such as a list of configuration files of the computing services. When the first network element indicates the QoS parameters of the computing services provided by multiple computing nodes to the access network device, the configuration files of the multiple computing nodes can form a list of the configuration files of the computing nodes, and the list can include the configuration files of the multiple computing nodes.

[0232] Based on the profile of the computing node, the access network device can establish a computing node granularity communication connection, such as a GTP-U tunnel, with the computing node.

[0233] Alternatively, when the second indication information indicates the one or more sets of QoS parameters, the first or more levels of computing performance corresponding to the one or more sets of QoS parameters can also be indicated to the access network device. In other words, the second indication information can also indicate the correspondence between the first or more levels of computing performance supported by the computing service and the one or more sets of QoS parameters.

[0234] A possible implementation is that the second indication information indicates the correspondence between the first or more levels of computing performance and the one or more sets of QoS parameters, and also indicates the parameter values in each set of QoS parameters. In this case, a possible implementation of the second indication information indicating the one or more sets of QoS parameters is to indicate the correspondence between the first or more levels of computing performance and the one or more sets of QoS parameters.

[0235] In another possible implementation, the second indication information can separately indicate the one or more sets of QoS parameters, the one or more levels of computing performance, and the correspondence between the one or more levels of computing performance and the one or more sets of QoS parameters. For example, the second indication information can indicate, for each set of QoS parameters, an identity (ID) and a set of parameter values, each set of QoS parameters corresponding to an ID; and the second indication information can indicate, when indicating the correspondence between the one or more levels of computing performance and the one or more sets of QoS parameters, the ID of a corresponding set of QoS parameters for each level of computing performance.

[0236] It should be understood that the present application does not limit the manner in which the second indication information indicates the above.

[0237] Further, the second indication information can also indicate the correspondence between the one or more levels of computing performance supported by the computing service and the one or more service instances.

[0238] Since the computing service is provided by one or more service instances, the computing capabilities of the service instances can be the same or different, and thus the computing performance supported by the service instances can be the same or different. In other words, each level of computing performance can correspond to one or more service instances. Each level of computing performance can be supported by the one or more service instances corresponding thereto.

[0239] The second indication information can indicate, when indicating the correspondence between the one or more levels of computing performance and the one or more service instances, the correspondence between the one or more levels of computing performance and the one or more sets of QoS parameters, and the one or more sets of QoS parameters; or the second indication information can separately indicate the one or more sets of QoS parameters, the correspondence between the one or more levels of computing performance and the one or more sets of QoS parameters, and the correspondence between the one or more levels of computing performance and the one or more service instances. The present application does not limit this.

[0240] The first network element can indicate, when indicating the correspondence between the one or more levels of computing performance and the one or more sets of QoS parameters, the correspondence between the one or more levels of computing performance and the one or more service instances. For example, for each level of service instance, an identity of the service instance corresponding thereto and / or an address of the service instance can be indicated.

[0241] Optionally, another possible implementation of step 410 is shown in step 410b, in which the access network device obtains the one or more sets of QoS parameters of the computing service locally.

[0242] For example, the access network device can save the one or more sets of QoS parameters of the computing service locally after receiving the one or more sets of QoS parameters of the computing service from the first network element, and obtain the one or more sets of QoS parameters of the computing service locally when receiving a request to access the computing service.

[0243] For another example, the network management system can configure one or more sets of QoS parameters of the computing service in the access network device, and the access network device can obtain the one or more sets of QoS parameters of the computing service from the local when receiving the request for accessing the computing service.

[0244] The first terminal can be the first terminal to access the computing service, and the access network device can obtain the one or more sets of QoS parameters of the computing service from the first network element through step 410a after receiving the first indication information from the first terminal; or, the access network device can have obtained the one or more sets of QoS parameters of the computing service from the first network element through step 410a before receiving the first indication information from the first terminal, such as the access network device can obtain the one or more sets of QoS parameters of the computing service from the first network element when it is online.

[0245] The first terminal can also not be the first terminal to access the computing service, and the access network device can obtain the one or more sets of QoS parameters of the computing service from the local through step 410b after receiving the first indication information from the first terminal.

[0246] Optionally, the requirement of the computing service on the transmission performance is determined according to the service requirement of the computing service and the computing performance supported by the computing service.

[0247] In the foregoing term introduction, the service requirement of the computing service, the computing performance and the transmission performance have been described in detail, and will not be repeated here.

[0248] It is not difficult to understand that the service requirement of the computing service is met through the two aspects of the computing performance and the transmission performance of the computing service. Taking the latency as an example, the sum of the computing latency of the computing service and the transmission latency of the computing service is less than or equal to the end-to-end latency threshold of the computing service. In the case of certain computing capability, i.e., certain computing latency, the upper bound of the transmission latency can be obtained by subtracting the computing latency from the end-to-end latency threshold. Based on the transmission latency, one set of QoS parameters capable of supporting the transmission latency, i.e., the target QoS parameters, can be determined. The target QoS parameters determined in this way can meet the service requirement of the computing service.

[0249] Optionally, the one or more sets of QoS parameters have a corresponding relationship with one or more levels of computing performance supported by the computing service.

[0250] Exemplarily, each set of QoS parameters includes one or more of the following: transmission QCI, ARP, flow bit rate, or PDB. The corresponding relationship between one set of QoS parameters and one level of computing performance can be expressed as follows: {[transmission QCI, ARP, flow bit rate, PDB], [index or identifier of computing QCI or transmission performance]}.

[0251] Each of the one or more sets of QoS parameters corresponds to one of the one or more levels of computing performance. In other words, each of the one or more sets of QoS parameters corresponds to one of the one or more levels of computing performance in a one-to-one manner. A set of QoS parameters corresponding to one level of computing performance can satisfy: the transmission performance supported by the set of QoS parameters and the level of computing performance satisfy the service requirement of the computing service. In other words, the one or more sets of QoS parameters correspond to the one or more levels of computing performance supported by the computing service, that is, the transmission performance supported by the one or more sets of QoS parameters correspond to the one or more levels of computing performance supported by the computing service, or in other words, the transmission performance supported by each set of QoS parameters corresponds to one level of computing performance supported by the computing service, that is, {transmission performance, computing performance}. Wherein [transmission QCI, ARP, flow bit rate, PDB] can be regarded as a QoS parameter supporting the transmission performance, and there is a corresponding relationship; [computing QCI or index or identifier of transmission performance] is used to indicate one level of computing performance, and there is a corresponding relationship. Therefore, any two of the transmission performance, the QoS parameter, the computing performance, and the computing QCI (or the index or identifier of the computing performance) have a corresponding relationship.

[0252] For the convenience of understanding, the following takes the time delay as an example for illustration. It is assumed that the service requirement of the computing service is: the end-to-end time delay threshold is 6 milliseconds (ms). The computing service supports 5 levels of computing performance, and the computing time delay is 1 ms, 2 ms, 3 ms, 4 ms, and 5 ms. The 5 levels of computing performance correspond to 5 levels of transmission performance respectively, and the transmission time delay is 5 ms, 4 ms, 3 ms, 2 ms, and 1 ms respectively. In this way, 5 combinations of {transmission performance, computing performance} can be obtained as follows: {1 ms, 5 ms}, {2 ms, 4 ms}, {3 ms, 3 ms}, {4 ms, 2 ms}, and {5 ms, 1 ms}. Based on each level of transmission performance, the QoS parameters capable of supporting each level of transmission performance can be further determined, and then 5 combinations of {QoS parameter, computing performance} can be obtained.

[0253] It should be understood that the correspondence between the one or more sets of QoS parameters of the computing service and the one or more levels of computing performance shown above is only an example, and the present application does not limit the number of levels of computing performance supported by the computing service, nor the number of sets of QoS parameters of the computing service, nor the specific parameter values of the levels of computing performance and the transmission performance.

[0254] One possible case is that the computing service supports one level of computing performance. Illustratively, the computing service can be provided by one or more service instances, which can have the same computing capability and can support the same level of computing performance. The one or more service instances can be deployed on the same computing node, or can also be deployed on different computing nodes, which is not limited in the present application.

[0255] FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of a computing node deployed with multiple service instances. As shown in the figure, the multiple service instances are deployed on the same intelligent board card (i.e., an example of a computing node). The intelligent board card can be co-located with the access network device, or integrated inside the access network device, or the intelligent board card can also be separate from the access network device, but has a communication connection with the access network device. The multiple service instances can all provide service A (i.e., one of the computing services), and all have a computing capability of 5 ms of latency, i.e., support the same level of computing performance.

[0256] In the case of a certain service demand of the computing service, the computing service supports one level of computing performance, and the computing service has a certain demand for transmission performance, i.e., a certain portion of the end-to-end latency is left for transmission latency, in other words, the combination of {transmission performance, computing performance} is unique. Therefore, no matter which terminal accesses the computing service, the QoS parameter used to support the transmission performance can be the same when finally selecting which computing service to provide the computing service, i.e., the combination of {QoS parameter, computing performance} is unique. Thus, the guarantee of the transmission performance of the computing service level is simply achieved.

[0257] Another possible case is that the computing service supports multiple levels of computing performance. Illustratively, the computing service can be provided by multiple service instances, which have different computing capabilities and can support multiple levels of computing performance. Each level of computing performance can be provided by one or more service instances of the multiple service instances. The multiple service instances can be deployed on the same computing node, or can also be deployed on different computing nodes, which is not limited in the present application.

[0258] FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of a computing node deployed with multiple service instances. The relationship between the intelligent board card shown in FIG. 6 and the access network device can be referred to the description of FIG. 5 above, and will not be repeated here.

[0259] Fig. 6(a) shows multiple service instances deployed on the same intelligent board card (i.e., an example of a computing node): instance 1, instance 2, and instance 3. The multiple service instances can all provide service A (i.e., one of the computing services) with different computing capabilities. Among them, instance 1 and instance 2 have the same computing capability, both with a latency of 5 ms; and instance 3 has a different computing capability from instance 1 and instance 2, with a latency of 10 ms. Therefore, the multiple service instances can support two levels of computing performance. In other words, the computing service provided by the intelligent board card supports two levels of computing performance. In other words, the computing service A supports two levels of computing performance.

[0260] Fig. 6(b) shows multiple service instances deployed on two intelligent board cards: instance 1 and instance 2 deployed on one intelligent board card, and instance 3 and instance 4 deployed on the other intelligent board card. The multiple service instances can all provide service A (i.e., one of the computing services) with different computing capabilities. Among them, instance 1 and instance 2 have the same computing capability, both with a latency of 5 ms; and instance 3 and instance 4 have the same computing capability, both with a latency of 10 ms. Therefore, the multiple service instances can support two levels of computing performance. In other words, intelligent board card 1 and intelligent board card 2 provide the same computing service and support different computing performance. In other words, the service A supports two levels of computing performance.

[0261] Under certain business requirements of the computing service, the computing service supports multiple levels of computing performance, and the computing service has multiple levels of requirements for transmission performance accordingly. The combination of the foregoing {transmission performance, computing performance} can be multiple, and the combination of {QoS parameter, computing performance} can also be multiple. That is, dynamic guarantee can be provided for the business requirements of the computing service, for example, when the transmission quality is degraded, a service instance with better computing performance can be selected. Moreover, different wireless transmission capabilities of access network devices at different locations can also be considered, and for different terminals, the terminals accessing the network at different locations can select different combinations of QoS parameters and computing performance for the same computing service to dynamically guarantee the business requirements of the computing service.

[0262] Optionally, step 430 specifically comprises: determining, by the access network device, the target QoS parameter of the computing service according to the first indication information and the wireless transmission capability.

[0263] The wireless transmission capability mainly refers to the transmission capability of the wireless transmission link between the access network device and the terminal. For example, the wireless transmission capability can specifically refer to the transmission capability of the air interface in 5G. The wireless transmission capability can be represented by, for example, transmission latency, transmission speed, and the like.

[0264] Exemplarily, the access network device can determine, according to the first indication information, a computing service accessed by the first terminal, and further determine, according to the wireless transmission capability, a target QoS parameter from one or more sets of QoS parameters of the computing service.

[0265] Since the one or more sets of QoS parameters can support different transmission performances, the access network device can determine, according to the wireless transmission capability, the target QoS parameter from the one or more sets of QoS parameters, so that the transmission performance supported by the target QoS parameter is adapted to the current wireless transmission capability.

[0266] In this way, the access network device can select an adapted {QoS parameter, computing performance} combination according to the current wireless transmission capability, to guarantee the service requirement of the computing service.

[0267] Optionally, the method 400 further includes step 440: the access network device allocates resources for the first terminal according to the target QoS parameter.

[0268] The access network device can allocate resources for the first terminal according to the target QoS parameter, for example, indicating, by a downlink control information (DCI), a physical resource for the first terminal to send and / or receive data of the computing task.

[0269] The access network device can allocate resources for the first terminal according to the target QoS parameter. For example, the access network device allocates information of a dedicated radio bearer (including a signalling radio bearer (SRB) 2 and a data radio bearer (DRB)) for the terminal, configures information of a dedicated control channel (DCCH) and a dedicated traffic channel (DTCH), and sends the information to the terminal to complete establishment of the SRB and the DRB. The specific process can refer to the prior art, which will not be described in detail here.

[0270] Optionally, the method 400 further includes step 450: the first terminal sends a first data packet to the access network device, the first data packet carrying data of the computing task. Correspondingly, the access network device receives the first data packet from the first terminal.

[0271] Exemplarily, the first data packet sent by the first terminal to the access network device is a data packet obtained by encapsulating the data of the computing task according to a transmission protocol between the terminal and the access network device. The data of the computing task is a payload of the first data packet. The first data packet can carry the first indication information in addition to the data of the computing task, so as to facilitate the access network device to determine the computing service accessed by the first terminal according to the first data packet. In a possible design, the first indication information is carried in a packet header of the first data packet.

[0272] It should be understood that although steps 420 and 450 are shown as two steps in the figure, it should be understood that it has been stated in step 420 that the first indication information sent by the first terminal to the access network device can be carried in the scheduling request of the computing task or can be carried in the data packet. If the first indication information in step 420 is carried in the scheduling request of the computing task, steps 420 and 450 can be two steps; if the first indication information in step 420 is carried in the first data packet, steps 420 and 450 can be the same step, that is, the first data packet carries the data of the computing task and the first indication information.

[0273] Optionally, the method 400 further includes step 460: the access network device sends a second data packet to a fourth network element (that is, an example of the second network element, such as a computing node), the second data packet carrying the data of the computing task from the first terminal and one or more of the following: indication information of the target QoS parameter, indication information of the target computing performance, or indication information of the service instance. Correspondingly, the fourth network element receives the second data packet from the access network device.

[0274] Since the transmission protocol between the terminal and the access network device and the transmission protocol between the access network device and the fourth network element can be the same or different, the access network device can generate the second data packet according to the received first data packet, the first data packet being generated according to the transmission protocol between the terminal and the access network device, and the second data packet being generated according to the transmission protocol between the access network device and the fourth network element. It can be understood that the payload of the first data packet and the payload of the second data packet are the same, in other words, the payload of the second data packet is the payload of the first data packet. Therefore, a possible implementation manner of generating the second data packet according to the first data packet is that the second data packet is obtained by encapsulating the payload according to the transmission protocol between the access network device and the fourth network element. It can be understood that the payload is the data of the computing task.

[0275] In one example, the second data packet is a GPRS tunneling protocol user plane (GTP-U) data packet. The payload of the GTP-U data packet is the payload of the first data packet, i.e., the data from the first terminal, i.e., the data of the computing task.

[0276] Optionally, the second data packet further carries an identifier of the computing service. In one example, the identifier of the computing service can be carried in the header of the second data packet.

[0277] The identifier of the computing service is used to indicate the computing service to be accessed by the first terminal. As mentioned above, the first indication information can be an identifier of a computing service or an identifier of a computing task. Therefore, the identifier of the computing service can be the first indication information (e.g., the identifier of the computing service) or determined according to the first indication information (e.g., the identifier of the computing task).

[0278] It can be understood that if the computing node associated with the access network device only provides one computing service, the identifier of the computing service can also not be carried in the second data packet.

[0279] Optionally, the second data packet further carries one or more of the following: indication information of a target QoS parameter, indication information of a target computing performance, or indication information of a service instance. In one example, the one or more of the above information can be carried in the header of the second data packet. The one or more of the above information carried in the second data packet will be described below.

[0280] The indication information of the target QoS parameter is used to indicate the target QoS parameter. In one example, the indication information of the target QoS parameter is a transmission QCI.

[0281] The target computing performance has a corresponding relationship with the target QoS parameter, i.e., the transmission performance supported by the target computing performance and the target QoS parameter meets the service requirement of the computing service. Therefore, the target computing performance can be determined by the access network device according to the target QoS parameter. Optionally, the method further comprises: determining the target computing performance corresponding to the target QoS parameter according to the corresponding relationship between one or more sets of QoS parameters and one or more levels of computing performance.

[0282] The indication information of the target computing performance is used to indicate the target computing performance. In one example, the indication information of the target computing performance is a computing QCI or an index or identifier of a computing performance. It should be understood that the indication information of the target computing performance is not limited to the above, as long as it can uniquely indicate the target computing performance from one or more levels of computing performance, it can be used as the indication information of the target computing performance.

[0283] The service instance has a corresponding relationship with the target computing performance, i.e., the target computing performance is supported by the computing service provided by one or more service instances. Therefore, the service instance can be determined by the access network device according to the target computing performance, and the target computing performance can be determined by the access network device according to the target QoS parameter.

[0284] The indication information of the service instance is used to indicate one or a group of service instances. In one example, the indication information of the service instance is an identifier of the service instance, which is used to uniquely indicate one service instance. In another example, the indication information of the service instance is a group identifier of the service instance, which is used to indicate a group of service instances supporting the target computing performance, and the group of service instances can include one or more service instances.

[0285] Optionally, the method 400 further includes step 470: determining, by the fourth network element, the target service instance according to one or more of the following carried in the second data packet: the identifier of the computing service, the indication information of the target QoS parameter, the indication information of the target computing performance, or the indication information of the service instance.

[0286] The target service instance is a service instance determined by the fourth network element to be able to provide the computing service for the first terminal, and the target service instance supports the target computing performance. The fourth network element can determine to which computing node to route the second data packet according to the determined target service instance.

[0287] The fourth network element can determine the target service instance according to one or more of the following: the identifier of the computing service, the indication information of the target QoS, the indication information of the target computing performance, or the indication information of the service instance.

[0288] As described above, the identifier of the computing service is used to indicate the computing service to be accessed by the first terminal. The fourth network element can determine the computing service to be accessed by the first terminal according to the identifier of the computing service, and then select a service instance capable of providing the computing service as the target service instance.

[0289] In the case where the service instances providing the computing service all support the same level of computing performance, i.e., the computing performance of the computing service has only one level, the one level of computing performance corresponds to one set of QoS parameters, i.e., the target QoS parameter. In this case, the fourth network element can directly select one service instance providing the computing service for the first terminal as the target service instance.

[0290] In a case where the service instance providing the computing service supports multiple levels of computing performance, i.e., the computing performance of the computing service has multiple levels, the multiple levels of computing performance correspond to multiple sets of QoS parameters, and the target QoS parameters are one set of the multiple sets of QoS parameters. In this case, the fourth network element can further determine the target service instance in combination with one or more of the following: the indication information of the target QoS parameters, the indication information of the target computing performance, or the indication information of the service instance.

[0291] In one example, the second data packet carries data of the computing task from the first terminal, an identifier of the computing service, and indication information of the target QoS parameters. Step 470 can specifically include: determining, by the fourth network element, the target computing performance according to the target QoS parameters and the correspondence between one or more sets of QoS parameters and one or more levels of computing performance; and obtaining, by the fourth network element, the identifier of the target service instance according to the target computing performance.

[0292] In one possible implementation, the fourth network element and the third network element (i.e., another example of the second network element) are the same network element, such as a computing node, which has both the functions of providing the computing service and load balancing. The fourth network element can determine the computing service accessed by the first terminal according to the identifier of the computing service, and then determine the service instance providing the computing service, and further determine the target computing performance corresponding to the target QoS parameters according to the correspondence described above, and then select, from the service instances providing the computing service, the service instance capable of supporting the target computing performance as the target service instance.

[0293] In another possible implementation, the fourth network element and the third network element are different network elements. For example, the fourth network element is a UPF having the function of load balancing, and the third network element is a computing node having both the functions of providing the computing service and load balancing. The fourth network element can determine the target computing performance corresponding to the target QoS parameters according to the correspondence described above, and then send the indication information of the target computing performance to the third network element. The third network element can determine, from the computing performance supported by each of the service instances provided, the service instance satisfying the target computing performance as the target service instance, and send the identifier of the target service instance to the fourth network element. The fourth network element can thus determine the target service instance.

[0294] In this example, the fourth network element needs to determine the target computing performance according to the target QoS parameters, and therefore the fourth network element can obtain the correspondence described above. Optionally, the method further includes: obtaining, by the fourth network element, mapping relationship information indicating the correspondence between one or more levels of computing performance and one or more sets of QoS parameters. For example, the fourth network element can obtain the mapping relationship information from the first network element or a PCF, or can obtain the mapping relationship information from a network management system.

[0295] More details about this example can be found in the method 1100A shown in FIG. 11 below.

[0296] In another example, the second data packet carries data from the first terminal, an indication of the identity of the computing service, and an indication of the target computing performance. The step 470 can specifically include that the fourth network element determines the target service instance according to the target computing performance and the correspondence between the one or more levels of computing performance and the one or more service instances.

[0297] The fourth network element can determine the service instance capable of supporting the target computing performance as the target service instance according to the correspondence between the one or more levels of computing performance and the one or more service instances, or the fourth network element can forward the indication of the target computing performance to the third network element, which determines the target service instance capable of supporting the target computing performance and sends the identity of the target service instance to the fourth network element, which can determine the target service instance according to the identity of the target service instance.

[0298] In this example, the fourth network element needs to determine the target service instance according to the target computing performance, and therefore the fourth network element can obtain the correspondence between the one or more levels of computing performance and the one or more service instances. As mentioned above, the fourth network element can be a network element managing the computing service, such as a service management system or a load balancing functional module, and therefore the fourth network element can obtain the correspondence between the one or more levels of computing performance and the one or more service instances in advance.

[0299] More details about this example can be found in the method 1100B shown in FIG. 13 below.

[0300] In yet another example, the second data packet carries data from the first terminal, an indication of the identity of the computing service, and an indication of the service instance. The step 470 can specifically include that the fourth network element determines the target service instance according to the indication of the service instance.

[0301] In one possible case, the indication of the service instance is the identity of the service instance, which can be used to uniquely indicate a service instance. The fourth network element can directly determine the service instance indicated by the indication of the service instance as the target service instance according to the indication of the service instance.

[0302] Another possible case is that the indication information of the service instance is a group identifier of service instances, which can be used to indicate a group of service instances supporting the target computing performance. The fourth network element can select one from the group of service instances indicated by the indication information as the target service instance; or the fourth network element can forward the indication information to the third network element, which selects one from the group of service instances indicated by the indication information as the target service instance and sends the identifier of the target service instance to the fourth network element, which can determine the target service instance according to the identifier of the target service instance.

[0303] In addition, since the computing performance has a corresponding relationship with the service instance and each level of computing performance is supported by one or more service instances, the corresponding service instance can also be determined according to the target computing performance, and therefore the indication information of the target computing performance can also be regarded as an example of the indication information of the service instance.

[0304] More details about this example can be found in the method 1100C shown in FIG. 15 below.

[0305] Optionally, the method 400 further includes step 480: the fourth network element sends the third data packet to the target service instance. Accordingly, the target service instance receives the third data packet from the fourth network element.

[0306] It should be understood that the third data packet sent by the fourth network element to the target service instance can be generated according to the second data packet. For example, the fourth network element can replace the information carried in the header of the second data packet with the address information of the target service instance to obtain the third data packet, and then route the third data packet to the target service instance.

[0307] Since the service instance is deployed on a computing node, the fourth network element sends the second data packet to the target service instance in step 480, which can also be referred to as that the fourth network element sends the third data packet to the third network element, which is the computing node where the target service instance is deployed.

[0308] It can be understood that if the third network element and the fourth network element are the same network element, step 480 can be regarded as the transmission of the third data packet within the device. At this time, the data payload of the computing task carried by the second data packet and the third data packet is the same. The third data packet sent by the fourth network element to the target service instance and the second data packet received by the fourth network element can be the same data packet or different data packets (for example, the protocol header is converted), which is not limited in the present application.

[0309] Based on the above technical solution, the fourth network element can select a target service instance capable of adapting to the target QoS parameter for the received second data packet, and then provide the first terminal with a computing service through the target service instance. Since the target service instance supports the target computing performance, the target computing performance corresponds to the target QoS parameter, and the target QoS parameter is determined according to the wireless transmission capability, the target service instance determined in this way can meet the service requirements of the computing service from both the computing performance and the transmission performance when providing the first terminal with the computing service.

[0310] In the embodiments of the present application, the first network element can determine the one or more sets of QoS parameters corresponding to the one or more levels of computing performance supported by the computing service in one of the following ways.

[0311] The first possible way is that the first network element receives the computing service information from the third network element, and determines the one or more sets of QoS parameters corresponding to the one or more levels of computing performance supported by the computing service according to the computing service information.

[0312] The second possible way is that the first network element receives the computing service information from the third network element, and forwards the computing service information to the PCF to request the mapping relationship information of the computing service from the PCF. The PCF can determine the correspondence between the one or more levels of computing performance supported by the computing service and the one or more sets of QoS parameters according to the computing service information, and indicate the correspondence to the first network element through the mapping relationship information.

[0313] The third possible way is that the first network element sends the identifier of the computing service to the PCF to request the mapping relationship information of the computing service from the PCF. The PCF can obtain the computing service information of the third network element according to the identifier of the computing service, and then determine the correspondence between the one or more levels of computing performance supported by the computing service and the one or more sets of QoS parameters according to the computing service information, and indicate the correspondence to the first network element through the mapping relationship information.

[0314] As an example, FIGS. 7 to 9 respectively show the process of the first network element determining the one or more sets of QoS parameters. FIGS. 7 to 9 respectively describe the process with the computing node control function as an example of the first network element, and the computing node and the service management system as two examples of the second network element. The following will be described in conjunction with the drawings.

[0315] The flow 700A shown in FIG. 7 corresponds to the first possible way.

[0316] In step 710, the service management system creates one or more service instances on the computing node.

[0317] The one or more service instances can provide a computing service, and can support one or more levels of computing performance. In other words, the computing service supports one or more levels of computing performance.

[0318] It should be appreciated that although only one computing node is shown in the figure, this should not constitute any limitation to the present application. The service management system can create service instances on one or more computing nodes, and the service instances on different computing nodes can all provide the computing service. The service instances on different computing nodes can support the same one or more levels of computing performance, or can support different levels of computing performance. Therefore, the one or more levels of computing performance supported by the computing service can be the union of the levels of computing performance supported by the service instances on different computing nodes.

[0319] For example, the computing service can be provided by service instances created on two computing nodes shown in FIG. 6. That is, the service instances providing the computing service include instance 1 and instance 2 deployed on one computing node, and instance 3 and instance 4 deployed on another computing node. Among them, instance 1 and instance 2 support one level of computing performance, and instance 3 and instance 4 support another level of computing performance, so the computing service supports two levels of computing performance.

[0320] In step 720, the computing node or the service management system sends the computing service information to the computing node control function. Accordingly, the computing node control function receives the computing service information from the computing node.

[0321] Exemplarily, the computing service information indicates one or more of the following: the identity of the computing service, the traffic requirement of the computing service, the one or more levels of computing performance supported by the computing service, the requirement of the computing service on transmission performance under the one or more levels of computing performance supported by the computing service, the traffic characteristic parameter of the computing service.

[0322] The traffic requirement of the computing service can be indicated by a parameter that can be used to characterize the traffic requirement, for example, can be an end-to-end delay threshold. The content about the traffic requirement of the computing service has been described in detail in the above term introduction, and can be referred to the related description in the above, and will not be repeated here.

[0323] The one or more levels of computing performance supported by the computing service can be respectively indicated by a parameter that can be used to characterize each level of computing performance, for example, computing delay, or computing speed, etc. The content about the computing performance has been described in detail in the above term introduction, and can be referred to the related description in the above, and will not be repeated here.

[0324] The requirement of the computing service on the transmission performance can be indicated by a parameter that can be used to characterize the transmission performance, such as a transmission latency, or a transmission bandwidth, etc. The traffic requirement of the computing service is certain, and the requirement of the computing service on the transmission performance can be derived according to the traffic requirement of the computing service and one or more levels of computing performance supported by the computing service. The content about the transmission performance has been described in detail in the above term introduction, and can be referred to the related description in the above, and will not be repeated here.

[0325] The traffic characteristic parameter of the computing service can be used to derive or map the requirement of the computing service on the transmission performance. For example, the traffic characteristic parameter of the computing service includes one or more of the following: a media type, a media format, a media integrity, or a media priority, etc.

[0326] Optionally, the computing service information further includes information of one or more service instances, and each service instance information can indicate a computing performance supported by the service instance, an identity of the service instance, or an address of the service instance. The address of the service instance can be a virtual IP of the service instance, for example.

[0327] Optionally, the computing service information further includes one or more of the following: a communication address of the computing service, a name of the computing service, a location of the computing service, a service area of the computing service, a specification or capability of the computing service, or a calling path of the computing service.

[0328] The communication address of the computing service can include an entry point address of the computing service and / or an interface address of the computing service, and the entry point address or the interface address is an address used to call the computing service, which can be a gateway address, an IP address, an IP address and port, or a protocol layer format address, for example.

[0329] The calling path of the computing service can also be referred to as an access path of the computing service, which can be a uniform resource locator (URL), for example.

[0330] The specification or capability of the computing service can refer to a number of users or connections supported by the computing service.

[0331] The computing service information can be carried in a service registration message sent by the computing node to the computing node control function, and the service registration message can be regarded as a message in which the computing node registers the computing service to the network.

[0332] It should be understood that although only the computing node sends the computing service information to the computing node control function, the present application is not limited thereto. The service management system for managing the computing service can also send the computing service information to the computing node control function.

[0333] It should also be understood that the computing node control function can also receive the computing service information from other computing nodes, which is not limited by the present application.

[0334] In step 730, the computing node control function determines one or more sets of QoS parameters corresponding to one or more levels of computing performance supported by the computing service according to the computing service information.

[0335] As mentioned above, the computing node control function can receive the computing service information from other computing nodes. One kind of computing service can also be provided by one or more computing nodes. The computing node control function can determine one or more levels of computing performance supported by the computing service according to the computing service information received from each computing node, and further determine one or more sets of QoS parameters corresponding thereto. The one or more levels of computing performance supported by the computing service can be supported by one computing node or multiple computing nodes, which is not limited by the present application.

[0336] In one example, the computing service information indicates the service requirement of the computing service and one or more levels of computing performance supported by the computing service. The computing node control function can determine the one or more levels of computing performance supported by the computing service according to the parameters corresponding to the one or more levels of computing performance, and further determine the requirement of the computing service on the transmission performance according to the service requirement of the computing service, and then determine one or more sets of QoS parameters corresponding to the requirement of the computing performance on the transmission performance.

[0337] For example, the computing service information indicates that the service requirement of the computing service is an end-to-end delay threshold of 6ms, and indicates that the computing delay corresponding to the one or more levels of computing performance supported by the computing service is 1ms, 2ms, 3ms, 4ms and 5ms respectively. Thus, the transmission delay corresponding to the requirement of the computing service on the transmission performance is 5ms, 4ms, 3ms, 2ms and 1ms respectively. For the five different requirements, the corresponding QoS parameters can be determined respectively, and thus five sets of QoS parameters corresponding to the five levels of computing performance can be obtained.

[0338] In another example, the computing service information indicates the requirement of the computing service on the transmission performance. The requirement of the computing service on the transmission performance can be obtained according to the service requirement of the computing service and the computing performance supported by the computing service, and the specific relationship can refer to the example above, which will not be described herein.

[0339] Different from the previous example, the computing service information directly indicates the requirement of the computing service on the transmission performance to the computing node control function. It can be understood that the computing service information can indicate the requirement of the computing service on one or more levels of transmission performance, corresponding to the number of levels of computing performance supported by the computing service. The computing node control function can determine a set of QoS parameters for each level of requirement.

[0340] In yet another example, the computing service information indicates the service characteristic parameter of the computing service. The computing node control function deduces or maps the requirement of the computing service on the transmission performance according to the service characteristic parameter of the computing service, and then determines one or more sets of QoS parameters.

[0341] The way in which the computing node control function deduces or maps the requirement of the computing service on the transmission performance according to the service characteristic parameter of the computing service can refer to the prior art, and will not be described in detail herein.

[0342] It can be understood that the computing node control function determines one or more sets of QoS parameters corresponding to one or more levels of computing performance of the computing service, that is, determines the correspondence between one or more levels of computing performance of the computing service and one or more sets of QoS parameters. Therefore, the computing node control function, although does not obtain mapping relationship information for indicating the correspondence between one or more levels of computing performance of the computing service and one or more sets of QoS parameters from other network elements (such as the PCF as exemplified below), determines one or more sets of QoS parameters corresponding to one or more levels of computing performance of the computing service, that is, determines the mapping relationship information.

[0343] Optionally, the computing node control function can send a registration response message to the computing node to indicate that the registration of the computing service provided by the computing node is successful or failed.

[0344] The flow 700B shown in FIG. 8 corresponds to the second possible way. There are some steps in the flow 700B shown in FIG. 8 that are the same as those in the flow 700A shown in FIG. 7, which can refer to the description of the related steps above. Hereinafter, the steps different from those in FIG. 7 will be mainly described.

[0345] In step 710, the service management system creates one or more service instances on the computing node.

[0346] In step 720, the computing node or the service management system sends the computing service information to the computing node control function. Correspondingly, the computing node control function receives the computing service information from the computing node.

[0347] In step 740, the computing node control function sends the computing service information to the PCF. Correspondingly, the PCF receives the computing service information from the computing node control function.

[0348] In step 750, the PCF determines, according to the computing service information, the correspondence between one or more levels of computing performance supported by the computing service and one or more sets of QoS parameters. The PCF determines the correspondence according to the computing service information in the same manner as the processing logic of the computing node control function in step 730 above, and reference can be made to the relevant description in step 730 above, which will not be repeated here.

[0349] In step 760, the PCF sends mapping relationship information to the computing node control function, the mapping relationship information indicating the correspondence between one or more levels of computing performance supported by the computing service and one or more sets of QoS parameters. Correspondingly, the computing node control function receives the mapping relationship information from the PCF. Optionally, the mapping relationship information also indicates the identity of the computing service, so as to distinguish the mapping relationship information corresponding to other computing services. Table 1 below shows an example of the mapping relationship information.

[0350] Table 1

[0351] In Table 1, Service A is the identity of the computing service, Level 1 to Level N are the identities of N levels of computing performance, indicating the N levels of computing performance supported by the service A, and QoS Parameter 1 to QoS Parameter N are the identities of N sets of QoS parameters, indicating the N sets of QoS parameters corresponding to the N levels of computing performance.

[0352] It should be understood that Table 1 is only an example for facilitating understanding of the mapping relationship information, and should not constitute any limitation on the present application. For example, the identity column of the computing service in Table 1 can be deleted; for another example, the computing performance in Table 1 can also be represented by the parameters corresponding to the computing performance, such as computing QCI. In addition, the table is only one possible form for representing the mapping relationship information, and in specific implementation, the mapping relationship information can also be in other forms, such as array, queue, container, stack, linear list, pointer, linked list, tree, graph, structure, class, heap, hash table, etc., without limitation.

[0353] For example, the computing service information sent by the computing node control function to the PCF in step 740 can be carried in a service QoS request. Correspondingly, the mapping relationship information sent by the PCF to the computing node control function in step 760 can be carried in a service QoS response.

[0354] In step 770, the computing node control function determines, according to the mapping relationship information, one or more sets of QoS parameters corresponding to one or more levels of computing performance supported by the computing service.

[0355] Optionally, the computing node control function can send a registration response message to the computing node to indicate that the registration of the computing service provided by the computing node is successful or failed.

[0356] The content related to steps 710 and 720 can refer to the related description in 700A above, and will not be described again.

[0357] The flow 700C shown in FIG. 9 corresponds to the third possible mode. There are some steps in the flow 700C shown in FIG. 9 that are the same as the flow 700A shown in FIG. 7 or the flow 700B shown in FIG. 8, and the related description of the steps above can be referred to. The steps different from FIG. 7 and FIG. 8 will be mainly described below.

[0358] In step 710, the service management system creates one or more service instances on the computing node.

[0359] In step 720, the computing node or the service management system sends the computing service information to the computing node control function. Accordingly, the computing node control function network element receives the computing service information from the computing node.

[0360] In step 780, the computing node control function sends the identification of the computing service to the PCF. Accordingly, the PCF receives the identification of the computing service from the computing node control function network element.

[0361] In step 790, the PCF obtains the computing service information according to the identification of the computing service.

[0362] Since the identification of the computing service can be used to indicate the computing service, the PCF can obtain the computing service information of the computing node capable of supporting the computing service according to the identification of the computing service. The PCF can obtain the computing service information from the computing node, or from the network management system or the service management system, and the like. The present application does not limit this.

[0363] In step 750, the PCF determines the correspondence between the one or more levels of computing performance supported by the computing service and the one or more sets of QoS parameters according to the computing service information.

[0364] In step 760, the PCF sends the mapping relationship information to the computing node control function, the mapping relationship information indicating the correspondence between the one or more levels of computing performance supported by the computing service and the one or more sets of QoS parameters. Accordingly, the computing node control function network element receives the mapping relationship information from the PCF.

[0365] In step 770, the computing node control function determines the one or more sets of QoS parameters corresponding to the one or more levels of computing performance supported by the computing service according to the mapping relationship information.

[0366] Optionally, the computing node control function can send a registration response message to the computing node to indicate that the registration of the computing service provided by the computing node is successful or failed.

[0367] The details of steps 710, 720 and 750-770 can be referred to the related descriptions in 700A and 700B above, and will not be repeated here.

[0368] It should be understood that any one of the processes in FIGS. 7-9 can be combined with the method 400 for the first network element to determine one or more sets of QoS parameters corresponding to one or more levels of computing performance of the computing service. In addition, since the computing capability of the service instance on the computing node can change, the computing node can also send the changed computing service information to the computing node control function, so that the computing node control function updates the correspondence between the one or more levels of computing performance and the one or more sets of QoS parameters, and notifies the access network device of the changed correspondence, so that the access network device determines whether to update the target QoS parameter. Since the process of this update will be illustrated in the embodiments of FIGS. 10, 11, 13, 15 and 17 respectively below, it will not be described here in detail.

[0369] The method provided in the present application is described in detail above in combination with multiple drawings. The specific processes using the method provided in the present application will be described below in combination with specific network elements and different implementation manners. In the multiple embodiments shown below, the embodiment shown in FIG. 10 supports one level of computing performance for the computing service, and the embodiments shown in FIGS. 11, 13, 15 and 17 support multiple levels of computing performance for the computing service.

[0370] FIG. 10 is a schematic flowchart of a communication method according to another embodiment of the present application. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 10, the computing node control function is an example of the first network element, the computing node is an example of the second network element, and the service management system is another example of the second network element. The method 1000 shown in FIG. 10 includes the following steps:

[0371] Step 1001: The service management system creates one or more service instances on the computing node, and the one or more service instances support one level of computing performance.

[0372] Step 1002: The computing node or the service management system sends the computing service information to the computing node control function.

[0373] Step 1003: The computing node determines one set of QoS parameters corresponding to the computing performance supported by the computing service.

[0374] It should be understood that the specific processes of steps 1001-1003 can be referred to the related descriptions in steps 420 of the method 400 above and the processes 700A, 700B or 700C, and will not be repeated here.

[0375] Step 1004: The access network device sends a request message to the computing node control function to request the QoS parameters corresponding to the computing performance supported by the computing service.

[0376] At step 1005, the computing node control function sends a request response to the access network device, the request response carrying second indication information indicating a set of QoS parameters corresponding to the computing performance supported by the computing service.

[0377] It should be understood that the specific process of steps 1004 to 1005 can refer to the related description in step 420 of method 400 above, and it should be noted that in the present embodiment, the second indication information indicates a set of QoS parameters, and other details are not repeated.

[0378] At step 1006, the first terminal sends a scheduling request to the access network device, the scheduling request carrying the first indication information.

[0379] At step 1007, the access network device determines the target QoS parameter according to the first indication information.

[0380] At step 1008, the access network device allocates resources for the first terminal.

[0381] It should be understood that the specific process of steps 1006 to 1008 can refer to the related description in step 410 of method 400 above, and other details are not repeated.

[0382] At step 1009, the first terminal sends a first data packet to the access network device.

[0383] In the present embodiment, the first data packet carries data of the computing task, and optionally, the first data packet can also carry an identifier of the computing task.

[0384] It should be understood that the first terminal can also directly send the first data packet to the access network device without sending the scheduling request. In this case, step 1006 can be omitted, and step 1009 can be executed before step 1007.

[0385] At step 1010, the access network device interacts with the computing node for data of the computing task.

[0386] After determining the target QoS parameter, the access network device can interact with the computing node for data of the computing task based on the target QoS parameter.

[0387] It should be understood that the specific process of steps 1009 to 1010 can refer to the related description of steps 450 to 480 of method 400 above, and other details are not repeated.

[0388] In some cases, the computing capability of the service instance can change. In this case, method 1000 can further include the following steps:

[0389] At step 1011, the computing node sends the changed computing service information to the computing node control function.

[0390] If the computing capability of the service instance changes, the computing node can send the changed computing service information to the computing node control function.

[0391] At step 1012, the computing node control function sends the changed QoS parameter to the access network device.

[0392] The computing service control function can re-determine a corresponding set of QoS parameters according to the changed computing service information, and send the changed QoS parameter to the access network device.

[0393] At step 1013, the access network device updates the target QoS parameter.

[0394] The access network device can update the target QoS parameter according to the changed QoS parameter received from the computing node control function.

[0395] At step 1014, the access network device updates the resource for the first terminal.

[0396] The access network device can further update the resource for the first terminal according to the updated target QoS parameter.

[0397] It should be understood that the access network device can continue to interact with the computing node for the data of the computing task during the execution of steps 1011 to 1014, or after the execution of step 1014.

[0398] Based on the above technical solution, the access network device can obtain a set of QoS parameters with computing service granularity, and can allocate resources for the first terminal based on the QoS parameter to meet the demand of the computing service on transmission performance in response to the access of the first terminal to the computing service. This is like providing QoS parameters specially for computing services, that is, providing dedicated bearers for the data of computing services. Since the demand of the computing service on transmission performance is certain under certain business demand of the computing service, that is, the part of the end-to-end delay left for transmission delay is certain. Therefore, no matter which terminal accesses the computing service, the QoS parameter selected to support the transmission performance can be the same, thereby simply realizing the guarantee of the transmission performance at the level of computing services. In addition, since the QoS parameter in the present application is in the granularity of computing services, the access network device does not need to obtain QoS parameters for each session of a terminal, thereby avoiding obtaining QoS parameters in the granularity of terminals through excessive signaling interaction and lengthy process, so that the response of QoS is more rapid, thereby being conducive to meeting the business demand of the computing service and improving user experience.

[0399] FIG. 11 is a schematic flowchart of a communication method according to another embodiment of the present application. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 11, the computing node control function is an example of a first network element, the computing node is an example of a second network element, the service management system is another example of the second network element, the LB function module in the computing node is an example of a fourth network element, and the computing function module in the computing node is an example of a third network element. The method 1100A shown in FIG. 11 includes the following steps:

[0400] At step 1101, the service management system creates one or more service instances on the computing function module of the computing node, and the one or more service instances support a primary computing performance.

[0401] At step 1102, the computing function module of the computing node or the service management system sends computing service information to the computing node control function. Exemplarily, the computing service information is carried in a service registration message.

[0402] At step 1103, the computing node determines a plurality of sets of QoS parameters corresponding to a plurality of computing performances supported by the computing service.

[0403] It should be understood that the specific processes of steps 1101 to 1103 can refer to the descriptions of steps 420 of method 400 and the related descriptions in flowcharts 700A, 700B or 700C, and will not be repeated here.

[0404] At step 1104a, the computing node control function sends mapping relationship information to the LB function module of the computing node, and the mapping relationship information indicates the correspondence between the plurality of computing performances supported by the computing service and the plurality of sets of QoS parameters.

[0405] The specific content of the mapping relationship information can refer to the descriptions of step 470 of method 400 and the related descriptions in flowcharts 700A, 700B or 700C, and will not be repeated here.

[0406] The computing node control function can send the mapping relationship information to the LB function module on the computing node after obtaining the mapping relationship information. Exemplarily, the mapping relationship information is carried in a registration response message.

[0407] At step 1104b, the LB function module on the computing node obtains the mapping relationship information from the service management system, and the mapping relationship information indicates the correspondence between the plurality of computing performances supported by the computing service and the plurality of sets of QoS parameters.

[0408] The service management system can obtain the business requirement of the computing service, and the service management system knows what computing performance the service instance deployed on the computing node supports, and thus the service management system can determine a plurality of sets of QoS parameters corresponding to a plurality of levels of computing performance supported by the computing service, that is, the service management system can determine the mapping relationship information. Therefore, the LB function module on the computing node can obtain the mapping relationship information from the service management system.

[0409] It should be understood that steps 1104a and 1104b can be regarded as two different implementations of the LB function module on the computing node obtaining the mapping relationship information, and either one can be executed without having to execute both. In addition, step 1104b can be executed after step 1103 or before step 1103, which is not limited in the present application.

[0410] Step 1105: The access network device sends a request message to the computing node control function to request the QoS parameters corresponding to the computing performance supported by the computing service.

[0411] Step 1106a: The computing node control function sends a request response to the access network device, and the request response carries second indication information indicating a plurality of sets of QoS parameters corresponding to a plurality of levels of computing performance supported by the computing service.

[0412] It should be understood that the specific process of steps 1105 and 1106a can refer to the related description in step 420 of method 400 above, and it should be noted that in the present embodiment, the second indication information indicates a plurality of sets of QoS parameters, and other details are not repeated.

[0413] At this point, the GTP-U channel between the access network device and the computing node is established.

[0414] Step 1107: The first terminal sends a scheduling request to the access network device, and the scheduling request carries first indication information.

[0415] Step 1108: The access network device determines the target QoS parameter according to the first indication information.

[0416] Step 1109: The access network device allocates resources for the first terminal.

[0417] It should be understood that the specific process of steps 1107 to 1109 can refer to the related description in step 410 of method 400 above, and details are not repeated.

[0418] Step 1110: The first terminal sends a first data packet to the access network device, and the first data packet can carry data of a computing task. Optionally, the first data packet can also carry an identifier of the computing service.

[0419] It should be understood that the first terminal can also send the first data packet directly to the access network device without sending the scheduling request. In this case, step 1107 can be omitted, and step 1110 can be performed before step 1108.

[0420] At step 1111a, the access network device sends the second data packet to the LB function module on the computing node.

[0421] The access network device can generate the second data packet according to the first data packet. In this embodiment, the second data packet can carry data of the computing task from the first terminal and indication information of the target QoS parameter. Optionally, the second data packet can also carry the identification of the computing service.

[0422] For details of the process in which the access network device generates the second data packet according to the first data packet, please refer to the relevant description in steps 450 and 460 of method 400 above, which will not be repeated here.

[0423] For ease of understanding, FIG. 12 shows an example of the first data packet and the second data packet. The payload of the first data packet shown in FIG. 12 is an IP packet, and the packet header carries the identification of the computing service. The payload of the second data packet is also an IP packet, which can be extracted from the first data packet, and the packet header carries the identification of the computing service and the indication information of the target QoS parameter, such as the transmission QCI.

[0424] At step 1112a, the LB function module on the computing node determines the target service instance.

[0425] The LB function module can determine the target computing performance according to the target QoS parameter and the mapping relationship information, and then determine the target service instance that supports the target computing performance.

[0426] At step 1113, the LB function module on the computing node routes a third data packet to the target service instance on the computing node.

[0427] The LB function module can generate the third data packet according to the second data packet, and then route the third data packet to the target service instance. Alternatively, the LB function module can directly route the second data packet to the target service instance, in which case the second data packet and the third data packet are the same data packet. It should be understood that the target service instance is a computing function module deployed on the computing node. Therefore, the process of the LB function module sending the third data packet to the computing function module is shown in the figure. This process can be regarded as internal interaction of the computing node.

[0428] It should be understood that the specific processes of steps 1111a, 1112a and 1113 can be referred to the relevant description in steps 460 to 480 of method 400 above, which will not be repeated here.

[0429] In some cases, the computing capability of the service instance can change. In this case, the method 1100A can further include part or all of the following steps:

[0430] Step 1114, the computing function module or the service management system on the computing node sends the changed computing service information to the computing node control function.

[0431] Step 1115a, the computing node control function sends the changed one or more sets of QoS parameters to the access network device.

[0432] Since there can be a change in the computing capability of part or all of the service instances on the computing node, the changed computing service information can include a change in one or more levels of computing performance, thereby possibly bringing a change in one or more sets of corresponding QoS parameters.

[0433] Step 1116, the access network device updates the target QoS parameter.

[0434] The access network device can determine whether the target QoS parameter needs to be updated according to the changed one or more sets of QoS parameters, and update the target QoS parameter if it needs to be updated.

[0435] Step 1117, the access network device updates the resource for the first terminal.

[0436] It should be understood that in the case where the target QoS parameter does not need to be updated, steps 1116 and 1117 can be skipped.

[0437] It should be understood that the access network device can continue to interact with the computing node for computing task data during the execution of steps 1114, 1115a, 1116 or 1117, or after the execution of step 1117.

[0438] Based on the above technical solution, the access network device can obtain a set of QoS parameters with a computing service granularity, and can allocate resources for the first terminal based on the QoS parameters to meet the demand of the computing service on transmission performance in response to the access of the first terminal to the computing service. This is like providing QoS parameters specially for the computing service, that is, providing a dedicated bearer for the data of the computing service. Since the business demand of the computing service is certain, if the computing service supports multiple levels of computing performance, the demand of the computing service on transmission performance also has multiple levels, and the QoS parameters corresponding to the multiple levels of transmission performance also have multiple sets. Therefore, for the same computing service, multiple combinations of different QoS parameters and computing performance can be provided. Thus, the dynamic guarantee for the business demand of the computing service can be provided by considering the wireless transmission capability of the access network device at different time periods, the different wireless transmission capabilities of the access network devices at different locations, different terminals, and terminals of the access network at different locations. In addition, since the QoS parameters in the present application are with a computing service granularity, the access network device does not need to obtain QoS parameters for each session of a terminal, thereby avoiding obtaining QoS parameters through excessive signaling interaction and lengthy procedures with a terminal granularity, so that the response of QoS is more rapid, and thus the business demand of the computing service can be met and the user experience can be improved.

[0439] FIG. 13 is a schematic flowchart of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 11, the computing node control function is an example of a first network element, the computing node is an example of a second network element, the service management system is another example of a second network element, the LB function module in the computing node is an example of a fourth network element, and the computing function module in the computing node is an example of a third network element. Unlike the method 1100A shown in FIG. 11, in the method 1100B shown in FIG. 13, the access network device can determine the target computing performance according to the target QoS parameter, in other words, the access network device can obtain the correspondence between the multiple levels of computing performance of the computing service and the multiple sets of QoS parameters. In the following, the steps different from those in the method 1100A are mainly described, and the steps same as those in the method 1100A can be referred to the related description in the method 1100A and will not be described herein.

[0440] As shown in FIG. 13, the method 1100B includes the following steps:

[0441] In step 1101, the service management system creates one or more service instances on the computing function module of the computing node, and the one or more service instances support a first level of computing performance.

[0442] In step 1102, the computing function module of the computing node or the service management system sends computing service information to the computing node control function. Exemplarily, the computing service information is carried in a service registration message.

[0443] The computing node determines a plurality of sets of QoS parameters corresponding to a plurality of levels of computing performance supported by the computing service.

[0444] It should be understood that the specific process of steps 1101 to 1103 can refer to the related description in step 420 of method 400 and in flow 700A, 700B or 700C described above, and will not be repeated here.

[0445] In step 1105, the access network device sends a request message to the computing node control function to request the QoS parameters corresponding to the computing performance supported by the computing service.

[0446] In step 1106b, the computing node control function sends a request response to the access network device, and the request response carries second indication information indicating the correspondence between the plurality of levels of computing performance supported by the computing service and the plurality of sets of QoS parameters.

[0447] It should be understood that the specific process of steps 1105 and 1106b can refer to the related description in step 420 of method 400 described above, and it should be noted that in the present embodiment, the second indication information indicates the correspondence between the plurality of levels of computing performance and the plurality of sets of QoS parameters, and other details will not be repeated here.

[0448] At this point, the GTP-U channel between the access network device and the computing node is established.

[0449] In step 1107, the first terminal sends a scheduling request to the access network device, and the scheduling request carries first indication information.

[0450] In step 1108, the access network device determines the target QoS parameter according to the first indication information.

[0451] In step 1109, the access network device allocates resources for the first terminal.

[0452] It should be understood that the specific process of steps 1107 to 1109 can refer to the related description in step 410 of method 400 described above, and will not be repeated here.

[0453] In step 1118, the access network device determines the target computing performance corresponding to the target QoS parameter.

[0454] Unlike method 1100A, after determining the target QoS parameter, the access network device can further determine the target computing performance corresponding to the target QoS parameter according to the correspondence between the plurality of levels of computing performance supported by the computing service and the plurality of sets of QoS parameters indicated by the second indication information.

[0455] It should be understood that the specific process of steps 1118 and 1119 can refer to the related description in step 470 of method 400 described above, and will not be repeated here.

[0456] It should also be understood that step 1118 can be performed after step 1109, or before step 1109, or synchronously with step 1109, as long as it is performed after step 1108 and before step 1111b.

[0457] Step 1110: The first terminal sends the first data packet to the access network device.

[0458] The description of step 1110 can refer to the description of step 1110 in method 1100A, which will not be repeated here.

[0459] Step 1111b: The access network device sends the second data packet to the LB function module on the computing node.

[0460] The access network device can generate the second data packet according to the first data packet. Unlike method 1100A, in the present embodiment, the second data packet can carry data of the computing task from the first terminal and indication information of the target computing performance. Optionally, the second data packet also carries the identification of the computing service.

[0461] The specific process of the access network device generating the second data packet according to the first data packet can refer to the description of steps 450 and 460 in method 400, which will not be repeated here.

[0462] For the convenience of understanding, FIG. 14 shows another example of the first data packet and the second data packet. The payload of the first data packet shown in FIG. 14 is an IP packet, and the packet header carries the identification of the computing service. The payload of the second data packet is also an IP packet, which can be extracted from the first data packet, and the packet header carries the identification of the computing service and the indication information of the target computing performance, such as the computing QCI.

[0463] Step 1112b: The LB function module on the computing node determines the target service instance.

[0464] Unlike method 1100A, the LB function module can directly determine the target service instance supporting the target computing performance according to the indication information of the target computing performance carried in the second data packet, without having to first determine the target computing performance according to the target QoS parameter, and then determine the target service instance. Therefore, the LB function module in the present embodiment can not pre-acquire the mapping relationship information, i.e., it does not have to perform step 1104a or 1104b in method 1100A.

[0465] Step 1113: The LB function module on the computing node routes the third data packet to the target service instance on the computing node.

[0466] It should be understood that the specific processes of steps 1111b, 1112b and 1113 can refer to the descriptions of steps 460 to 480 of method 400 and steps 1113 of method 1100A above, and will not be repeated here.

[0467] In some cases, the computing capability of the service instance can change. In this case, method 1100B can further include part or all of the following steps:

[0468] In step 1114, the computing function module or the service management system on the computing node sends the changed computing service information to the computing node control function.

[0469] In step 1115b, the computing node control function sends the changed correspondence to the access network device.

[0470] Since there can be a change in the computing capability of part or all of the service instances on the computing node, the changed computing service information can include a change in one or more levels of computing performance, which can result in a change in one or more sets of QoS parameters, i.e., a change in the correspondence between one or more levels of computing performance and one or more sets of QoS parameters. The computing node control function can send the changed correspondence between one or more levels of computing performance and one or more sets of QoS parameters to the access network device, or can also send the correspondence between multiple levels of computing performance and multiple sets of QoS parameters (including the changed and unchanged correspondence) to the access network device. The present application does not limit this.

[0471] In step 1116, the access network device updates the target QoS parameter.

[0472] It should be understood that the description of step 1116 can refer to the description of step 1116 of method 1100A above, and will not be repeated here.

[0473] In step 1117, the access network device updates the resource for the first terminal.

[0474] It should be understood that steps 1116 and 1117 can be skipped in the case where the target QoS parameter does not need to be updated.

[0475] It should be understood that the access network device can continue to interact with the computing node for computing task data during the execution of steps 1114, 1115a, 1116 or 1117, or after the execution of step 1117.

[0476] Based on the above technical solution, the access network device can obtain a set of QoS parameters with a computing service granularity, and can allocate resources for the first terminal based on the QoS parameters to meet the demand of the computing service on transmission performance in response to the access of the first terminal to the computing service. This is like providing QoS parameters specially for the computing service, that is, providing a dedicated bearer for the data of the computing service. Since the business demand of the computing service is certain, if the computing service supports multiple levels of computing performance, the demand of the computing service on transmission performance also has multiple levels, and the QoS parameters corresponding to the multiple levels of transmission performance also have multiple sets. Therefore, for the same computing service, multiple combinations of different QoS parameters and computing performance can be provided. Thus, the dynamic guarantee for the business demand of the computing service can be provided by considering the wireless transmission capability of the access network device at different time periods, the different wireless transmission capabilities of the access network devices at different locations, different terminals, and terminals of the access network at different locations. In addition, since the QoS parameters in the present application are with a computing service granularity, the access network device does not need to obtain QoS parameters for each session of a terminal, thereby avoiding obtaining QoS parameters through excessive signaling interaction and lengthy procedures with a terminal granularity, so that the response of QoS is more rapid, and thus the business demand of the computing service can be met and the user experience can be improved.

[0477] FIG. 15 is a schematic flowchart of a communication method according to another embodiment of the present application. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 15, the computing node control function is an example of a first network element, the computing node is an example of a second network element, the service management system is another example of the second network element, the LB function module in the computing node is an example of a fourth network element, and the computing function module in the computing node is an example of a third network element. Unlike the method 1100A shown in FIG. 11 and the method 1100B shown in FIG. 13, in the method 1100C shown in FIG. 15, the access network device can perceive the information of the service instance, and thus can determine the target computing performance according to the target QoS parameter, and can determine the service instance supporting the target computing performance. In other words, the access network device can obtain the correspondence between the multiple levels of computing performance and the multiple sets of QoS parameters of the computing service, and the correspondence between the multiple levels of computing performance and the multiple service instances. Hereinafter, only the steps different from the method 1100A and the method 1100B will be described, and the same steps as those in the method 1100A and the method 1100B can be referred to the related description in the method 1100A and the method 1100B, and will not be described herein.

[0478] As shown in FIG. 15, the method 1100C includes the following steps:

[0479] In step 1101, the service management system creates one or more service instances on the computing function module of the computing node, and the one or more service instances support a level of computing performance.

[0480] At step 1102, the computing function module or the service management system of the computing node sends the computing service information to the computing node control function. Exemplarily, the computing service information is carried in a service registration message.

[0481] At step 1103, the computing node determines a plurality of sets of QoS parameters corresponding to a plurality of levels of computing performance supported by the computing service.

[0482] It should be understood that the specific procedures of steps 1101 to 1103 can refer to the related description in step 420 of method 400 and in flowcharts 700A, 700B or 700C described above, and will not be repeated here.

[0483] At step 1105, the access network device sends a request message to the computing node control function to request the QoS parameters corresponding to the computing performance supported by the computing service.

[0484] At step 1106c, the computing node control function sends a request response to the access network device, and the request response carries second indication information indicating the correspondence between the plurality of levels of computing performance supported by the computing service and the plurality of sets of QoS parameters, and the correspondence between the plurality of levels of computing performance and the plurality of service instances.

[0485] It should be understood that the specific procedures of steps 1105 and 1106c can refer to the related description in step 420 of method 400 described above, and it should be noted that in the present embodiment, the second indication information indicates the correspondence between the plurality of levels of computing performance and the plurality of sets of QoS parameters, and the correspondence between the plurality of levels of computing performance and the plurality of service instances, and other details will not be repeated here.

[0486] At this point, the GTP-U channel between the access network device and the computing node is established.

[0487] At step 1107, the first terminal sends a scheduling request to the access network device, and the scheduling request carries the first indication information.

[0488] At step 1108, the access network device determines the target QoS parameter according to the first indication information.

[0489] At step 1109, the access network device allocates resources for the first terminal.

[0490] It should be understood that the specific procedures of steps 1107 to 1109 can refer to the related description in step 410 of method 400 described above, and will not be repeated here.

[0491] At step 1118, the access network device determines the target computing performance according to the target QoS parameter.

[0492] At step 1119, the access network device determines the service instance supporting the target computing performance.

[0493] Different from the method 1100A and 1100B, after determining the target QoS parameter, the access network device can determine the target computing performance corresponding to the target QoS parameter according to the correspondence between the multiple levels of computing performance and the multiple sets of QoS parameters indicated by the second indication information, and further determine the service instance supporting the target computing performance according to the correspondence between the multiple levels of computing performance and the multiple service instances indicated by the second indication information.

[0494] It should be understood that the specific process of steps 1118 and 1119 can refer to the related description in step 470 of method 400 above, and will not be repeated here.

[0495] It should also be understood that steps 1118 and 1119 can be executed after step 1109, or before step 1109, or synchronously with step 1109, as long as they are executed after step 1108 and before step 1111c.

[0496] Step 1110, the first terminal sends a first data packet to the access network device.

[0497] The description of step 1110 can refer to the related description of step 1110 in method 1100A above, and will not be repeated here.

[0498] Step 1111c, the access network device sends a second data packet to the LB function module on the computing node.

[0499] The access network device can generate the second data packet according to the first data packet. Different from method 1100A or 1100B, in the embodiment, the second data packet can carry the data of the computing task from the first terminal and the indication information of the service instance. Optionally, the second data packet also carries the identifier of the computing service.

[0500] The specific process of the access network device generating the second data packet according to the first data packet can refer to the related description in steps 450 and 460 of method 400 above, and will not be repeated here.

[0501] For the convenience of understanding, FIG. 16 shows another example of the first data packet and the second data packet. The payload of the first data packet shown in FIG. 16 is an IP packet, and the packet header carries the identifier of the computing service. The payload of the second data packet is also an IP packet, which can be extracted from the first data packet, and the packet header carries the identifier of the computing service and the indication information of the service instance.

[0502] The indication information of the service instance is used to indicate one or more service instances supporting the target computing performance.

[0503] Step 1112c, the LB function module on the computing node determines the target service instance.

[0504] Different from the method 1100A or 1100B, the LB function module can directly determine the target service instance according to the indication information of the service instance carried in the second data packet.

[0505] One possible case is that the indication information of the service instance indicates one service instance supporting the target computing performance. In this case, the LB function module can determine the service instance indicated by the indication information of the service instance as the target service instance. Another possible case is that the indication information of the service instance indicates a group of service instances supporting the target computing performance, and the group of service instances includes multiple service instances. In this case, the LB function module can select one service instance from the multiple service instances as the target service instance.

[0506] Step 1113, the LB function module on the computing node routes the third data packet to the target service instance on the computing node.

[0507] It should be understood that the specific processes of steps 1111b, 1112c and 1113 can refer to the related descriptions in steps 460 to 480 of the method 400 and step 1113 of the method 1100A, and will not be repeated here.

[0508] In another possible implementation, the access network device can also not send the second data packet to the computing node temporarily, but determine the target service instance by interacting with the LB function module on the computing node, and then directly send the second data packet to the target service instance on the computing node. In other words, the steps 1111c, 1112c and 1113 above can be replaced by the steps 1120, 1112c, 1121 and 1122 below. Specifically as follows:

[0509] Step 1120, the access network device sends the indication information of the service instance to the LB function module on the computing node.

[0510] Exemplarily, the access network device can send a request message to the LB function module on the computing node to request the identity of the target service instance. The request message carries the indication information of the service instance. Since the LB function module can pre-acquire the correspondence between the multiple levels of computing performance and the multiple service instances, one possible form of the indication information of the service instance is the indication information of the target computing performance, such as the computing QCI corresponding to the target computing performance.

[0511] Step 1112c, the LB function module on the computing node determines the target service instance.

[0512] Step 1121, the LB function module on the computing node sends the identity of the target service instance to the access network device.

[0513] Exemplarily, as a response to the request message in step 1120, the LB function module sends a request response message to the access network device, where the identification of the target service instance is carried.

[0514] Step 1122, the access network device sends the second data packet to the target service instance on the computing node.

[0515] In this implementation, since the access network device has determined the identification of the target service instance in advance, it can directly send the second data packet to the target service instance without the LB function module selecting a service instance for it, so the access network device can send the second data packet to the computing function module on the computing node.

[0516] It should be understood that the other implementation described above is identified by a dashed line in the figure for ease of distinction.

[0517] Since there can be a change in the computing capability of part or all of the service instances on the computing node, the changed computing service information can contain a change in one or more levels of computing performance, which can bring a change in the corresponding set or sets of QoS parameters, i.e., a change in the correspondence between one or more levels of computing performance and the set or sets of QoS parameters. The computing node control function can send the changed correspondence between one or more levels of computing performance and the set or sets of QoS parameters to the access network device,

[0518] In some cases, the computing capability of a service instance can change. In this case, the method 1100C can further include part or all of the following steps:

[0519] Step 1114, the computing function module or the service management system on the computing node sends the changed computing service information to the computing node control function.

[0520] Step 1115b, the computing node control function sends the changed correspondence to the access network device.

[0521] Since there can be a change in the computing capability of part or all of the service instances on the computing node, the changed computing service information can contain a change in one or more levels of computing performance, which can bring a change in the corresponding set or sets of QoS parameters, i.e., a change in the correspondence between one or more levels of computing performance and the set or sets of QoS parameters. The computing node control function can send the changed correspondence between one or more levels of computing performance and the set or sets of QoS parameters to the access network device, or also send the correspondence between multiple levels of computing performance and multiple sets of QoS parameters (including the changed and unchanged correspondence) to the access network device. The present application does not limit this.

[0522] The access network device can save the changed correspondence, or in other words, update the locally saved correspondence, so that the target QoS parameter can be determined according to the changed correspondence when the next computing task is scheduled.

[0523] In step 1116, the access network device updates the target QoS parameter.

[0524] It should be understood that the description of step 1116 can refer to the related description in step 1116 of method 1100A, and will not be repeated here.

[0525] In step 1117, the access network device updates the resource for the first terminal.

[0526] It should be understood that steps 1116 and 1117 can be skipped in the case where the target QoS parameter does not need to be updated.

[0527] It should be understood that the access network device can continue to interact with the computing node for data of the computing task during the execution of steps 1114, 1115b, 1116 or 1117, or after the execution of step 1117.

[0528] Based on the above technical solution, the access network device can obtain a set of QoS parameters with computing service granularity, and can allocate resources for the first terminal based on the QoS parameters to meet the demand of the computing service on transmission performance in response to the access of the first terminal to the computing service. This is like providing QoS parameters specially for computing services, that is, providing dedicated bearers for data of computing services. Since the business demand of the computing service is certain, if the computing service supports multiple levels of computing performance, the demand of the computing service on transmission performance also exists in multiple levels, and the QoS parameters corresponding to the multiple levels of transmission performance also exist in multiple sets. Therefore, for the same computing service, multiple combinations of different QoS parameters and computing performance can be provided. Thus, the dynamic guarantee for the business demand of the computing service can be provided by considering the wireless transmission capability of the access network device at different time periods, the different wireless transmission capabilities of the access network devices at different locations, different terminals, and terminals of the access network at different locations. In addition, since the QoS parameter in the present application is with computing service granularity, the access network device does not need to obtain QoS parameters for each session of a terminal, thereby avoiding obtaining QoS parameters with terminal granularity through excessive signaling interaction and lengthy procedures, so that the response of QoS is more rapid, and thus it is beneficial to meet the business demand of the computing service and improve user experience.

[0529] FIG. 17 is a schematic flowchart of a communication method according to another embodiment of the present application. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 17, the computing node control function is an example of a first network element, the user plane gateway is an example of a second network element, the computing node is another example of the second network element, the user plane gateway is an example of a fourth network element, the LB function module in the computing node is another example of the fourth network element, and the computing function module in the computing node is an example of a third network element.

[0530] Unlike the methods 1100A, 1100B and 1100C, in the method 1700, the access network device communicates with the service instance on the computing node via the user plane gateway. Moreover, the user plane gateway has both routing and LB functions, and therefore, although the processing logic of the method 1700 is similar to that of the method 1100A, some steps of the LB function module on the computing node in the method 1100A can be performed by the user plane gateway in the method 1700. In the following, the steps different from the method 1100A will be mainly described, and the same steps as those in the method 1100A can be referred to the relevant description in the method 1100A, which will not be repeated here.

[0531] As shown in FIG. 17, the method 1700 includes the following steps:

[0532] In step 1701, the service management system creates one or more service instances on the computing function module of the computing node, and the one or more service instances support a primary computing performance.

[0533] In step 1702, the computing function module of the computing node or the service management system sends computing service information to the computing node control function. Exemplarily, the computing service information is carried in a service registration message.

[0534] In step 1703, the computing node determines a plurality of sets of QoS parameters corresponding to a plurality of computing performances supported by the computing service.

[0535] It should be understood that the specific processes of steps 1701 to 1703 can be referred to the relevant description of steps 420 of the method 400 and the methods 700A, 700B or 700C, which will not be repeated here.

[0536] In step 1704, the access network device sends a request message to the computing node control function to request the QoS parameters corresponding to the computing performance supported by the computing service.

[0537] In step 1705, the computing node control function sends a request response to the access network device, and the request response carries second indication information indicating the plurality of sets of QoS parameters corresponding to the plurality of computing performances supported by the computing service, or indicating the correspondence between the plurality of computing performances supported by the computing service and the plurality of sets of QoS parameters.

[0538] It should be understood that the specific process of steps 1704 and 1705 can refer to the related description in step 420 of method 400 above, and will not be repeated here.

[0539] In step 1706, the user plane gateway obtains the mapping relationship information.

[0540] The specific content of the mapping relationship information can refer to the related description in steps 470 of method 400 above, and steps 700A, 700B or 700C, and will not be repeated here.

[0541] The user plane gateway can obtain the mapping relationship information through interaction with the computing node control function or the PCF, or the mapping relationship information can also be pre-configured in the user plane gateway by the gateway system. The present application does not limit this.

[0542] In step 1707, the first terminal sends a scheduling request to the access network device, and the scheduling request carries first indication information.

[0543] In step 1708, the access network device determines the target QoS parameter according to the first indication information.

[0544] In step 1709, the access network device allocates resources for the first terminal.

[0545] It should be understood that the specific process of steps 1707 to 1709 can refer to the related description in step 410 of method 400 above, and will not be repeated here.

[0546] In step 1710, the first terminal sends a first data packet to the access network device, which can carry the data of the computing task. Optionally, the first data packet can also carry the identity of the computing service.

[0547] It should be understood that the first terminal can also directly send the first data packet to the access network device without sending the scheduling request. In this case, step 1707 can be omitted, and step 1710 can be performed before step 1708.

[0548] It should also be understood that the specific process of step 1710 can refer to the related description in step 450 of method 400 above, and will not be repeated here.

[0549] In step 1711, the access network device sends a second data packet to the user plane gateway.

[0550] The access network device can generate a second data packet according to the first data packet, and send the second data packet to the user plane gateway. In this embodiment, the second data packet can carry the data of the computing task from the first terminal and the indication information of the target QoS parameter. Optionally, the second data packet can also carry the identity of the computing service.

[0551] Optionally, before sending the second data packet, the access network device can select a user plane gateway that is adjacent to the topology of the computing service according to the address of the computing service.

[0552] In step 1712, the user plane gateway determines a target computing performance corresponding to the target QoS parameter according to the correspondence between the multiple levels of computing performance and the multiple sets of QoS parameters.

[0553] In step 1713, the user plane gateway obtains an identifier of the target service instance.

[0554] In an implementation manner, the user plane gateway can send indication information of the target computing performance to an LB function module on the computing node to request the identifier of the target service instance. The LB function module on the computing node can select one service instance supporting the target computing performance as the target service instance according to the correspondence between the multiple levels of computing performance and the multiple service instances, and send the identifier of the target service instance to the user plane gateway.

[0555] In another implementation manner, the user plane gateway can further obtain the correspondence between the multiple levels of computing performance and the multiple service instances, such as by interaction with the computing node, or preconfigured by a network management system, without limitation. The user plane gateway can select one service instance supporting the target computing performance as the target service instance from the multiple service instances.

[0556] In yet another implementation manner, the foregoing step 1706 and step 1712 can not be performed, and the user plane gateway can send indication information of the target QoS parameter to the LB function module on the computing node to request the identifier of the target service instance. The LB function module on the computing node can determine a target computing performance corresponding to the target QoS parameter according to the correspondence between the multiple levels of computing performance and the multiple sets of QoS parameters, and select one service instance supporting the target computing performance as the target service instance according to the correspondence between the multiple levels of computing performance and the multiple service instances, and send the identifier of the target service instance to the user plane gateway.

[0557] In step 1714, the user plane gateway sends a third data packet to the target service instance on the computing node.

[0558] The user plane gateway can generate the third data packet according to the second data packet. In this embodiment, the third data packet carries data and the identifier of the target service instance. Optionally, the third data packet further carries the identifier of the computing service.

[0559] For convenience of understanding, FIG. 18 shows an example of the first data packet, the second data packet and the third data packet. The payload of the first data packet shown in FIG. 18 is an IP packet, and the packet header carries the identification of the computing service. The payload of the second data packet is also an IP packet, which can be extracted from the first data packet, and the packet header carries the identification of the computing service and the indication information of the target QoS parameter, such as the transmission QCI. The payload of the third data packet is also an IP packet, which can be extracted from the second data packet, and the packet header carries the identification of the computing service and the identification of the target service instance.

[0560] In some cases, the computing capability of the service instance can change. In this case, the method 1700 can further include part or all of the following steps:

[0561] At step 1715, the computing function module or the service management system on the computing node sends the changed computing service information to the computing node control function.

[0562] At step 1716, the computing node control function sends the changed one or more sets of QoS parameters to the access network device.

[0563] Since there can be a change in the computing capability of part or all of the service instances on the computing node, the changed computing service information can include a change in one or more levels of computing performance, which can result in a change in one or more sets of corresponding QoS parameters.

[0564] At step 1716, the access network device updates the target QoS parameter.

[0565] The access network device can determine whether the target QoS parameter needs to be updated according to the changed one or more sets of QoS parameters, and update the target QoS parameter if it needs to be updated.

[0566] At step 1718, the access network device updates the resources for the first terminal.

[0567] It should be understood that in the case where the target QoS parameter does not need to be updated, steps 1717 and 1718 can be skipped.

[0568] It should be understood that the access network device can continue to interact with the computing node for computing tasks during the execution of steps 1715 to 1718, or after the execution of step 1718.

[0569] Based on the above technical solution, the access network device can obtain multiple sets of QoS parameters of the computing service granularity, and can allocate resources for the first terminal based on the QoS parameters to meet the demand of the computing service on transmission performance in response to the access of the first terminal to the computing service. This is like providing QoS parameters specially for the computing service, that is, providing a dedicated bearer for the data of the computing service. Since the business demand of the computing service is certain, if the computing service supports multiple levels of computing performance, the demand of the computing service on transmission performance also has multiple levels, and the QoS parameters corresponding to the multiple levels of transmission performance also have multiple sets. Therefore, for the same computing service, multiple combinations of different QoS parameters and computing performance can be provided. Thus, the dynamic guarantee for the business demand of the computing service can be provided by considering the wireless transmission capability of the access network device at different time periods, the different wireless transmission capabilities of the access network devices at different locations, different terminals, and terminals of the access network at different locations.

[0570] The communication method provided by the embodiments of the present application is shown in combination with multiple drawings. The device provided by the embodiments of the present application will be described in combination with the drawings.

[0571] As an example, a communication device provided by the present application is shown in FIG. 19. The communication device 1900 includes a transceiver unit 1910 and a processing unit 1920.

[0572] One possible design is that the communication device 1900 is configured to implement the functions of the access network device in the method embodiments shown in FIGS. 4, 7-11, 13, 15, and 17.

[0573] Exemplarily, the processing unit 1920 can be configured to obtain one or more sets of QoS parameters of a computing service, the one or more sets of QoS parameters being applicable to one or more terminals accessing the computing service; the transceiver unit 1910 can be configured to receive first indication information from a first terminal, the first indication information being used for the first terminal to access the computing service; and the processing unit 1920 can be further configured to determine target QoS parameters of the computing service according to the first indication information, the transmission performance supported by the target QoS parameters meeting the demand of the computing service on transmission performance, and the target QoS parameters being one of the one or more sets of QoS parameters.

[0574] Optionally, the processing unit 1920 can be further configured to determine the target QoS parameters of the computing service according to the first indication information and the wireless transmission capability.

[0575] Optionally, the transceiver 1910 is further configured to receive a first data packet from the first terminal; and send a second data packet to a second network element, the second data packet being generated according to the first data packet, the second data packet carrying indication information of the target QoS parameter, the second network element being configured to provide and / or manage the computing service.

[0576] Optionally, the transceiver 1910 is further configured to receive a first data packet from the first terminal; the processor 1920 is further configured to determine a target computing performance corresponding to the target QoS parameter according to the correspondence between the one or more sets of QoS parameters and the one or more levels of computing performance; and the transceiver 1910 is further configured to send a second data packet to a second network element, the second data packet being generated according to the first data packet, the second data packet carrying indication information of the target computing performance, the second network element being configured to provide and / or manage the computing service.

[0577] Optionally, the transceiver 1910 is further configured to receive a first data packet from the first terminal; the processor 1920 is further configured to determine a target computing performance corresponding to the target QoS parameter according to the correspondence between the one or more sets of QoS parameters and the one or more levels of computing performance, and determine a target service instance corresponding to the target computing performance according to the correspondence between the one or more levels of computing performance and the one or more service instances, the target service instance supporting the target computing performance; and the transceiver 1910 is further configured to send a second data packet to a second network element, the second data packet being generated according to the first data packet, the second data packet carrying indication information of the service instance, the second network element being configured to provide and / or manage the computing service.

[0578] For more detailed description of the transceiver 1910 and the processor 1920, refer to the description of the access network device in the method embodiments shown in FIG. 4, FIG. 7 to FIG. 11, FIG. 13, FIG. 15 and FIG. 17.

[0579] In another possible design, the communication apparatus 1900 is configured to implement the functions of the first network element in the method embodiment shown in FIG. 4, and the functions of the computing node control in the method embodiments shown in FIG. 7 to FIG. 11, FIG. 13, FIG. 15 and FIG. 17.

[0580] Exemplarily, the processing unit 1920 can be configured to determine one or more sets of quality of service (QoS) parameters corresponding to one or more levels of computing performance supported by a computing service, each level of transmission performance satisfying a service requirement of the computing service with a corresponding set of QoS parameters supported; and the transceiver 1910 can be configured to send, to an access network device, second indication information indicating the one or more sets of QoS parameters.

[0581] Optionally, the transceiver 1910 can be further configured to send, to a PCF, computing service information of a computing node configured to provide the computing service, the computing service information indicating one or more of an identity of the computing service, a service requirement of the computing service, one or more levels of computing performance supported by the computing service, a requirement of the computing service on transmission performance under the one or more levels of computing performance supported by the computing service, or a service characteristic parameter of the computing service; and the transceiver 1910 can be further configured to receive, from the PCF, mapping relationship information indicating a correspondence between the one or more levels of computing performance supported by the computing service and one or more sets of QoS parameters; and the processing unit 1920 can be further configured to determine the one or more sets of QoS parameters corresponding to the one or more levels of computing performance supported by the computing service according to the mapping relationship information.

[0582] Optionally, the transceiver 1910 can be further configured to receive the computing service information from the second network element.

[0583] Optionally, the transceiver 1910 can be further configured to send, to a PCF, an identity of the computing service, the identity of the computing service being used to obtain mapping relationship information indicating a correspondence between one or more levels of computing performance supported by the computing service and one or more sets of QoS parameters; and the transceiver 1910 can be further configured to receive, from the PCF, the mapping relationship information; and the processing unit 1920 can be further configured to determine the one or more sets of QoS parameters corresponding to the one or more levels of computing performance supported by the computing service according to the mapping relationship information.

[0584] Optionally, the transceiver 1910 can be further configured to send, to the second network element, the mapping relationship information.

[0585] For more details of the transceiver 1910 and the processing unit 1920, refer to the descriptions of the first network element in the method embodiments shown in FIG. 4 and the descriptions of the computing node control function in the method embodiments shown in FIG. 7 to FIG. 11, FIG. 13, FIG. 15 and FIG. 17, which are not repeated here.

[0586] In yet another possible design, the communication device 1900 can be configured to implement the functions of a second network element in the method embodiments described above with reference to FIG. 4, the functions of a computing node (including the LB function module and the computing function module on the computing node) in the method embodiments described above with reference to FIG. 7 to FIG. 11, FIG. 13, FIG. 15, and FIG. 17, or the functions of a user plane gateway.

[0587] Exemplarily, the transceiver 1910 can be configured to receive a second data packet from an access network device, the second data packet carrying data from a first terminal and one or more of the following: indication information of a target quality of service (QoS) parameter, indication information of a target computing performance, or indication information of a service instance, wherein the target QoS parameter supports a transmission performance and the target computing performance meet a service requirement of a computing service, and the service instance is used to provide the computing service and supports the target computing performance; the processor 1920 can be configured to determine a target service instance according to one or more of the following: the indication information of the target QoS parameter, the indication information of the target computing performance, or the indication information of the service instance, wherein the target service instance is used to provide the computing service for the first terminal and supports the target computing performance; and the transceiver 1910 can be further configured to send the second data packet to the target service instance.

[0588] Optionally, the processor 1920 can be further configured to determine the target computing performance according to the target QoS parameter and the correspondence relationship, wherein the target QoS parameter is one of the one or more sets of QoS parameters, and the target computing performance is one of the one or more levels of computing performance; and the processor 1920 can be further configured to determine the target service instance according to the target computing performance.

[0589] Optionally, the processor 1920 can be further configured to obtain mapping relationship information, wherein the mapping relationship information indicates a correspondence relationship between the one or more levels of computing performance and the one or more sets of QoS parameters.

[0590] Optionally, the processor 1920 can be further configured to determine the target service instance according to the indication information of the target computing performance.

[0591] Optionally, the processor 1920 can be further configured to generate computing service information of a computing node, wherein the computing node is used to provide a computing service, and the computing service information includes one or more of the following: an identifier of the computing service, a service requirement of the computing service, parameters corresponding to one or more levels of computing performance supported by the computing service, a requirement of the computing service on a transmission performance under one or more levels of computing performance supported by the computing service, and a service characteristic parameter of the computing service; and the transceiver 1910 can be further configured to send the computing service information to a first network element.

[0592] More details about the transceiver unit 1910 and the processing unit 1920 can be directly obtained by referring to the description of the second network element in the method embodiments shown in FIG. 4, and the description of the function of the computing node (including the LB function module and the computing function module on the computing node) or the function of the user plane gateway in the method embodiments shown in FIGS. 7 to 11, 13, 15, and 17, and thus will not be repeated here.

[0593] It should be noted that the transceiver unit can also be referred to as a transceiver module, a transceiver, a transceiver, or a transceiver device, etc. The processing unit can also be referred to as a processor, a processing board, a processing module, or a processing device, etc. Optionally, the transceiver unit is used to perform the sending operation and the receiving operation of the intermediate relay or the U2N relay in the above method, and the device in the communication module for realizing the receiving function can be regarded as a receiving unit, and the device in the communication module for realizing the sending function can be regarded as a sending unit, that is, the transceiver unit includes the receiving unit and the sending unit.

[0594] It should also be noted that in a possible design, the aforementioned transceiver unit and / or processing unit can be implemented by a virtual module, for example, the processing unit can be implemented by a software function unit or a virtual device, and the transceiver unit can be implemented by a software function or a virtual device. In another possible design, the processing unit or the transceiver unit can also be implemented by an entity device, for example, if the device is implemented by a chip / chip circuit, the transceiver unit can be an input / output circuit and / or a communication interface, and performs the input operation (corresponding to the aforementioned receiving operation) and the output operation (corresponding to the aforementioned sending operation); the processing unit is an integrated processor or a microprocessor or an integrated circuit.

[0595] The division of the units in the embodiments of the present application is illustrative, and is only a logical function division. In actual implementation, another division manner can be used. In addition, each function module in each example in the embodiments of the present application can be integrated in one processor, or can be physically separated, or two or more modules can be integrated in one module. The integrated module can be implemented in the form of hardware or in the form of a software function module.

[0596] As an example, another communication apparatus provided in the present application is shown in FIG. 20. The communication apparatus 2000 includes at least one processor 2010. The at least one processor 2010 can be configured to execute computer programs or instructions in the memory to implement the steps performed by the access network device in the embodiments shown in FIG. 4, FIG. 7 to FIG. 11, FIG. 13, FIG. 15, or FIG. 17, or the steps performed by the computing node; or to cause the computer to perform the steps performed by the first network element in the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, or to cause the computer to perform the steps performed by the computing node control function in the embodiments shown in FIG. 7 to FIG. 11, FIG. 13, FIG. 15, or FIG. 17; or to cause the computer to perform the steps performed by the second network element in the embodiment shown in FIG. 4; or to cause the computer to perform the steps performed by the computing node in the embodiments shown in FIG. 7 to FIG. 11, FIG. 13, FIG. 15, or FIG. 17, or to cause the computer to perform the steps performed by the user plane gateway in the embodiment shown in FIG. 17.

[0597] Optionally, the communication apparatus 2000 can further include at least one memory 2020 configured to store instructions executed by the processor 2010, or to store input data required by the processor 2010 for executing the instructions, or to store data generated by the processor 2010 after executing the instructions. The at least one processor 2010 and the at least one memory 2020 can be separately arranged. For example, each memory can be connected with one or more processors, so that the connected processor can read information from the memory, store and / or write information in the memory. Alternatively, the at least one processor 2010 and the at least one memory 2020 can be integrated together, for example, one or more memories can be integrated in one processor.

[0598] Optionally, the communication apparatus 2000 further includes an interface circuit 2030 configured to transmit data and / or signaling. The at least one processor 2010 and the interface circuit 2030 are coupled with each other. It can be understood that the interface circuit 2030 can be a transceiver, an input / output circuit, a bus, a module, a pin, or other types of communication interfaces, wherein the input circuit in the input / output circuit can be configured to receive, and the output interface can be configured to send.

[0599] When the communication apparatus 2000 is used to implement the method shown in FIG. 4, FIG. 7 to FIG. 11, FIG. 13, FIG. 15, or FIG. 17, the processor 2010 is configured to perform the functions of the processing unit, and the interface circuit 2030 is configured to perform the functions of the transceiving unit. Whether the interface circuit 2030 is configured to send or receive depends on whether the communication apparatus 2000 is configured to perform a sending action or a receiving action in the scheme.

[0600] It can be understood that when the communication apparatus 2000 is a communication device (for example, an access network device), the interface circuit 2030 can be a transceiver, and specifically can include a transmitter and a receiver, the transmitter being configured to send signals, and the receiver being configured to receive signals. When the communication apparatus 2000 is a chip applied to a communication device, the interface circuit 2030 can be an input / output circuit, a bus, a module, a pin, or another type of communication interface, wherein the input circuit in the input / output circuit can be configured to receive, and the output interface can be configured to send.

[0601] It should be understood that in the communication apparatus 2000 shown in FIG. 20, the processor 2010 can correspond to the processing unit 1920 in the communication apparatus 1900 described above, and the interface circuit 2030 can correspond to the transceiver unit 1910 in the communication apparatus 1900 described above.

[0602] It should also be understood that the coupling in the embodiments of the present application is an indirect coupling or communication connection between devices, units or modules, which can be electrical, mechanical or other forms, and is used for information interaction between devices, units or modules. The specific connection medium between the at least one processor 2010, the at least one memory 2020, the interface circuit 2030 and the power supply circuit 2040 in the embodiments of the present application is not limited. In FIG. 20, the processor 2010, the memory 2020, the interface circuit 2030 and the power supply circuit 2040 are connected through the bus 2050. The bus 2050 is represented by a thick line in FIG. 20, and the connection mode between other components is only schematically illustrated and is not limited. The bus can be a peripheral component interconnect (PCI) bus or an extended industry standard architecture (EISA) bus, etc. The bus can be divided into an address bus, a data bus, a control bus, etc. For convenience of representation, only one thick line is used in FIG. 20, but it does not mean that there is only one bus or only one type of bus.

[0603] It can be appreciated that the processor in the embodiments of the present application can be a central processing unit (CPU), and can also be other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSP), application specific integrated circuits (ASIC), field programmable gate arrays (FPGA) or other programmable logic devices, transistor logic devices, hardware components or any combination thereof. The general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor or any conventional processor.

[0604] The memory in the embodiments of the present application can be a volatile memory or a nonvolatile memory, or can include both volatile and nonvolatile memory. Among them, the nonvolatile memory can be a read-only memory (ROM), a programmable read-only memory (PROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), an electrically EPROM (EEPROM) or a flash memory. The volatile memory can be a random access memory (RAM) used as an external cache. By way of example, and not limitation, many forms of RAM can be used, such as static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), double data rate SDRAM (DDR SDRAM), enhanced SDRAM (ESDRAM), synchlink DRAM (SLDRAM) and direct rambus RAM (DR RAM). It should be noted that the memory of the system and method described herein is intended to include, but not be limited to, these and any other suitable types of memory.

[0605] The present application also provides a communication system, comprising one or more of the following: an access network device, a first network element, a second network element or a PCF. Optionally, further comprising a terminal device.

[0606] The application further provides a computer program product, comprising a computer program (also referred to as code or instructions), which, when executed, causes a computer to perform the method performed by the access network device in the embodiments shown in FIG. 4, FIG. 7 to FIG. 11, FIG. 13, FIG. 15, or FIG. 17, or causes a computer to perform the method performed by the first network element or the second network element in the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, or causes a computer to perform the method performed by the computing node in the embodiments shown in FIG. 7 to FIG. 11, FIG. 15, or FIG. 17, or causes a computer to perform the method performed by the user plane gateway in the embodiment shown in FIG. 17.

[0607] The application further provides a computer readable storage medium, which stores a computer program (also referred to as code or instructions). When the computer program is executed, it causes a computer to perform the method performed by the access network device in the embodiments shown in FIG. 4, FIG. 7 to FIG. 11, FIG. 13, FIG. 15, or FIG. 17, or causes a computer to perform the method performed by the first network element or the second network element in the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, or causes a computer to perform the method performed by the computing node in the embodiments shown in FIG. 7 to FIG. 11, FIG. 15, or FIG. 17, or causes a computer to perform the method performed by the user plane gateway in the embodiment shown in FIG. 17.

[0608] The terms "unit", "module", and the like used in the specification can be used to represent computer-related entities, hardware, a combination of hardware and software, software, or software in execution.

[0609] Those skilled in the art can realize that the units and algorithm steps of the examples described in combination with the embodiments disclosed herein can be realized by electronic hardware or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether the functions are realized in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art can use different methods to realize the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of the application.

[0610] Those skilled in the art can clearly understand that, for the convenience and brevity of description, the specific working processes of the above-described system, device and unit can refer to the corresponding processes in the foregoing method embodiments, which will not be described here.

[0611] In several embodiments provided in the present application, it should be understood that the disclosed system, device and method can be implemented in other manners. For example, the division of the above-described device embodiment is only a logical function division, and there can be another division manner for actual implementation, for example, multiple units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. In addition, the displayed or discussed mutual couplings or direct couplings or communication connections between different functions can be indirect couplings or communication connections through some interfaces, devices or units, and can be in electrical, mechanical or other forms.

[0612] The units described as separate components can or can not be physically separate, and the components shown as units can or can not be physical units, i.e., can be located in one place, or can be distributed on multiple network units. Part or all of the units can be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purpose of the embodiment.

[0613] In addition, each functional unit in each embodiment of the present application can be integrated into a processing unit, or each unit can exist physically, or two or more units can be integrated into one unit.

[0614] In the above embodiments, the functions of the various functional units can be implemented in whole or in part by software, hardware, firmware or any combination thereof. When implemented by software, the software can be implemented in whole or in part in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions (programs). When the computer program instructions (programs) are loaded and executed on a computer, the whole or part of the processes or functions described in the embodiments of the present application are generated. The computer can be a general purpose computer, a special purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable devices. The computer instructions can be stored in a computer readable storage medium or transferred from one computer readable storage medium to another computer readable storage medium, for example, the computer instructions can be transferred from one website, computer, server or data center to another website, computer, server or data center through wired (such as coaxial cable, optical fiber, digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wireless (such as infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) mode. The computer readable storage medium can be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer or a data storage device such as a server, data center, etc. integrated with one or more available media. The available media can be magnetic media (for example, floppy disk, hard disk, magnetic tape), optical media (for example, digital video disc (DVD)), or semiconductor media (for example, solid state disk (SSD)) and the like.

[0615] The functions, if implemented in the form of software functional units and sold or used as independent products, can be stored in a computer readable storage medium. Based on such understanding, the technical solutions of the present application essentially or the part of the prior art or the part of the technical solutions can be embodied in the form of software products. The computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes a number of instructions for making a computer device (which can be a personal computer, a server, or a network device, etc.) execute all or part of the steps of the method described in the embodiments of the present application. The storage medium mentioned above includes: U disk, mobile hard disk, read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), magnetic disk or optical disk and various media that can store program codes.

[0616] The above is only a specific implementation of the present application, but the protection scope of the present application is not limited thereto. Any person skilled in the art can easily think of changes or replacements within the technical scope disclosed in the present application, which should be covered within the protection scope of the present application. Therefore, the protection scope of the present application should be subject to the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

A communication method characterized by comprising: The method comprises: obtaining one or more sets of quality of service (QoS) parameters of a computing service, the one or more sets of QoS parameters being applicable to a plurality of terminals accessing the computing service; receiving first indication information from a first terminal, the first indication information being used to indicate that the first terminal accesses the computing service; determining, according to the first indication information, a target QoS parameter of the computing service, the target QoS parameter supporting transmission performance that meets a requirement of the computing service on transmission performance, the target QoS parameter being one of the one or more sets of QoS parameters. The method of claim 1, wherein The determining, according to the first indication information, of the target QoS parameter of the computing service comprises: determining, according to the first indication information and wireless transmission capability, the target QoS parameter of the computing service. The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein The requirement of the computing service on transmission performance is determined according to service requirements of the computing service and computing performance supported by the computing service. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that The one or more sets of QoS parameters have a corresponding relationship with one or more levels of computing performance supported by the computing service. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that The method further comprises: receiving a first data packet from the first terminal; sending, to a second network element, a second data packet, the second data packet being generated according to the first data packet, the second data packet carrying indication information of the target QoS parameter, the second network element being used to provide and / or manage the computing service. The method of claim 4, wherein The method further comprises: receiving a first data packet from the first terminal; determining, according to the corresponding relationship between the one or more sets of QoS parameters and the one or more levels of computing performance, a target computing performance corresponding to the target QoS parameter; sending, to a second network element, a second data packet, the second data packet being generated according to the first data packet, the second data packet carrying indication information of the target computing performance, the second network element being used to provide and / or manage the computing service. The method of claim 4, wherein The one or more levels of computing performance have a corresponding relationship with one or more service instances used to provide the computing service. The method further comprises: receiving a first data packet from the first terminal; determining, according to the corresponding relationship between the one or more sets of QoS parameters and the one or more levels of computing performance, a target computing performance corresponding to the target QoS parameter; determining, according to the corresponding relationship between the one or more levels of computing performance and the one or more service instances, a service instance corresponding to the target computing performance, the service instance supporting the target computing performance; sending, to a second network element, a second data packet, the second data packet being generated according to the first data packet, the second data packet carrying indication information of the service instance, the second network element being used to provide and / or manage the computing service. The method of any one of claims 5 to 7, wherein The first data packet further carries an identifier of the computing service. The method of any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein The one or more sets of QoS parameters are included in a configuration file of the computing service, or the one or more sets of QoS parameters are included in a configuration file of a computing node used to provide the computing service. A communication method characterized by comprising: The method comprises: determining one or more sets of quality of service (QoS) parameters corresponding to one or more levels of computing performance supported by a computing service, each level of the one or more levels of computing performance satisfying a service requirement of the computing service with a transmission performance supported by a corresponding set of the QoS parameters; sending second indication information to an access network device, the second indication information indicating the one or more sets of QoS parameters. The method of claim 10, wherein The method further includes: determining the one or more sets of QoS parameters corresponding to the one or more levels of computing performance according to computing service information of a computing node, the computing node being configured to provide the computing service, the computing service information indicating one or more of an identity of the computing service, a service requirement of the computing service, one or more levels of computing performance supported by the computing service, a requirement of the computing service on a transmission performance under the one or more levels of computing performance supported by the computing service, or a service characteristic parameter of the computing service. The method of claim 10, wherein The method further includes: sending computing service information of a computing node to a policy control function (PCF), the computing node being configured to provide the computing service, the computing service information indicating one or more of an identity of the computing service, a service requirement of the computing service, one or more levels of computing performance supported by the computing service, a requirement of the computing service on a transmission performance under the one or more levels of computing performance supported by the computing service, or a service characteristic parameter of the computing service; receiving mapping relationship information from the PCF, the mapping relationship information indicating a correspondence between the one or more levels of computing performance supported by the computing service and one or more sets of QoS parameters; determining the one or more sets of QoS parameters corresponding to the one or more levels of computing performance supported by the computing service according to the mapping relationship information. The method as claimed in claim 11 or 12, characterized in that Before the determining the one or more sets of QoS parameters corresponding to the one or more levels of computing performance supported by the computing service, the method further includes: receiving the computing service information from a second network element, the second network element being configured to provide and / or manage the computing service. The method of claim 10, wherein The method further includes: sending an identity of the computing service to a PCF, the identity of the computing service being used to obtain mapping relationship information, the mapping relationship information indicating a correspondence between the one or more levels of computing performance supported by the computing service and one or more sets of QoS parameters; receiving the mapping relationship information from the PCF; determining the one or more sets of QoS parameters corresponding to the one or more levels of computing performance supported by the computing service according to the mapping relationship information. The method of any one of claims 11 to 14, wherein The method further includes: sending the mapping relationship information to a second network element, the second network element being configured to provide and / or manage the computing service. The method according to any one of claims 10 to 15, characterized in that The second indication information further indicates the correspondence between the one or more levels of computing performance and the one or more sets of QoS parameters. The method of claim 16, wherein The one or more levels of computing performance have a correspondence with one or more service instances configured to provide the computing service; the second indication information further indicates the correspondence between the one or more levels of computing performance and the one or more service instances. A communication method characterized by comprising: The method further includes: receiving a second data packet from an access network device, the second data packet carrying data from a first terminal and one or more of the following: indication information of a target quality of service (QoS) parameter, indication information of a target computing performance, or indication information of a service instance; wherein the target QoS parameter supports a transmission performance and the target computing performance meet a service requirement of a computing service, and the service instance is used to provide the computing service and supports the target computing performance; determining a target service instance according to one or more of the second data packet: the indication information of the target QoS parameter, the indication information of the target computing performance, or the indication information of the service instance, the target service instance being used to provide the computing service for the first terminal and supporting the target computing performance. The method of claim 18, wherein one or more levels of computing performance supported by the computing service have a corresponding relationship with one or more sets of QoS parameters; the second data packet carries the indication information of the target QoS parameter, and the method further comprises: determining the target computing performance according to the target QoS parameter and the corresponding relationship; the target QoS parameter is one of the one or more sets of QoS parameters, and the target computing performance is one of the one or more levels of computing performance; obtaining an identifier of the target service instance according to the target computing performance. The method of claim 19, wherein The method further comprises: obtaining mapping relationship information, the mapping relationship information indicating the corresponding relationship between the one or more levels of computing performance and the one or more sets of QoS parameters. The method of claim 18, wherein the one or more levels of computing performance have a corresponding relationship with one or more service instances; the second data packet carries the indication information of the target computing performance, and the method further comprises: obtaining an identifier of the target service instance according to the indication information of the target computing performance. The method of any one of claims 18 to 21, wherein The second data packet further carries an identifier of the computing service. The method of any one of claims 18 to 22, wherein The method further comprises: generating computing service information of a computing node, the computing node being used to provide the computing service, the computing service information including one or more of the following: an identifier of the computing service, a service requirement of the computing service, parameters corresponding to one or more levels of computing performance supported by the computing service respectively, a requirement of the computing service on a transmission performance under the one or more levels of computing performance supported by the computing service, and a service characteristic parameter of the computing service; sending the computing service information. A communication system characterized by comprising one or more of the following: an access network device, a first network element, a second network element, or a policy control function; wherein the access network device is used to perform the method of any one of claims 1 to 9, the first network element is used to perform the method of any one of claims 10 to 17, and the second network element is used to perform the method of any one of claims 18 to 23. A communication device, characterized by comprising one or more functional units or modules, used to perform the method of any one of claims 1 to 9, or used to perform the method of any one of claims 10 to 17, or used to perform the method of any one of claims 18 to 23. A communication device, characterized by A computer program product comprising a computer program which, when executed by a processor, causes a method according to any of claims 1 to 9 to be performed, or a method according to any of claims 10 to 17 to be performed, or a method according to any of claims 18 to 23 to be performed. A computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon a computer program, characterized in that A computer program product comprising a computer program which, when executed by a processor, causes a method according to any of claims 1 to 9 to be performed, or a method according to any of claims 10 to 17 to be performed, or a method according to any of claims 18 to 23 to be performed. A computer program product, characterized in that A computer program product comprising a computer program which, when executed by a processor, causes a method according to any of claims 1 to 9 to be performed, or a method according to any of claims 10 to 17 to be performed, or a method according to any of claims 18 to 23 to be performed.

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