Network nodes and methods for enabling a test procedure to be performed in a communication system

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a method performed by a first network node A (301_1, 401_1) for enabling a test procedure to be performed in a communication system (200). The first network node A (301_1, 401_1) registers itself at a third network node (305, 405). The first network node A (301_1, 401_1) sets itself in a condition. The condition indicates that the first network node A (301_1, 401_1) is ready for a test procedure. The first network node A (301_1, 401_1) provides update information for the first network node A (301_1, 401_1) to the third network node (305, 405). The update information comprises the condition. Node information for the first network node A (301_1, 401_1) currently comprised in the third network node (305, 405) is to be updated with the update information.

Description

[0001] NETWORK NODES AND METHODS FOR ENABLING A TEST PROCEDURE TO BE PERFORMED IN A

[0002] COMMUNICATION SYSTEM

[0003] TECHNICAL FIELD

[0004] The present disclosure relates generally to a first network node, a method performed by the first network node, a second network node, a method performed by the second network node, a third network node and a method performed by the third network node. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to enabling a test procedure to be performed in a communication system.

[0005] BACKGROUND

[0006] Canary release is a test procedure defined in 3GPP TS 29.510 V18.8.0 (2024-09) as follows:

[0007] " When an NF Instance is software upgraded, a canary release allows to have features incrementally tested by a small set of users, which can be targeted by geographic locations or user attributes (e.g., SUPI, PEI, ...). If a feature's performance is not satisfactory, then it can be rolled back without any adverse effects on the rest of the system."

[0008] The canary release may be referred to as canary testing. The canary testing aims to test new software (SW) versions in Network Functions (NF) by defining a set of conditions in the network, e.g. a specific UE, so that the traffic matching those canary conditions is sent to a specific NF service producer, i.e. the one under canary testing. This is achieved by updating just the "canary” NF service producer (NFp) NF profile. All other NF profiles in the network remain unchanged. When NF service consumers obtain both canary and noncanary NFp(s), if the selection conditions for the canary NFp match, traffic is sent to the canary NFp, regardless of the priority, locality, etc. of other NFp(s) which are not in canary testing.

[0009] The canary testing is achieved by a) setting the NF producer in a canary release condition, and b) defining a set of selection conditions in the NF profile of the NF producer, and the selection conditions is evaluated by an NF consumer when trying to select a candidate producer.

[0010] In short: when an NF service consumer (NFc) is aware that there is a canary NFp for which the selection conditions match, even if there are other non-canary NFp(s) which are closest, e.g. in the same locality, or with a higher priority, the canary NFp has the precedence.

[0011] The canary testing is also referred to as canary release testing or canary release. The NF service producer may be referred to as an NF producer and the NF serviced consumer may be referred toa as a NF consumer for the sake of simplicity. "Canary NFp” refers to an NF producer which is set to Canary Release condition with selection conditions, according to TS29.501 18.8.8 Annex D.

[0012] Applying the precedence to canary NFp(s) when selection conditions match is only possible if the NFc has the canary NFp(s) available, that is, if NFc has discovered, via NF discover towards NRF, the canary NFp(s). However, this might not be the case if the NFc performs NF discover with some preferences included, e.g. preferred-locality. Given that the preferences in discovery are taken into account by NRF when returning NFp(s), it might happen that the NRF might not prioritize the canary NFp(s) in the NF discover response, i.e. canary NFp is not included in the NF discover response, and the NFc would not obtain the canary NFp(s). In such case, NFc cannot check selection conditions for the canary NFp and apply precedence to such NFp for selection since it is not even aware that there are NFp(s) in canary testing.

[0013] Fig. 1 is a signaling diagram illustrating an example of a testing method, e.g. a canary release method. Note that three producer nodes A, B, and C are illustrated in fig. 1 as an example, and that any n number of producer nodes may be present, where n is a positive integer. The method comprises at least one of the following steps:

[0014] Step 101

[0015] The producer nodes A, B, C are registered at the NRF node. Consequently, the NRF node comprises a register of the producer nodes A, B, C. The register may comprise node information, e.g. an NF profile for each producer node A, B, C.

[0016] Step 102

[0017] Producer node A is set to be in canary release condition.

[0018] Step 103

[0019] The node information, e.g. the NF profile, of producer node A is updated with the canary release condition and the updated node information is provided to the NRF node.

[0020] Step 104

[0021] The consumer node provides a discovery request to the NRF node. The discovery request may be a NF discovery request. The discovery request comprises information indicating a preferred-xxx feature. The preferred-xxx may be a preferred locality, i.e. xxx may be exemplified with locality. Step 105

[0022] The NRF node finds the eligible producer nodes. Only producer B and C matches the preferred-xxx feature in the discovery request.

[0023] Assuming an example where the consumer node is in locality "west” and producer node A is in canary testing with selection condition=UE-1 is in locality "central”. Producer nodes B & C are in locality "west” and they are also serving UE-1. The consumer node performs discovery including "preferred-locality=west” and UE-1 to find the closest producer node to serve UE-1 . Since producer node A does not match the preferredlocality, the NRF node may not include it in the response.

[0024] Step 106

[0025] The NRF node provides a discovery response to the consumer node. The discovery response comprises information indicating producer nodes B and C. The discovery response may be an NF discovery response.

[0026] Step 107

[0027] The consumer node fails to steer traffic to the canary condition producer node. Producer node A is not visible to the consumer node, thus it will not be selected. Since the NRF node has not included producer node A in the discovery response, it results in that the consumer node is not aware that there is a canary producer node whose selection conditions UE-1 would have matched. Hence, traffic associated with the test UE, e.g. UE-1, will be wrongly sent to non-canary producer nodes B, C.

[0028] Therefore, there is a need to at least mitigate or solve this issue.

[0029] SUMMARY

[0030] An objective is to obviate at least one of the above disadvantages and to improve enabling a test procedure to be performed in a communication system.

[0031] According to a first aspect, the object is achieved by a method performed by a first network node A for enabling a test procedure to be performed in a communication system. The first network node A registers itself at a third network node. The first network node A sets itself in a condition. The condition indicates that the first network node A is ready for a test procedure. The first network node A provides update information for the first network node A to the third network node. The update information comprises the condition. Node information for the first network node A currently comprised in the third network node is to be updated with the update information. According to a second aspect, the object is achieved by a method performed by a third network node for enabling a test procedure to be performed in a communication system. The third network node registers a first network node A. A result of the registration is that the third network node comprises node information for the first network node A. The third network node obtains update information comprising a condition of the first network node A from the first network node A. Node information for the first network node A currently comprised in the third network node is updated with the update information. The third network node obtains a request from a second network node. The request comprises preference information indicating a preferred first network node. Based on the preference information in the request, the third network node determines which first network node should be indicated in the response. The third network node provides a response to the second network node. The response indicates the determined first network node.

[0032] According to a third aspect, the object is achieved by a method performed by a second network node for enabling a test procedure to be performed in a communication system. The second network node provides a request to a third network node. The request comprises preference information indicating a preferred first network node. The second network node obtains a response from the third network node. The response indicates a first network node. The second network node selects the first network node according to the indication in the response to be used in the test procedure. The selected first network node is the first network node A or at least one other first network node.

[0033] According to a fourth aspect, the object is achieved by a first network node A for enabling a test procedure to be performed in a communication system. The first network node A is arranged to register itself at a third network node. The first network node A is arranged to set itself in a condition. The condition indicates that the first network node A is ready for a test procedure. The first network node A is arranged to provide update information for the first network node A to the third network node. The update information comprises the condition. Node information for the first network node A currently comprised in the third network node is to be updated with the update information.

[0034] According to a fifth aspect, the object is achieved by a third network node for enabling a test procedure to be performed in a communication system. The third network node is arranged to register a first network node A. A result of the registration is that the third network node comprises node information for the first network node A. The third network node is arranged to obtain updated information comprising a condition of the first network node A from the first network node A. Node information for the first network node A currently comprised in the third network node is updated with the update information. The third network node is arranged to obtain a request from a second network node. The request comprises preference information indicating a preferred first network node. The third network node is arranged to, based on the preference information in the request, determine which first network node that should be indicated in the response. The third network node is arranged to provide a response to the second network node. The response indicates the determined first network node.

[0035] According to a sixth aspect, the object is achieved by a second network node for enabling a test procedure to be performed in a communication system. The second network node is arranged to provide a request to a third network node. The request comprises preference information indicating a preferred first network node. The second network node is arranged to obtain a response from the third network node. The response indicates a first network node. The second network node is arranged to select the first network node according to the indication in the response to be used in the test procedure. The selected first network node is the first network node A or at least one other first network node.

[0036] According to a seventh aspect, the object is achieved by a computer program product comprising program code for performing, when executed by the processing circuitry, the method of at least one of the first aspect, the second aspect and the third aspect.

[0037] According to an eight aspect, the object is achieved by a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions, which when executed by the processing circuitry, cause the processing circuitry to perform the method of at least one of the first aspect, the second aspect and the third aspect.

[0038] The present disclosure herein affords many advantages, of which a non-exhaustive list of examples follows:

[0039] An advantage of this disclosure is that it provides both NF producer controlled and NRF controlled options to enable flexible NF selection when preferred-xxx interacts with Canary Release feature, that is up to the operator's preference. E.g. if a canary NFp is located in "central” locality, and the operator wants that all canary traffic, that is, all traffic matching the canary selection conditions, is sent to that NFp no matter the localities where NFc's are, this flag may be comprised in the NFp NF profile. Even if the flag is not included, the NRF may provide a new feature in the form of local configuration to consider that canary NFp(s) is to be included at NF discoveries even if they are not the preferred ones.

[0040] Another advantage of the disclosure is that operators can secure the Canary NFp to be selected even if the preferred-xxx features does not match. The present disclosure is not limited to the features and advantages mentioned above. A person skilled in the art will recognize additional features and advantages upon reading the following detailed description.

[0041] BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0042] The present disclosure will now be described in more detail by way of example only in the following detailed description by reference to the appended drawings in which:

[0043] Fig. 1 is a signaling diagram illustrating a method.

[0044] Fig. 2 is a schematic drawing illustrating a communication system.

[0045] Fig. 3 is a schematic drawing illustrating a communication system.

[0046] Fig. 4 is a schematic drawing illustrating a communication system.

[0047] Fig. 5 is a signaling diagram illustrating a method.

[0048] Fig. 6 is a signaling diagram illustrating a method.

[0049] Fig. 7 is a signaling diagram illustrating a method.

[0050] Fig. 8 is a signaling diagram illustrating a method.

[0051] Fig. 9 is a flow chart illustrating a method.

[0052] Fig. 10 is a flow chart illustrating a method.

[0053] Fig. 11 is a flow chart illustrating a method.

[0054] Fig. 12 is a schematic diagram illustrating a node.

[0055] Fig. 13 shows an example of a communication system.

[0056] Fig. 14 shows a UE.

[0057] Fig. 15 shows a network node.

[0058] Fig. 16 is a block diagram of a host.

[0059] Fig. 17 is a block diagram illustrating a virtualization environment.

[0060] Fig. 18 shows a communication diagram.

[0061] The drawings are not necessarily to scale, and the dimensions of certain features may have been exaggerated for the sake of clarity. Emphasis is instead placed upon illustrating the principle.

[0062] DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0063] Fig. 2 depicts a non-limiting example of a communications system 200, which may be a wireless communications system, sometimes also referred to as a wireless communications network, cellular radio system, or cellular network, in which the present disclosure may be implemented. The communications system 200 may be a 5G system, 5G network, NR-U or Next Gen system or network. The communications system 200 may alternatively be a younger system or older system than a 5G system, such as e.g. a 2G system, a 3G system, a 4G system, a 6G system a 7G system etc. The communications system 200 may support other technologies such as, for example, Long-Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-Advanced / LTE- Advanced Pro, e.g. LTE Frequency Division Duplex (FDD), LTE Time Division Duplex (TDD), LTE HalfDuplex Frequency Division Duplex (HD-FDD), LTE operating in an unlicensed band, NB-loT. Thus, although terminology from 5G / NR and LTE may be used in this disclosure to exemplify, this should not be seen as limiting to only the aforementioned systems.

[0064] The communications system 200 comprises one or a plurality of network nodes, whereof a first network node 201a and a second network node 201b are depicted in the non-limiting example of fig. 2. Any of the first network node 201a, and the second network node 201b may be a radio network node, such as a radio base station, or any other network node with similar features capable of serving a user equipment, such as a wireless device or a machine type communication device, in the communications system 200. The first network node 201a may be an eNB and the second network node 201b may be a gNB. The first network node 201a may be a first eNB, and the second network node 201b may be a second eNB. The first network node 201a may be a first gNB, and the second network node 201b may be a second gNB. The first network node 201a may be a MeNB and the second network node 201b may be a gNB. Any of the first network node

[0065] 201a and the second network node 201b may be co-localized, or they may be part of the same network node. The first network node 201a may be referred to as a source node or source network node, whereas the second network node 201b may be referred to as a target node or target network node. When the reference number 201 is used herein without the letters a or b, it refers to a network node in general, i.e. it refers to any of the first network node 201a or second network node 201b.

[0066] The communications system 200 covers a geographical area which may be divided into cell areas, wherein each cell area may be served by a network node, although, one network node may serve one or several cells. In fig. 2, the communications system 200 comprises a first cell 203a and a second cell 203b. Note that two cells are exemplified in fig. 2 only as an example, and that any n number of cells may be comprised in the communication system 200, where n is any positive integer. A cell is a geographical area where radio coverage is provided by the network node at a network node site. Each cell is identified by an identity within the local network node area, which is broadcast in the cell. In fig. 2, first network node 201a serves the first cell 203a, and the second network node 201b serves the second cell 203b. Any of the first network node 201a and the second network node 201b may be of different classes, such as, e.g., macro base station (BS), home BS or pico BS, based on transmission power and thereby also cell size. Any of the first network node 201a and the second network node 201b may be directly connected to one or more core networks, which are not depicted in fig. 2 for the sake of simplicity. Any of the first network node 201a and the second network node 201 n may be a distributed node, such as a virtual node in the cloud, and it may perform its functions entirely on the cloud, or partially, in collaboration with another network node. The first cell 203a may be referred to as a source cell, whereas the second cell 203b may be referred to as a target cell. When the reference number 203 is used herein without the letters a or b, it refers to a cell in general, i.e. it refers to any of the first cell 203a or second cell 203b.

[0067] One or a plurality of UEs 205 is comprised in the communication system 200. Only one UE 205 is exemplified in fig. 2 for the sake of simplicity. A UE 205 may also be referred to simply as a device. The UE 205, e.g. an LTE UE or a 5G / NR UE, may be a wireless communication device which may also be known as e.g., a wireless device, a mobile terminal, wireless terminal and / or mobile station, a mobile telephone, cellular telephone, or laptop with wireless capability, just to mention some examples. The UE 205 may be a device by which a subscriber may access services offered by an operator's network and services outside operator's network to which the operator's radio access network and core network provide access, e.g. access to the Internet. The UE 205 may be any device, mobile or stationary, enabled to communicate over a radio channel in the communications system 200, for instance but not limited to e.g. UE, mobile phone, smart phone, sensors, meters, vehicles, household appliances, medical appliances, media players, cameras, Machine to Machine (M2M) device, Internet of Things (IOT) device, terminal device, communication device or any type of consumer electronic, for instance but not limited to television, radio, lighting arrangements, tablet computer, laptop or Personal Computer (PC). The UE 205 may be portable, pocket storable, hand held, computer comprised, or vehicle mounted devices, enabled to communicate voice and / or data, via the radio access network, with another entity, such as another UE, a server, a laptop, a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), or a tablet, Machine-to-Machine (M2M) device, device equipped with a wireless interface, such as a printer or a file storage device, modem, or any other radio network unit capable of communicating over a radio link in the communications system 200.

[0068] The UE 205 is enabled to communicate wirelessly within the communications system 200. The communication may be performed e.g. between two UEs 205, between a UE 205 and a regular telephone, between the UE 205 and a network node, between network nodes, and / or between the UE 205 and a server via the radio access network and possibly one or more core networks and possibly the internet.

[0069] The first network node 201a may be configured to communicate in the communications system 200 with the

[0070] UE 205 over a first communication link 208a, e.g., a radio link. The second network node 201b may be configured to communicate in the communications system 200 with the UE 205 over a second communication link 208b, e.g., a radio link. The first network node 201a may be configured to communicate in the communications system 200 with the second network node 201b over a third communication link 208c, e.g., a radio link or a wired link, although communication over more links may be possible. When the reference number 208 is used herein without the letters a, b or c, it refers to a communication link in general, i.e. it refers to any of the first communication link 208a, the second communication link 208b and the third communication link 208c.

[0071] It should be noted that the communication links 208 in the communications system 200 may be of any suitable kind comprising either a wired or wireless link. The link may use any suitable protocol depending on type and level of layer (e.g. as indicated by the Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) model) as understood by the person skilled in the art.

[0072] As mentioned above, any of the first network node 201a and the second network node 201b may be directly connected to one or more core networks, which are not depicted in fig. 2 for the sake of simplicity. In other words, the one or more core networks are comprised in the communication system 200. Fig. 3 is a schematic drawing illustrating the communication system 200, i.e. the core network part of the communication system 200. As mentioned above, the communications system 200 may be a 5G system, 5G network, NR-U or Next Gen system or network. The communications system 200 may alternatively be a younger system or older system than a 5G system, such as e.g. a 2G system, a 3G system, a 4G system, a 6G system, a 7G system etc.

[0073] The communication system 200 illustrated in fig. 3 comprises n number of first network nodes 301_n, where n is a positive integer. In other words, there may be at least one first network node 301 _n in the communication system 200. The first network nodes 301 _n illustrated in fig. 3 are labelled with letter A, B, C etc. to show that they are different instances of the first network node 301 _n. The communication system 200 comprises a second network node 303 and a third network node 305. The first network node 301 _n and the second network node 303 are connected to each other via the third network node 305. At least part of the communication between the first network node 301 _n and the second network node 303 goes via the third network node 305.

[0074] Below is an overview different terms that may be used for the entities shown in fig. 3, and these terms may be used interchangeably to refer to the first network node 301 _n, the second network node 303 and the third network node 305, respectively:

[0075] First network node 301_n: o Producer node o NF producer node o NFp node o NF producer o NFp o NF o First NF o Service producer

[0076] Second network node 303: o Consumer node o NF consumer node o NFc node o NF consumer o NFc o NF o Second NF o Service consumer

[0077] Third network node 305: o NRF node o NRF o Registry o Registry node o Third NF

[0078] In the example of a 5G communication system 200, the core network may be a service-based architecture. The core network comprises Network Function (NF) services which may be described as a software arranged to perform services in the communication network 200, i.e. each NF is designated at least one service. The NF may be comprised in a node, e.g. an NF node, in the communication system 200. Fig. 4 is another schematic drawing illustrating the communication system 200, i.e. the core network part of the communication system 200. In fig. 4 the first network node 301 _n is exemplified by a producer node, the second network node 303 is exemplified by a consumer node and the third network node 305 is exemplified by a NRF node. As illustrated in fig. 4, the communication system 200 comprises n producer nodes 401_n, where n is a positive integer. The producer node 401 _n may be referred to as NF producer (NFp) node. The producer node 401_n is arranged to produce and / or provide a service that can be requested and / or consumed by a consumer node 403. The consumer node 403 may be referred to as a NF consumer (NFc) node.

[0079] The producer node 401_1 may be arranged to implement the network function that produces and / or provides the service. The producer node 401_1 may act as a service producer. The consumer node 403 may be arranged to implement the network function that may request and consume the service. The consumer node 403 may act as a service consumer.

[0080] The communication system 200 illustrated in fig. 4 comprises a NRF node 405. The NRF node 405 may be an NRF. The NRF node 405 is arranged to be a central register for information about all network functions in the communication system 200 such that the network functions can discover and communicate with each other. The NRF node 405 may share the information about each network function to any other network function upon request. A network function registers with the NRF node 405 when it becomes operational or is added to the communication system 200 by providing information about the itself to the NRF node 405, i.e. the network function registers its profile at the NRF node 405. The NRF node 405 enables the consumer node 403 to discover the producer node 401 _n. The information about the network functions that is registered at the NRF node 405 may be referred to as NF information, NF profile, node information, just to mention some examples. The NRF node 405 may be described as comprising an index or acting as an index which may be accessed or questioned by the consumer node 403 to obtain information about the producer node 401, they want to discover.

[0081] With the present disclosure, the third network node 305 ,405 may comprise information indicating the first network node 301_n, 401 n, that is the canary first network node, e.g. the first network node A 301_1, 401_1 and send information indicating the canary first network node to the second network node 303, 403 in a response message regardless of whether a preferred criteria matches or not. With this, the problem of the prior art described above will not happen.

[0082] The following is proposed:

[0083] • Alternative i): A parameter provided from a first network node 301 _n, 401 _n to the third network node 305, 405. The parameter may be a flag, an indication, information, Information Element (IE) just to mention some examples. The parameter may be for example called CanaryOverridePreferredAttributes. The parameter may be set by the first network node 301 _n, 401 _n which is in a certain condition, e.g. the canary first network node, or Alternative ii): A feature may be locally configured in third network 305, 405,

[0084] The parameter may be comprised in the node information, e.g. a NF profile, it may be comprised in a registration message, or it may be comprised in a dedicated message for the parameter.

[0085] If the parameter has a first value, during a certain procedure, when the second network node 303, 403 comprises a preferred-xxx parameter in a request message, the third network node 305, 405 may comprise an indication of the first network node 301 _n which is in a certain condition in a response sent back to the second network node 303, 403. This may be done regardless of whether the preferred-xxx parameter matches or not with the first network node 301_n, 401 _n that is in the certain condition.

[0086] Using the example where the parameter is a flag and the procedure is a NF discovery procedure and in the example of fig. 4: If flag is set to true or 1 , during the NF discover procedure, when NRF node 405 includes the preferred-xxx in the NF discovery request, the NRF node 405 may include the Canary NFp and send information about it to the consumer node 405 in the NF discovery response regardless of whether the preferred-xxx features matches or not with the Canary NFp.

[0087] Alternative I) above will now be described in more detail.

[0088] A parameter may be provided from the first network node 301 _n, 401 _n to the third network node 305. As mentioned above, the parameter may be for example a flag. The parameter may be called CanaryOverridePreferredAttributes. The parameter may be introduced in the node information for a first network node 301_n, 401 n that is in the condition. The node information may be a NF profile for a Canary Release NF. Instead of being comprised in the node information, the parameter may be comprised in a registration message provided from the first network node 301 _n, 401 _n during registration of itself at the third network node 305, 405 or the parameter may be comprised in a dedicated message which is dedicated for the parameter and provided from the first network node 301 _n, 401 _n to the third network node.

[0089] When a first network node A 301_1, 401_1 is set in a certain condition and the value of the parameter is a first value, then preference information in a request message may be ignored and the first network node A 301_1, 401_1 may be indicated in a response from the third network node 305, 405 to the second network node 303, 403, without even attempting to check for a match with the preference information. The preference information indicates a preferred first network node that is preferred to be comprised in the response. Ignoring the preference information may be referred to as overriding the preference information. If the value of the parameter is the second value or if the parameter is absent, then the third network node 305, 405 may behave as usual, that is, it determines whether the the first producer node 301 _1 that is in the condition shall be indicated in the response, by examining whether the node information of the first network node 301_1 that is in the condition matches the preference information in the request. If preference information matches, then the indication of the first network node is comprised in the response, otherwise the indication of the first network node is not included. The indication of the first network node may be the node information or a part of the node information.

[0090] The parameter may indicate whether the third network node 305, 405 may prioritize first network nodes which are in the condition regardless of the preferences present in the requests. The value of the parameter may be a first value or a second value:

[0091] First value: The third network node 305, 405 may prioritize first network nodes 301 _n, 401 _n which is in the condition i.e. preferred-xxx and / or ext-preferred-xxx may be ignored at requests for those first network nodes and therefore their priorities may not be modified by the third network node 305, 405.

[0092] Second value (or absence of the parameter): The third network node 305, 405 may prioritize the first network node according to preference information. In other words, the condition in the first network node 301_1 , 401_n may not override the second network node preferences in the request.

[0093] Instead of the parameter having the second value, the parameter may be absent.

[0094] Using the example of fig. 4 and the example where the parameter is a flag. If a producer node 401 _1 is in Canary Release condition with the flag set to true or 1 , then Canary Release status in producer node 401_n overrides the preferred-xxx attributes in NF discovery request. The NRF node 405 may comprise the NF profile of this Canary Release NF Producer in the NF discovery response, without even attempting to match the preferred-xxx. If the flag is set to false, has the value 0 or if the flag is absent, then NRF 305 behaves as usual, that is, it determines whether the Canary NFp, i.e. the first producer node 301_1 may be comprised in the NF discovery response, by examining whether the NF profile of the Canary NFp matches the preferred- xxx attributes in the NF discovery request. If preferred-xxx matches, then the NF profile of the Canary NFp may be comprised in the response, otherwise the NF profile of the Canary NFp may not be comprised in the response. The parameter may not be limited to node information level, e.g. NF profile level, but may also exist in the node service level, e.g. NF service level, and the same principle applies as described above.

[0095] Based on operator's policy, if the first network node 301_1, 401_1 that is in the condition is to be selected, if selection conditions match, by the second network node 303, 403 regardless of their preferences, e.g. the first network node 301_1, 401_1 in the condition in a certain locality is to be selected by the second network node 303, 403 in other localities, the value of the parameter is set to the first value.

[0096] In the scenario of preferred selection of first network nodes by all second network nodes 303, 403, operators may use the parameter to ensure that the third network node 305, 405 prioritizes those first network nodes 301_1, 401_1 in the condition at discoveries regardless of the preferences of the second network node 303, 403. After the second network nodes 303, 403 have obtained the prioritize list of first network nodes 301_n, 401_n which are in the condition and which are not in the condition, e.g. Canary and non-Canary first network nodes, the second network node 303, 403 may first evaluate selection conditions for the first network node in the condition. This ensures a prioritized selection of a first network nodes that are in the condition based on its selection conditions by any second network node 303, 403 in the operator's network.

[0097] Signaling diagrams illustrating examples of alternatives I) and ii) will now be described. The exemplifying signaling diagrams are based on the communication network 200 illustrated in fig. 4, but the signaling diagram may be equally applicable to the communication network 200 in fig. 3. The preference information is exemplified with preferred xxx, where xxx indicates any suitable information, for example location. In signaling diagrams in fig. 5 and fig. 6, the parameter is exemplified with a flag, but any other formats of the parameter are also applicable to the signaling diagrams instead of the flag. In the signaling diagrams in fig. 7 and fig. 8, the feature is exemplified by an override feature, e.g. CanaryOverridePreferredAttributes, but the feature may be any other feature indicating that the information in the request should be ignored or overridden and that the first network node 301 _n, 401 _n which is in the condition should be used instead.

[0098] Fig. 5 is a signaling diagram illustrating a method of alternative I) where the flag is set to true or 1 . In fig. 5, the first producer node 401_1 is a canary NFp, i.e. a producer node that is to be tested, i.e. to be used in a testing procedure such as a canary release procedure. The example in fig. 5 illustrates three producer nodes 401 _n, but the method is equally applicable to any n number of producer nodes 401_n, where n is a positive integer. The method illustrated in fig. 5 comprises at least one of the following steps, which steps may be performed in any suitable order than described below: Step 501

[0099] The producer nodes A, B, C 401 _n registered at the NRF 405. The registration may comprise each producer node 401 _n providing information about themselves to the NRF 405. The information may be for example status, capabilities, producer node type, ID, service etc., just to mention some examples. The NRF 405 keeps an updated register of all registered producer nodes 401 _n.

[0100] 502

[0101] The first producer node 401_1, which is the canary NFp is set to the canary release condition.

[0102] Step 503

[0103] A value of a flag is set to true or 1 in the first producer node's 401 _1 NF profile. The flag may be a

[0104] Canary OverridePreferredAttribute.

[0105] Step 504

[0106] The updated NF profile is provided from the first producer node 401_1. Consequently, the NRF replaces the current NRF profile with the updated NF profile such that NRF 405 is updated.

[0107] Step 505

[0108] The consumer node 403 provides an NF discovery request to the NRF 405. The preferred-xxx is comprised in the discovery request. The consumer node 403 initiates the discovery request to search for a network function that fits the requirements of the preferred-xxx.

[0109] Step 506

[0110] Triggered by the discovery request, the NRF 405 checks its register in order to select a producer node. The first producer node 401_1 is in canary condition with the flag set to true or 1, and this leads to the NRF 405 ignoring the preferred-xxx attribute in the discovery request and instead selects the first producer node A 401_1 to be included in the discovery response. Ignoring the preferred-xxx attribute may be referred to as overriding the preferred-xxx attribute.

[0111] Step 507

[0112] The NRF 405 provides an NF discovery response to the consumer node 405. The NF discovery response comprises information indicating the first producer node 401_1 which is the canary NFp, and the second producer node 401 _2 and the third producer 401 _3. The NF discovery response is a response to the discovery request in step 505. Step 508

[0113] The consumer node 403 selects the first producer node 401_1 which is in canary release condition. Thus, the consumer node 403 may steer traffic to the canary condition NF, e.g. the first producer node 101_1. The traffic is correctly sent to the canary producer node A, and not to the non-canary producer nodes B, C.

[0114] Fig. 6 is a signaling diagram illustrating a method of alternative i) where the flag is set to false, zero or if the flag is absent. In fig. 6, the first producer node 401_1 is a canary NFp, i.e. a producer node that is to be tested, i.e. to be used in a testing procedure such as a canary release procedure. The example in fig. 6 illustrates three producer nodes 401 _n, but the method is equally applicable to any n number of producer nodes 401 _n, where n is a positive integer. The method illustrated in fig. 6 comprises at least one of the following steps, which steps may be performed in any suitable order than described below:

[0115] Step 601

[0116] This step corresponds to step 501 in fig. 5. The producer nodes A, B, C 401 _n registered at the NRF 405. The registration may comprise each producer node 401 _n providing information about themselves to the NRF 405. The information may be for example status, capabilities, producer node type, ID, service etc., just to mention some examples. The NRF 405 keeps an updated register of all registered producer nodes 401 n.

[0117] Step 602

[0118] This step corresponds to step 502 in fig. 5. The first producer node 401_1, which is the canary NFp is set to the canary release condition.

[0119] Step 603

[0120] A value of a flag is set to false, zero or if the flag is absent in the first producer node's 401 _1 NF profile. The flag may be a CanaryOverridePreferredAttribute.

[0121] Step 604

[0122] This step corresponds to step 504 in fig. 5. The updated NF profile is provided from the first producer node 401_1. Consequently, the NRF replaces the current NRF profile with the updated NF profile such that NRF 405 is updated.

[0123] 605 This step corresponds to step 505 in fig. 5. The consumer node 403 provides an NF discovery request to the NRF 405. The preferred-xxx is comprised in the discovery request.

[0124] The following steps 606, 607 and 608 may be performed if the NF profile of the first producer node 401 _1 matches the preferred xxx from the NF discovery request.

[0125] Step 606

[0126] The NRF 405 checks if the NF profile of the first producer node 401 _1 matches the preferred xxx from the NF discovery request in step 605. In step 606, the result of the check is that the first producer node 401_1 matches the preferred xxx.

[0127] Step 607

[0128] The NRF 405 provides an NF discovery response to the consumer node 405. The NF discovery response comprises information indicating the first producer node 401_1 which is the canary NFp, and the second producer node 401 _2 and the third producer 401 _3.

[0129] Step 608

[0130] The consumer node 403 selects the first producer node 401_1 which is in the canary condition. Thus, the consumer node 403 may steer traffic to the canary condition NF, e.g. the first producer node 101_1. The traffic is correctly sent to the canary producer node A, and not to the non-canary producer nodes B, C.

[0131] The following steps 609, 610 and 611 may be performed if the NF profile of the first producer node 401 _1 does not match the preferred xxx from the NF discovery request. In other words, steps 609, 610 and 611 may be performed instead pf steps 606, 607 and 608.

[0132] Step 609

[0133] The NRF 405 checks if the NF profile of the first producer node 401 _1 matches the preferred xxx from the NF discovery request in step 605. In step 606, the result of the check is that the first producer node 401_1 does not match the preferred xxx.

[0134] Step 610

[0135] The NRF 405 provides an NF discovery response to the consumer node 405. The NF discovery response comprises information indicating the second producer node 401_2 and the third producer 401_3. The discover response in step 610 does not comprise information indicating the first producer node 401_1 which is the canary NFp.

[0136] Step 611

[0137] The consumer node 403 selects the second producer node 401 _2 and the third producer node 401 _3. The consumer node 403 does not select the first producer node 401_1 which is in the canary condition. Thus, the consumer node 403 may steer traffic to the second producer node 401 _2 and the third producer node 401 _3. The traffic is not sent to the canary producer node A, and but to the non-canary producer nodes B, C.

[0138] Alternative ii) above will now be described in more detail.

[0139] A feature may be locally configured in third network 305, 405. The feature may be referred to as Canary OverridePreferredAttributes.

[0140] If the feature is enabled in the NRF 405, the NRF 405 may always include the NF profile of the Canary NFp in the NF discovery response, no matter if the preferred-xxx attributes match or not.

[0141] If the feature is disabled in the NRF 405, the NRF 350 may determine whether to include the NF profile of the Canary NFp in the NF discovery response, by examining whether the NF profile of the Canary NFp matches the preferred-xxx attributes in the NF discovery request. If prefer-xxx matches, then the NF profile of the Canary NFp is included, otherwise the NF profile of the Canary NFp is not included.

[0142] Fig. 7 is a signaling diagram illustrating a method of alternative ii) where the locally configured feature is enabled in the NRF 405. The locally configured feature is a feature for overriding information in a discovery request, e.g. for overriding the preferred-xxx attribute in the discovery request. The locally configured feature may be CanaryOverridePreferredAttributes. In fig. 7, the first producer node 401_1 is a canary NFp, i.e. a producer node that is to be tested, i.e. to be used in a testing procedure such as a canary release procedure. The example in fig. 7 illustrates three producer nodes 401 _n, but the method is equally applicable to any n number of producer nodes 401 _n, where n is a positive integer. The method illustrated in fig. 7 comprises at least one of the following steps, which steps may be performed in any suitable order than described below:

[0143] Step 701 This step corresponds to step 501 in fig. 5 and 501 in fig. 5. The producer nodes A, B, C 401 _n registered at the NRF 405. The registration may comprise each producer node 401_n providing information about themselves to the NRF 405. The information may be for example status, capabilities, producer node type, ID, service etc., just to mention some examples. The NRF 405 keeps an updated register of all registered producer nodes 401_n.

[0144] Step 702

[0145] This step corresponds to step 502 in fig. 5 and 502 in fig. 5. The first producer node 401_1, which is the canary NFp is set to the canary release condition.

[0146] Step 703

[0147] This step corresponds to step 504 in fig. 5 and 504 in fig. 5. The updated NF profile is provided from the first producer node 401_1. The updated NF profile comprises information indicating the set canary release condition. Consequently, the NRF 405 replaces the current NRF profile with the updated NF profile such that NRF 405 is updated.

[0148] Step 704

[0149] The NRF 405 enables the feature locally configured in the NRF 405.

[0150] Step 705

[0151] This step corresponds to step 505 in fig. 5 and step 505 in fig. 5. The consumer node 403 provides an NF discovery request to the NRF 405. The preferred-xxx is comprised in the discovery request.

[0152] Step 706

[0153] Producer A is in canary release condition and the NRF 405 has enabled the feature of CanaryOverridePreferredAttributes, then Canary Release feature overrides the preferred attributes. The NRF 405 may always include the first producer node 401_1 in the NF discovery response.

[0154] Step 707

[0155] This step corresponds to step 507 in fig. 5 and steps 507 and 510 in fig. 5. The NRF 405 provides an NF discovery response to the consumer node 405. The NF discovery response comprises information indicating the first producer node 401_1 which is the canary NFp, and the second producer node 401_2 and the third producer 401_3. Step 708

[0156] This step corresponds to step 508 in fig. 5 and step 508 in fig. 5. The consumer node 403 selects the first producer node 401_1 which is in the canary condition. Thus, the consumer node 403 may steer traffic to the canary condition NF, e.g. the first producer node 101_1. The traffic is correctly sent to the canary producer node A, and not to the non-canary producer nodes B, C.

[0157] Fig. 8 is a signaling diagram illustrating a method of alternative ii) where the locally configured feature is disabled in the NRF 405. The locally configured feature is a feature for overriding information in a discovery request, e.g. for overriding the preferred-xxx attribute in the discovery request. The locally configured feature may be CanaryOverridePreferredAttributes. In fig. 8, the first producer node 401_1 is a canary NFp, i.e. a producer node that is to be tested, i.e. to be used in a testing procedure such as a canary release procedure. The example in fig. 8 illustrates three producer nodes 401 _n, but the method is equally applicable to any n number of producer nodes 401 _n, where n is a positive integer. The method illustrated in fig. 8 comprises at least one of the following steps, which steps may be performed in any suitable order than described below:

[0158] Step 801

[0159] This step corresponds to step 501 in fig. 5, 501 in fig. 5 and fig. 701 in fig. 7. The producer nodes A, B, C 401 _n registered at the NRF 405. The registration may comprise each producer node 401 _n providing information about themselves to the NRF 405. The information may be for example status, capabilities, producer node type, ID, service etc., just to mention some examples. The NRF 405 keeps an updated register of all registered producer nodes 401 _n.

[0160] Step 802

[0161] This step corresponds to step 502 in fig. 5, step 502 in fig. 5 and step 702 in fig. 7. The first producer node 401_1, which is the canary NFp is set to the canary release condition.

[0162] Step 803

[0163] This step corresponds to step 504 in fig. 5, 504 in fig. 5 and step 703 in fig. 7. The updated NF profile is provided from the first producer node 401_1. The updated NF profile comprises information indicating the set canary release condition. Consequently, the NRF 405 replaces the current NRF profile with the updated NF profile such that NRF 405 is updated.

[0164] 804 The NRF 405 disables the feature locally configured in the NRF 405.

[0165] 805

[0166] This step corresponds to step 505 in fig. 5, step 505 in fig. 5 and step 705 in fig. 7. The consumer node 403 provides an NF discovery request to the NRF 405. The preferred-xxx is comprised in the discovery request.

[0167] The following steps 806, 807 and 808 may be performed if the NF profile of the first producer node 401 _1 matches the preferred xxx from the NF discovery request.

[0168] Step 806

[0169] This step corresponds to step 506 in fig. 5. The NRF 405 checks if the NF profile of the first producer node 401_1 matches the preferred xxx from the NF discovery request in step 505. In step 806, the result of the check is that the first producer node 401_1 matches the preferred xxx.

[0170] Step 807

[0171] This step corresponds to step 507 in fig. 5. The NRF 405 provides an NF discovery response to the consumer node 405. The NF discovery response comprises information indicating the first producer node 401_1 which is the canary NFp, and the second producer node 401 _2 and the third producer 401 _3.

[0172] Step 808

[0173] This step corresponds to step 808 in fig. 5. The consumer node 403 selects the first producer node 401_1 which is in the canary condition. Thus, the consumer node 403 may steer traffic to the canary condition NF, e.g. the first producer node 101_1. The traffic is correctly sent to the canary producer node A, and not to the non-canary producer nodes B, C.

[0174] The following steps 809, 810 and 811 may be performed if the NF profile of the first producer node 401 _1 does not match the preferred xxx from the NF discovery request. In other words, steps 509, 510 and 511 may be performed instead pf steps 806, 807 and 808.

[0175] Step 809

[0176] This step corresponds to step 509 in fig. 5. The NRF 405 checks if the NF profile of the first producer node 401_1 matches the preferred xxx from the NF discovery request in step 505. In step 506, the result of the check is that the first producer node 401_1 does not match the preferred xxx. Step 810

[0177] This step corresponds to step 510 in fig. 5. The NRF 405 provides an NF discovery response to the consumer node 405. The NF discovery response comprises information indicating the second producer node 401_2 and the third producer 401_3. The discover response in step 510 does not comprise information indicating the first producer node 401_1 which is the canary NFp.

[0178] Step 811

[0179] This step corresponds to step 511 in fig. 5. The consumer node 403 selects the second producer node 401 _2 and the third producer node 401 _3. The consumer node 403 does not select the first producer node 401_1 which is in the canary condition. Thus, the consumer node 403 may steer traffic to the second producer node 401 _2 and the third producer node 401 _3. The traffic is not sent to the canary producer node A, and but to the non-canary producer nodes B, C.

[0180] The method described above will now be described seen from the perspective of the first network node A 301_1 , 401_1 Fig. 9 is a flowchart describing the present method in the first network node A 301_1 , 401_1 for for enabling a test procedure to be performed in a communication system 200. The first network node A 301_1 , 401_1 may be a NF producer in canary release condition. The first network node A 301_1 , 401_1 may be a NF producer node. The second network node 303, 403 may be a NF consumer node. The third network node 305, 405 may be a NRF node. 11. The first network node A 301_1, 401_1 may be one of a plurality of first network nodes 301_n, 401 _n arranged to produce a service to be consumed by the second network node 303, 403.

[0181] The method comprises at least one of the following steps to be performed by the first network node A 301_1 , 401_1 which steps may be performed in any suitable order than described below:

[0182] Step 901

[0183] This step corresponds to steps 501 , 601 , 701 , 801 in figs. 5, 6, 7 and 8. The first network node A 301_1 , 401_1 registers the first network node A 301_1 , 401_1 at a third network node 305, 405.

[0184] Step 902

[0185] This step corresponds to steps 502, 602, 702, 802 in figs. 5, 6, 7 and 8. The first network node A 301_1 , 401_1 sets the first network node A 301_1 , 401_1 in a condition. The condition indicates that the first network node A 301_1 , 401_1 is ready for a test procedure. The condition may be a canary release condition.

[0186] The test procedure may be a canary test procedure.

[0187] Step 903

[0188] This step corresponds to steps 504, 604, 703, 803 in figs. 5, 6, 7 and 8. The first network node A 301_1, 401_1 provides update information for the first network node A 301_1, 401_1 to the third network node 305, 405. The update information comprises the condition. Node information for the first network node A 301_1, 401_1 currently comprised in the third network node 305, 405 is to be updated with the update information.

[0189] Step 904

[0190] This step corresponds to step 503 in fig. 5. The first network node A 301_1, 401_1, when it is in the condition, may set a value of a parameter to be a first value or a second value. Alternatively the parameter may be set to a first value, or it may be absent.

[0191] The first value may indicate that a response should comprise the node information for the first network node A 301_1, 401_1 in the condition regardless of if the first network node A 301_1, 401_1 matches a preference in a request.

[0192] The second value or absence of the parameter may indicate that the response should comprise the node information for first network nodes 301_n, 401_n according to the preference in the request.

[0193] The parameter may be provided to the third network node 305, 405 in the update information, in a registration message, or in a dedicated message for the parameter.

[0194] The parameter may indicate which first network nodes' node information should be comprised in the response.

[0195] The parameter may be a flag comprised in the node information of the first network node A 301_1 , 401_1.

[0196] The request may be a discovery request, and the response is a discovery response comprised in a service allowing a second network node 303, 403 to discover at least one of the first network nodes 301 _n. 401_n. The method described above will now be described seen from the perspective of the third network node 305, 405. Fig.10 is a flowchart describing the present method in the third network node 305, 405 for enabling a test procedure to be performed in a communication system 200. The first network node A 301_1, 401_1 may be a NF producer in canary release condition. The first network node A 301_1, 401_1 may be a NF producer node. The second network node 303, 403 may be a NF consumer node. The third network node 305, 405 may be a NRF node. 11. The first network node A 301_1, 401_1 may be one of a plurality of first network nodes 301 _n, 401 _n arranged to produce a service to be consumed by the second network node 303, 403.

[0197] The method comprises at least one of the following steps to be performed by the third network node 305, 405 which steps may be performed in any suitable order than described below:

[0198] Step 1001

[0199] This step corresponds to steps 501, 601, 701, 801 in figs. 5, 6, 7 and 8. The third network node 305, 405 registers the first network node A 301_1, 401_2 in its registry. A result of the registration is that the third network node 305, 405 comprises node information for the first network node A 301_1, 401_1.

[0200] Step 1002

[0201] This step corresponds to steps 504, 604, 703, 803in figs. 5, 6, 7 and 8. The third network node 305, 405 obtains update information comprising a condition of the first network node A 301_1, 401_1 from the first network node A 301_1, 401_1. The node information for the first network node A 301_1_ 401_1 currently comprised in the third network node 305, 405 is updated with the update information.

[0202] The update information may comprise the parameter, or the parameter may be obtained in a different message such as for example a registration message or in a dedicated message for the parameter.

[0203] A value of a parameter may be a first value or a second value. Alternatively, the value of the parameter may be a first value, or the parameter may be absent.

[0204] The first value may indicate that the node information for the first network node A 301_1, 401_1 which is in the condition is to be comprised in the response regardless of if the first network node A 301_1, 401_1 matches the preference information, The second value or the absence of the parameter may indicate that the node information for first network nodes 301_n, 401_n is to be comprised in the response according to the preference information.

[0205] Step 1003

[0206] This step corresponds to step 704 in fig. 7. The third network node 305, 405 may determine whether a feature is enabled or disabled in the third network node 305, 405.

[0207] The feature may be locally configured in the third network node 305, 405 and may be a feature enabling the first network node A 301_1, 401_1 to be indicated in the response when it is in the condition.

[0208] Step 1004

[0209] This step corresponds to steps 505, 605, 705, 805 in figs. 5, 6, 7 and 8. The third network node 305, 405 obtains a request from a second network node 303, 403. The request comprises preference information indicating a preferred first network node 301 _n, 401_n.

[0210] Step 1005

[0211] This step corresponds to steps 506, 606, 609, 706, 806, 809 in figs. 5, 6, 7 and 8. The third network node 305, 405, based on the reference information in the request, determines which first network node 301 _n, 401 _n that should be indicated in the response.

[0212] The decision may be taken based on the parameter or a feature locally configured in the third network node 305, 405.

[0213] When the value of the parameter is the first value, the third network node 305, 405 may ignore the preference information in the request, thereby determining that the first producer node 301_1, 401_1 which is in the condition is to be indicated in the response.

[0214] When the feature is enabled, the third network node 305, 405 may ignore the preference information in the request thereby determining that the first producer node A 301_1, 401_1 which is in the condition is to be indicated in the response.

[0215] When the value of the parameter is the second value or when the parameter is absent, the third network node 305, 405 may determine to proceed with the preference information comprised in the request and thereby determining that the preferred first network node in the request is to be indicated in the response. When it has been determined to proceed with the preference information comprised in the request, the third network node 305, 405 may determine whether or not the first network node A 301_1 , 401_1 matches the preferred first network node. The response may indicate the first network node A 301_1 , 401_1 if there is a match. The response may indicate at least one other first network node 301 _2, 301 _3, 401 _3, 401 _4 if there is no match.

[0216] Step 1006

[0217] This step corresponds to steps 507, 607, 610, 707, 807, 810 in figs. 5, 6, 7 and 8. The third network node 305, 405 provides a response to the second network node 303, 403. The response indicates the determined first network node 301_n, 401_n.

[0218] The response may indicate the determined first network node 301 _n, 401 _n by comprising a part of or the whole node information of the determined first network node 301 _n, 401 _n.

[0219] The request may be a discovery request, and the response is a discovery response comprised in a service allowing a second network node 303, 403 to discover at least one of the first network nodes 301 _n. 401_n.

[0220] The method described above will now be described seen from the perspective of the second network node 303, 403. Fig. 11 is a flowchart describing the present method in the second network node 303, 403 for for enabling a test procedure to be performed in a communication system 200. The first network node A 301_1, 401_1 may be a NF producer in canary release condition. The first network node A 301_1 , 401_1 may be a NF producer node. The second network node 303, 403 may be a NF consumer node. The third network node 305, 405 may be a NRF node. 11. The first network node A 301_1, 401_1 may be one of a plurality of first network nodes 301 _n, 401 _n arranged to produce a service to be consumed by the second network node 303, 403.

[0221] The method comprises at least one of the following steps to be performed by the second network node 303, 403 which steps may be performed in any suitable order than described below:

[0222] Step 1101

[0223] This step corresponds to steps 505, 605, 705, 805 in figs. 5, 6, 7 and 8. The second network node 303, 403 provides a request to a third network node 305, 405. The request comprises preference information indicating a preferred first network node 301 _n, 401_n. The request may be a discovery request comprised in a service allowing a second network node 303, 403 to discover at least one of the first network nodes 301 n. 401 n.

[0224] Step 1102

[0225] This step corresponds to steps 507, 607, 610, 707, 807, 810 in figs. 5, 6, 7 and 8. The second network node 303, 403 obtains a response from the third network node 305, 405. The response indicates a first network node 301_n, 401_n.

[0226] The response may indicate the first network node 301 _n, 401 _n by comprising a part of or the whole node information of the first network node 301 _n, 401 _n determined by the third network node 305, 405.

[0227] The response may be a discovery response comprised in a service allowing a second network node 303, 403 to discover at least one of the first network nodes 301 n. 401 n.

[0228] Step 1103

[0229] This step corresponds to steps 508, 608, 611 , 708, 808, 811 in figs. 5, 6, 7 and 8. The second network node 303, 403 selects the first network node 301 _n, 401 _n according to the indication in the response to be used in the test procedure. The selected first network node 301_n, 401_n is the first network node A 301_1 , 401_1 or at least one other first network node 301_2, 301_3, ..., 301_n, 401_2, 401_3, ... 401_n.

[0230] Step 1104

[0231] This step corresponds to steps 508, 608, 611 , 708, 808, 811 in figs. 5, 6, 7 and 8. The second network node 303, 403 may trigger the test process towards the selected first network node 301 _n, 401 _n.

[0232] A computer program product comprising program code for performing, when executed by the processing circuitry, the method described herein.

[0233] A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions, which when executed by the processing circuitry, cause the processing circuitry to perform the method described herein. Fig. 12 is a schematic drawing illustrating a node 1200 for enabling a test procedure to be performed in a communication system 200. The node 1200 may be at least one of the first network node 301 _n, 401 _n, the second network node 303, 403 and the third network node 305, 405.

[0234] The node 1200 may comprise processing circuitry 1201, e.g. one or more processors, configured to perform the methods described herein.

[0235] The node 1200 further comprises a memory 1203. The memory 1203 comprises one or more units to be used to store data on, such as indications, registration information, canary release condition information, flag, value of the flag, NF profile, preferred-xxx, canary release feature information, discovery request, discovery response, measurements, thresholds, data related to nodes, and applications to perform the methods disclosed herein when being executed, and similar. Furthermore, the node 1200 may comprise a communication interface 1206 such as comprising a transmitter, a receiver, a transceiver and / or one or more antennas.

[0236] The methods according to the embodiments described herein for enabling a test procedure to be performed in a communication system 200 are respectively implemented using e.g., a computer program product 1208 or a computer program, comprising instructions, i.e., software code portions, which, when executed on at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to carry out the actions described herein, as performed by the node 1200. The computer program product 1208 may be stored on a computer-readable storage medium 1210 e.g. a disc, a universal serial bus (USB) stick or similar. The computer-readable storage medium 1210 having stored thereon the computer program product, may comprise the instructions which, when executed on at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to carry out the actions described herein, as performed by the node 1200. In some embodiments, the computer-readable storage medium may be a transitory or a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. Thus, embodiments herein may disclose a node for enabling a test procedure to be performed in a communication system 200 in a wireless communication network, wherein the node comprises processing circuitry and a memory, the memory comprising instructions executable by the processing circuitry whereby the node is operative to perform any of the methods herein.

[0237] Summarized, when a second network node 303, 403 perform a discovery including their preferences, e.g. preferred-locality, the third network node 305, 405 may prioritize those first network nodes 301 _n, 401_1 which are preferred. This means that, if there is a first network node 301 _n, 401 _n under testing that it is not preferred, the third network node 305, 405 might not return it in the response. If the selection conditions would have matched, e.g. the test UE is subject to canary testing, the second network node 303, 403 is not aware of it since it was not returned in by the third network node 305, 405. This makes the testing unreliable in scenarios where second network node 303, 403 include their preferences but the operator still want test traffic to be sent only to first network nodes 301 _n, 401 _n under testing. The present disclosure proposes to include a parameter in the node information so that the first network node A 301_1 , 401_1 under testing is prioritized regardless of the preferences expressed by second network node 303, 403. Test traffic might not be sent to test first network nodes 301_1 , 401_1 if they were not preferred. Operators do not have a choice to override the preferences of the second network node 303, 403 based on the deployment type and testing required.

[0238] Fig. 13 shows an example of a communication system 1300 in accordance with some embodiments.

[0239] In the example, the communication system 1300 includes a telecommunication network 1302 that includes an access network 1304, such as a radio access network (RAN), and a core network 1306, which includes one or more core network nodes 1308. The access network 1304 includes one or more access network nodes, such as network nodes 1310a and 1310b (one or more of which may be generally referred to as network nodes 1310), or any other similar 3rdGeneration Partnership Project (3GPP) access nodes or non- 3GPP access points. Moreover, as will be appreciated by those of skill in the art, a network node is not necessarily limited to an implementation in which a radio portion and a baseband portion are supplied and integrated by a single vendor. Thus, it will be understood that network nodes include disaggregated implementations or portions thereof. For example, in some embodiments, the telecommunication network 1302 includes one or more Open-RAN (ORAN) network nodes. An ORAN network node is a node in the telecommunication network 1302 that supports an ORAN specification (e.g., a specification published by the O-RAN Alliance, or any similar organization) and may operate alone or together with other nodes to implement one or more functionalities of any node in the telecommunication network 1302, including one or more network nodes 1310 and / or core network nodes 1308.

[0240] Examples of an ORAN network node include an open radio unit (O-RU), an open distributed unit (O-DU), an open central unit (O-CU), including an O-CU control plane (O-CU-CP) or an O-CU user plane (O-CU-UP), a RAN intelligent controller (near-real time or non-real time) hosting software or software plug-ins, such as a near-real time control application (e.g., xApp) or a non-real time control application (e.g., rApp), or any combination thereof (the adjective "open” designating support of an ORAN specification). The network node may support a specification by, for example, supporting an interface defined by the ORAN specification, such as an A1 , F1 , W1 , E1 , E2, X2, Xn interface, an open fronthaul user plane interface, or an open fronthaul management plane interface. Moreover, an ORAN access node may be a logical node in a physical node. Furthermore, an ORAN network node may be implemented in a virtualization environment (described further below) in which one or more network functions are virtualized. For example, the virtualization environment may include an O-Cloud computing platform orchestrated by a Service Management and Orchestration Framework via an 0-2 interface defined by the O-RAN Alliance or comparable technologies. The network nodes 1310 facilitate direct or indirect connection of user equipment (UE), such as by connecting UEs 1312a, 1312b, 1312c, and 1312d (one or more of which may be generally referred to as UEs 1312) to the core network 1306 over one or more wireless connections.

[0241] Example wireless communications over a wireless connection include transmitting and / or receiving wireless signals using electromagnetic waves, radio waves, infrared waves, and / or other types of signals suitable for conveying information without the use of wires, cables, or other material conductors. Moreover, in different embodiments, the communication system 1300 may include any number of wired or wireless networks, network nodes, UEs, and / or any other components or systems that may facilitate or participate in the communication of data and / or signals whether via wired or wireless connections. The communication system 1300 may include and / or interface with any type of communication, telecommunication, data, cellular, radio network, and / or other similar type of system.

[0242] The UEs 1312 may be any of a wide variety of communication devices, including wireless devices arranged, configured, and / or operable to communicate wirelessly with the network nodes 1310 and other communication devices. Similarly, the network nodes 1310 are arranged, capable, configured, and / or operable to communicate directly or indirectly with the UEs 1312 and / or with other network nodes or equipment in the telecommunication network 1302 to enable and / or provide network access, such as wireless network access, and / or to perform other functions, such as administration in the telecommunication network 1302.

[0243] In the depicted example, the core network 1306 connects the network nodes 1310 to one or more hosts, such as host 1316. These connections may be direct or indirect via one or more intermediary networks or devices. In other examples, network nodes may be directly coupled to hosts. The core network 1306 includes one more core network nodes (e.g., core network node 1308) that are structured with hardware and software components. Features of these components may be substantially similar to those described with respect to the UEs, network nodes, and / or hosts, such that the descriptions thereof are generally applicable to the corresponding components of the core network node 1308. Example core network nodes include functions of one or more of a Mobile Switching Center (MSC), Mobility Management Entity (MME), Home Subscriber Server (HSS), Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF), Session Management Function (SMF), Authentication Server Function (AUSF), Subscription Identifier De-concealing function (SIDF), Unified Data Management (UDM), Security Edge Protection Proxy (SEPP), Network Exposure Function (NEF), and / or a User Plane Function (UPF).

[0244] The host 1316 may be under the ownership or control of a service provider other than an operator or provider of the access network 1004 and / or the telecommunication network 1302, and may be operated by the service provider or on behalf of the service provider. The host 1316 may host a variety of applications to provide one or more service. Examples of such applications include live and pre-recorded audio / video content, data collection services such as retrieving and compiling data on various ambient conditions detected by a plurality of UEs, analytics functionality, social media, functions for controlling or otherwise interacting with remote devices, functions for an alarm and surveillance center, or any other such function performed by a server.

[0245] As a whole, the communication system 1300 of fig. 13 enables connectivity between the UEs, network nodes, and hosts. In that sense, the communication system may be configured to operate according to predefined rules or procedures, such as specific standards that include, but are not limited to: Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM); Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS); Long Term Evolution (LTE), and / or other suitable 2G, 3G, 4G, 5G standards, or any applicable future generation standard (e.g., 6G); wireless local area network (WLAN) standards, such as the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 standards (WiFi); and / or any other appropriate wireless communication standard, such as the Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WIMax), Bluetooth, Z-Wave, Near Field Communication (NFC) ZigBee, LIFI, and / or any low-power wide-area network (LPWAN) standards such as LoRa and Sigfox.

[0246] In some examples, the telecommunication network 1302 is a cellular network that implements 3GPP standardized features. Accordingly, the telecommunications network 1302 may support network slicing to provide different logical networks to different devices that are connected to the telecommunication network 1302. For example, the telecommunications network 1302 may provide Ultra Reliable Low Latency Communication (URLLC) services to some UEs, while providing Enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB) services to other UEs, and / or Massive Machine Type Communication (mMTC) / Massive loT services to yet further UEs. In some examples, the UEs 1312 are configured to transmit and / or receive information without direct human interaction. For instance, a UE may be designed to transmit information to the access network 1304 on a predetermined schedule, when triggered by an internal or external event, or in response to requests from the access network 1304. Additionally, a UE may be configured for operating in single- or multi-RAT or multi-standard mode. For example, a UE may operate with any one or combination of Wi-Fi, NR (New Radio) and LTE, i.e. being configured for multi-radio dual connectivity (MR-DC), such as E-UTRAN (Evolved-UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access Network) New Radio - Dual Connectivity (EN-DC).

[0247] In the example, the hub 1314 communicates with the access network 1304 to facilitate indirect communication between one or more UEs (e.g., UE 1012c and / or 1312d) and network nodes (e.g., network node 1310b). In some examples, the hub 1014 may be a controller, router, content source and analytics, or any of the other communication devices described herein regarding UEs. For example, the hub 1314 may be a broadband router enabling access to the core network 1306 for the UEs. As another example, the hub 1314 may be a controller that sends commands or instructions to one or more actuators in the UEs. Commands or instructions may be received from the UEs, network nodes 1310, or by executable code, script, process, or other instructions in the hub 1314. As another example, the hub 1314 may be a data collector that acts as temporary storage for UE data and, in some embodiments, may perform analysis or other processing of the data. As another example, the hub 1314 may be a content source. For example, for a UE that is a VR headset, display, loudspeaker or other media delivery device, the hub 1314 may retrieve VR assets, video, audio, or other media or data related to sensory information via a network node, which the hub 1314 then provides to the UE either directly, after performing local processing, and / or after adding additional local content. In still another example, the hub 1314 acts as a proxy server or orchestrator for the UEs, in particular if one or more of the UEs are low energy loT devices.

[0248] The hub 1314 may have a constant / persistent or intermittent connection to the network node 1010b. The hub 1314 may also allow for a different communication scheme and / or schedule between the hub 1314 and UEs (e.g., UE 1312c and / or 1312d), and between the hub 1314 and the core network 1306. In other examples, the hub 1314 is connected to the core network 1306 and / or one or more UEs via a wired connection. Moreover, the hub 1314 may be configured to connect to an M2M service provider over the access network 1304 and / or to another UE over a direct connection. In some scenarios, UEs may establish a wireless connection with the network nodes 1310 while still connected via the hub 1314 via a wired or wireless connection. In some embodiments, the hub 1314 may be a dedicated hub - that is, a hub whose primary function is to route communications to / from the UEs from / to the network node 1310b. In other embodiments, the hub 1314 may be a non-dedicated hub - that is, a device which is capable of operating to route communications between the UEs and network node 1010b, but which is additionally capable of operating as a communication start and / or end point for certain data channels.

[0249] Fig. 14 shows a UE 1400 in accordance with some embodiments. As used herein, a UE refers to a device capable, configured, arranged and / or operable to communicate wirelessly with network nodes and / or other UEs. Examples of a UE include, but are not limited to, a smart phone, mobile phone, cell phone, voice over IP (VoIP) phone, wireless local loop phone, desktop computer, personal digital assistant (PDA), wireless cameras, gaming console or device, music storage device, playback appliance, wearable terminal device, wireless endpoint, mobile station, tablet, laptop, laptop-embedded equipment (LEE), laptop-mounted equipment (LME), smart device, wireless customer-premise equipment (CPE), vehicle, vehicle-mounted or vehicle embedded / integrated wireless device, etc. Other examples include any UE identified by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), including a narrow band internet of things (NB-loT) UE, a machine type communication (MTC) UE, and / or an enhanced MTC (eMTC) UE.

[0250] A UE may support device-to-device (D2D) communication, for example by implementing a 3GPP standard for sidelink communication, Dedicated Short-Range Communication (DSRC), vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V), vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I), or vehicle-to-everything (V2X). In other examples, a UE may not necessarily have a user in the sense of a human user who owns and / or operates the relevant device. Instead, a UE may represent a device that is intended for sale to, or operation by, a human user but which may not, or which may not initially, be associated with a specific human user (e.g., a smart sprinkler controller). Alternatively, a UE may represent a device that is not intended for sale to, or operation by, an end user but which may be associated with or operated for the benefit of a user (e.g., a smart power meter).

[0251] The UE 1400 includes processing circuitry 1402 that is operatively coupled via a bus 1404 to an input / output interface 1406, a power source 1408, a memory 1410, a communication interface 1412, and / or any other component, or any combination thereof. Certain UEs may utilize all or a subset of the components shown in fig. 14. The level of integration between the components may vary from one UE to another UE. Further, certain UEs may contain multiple instances of a component, such as multiple processors, memories, transceivers, transmitters, receivers, etc.

[0252] The processing circuitry 1402 is configured to process instructions and data and may be configured to implement any sequential state machine operative to execute instructions stored as machine-readable computer programs in the memory 1410. The processing circuitry 1402 may be implemented as one or more hardware-implemented state machines (e.g., in discrete logic, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), etc.); programmable logic together with appropriate firmware; one or more stored computer programs, general-purpose processors, such as a microprocessor or digital signal processor (DSP), together with appropriate software; or any combination of the above. For example, the processing circuitry 1402 may include multiple central processing units (CPUs).

[0253] In the example, the input / output interface 1406 may be configured to provide an interface or interfaces to an input device, output device, or one or more input and / or output devices. Examples of an output device include a speaker, a sound card, a video card, a display, a monitor, a printer, an actuator, an emitter, a smartcard, another output device, or any combination thereof. An input device may allow a user to capture information into the UE 1400. Examples of an input device include a touch-sensitive or presence-sensitive display, a camera (e.g., a digital camera, a digital video camera, a web camera, etc.), a microphone, a sensor, a mouse, a trackball, a directional pad, a trackpad, a scroll wheel, a smartcard, and the like. The presence-sensitive display may include a capacitive or resistive touch sensor to sense input from a user. A sensor may be, for instance, an accelerometer, a gyroscope, a tilt sensor, a force sensor, a magnetometer, an optical sensor, a proximity sensor, a biometric sensor, etc., or any combination thereof. An output device may use the same type of interface port as an input device. For example, a Universal Serial Bus (USB) port may be used to provide an input device and an output device.

[0254] In some embodiments, the power source 1408 is structured as a battery or battery pack. Other types of power sources, such as an external power source (e.g., an electricity outlet), photovoltaic device, or power cell, may be used. The power source 1408 may further include power circuitry for delivering power from the power source 1408 itself, and / or an external power source, to the various parts of the UE 1400 via input circuitry or an interface such as an electrical power cable. Delivering power may be, for example, for charging of the power source 1408. Power circuitry may perform any formatting, converting, or other modification to the power from the power source 1408 to make the power suitable for the respective components of the UE 1400 to which power is supplied.

[0255] The memory 1410 may be or be configured to include memory such as random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), magnetic disks, optical disks, hard disks, removable cartridges, flash drives, and so forth. In one example, the memory 1410 includes one or more application programs 1414, such as an operating system, web browser application, a widget, gadget engine, or other application, and corresponding data 1416. The memory 1410 may store, for use by the UE 1400, any of a variety of various operating systems or combinations of operating systems. The memory 1410 may be configured to include a number of physical drive units, such as redundant array of independent disks (RAID), flash memory, USB flash drive, external hard disk drive, thumb drive, pen drive, key drive, high-density digital versatile disc (HD-DVD) optical disc drive, internal hard disk drive, Blu- Ray optical disc drive, holographic digital data storage (HDDS) optical disc drive, external mini-dual in-line memory module (DIMM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), external micro-DIMM SDRAM, smartcard memory such as tamper resistant module in the form of a universal integrated circuit card (UICC) including one or more subscriber identity modules (SIMs), such as a USIM and / or ISIM, other memory, or any combination thereof. The UICC may for example be an embedded UICC (eUlCC), integrated UICC (IUICC) or a removable UICC commonly known as ‘SIM card.' The memory 1410 may allow the UE 1400 to access instructions, application programs and the like, stored on transitory or non-transitory memory media, to off-load data, or to upload data. An article of manufacture, such as one utilizing a communication system may be tangibly embodied as or in the memory 1410, which may be or comprise a device-readable storage medium.

[0256] The processing circuitry 1402 may be configured to communicate with an access network or other network using the communication interface 1412. The communication interface 1412 may comprise one or more communication subsystems and may include or be communicatively coupled to an antenna 1422. The communication interface 1412 may include one or more transceivers used to communicate, such as by communicating with one or more remote transceivers of another device capable of wireless communication (e.g., another UE or a network node in an access network). Each transceiver may include a transmitter 1418 and / or a receiver 1420 appropriate to provide network communications (e.g., optical, electrical, frequency allocations, and so forth). Moreover, the transmitter 1418 and receiver 1420 may be coupled to one or more antennas (e.g., antenna 1422) and may share circuit components, software or firmware, or alternatively be implemented separately.

[0257] In the illustrated embodiment, communication functions of the communication interface 1412 may include cellular communication, Wi-Fi communication, LPWAN communication, data communication, voice communication, multimedia communication, short-range communications such as Bluetooth, near-field communication, location-based communication such as the use of the global positioning system (GPS) to determine a location, another like communication function, or any combination thereof. Communications may be implemented in according to one or more communication protocols and / or standards, such as IEEE 802.11, Code Division Multiplexing Access (CDMA), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), GSM, LTE, New Radio (NR), UMTS, WiMax, Ethernet, transmission control protocol / internet protocol (TCP / IP), synchronous optical networking (SONET), Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM), QUIC, Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), and so forth.

[0258] Regardless of the type of sensor, a UE may provide an output of data captured by its sensors, through its communication interface 1412, via a wireless connection to a network node. Data captured by sensors of a UE can be communicated through a wireless connection to a network node via another UE. The output may be periodic (e.g., once every 15 minutes if it reports the sensed temperature), random (e.g., to even out the load from reporting from several sensors), in response to a triggering event (e.g., when moisture is detected an alert is sent), in response to a request (e.g., a user initiated request), or a continuous stream (e.g., a live video feed of a patient).

[0259] As another example, a UE comprises an actuator, a motor, or a switch, related to a communication interface configured to receive wireless input from a network node via a wireless connection. In response to the received wireless input the states of the actuator, the motor, or the switch may change. For example, the UE may comprise a motor that adjusts the control surfaces or rotors of a drone in flight according to the received input or to a robotic arm performing a medical procedure according to the received input.

[0260] A UE, when in the form of an Internet of Things (loT) device, may be a device for use in one or more application domains, these domains comprising, but not limited to, city wearable technology, extended industrial application and healthcare. Non-limiting examples of such an loT device are a device which is or which is embedded in: a connected refrigerator or freezer, a TV, a connected lighting device, an electricity meter, a robot vacuum cleaner, a voice controlled smart speaker, a home security camera, a motion detector, a thermostat, a smoke detector, a door / window sensor, a flood / moisture sensor, an electrical door lock, a connected doorbell, an air conditioning system like a heat pump, an autonomous vehicle, a surveillance system, a weather monitoring device, a vehicle parking monitoring device, an electric vehicle charging station, a smart watch, a fitness tracker, a head-mounted display for Augmented Reality (AR) or Virtual Reality (VR), a wearable for tactile augmentation or sensory enhancement, a water sprinkler, an animal- or item-tracking device, a sensor for monitoring a plant or animal, an industrial robot, an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), and any kind of medical device, like a heart rate monitor or a remote controlled surgical robot. A UE in the form of an loT device comprises circuitry and / or software in dependence of the intended application of the loT device in addition to other components as described in relation to the UE 1400 shown in fig. 14. As yet another specific example, in an loT scenario, a UE may represent a machine or other device that performs monitoring and / or measurements, and transmits the results of such monitoring and / or measurements to another UE and / or a network node. The UE may in this case be an M2M device, which may in a 3GPP context be referred to as an MTC device. As one particular example, the UE may implement the 3GPP NB-loT standard. In other scenarios, a UE may represent a vehicle, such as a car, a bus, a truck, a ship and an airplane, or other equipment that is capable of monitoring and / or reporting on its operational status or other functions associated with its operation.

[0261] In practice, any number of UEs may be used together with respect to a single use case. For example, a first UE might be or be integrated in a drone and provide the drone's speed information (obtained through a speed sensor) to a second UE that is a remote controller operating the drone. When the user makes changes from the remote controller, the first UE may adjust the throttle on the drone (e.g. by controlling an actuator) to increase or decrease the drone's speed. The first and / or the second UE can also include more than one of the functionalities described above. For example, a UE might comprise the sensor and the actuator, and handle communication of data for both the speed sensor and the actuators.

[0262] Fig. 15 shows a network node 1500 in accordance with some embodiments. As used herein, network node refers to equipment capable, configured, arranged and / or operable to communicate directly or indirectly with a UE and / or with other network nodes or equipment, in a telecommunication network. Examples of network nodes include, but are not limited to, access points (APs) (e.g., radio access points), base stations (BSs) (e.g., radio base stations, Node Bs, evolved Node Bs (eNBs) and NR NodeBs (gNBs)), O-RAN nodes or components of an O-RAN node (e.g., O-RU, O-DU, O-CU).

[0263] Base stations may be categorized based on the amount of coverage they provide (or, stated differently, their transmit power level) and so, depending on the provided amount of coverage, may be referred to as femto base stations, pico base stations, micro base stations, or macro base stations. A base station may be a relay node or a relay donor node controlling a relay. A network node may also include one or more (or all) parts of a distributed radio base station such as centralized digital units, distributed units (e.g., in an O-RAN access node) and / or remote radio units (RRUs), sometimes referred to as Remote Radio Heads (RRHs). Such remote radio units may or may not be integrated with an antenna as an antenna integrated radio. Parts of a distributed radio base station may also be referred to as nodes in a distributed antenna system (DAS).

[0264] Other examples of network nodes include multiple transmission point (multi-TRP) 5G access nodes, multistandard radio (MSR) equipment such as MSR BSs, network controllers such as radio network controllers (RNCs) or base station controllers (BSCs), base transceiver stations (BTSs), transmission points, transmission nodes, multi-cell / multicast coordination entities (MCEs), Operation and Maintenance (O&M) nodes, Operations Support System (OSS) nodes, Self-Organizing Network (SON) nodes, positioning nodes (e.g., Evolved Serving Mobile Location Centers (E-SMLCs)), and / or Minimization of Drive Tests (MDTs).

[0265] The network node 1500 includes a processing circuitry 1502, a memory 1504, a communication interface 1506, and a power source 1508. The network node 1500 may be composed of multiple physically separate components (e.g., a NodeB component and a RNC component, or a BTS component and a BSC component, etc.), which may each have their own respective components. In certain scenarios in which the network node 1500 comprises multiple separate components (e.g., BTS and BSC components), one or more of the separate components may be shared among several network nodes. For example, a single RNC may control multiple NodeBs. In such a scenario, each unique NodeB and RNC pair, may in some instances be considered a single separate network node. In some embodiments, the network node 1500 may be configured to support multiple radio access technologies (RATs). In such embodiments, some components may be duplicated (e.g., separate memory 1504 for different RATs) and some components may be reused (e.g., a same antenna 1510 may be shared by different RATs). The network node 1500 may also include multiple sets of the various illustrated components for different wireless technologies integrated into network node 1500, for example GSM, WCDMA, LTE, NR, WiFi, Zigbee, Z-wave, LoRaWAN, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) or Bluetooth wireless technologies. These wireless technologies may be integrated into the same or different chip or set of chips and other components within network node 1500.

[0266] The processing circuitry 1502 may comprise a combination of one or more of a microprocessor, controller, microcontroller, central processing unit, digital signal processor, application-specific integrated circuit, field programmable gate array, or any other suitable computing device, resource, or combination of hardware, software and / or encoded logic operable to provide, either alone or in conjunction with other network node 1500 components, such as the memory 1504, to provide network node 1500 functionality.

[0267] In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 1502 includes a system on a chip (SOC). In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 1502 includes one or more of radio frequency (RF) transceiver circuitry 1512 and baseband processing circuitry 1514. In some embodiments, the radio frequency (RF) transceiver circuitry 1512 and the baseband processing circuitry 1514 may be on separate chips (or sets of chips), boards, or units, such as radio units and digital units. In alternative embodiments, part or all of RF transceiver circuitry 1512 and baseband processing circuitry 1514 may be on the same chip or set of chips, boards, or units. The memory 1504 may comprise any form of volatile or non-volatile computer-readable memory including, without limitation, persistent storage, solid-state memory, remotely mounted memory, magnetic media, optical media, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), mass storage media (for example, a hard disk), removable storage media (for example, a flash drive, a Compact Disk (CD) or a Digital Video Disk (DVD)), and / or any other volatile or non-volatile, non-transitory device-readable and / or computerexecutable memory devices that store information, data, and / or instructions that may be used by the processing circuitry 1502. The memory 1504 may store any suitable instructions, data, or information, including a computer program, software, an application including one or more of logic, rules, code, tables, and / or other instructions capable of being executed by the processing circuitry 1502 and utilized by the network node 1500. The memory 1504 may be used to store any calculations made by the processing circuitry 1502 and / or any data received via the communication interface 1506. In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 1502 and memory 1504 is integrated.

[0268] The communication interface 1506 is used in wired or wireless communication of signaling and / or data between a network node, access network, and / or UE. As illustrated, the communication interface 1506 comprises port(s) / terminal(s) 1516 to send and receive data, for example to and from a network over a wired connection. The communication interface 1506 also includes radio front-end circuitry 1518 that may be coupled to, or in certain embodiments a part of, the antenna 1510. Radio front-end circuitry 1518 comprises filters 1520 and amplifiers 1522. The radio front-end circuitry 1518 may be connected to an antenna 1510 and processing circuitry 1502. The radio front-end circuitry may be configured to condition signals communicated between antenna 1510 and processing circuitry 1502. The radio front-end circuitry 1518 may receive digital data that is to be sent out to other network nodes or UEs via a wireless connection. The radio front-end circuitry 1518 may convert the digital data into a radio signal having the appropriate channel and bandwidth parameters using a combination of filters 1520 and / or amplifiers 1522. The radio signal may then be transmitted via the antenna 1510. Similarly, when receiving data, the antenna 1510 may collect radio signals which are then converted into digital data by the radio front-end circuitry 1518. The digital data may be passed to the processing circuitry 1502. In other embodiments, the communication interface may comprise different components and / or different combinations of components.

[0269] In certain alternative embodiments, the network node 1500 does not include separate radio front-end circuitry 1518, instead, the processing circuitry 1502 includes radio front-end circuitry and is connected to the antenna 1510. Similarly, in some embodiments, all or some of the RF transceiver circuitry 1512 is part of the communication interface 1506. In still other embodiments, the communication interface 1506 includes one or more ports or terminals 1516, the radio front-end circuitry 1518, and the RF transceiver circuitry 1512, as part of a radio unit (not shown), and the communication interface 1506 communicates with the baseband processing circuitry 1514, which is part of a digital unit (not shown).

[0270] The antenna 1510 may include one or more antennas, or antenna arrays, configured to send and / or receive wireless signals. The antenna 1510 may be coupled to the radio front-end circuitry 1518 and may be any type of antenna capable of transmitting and receiving data and / or signals wirelessly. In certain embodiments, the antenna 1510 is separate from the network node 1500 and connectable to the network node 1500 through an interface or port.

[0271] The antenna 1510, communication interface 1506, and / or the processing circuitry 1502 may be configured to perform any receiving operations and / or certain obtaining operations described herein as being performed by the network node. Any information, data and / or signals may be received from a UE, another network node and / or any other network equipment. Similarly, the antenna 1510, the communication interface 1506, and / or the processing circuitry 1502 may be configured to perform any transmitting operations described herein as being performed by the network node. Any information, data and / or signals may be transmitted to a UE, another network node and / or any other network equipment.

[0272] The power source 1508 provides power to the various components of network node 1500 in a form suitable for the respective components (e.g., at a voltage and current level needed for each respective component). The power source 1508 may further comprise, or be coupled to, power management circuitry to supply the components of the network node 1500 with power for performing the functionality described herein. For example, the network node 1500 may be connectable to an external power source (e.g., the power grid, an electricity outlet) via an input circuitry or interface such as an electrical cable, whereby the external power source supplies power to power circuitry of the power source 1508. As a further example, the power source 1508 may comprise a source of power in the form of a battery or battery pack which is connected to, or integrated in, power circuitry. The battery may provide backup power should the external power source fail.

[0273] Embodiments of the network node 1500 may include additional components beyond those shown in fig. 15 for providing certain aspects of the network node's functionality, including any of the functionality described herein and / or any functionality necessary to support the subject matter described herein. For example, the network node 1500 may include user interface equipment to allow input of information into the network node 1500 and to allow output of information from the network node 1500. This may allow a user to perform diagnostic, maintenance, repair, and other administrative functions for the network node 1500. Fig. 16 is a block diagram of a host 1600, which may be an embodiment of the host 1316 of fig. 13, in accordance with various aspects described herein. As used herein, the host 1600 may be or comprise various combinations hardware and / or software, including a standalone server, a blade server, a cloud- implemented server, a distributed server, a virtual machine, container, or processing resources in a server farm. The host 1600 may provide one or more services to one or more UEs.

[0274] The host 1600 includes processing circuitry 1602 that is operatively coupled via a bus 1604 to an input / output interface 1606, a network interface 1608, a power source 1610, and a memory 1612. Other components may be included in other embodiments. Features of these components may be substantially similar to those described with respect to the devices of previous figures, such as figs. 13 and 14, such that the descriptions thereof are generally applicable to the corresponding components of host 1600.

[0275] The memory 1612 may include one or more computer programs including one or more host application programs 1614 and data 1616, which may include user data, e.g., data generated by a UE for the host 1600 or data generated by the host 1600 for a UE. Embodiments of the host 1600 may utilize only a subset or all of the components shown. The host application programs 1614 may be implemented in a container-based architecture and may provide support for video codecs (e.g., Versatile Video Coding (WC), High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC), Advanced Video Coding (AVC), MPEG, VP9) and audio codecs (e.g., FLAG, Advanced Audio Coding (AAC), MPEG, G.711), including transcoding for multiple different classes, types, or implementations of UEs (e.g., handsets, desktop computers, wearable display systems, heads-up display systems). The host application programs 1614 may also provide for user authentication and licensing checks and may periodically report health, routes, and content availability to a central node, such as a device in or on the edge of a core network. Accordingly, the host 1600 may select and / or indicate a different host for over-the-top services for a UE. The host application programs 1614 may support various protocols, such as the HTTP Live Streaming (HLS) protocol, Real-Time Messaging Protocol (RTMP), Real-Time Streaming Protocol (RTSP), Dynamic Adaptive Streaming over HTTP (MPEG-DASH), etc.

[0276] Fig. 17 is a block diagram illustrating a virtualization environment 1700 in which functions implemented by some embodiments may be virtualized. In the present context, virtualizing means creating virtual versions of apparatuses or devices which may include virtualizing hardware platforms, storage devices and networking resources. As used herein, virtualization can be applied to any device described herein, or components thereof, and relates to an implementation in which at least a portion of the functionality is implemented as one or more virtual components. Some or all of the functions described herein may be implemented as virtual components executed by one or more virtual machines (VMs) implemented in one or more virtual environments 1700 hosted by one or more of hardware nodes, such as a hardware computing device that operates as a network node, UE, core network node, or host. Further, in embodiments in which the virtual node does not require radio connectivity (e.g., a core network node or host), then the node may be entirely virtualized. In some embodiments, the virtualization environment 1700 includes components defined by the O-RAN Alliance, such as an O-Cloud environment orchestrated by a Service Management and Orchestration Framework via an O-2 interface.

[0277] Applications 1702 (which may alternatively be called software instances, virtual appliances, network functions, virtual nodes, virtual network functions, etc.) are run in the virtualization environment Q400 to implement some of the features, functions, and / or benefits of some of the embodiments disclosed herein.

[0278] Hardware 1704 includes processing circuitry, memory that stores software and / or instructions executable by hardware processing circuitry, and / or other hardware devices as described herein, such as a network interface, input / output interface, and so forth. Software may be executed by the processing circuitry to instantiate one or more virtualization layers 1706 (also referred to as hypervisors or virtual machine monitors (VMMs)), provide VMs 1708a and 1708b (one or more of which may be generally referred to as VMs 1708), and / or perform any of the functions, features and / or benefits described in relation with some embodiments described herein. The virtualization layer 1706 may present a virtual operating platform that appears like networking hardware to the VMs 1708.

[0279] The VMs 1708 comprise virtual processing, virtual memory, virtual networking or interface and virtual storage, and may be run by a corresponding virtualization layer 1706. Different embodiments of the instance of a virtual appliance 1702 may be implemented on one or more of VMs 1708, and the implementations may be made in different ways. Virtualization of the hardware is in some contexts referred to as network function virtualization (NFV). NFV may be used to consolidate many network equipment types onto industry standard high volume server hardware, physical switches, and physical storage, which can be located in data centers, and customer premise equipment.

[0280] In the context of NFV, a VM 1708 may be a software implementation of a physical machine that runs programs as if they were executing on a physical, non-virtualized machine. Each of the VMs 1708, and that part of hardware 1704 that executes that VM, be it hardware dedicated to that VM and / or hardware shared by that VM with others of the VMs, forms separate virtual network elements. Still in the context of NFV, a virtual network function is responsible for handling specific network functions that run in one or more VMs 1708 on top of the hardware 1704 and corresponds to the application 1702.

[0281] Hardware 1704 may be implemented in a standalone network node with generic or specific components. Hardware 1704 may implement some functions via virtualization. Alternatively, hardware 1704 may be part of a larger cluster of hardware (e.g. such as in a data center or CPE) where many hardware nodes work together and are managed via management and orchestration 1710, which, among others, oversees lifecycle management of applications 1702. In some embodiments, hardware 1704 is coupled to one or more radio units that each include one or more transmitters and one or more receivers that may be coupled to one or more antennas. Radio units may communicate directly with other hardware nodes via one or more appropriate network interfaces and may be used in combination with the virtual components to provide a virtual node with radio capabilities, such as a radio access node or a base station. In some embodiments, some signaling can be provided with the use of a control system 1712 which may alternatively be used for communication between hardware nodes and radio units.

[0282] Fig. 18 shows a communication diagram of a host 1802 communicating via a network node 1804 with a UE 1806 over a partially wireless connection in accordance with some embodiments. Example implementations, in accordance with various embodiments, of the UE (such as a UE 1312a of fig. 13 and / or UE 1500 of fig. 15), network node (such as network node 1310a of fig. 13 and / or network node 1600 of fig. 16), and host (such as host 1316 of fig. 13 and / or host 1600 of fig. 16) discussed in the preceding paragraphs will now be described with reference to fig. 18.

[0283] Like host 1600, embodiments of host 1802 include hardware, such as a communication interface, processing circuitry, and memory. The host 1802 also includes software, which is stored in or accessible by the host 1802 and executable by the processing circuitry. The software includes a host application that may be operable to provide a service to a remote user, such as the UE 1806 connecting via an over-the-top (OTT) connection 1850 extending between the UE 1806 and host 1802. In providing the service to the remote user, a host application may provide user data which is transmitted using the OTT connection 1850.

[0284] The network node 1804 includes hardware enabling it to communicate with the host 1802 and UE 1806. The connection 1860 may be direct or pass through a core network (like core network 1306 of fig. 13) and / or one or more other intermediate networks, such as one or more public, private, or hosted networks. For example, an intermediate network may be a backbone network or the Internet. The UE 1806 includes hardware and software, which is stored in or accessible by UE 1806 and executable by the UE's processing circuitry. The software includes a client application, such as a web browser or operator-specific "app” that may be operable to provide a service to a human or non-human user via UE 1806 with the support of the host 1802. In the host 1802, an executing host application may communicate with the executing client application via the OTT connection 1850 terminating at the UE 1806 and host 1802. In providing the service to the user, the UE's client application may receive request data from the host's host application and provide user data in response to the request data. The OTT connection 1850 may transfer both the request data and the user data. The UE's client application may interact with the user to generate the user data that it provides to the host application through the OTT connection 1850.

[0285] The OTT connection 1850 may extend via a connection 1860 between the host 1802 and the network node 1804 and via a wireless connection 1870 between the network node 1804 and the UE 1806 to provide the connection between the host 1802 and the UE 1806. The connection 1860 and wireless connection 1870, over which the OTT connection 1850 may be provided, have been drawn abstractly to illustrate the communication between the host 1802 and the UE 1806 via the network node 1804, without explicit reference to any intermediary devices and the precise routing of messages via these devices.

[0286] As an example of transmitting data via the OTT connection 1850, in step 1808, the host 1802 provides user data, which may be performed by executing a host application. In some embodiments, the user data is associated with a particular human user interacting with the UE 1806. In other embodiments, the user data is associated with a UE 1806 that shares data with the host 1802 without explicit human interaction. In step 1810, the host 1802 initiates a transmission carrying the user data towards the UE 1806. The host 1802 may initiate the transmission responsive to a request transmitted by the UE 1806. The request may be caused by human interaction with the UE 1806 or by operation of the client application executing on the UE 1806. The transmission may pass via the network node 1804, in accordance with the teachings of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure. Accordingly, in step 1812, the network node 1804 transmits to the UE 1806 the user data that was carried in the transmission that the host 1802 initiated, in accordance with the teachings of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure. In step 1814, the UE 1806 receives the user data carried in the transmission, which may be performed by a client application executed on the UE 1806 associated with the host application executed by the host 1802.

[0287] In some examples, the UE 1806 executes a client application which provides user data to the host 1802.

[0288] The user data may be provided in reaction or response to the data received from the host 1802.

[0289] Accordingly, in step 1816, the UE 1806 may provide user data, which may be performed by executing the client application. In providing the user data, the client application may further consider user input received from the user via an input / output interface of the UE 1806. Regardless of the specific manner in which the user data was provided, the UE 1806 initiates, in step 1818, transmission of the user data towards the host 1802 via the network node 1804. In step 1820, in accordance with the teachings of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure, the network node 1804 receives user data from the UE 1806 and initiates transmission of the received user data towards the host 1802. In step 1822, the host 1802 receives the user data carried in the transmission initiated by the UE 1806.

[0290] One or more of the various embodiments improve the performance of OTT services provided to the UE 1806 using the OTT connection 1850, in which the wireless connection 1870 forms the last segment.

[0291] In an example scenario, factory status information may be collected and analyzed by the host 1802. As another example, the host 1802 may process audio and video data which may have been retrieved from a UE for use in creating maps. As another example, the host 1802 may collect and analyze real-time data to assist in controlling vehicle congestion (e.g., controlling traffic lights). As another example, the host 1802 may store surveillance video uploaded by a UE. As another example, the host 1802 may store or control access to media content such as video, audio, VR or AR which it can broadcast, multicast or unicast to UEs. As other examples, the host 1802 may be used for energy pricing, remote control of non-time critical electrical load to balance power generation needs, location services, presentation services (such as compiling diagrams etc. from data collected from remote devices), or any other function of collecting, retrieving, storing, analyzing and / or transmitting data.

[0292] In some examples, a measurement procedure may be provided for the purpose of monitoring data rate, latency and other factors on which the one or more embodiments improve. There may further be an optional network functionality for reconfiguring the OTT connection 1850 between the host 1802 and UE 1806, in response to variations in the measurement results. The measurement procedure and / or the network functionality for reconfiguring the OTT connection may be implemented in software and hardware of the host 1802 and / or UE 1806. In some embodiments, sensors (not shown) may be deployed in or in association with other devices through which the OTT connection 1850 passes; the sensors may participate in the measurement procedure by supplying values of the monitored quantities exemplified above, or supplying values of other physical quantities from which software may compute or estimate the monitored quantities. The reconfiguring of the OTT connection 1850 may include message format, retransmission settings, preferred routing etc.; the reconfiguring need not directly alter the operation of the network node 1804. Such procedures and functionalities may be known and practiced in the art. In certain embodiments, measurements may involve proprietary UE signaling that facilitates measurements of throughput, propagation times, latency and the like, by the host 1802. The measurements may be implemented in that software causes messages to be transmitted, in particular empty or 'dummy' messages, using the OTT connection 1850 while monitoring propagation times, errors, etc.

[0293] Although the computing devices described herein (e.g., UEs, network nodes, hosts) may include the illustrated combination of hardware components, other embodiments may comprise computing devices with different combinations of components. It is to be understood that these computing devices may comprise any suitable combination of hardware and / or software needed to perform the tasks, features, functions and methods disclosed herein. Determining, calculating, obtaining or similar operations described herein may be performed by processing circuitry, which may process information by, for example, converting the obtained information into other information, comparing the obtained information or converted information to information stored in the network node, and / or performing one or more operations based on the obtained information or converted information, and as a result of said processing making a determination. Moreover, while components are depicted as single boxes located within a larger box, or nested within multiple boxes, in practice, computing devices may comprise multiple different physical components that make up a single illustrated component, and functionality may be partitioned between separate components. For example, a communication interface may be configured to include any of the components described herein, and / or the functionality of the components may be partitioned between the processing circuitry and the communication interface. In another example, non-computationally intensive functions of any of such components may be implemented in software or firmware and computationally intensive functions may be implemented in hardware.

[0294] In certain embodiments, some or all of the functionality described herein may be provided by processing circuitry executing instructions stored on in memory, which in certain embodiments may be a computer program product in the form of a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. In alternative embodiments, some or all of the functionality may be provided by the processing circuitry without executing instructions stored on a separate or discrete device-readable storage medium, such as in a hard-wired manner. In any of those particular embodiments, whether executing instructions stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium or not, the processing circuitry can be configured to perform the described functionality. The benefits provided by such functionality are not limited to the processing circuitry alone or to other components of the computing device, but are enjoyed by the computing device as a whole, and / or by end users and a wireless network generally. Generally, all terms used herein are to be interpreted according to their ordinary meaning in the relevant technical field, unless a different meaning is clearly given and / or is implied from the context in which it is used. All references to a / an / the element, apparatus, component, means, step, etc. are to be interpreted openly as referring to at least one instance of the element, apparatus, component, means, step, etc., unless explicitly stated otherwise. The steps of any methods disclosed herein do not have to be performed in the exact order disclosed, unless a step is explicitly described as following or preceding another step and / or where it is implicit that a step must follow or precede another step.

[0295] In general, the usage of "first”, "second”, "third”, "fourth”, and / or "fifth” herein may be understood to be an arbitrary way to denote different elements or entities, and may be understood to not confer a cumulative or chronological character to the nouns they modify, unless otherwise noted, based on context.

[0296] The present disclosure is not limited to the above. Various alternatives, modifications and equivalents may be used. Therefore, disclosure herein should not be taken as limiting the scope. A feature may be combined with one or more other features.

[0297] The term "at least one of A and B” should be understood to mean "only A, only B, or both A and B.”, where A and B are any parameter, number, indication used herein etc.

[0298] It should be emphasized that the term "comprises / comprising” when used in this specification is taken to specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps or components, but does not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, components or groups thereof. It should also be noted that the words "a” or "an” preceding an element do not exclude the presence of a plurality of such elements.

[0299] The term "configured to” used herein may also be referred to as "arranged to”, "adapted to”, "capable of” or "operative to”.

[0300] The steps of the methods may be performed in another order than the order in which they appear herein.

Claims

48CLAIMS1. A method performed by a first network node A (301_1, 401_1) for enabling a test procedure to be performed in a communication system (200), the method comprising: registering (501, 601, 701, 801) the first network node A (301_1, 401_1) at a third network node (305, 405); setting (502, 602, 702, 802) the first network node A (301_1, 401_1) in a condition, wherein the condition indicates that the first network node A (301_1, 401_1) is ready for a test procedure; and providing (504, 604, 703, 803) update information for the first network node A (301_1, 401_1) to the third network node (305, 405), wherein the update information indicating whether the third network node (305, 405) shall prioritize the first network node (301_1, 401_1) in the condition over the preferences present in a request from a second network node (303, 403).

2. The method of claim 1, wherein indicating whether the third NF (305, 405) shall prioritize the first network node (301_1, 401_1) in the condition over the preferences present in the request comprising: a parameter indicating the third network node (305, 405) shall prioritize the first network node (301_n, 401 _n) in the condition over the preferences in request from the second network node (303, 403), and the priorities of the first network node shall not be modified by the third network node (305, 405) or indicating the third network node (305, 405) shall not prioritize the first network node (301_n, 401_n) in the condition over the preferences in request from the second network node (303, 403) and the third network node (305, 405) prioritize the first network node according to preference information in the request.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the parameter is provided to the third network node (305, 405) in the update information, in a registration message, or in a dedicated message for the parameter.

4. The method of any of claims 2-3, wherein the parameter indicates which first network nodes' node information that should be comprised in the response.

5. The method of any of claims 2-3, wherein the parameter is a flag comprised in the node information of the first network node A (301_1, 401_1), and the node information of the first network node is NF profile.

6. The method of any of the preceding claims, wherein the condition is a canary release condition.

497. The method of any of the preceding claims, wherein first network node A (301_1 , 401_1) is a Network Function, NF, producer in canary release condition.

8. The method of any of the preceding claims, wherein the test procedure is a canary test procedure.

9. The method of any of the preceding claims, wherein the first network node A (301_1 , 401_1) is a Network Function, NF, producer node, wherein the second network node (303, 403) is a NF consumer node; and wherein the third network node (305, 405) is a Network Repository Function, NRF, node.

10. The method of any of the preceding claims, wherein the request is a discovery request, and the response is a discovery response comprised in a service allowing a second network node (303, 403) to discover at least one of the first network nodes (301 _n. 401_n).

11. The method of any of the preceding claims, wherein the first network node A (301_1, 401_1) is a one of a plurality of first network nodes (301_n, 401_n) arranged to produce a service to be consumed by the second network node (303, 403).

12. A method performed by a third network node (305, 405) for enabling a test procedure to be performed in a communication system (200), the method comprising: registering (501, 601, 701, 801) a first network node A (301_1, 401_2), wherein a result of the registration is that the third network node (305, 405) comprises node information for the first network node A (301_1, 401_1); obtaining (504, 604, 703, 803) update information comprising a condition of the first network node A (301_1, 401_1) from the first network node A (301_1, 401_1), wherein the node information for the first network node A (301_1 , 401_1) currently comprised in the third network node (305, 405) is updated with the update information; obtaining (505, 605, 705, 805) a request from a second network node (303, 403), wherein the request comprises preference information indicating a preferred first network node (301_n, 401 _n); based on the preference information in the request, determining (506, 606, 609, 706, 806, 809) which first network node (301 _n, 401 _n) that should be indicated in the response; and providing (507, 607, 610, 707, 807, 810) a response to the second network node (303, 403), wherein the response indicates the determined first network node (301 _n, 401_n).5013. The method of claim 12, comprising: obtaining a parameter from the first network node (305, 405) in the update information, in a registration message, or in a dedicated message for the parameter.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the parameter indicating the third network node (305, 405) shall prioritize the first network node (301 _n, 401 _n) in the condition over the preferences in request from the second network node (303, 403), and the priorities of the first network node shall not be modified by the third network node (305, 405) or indicating the third network node (305, 405) shall not prioritize the first network node (301 _n, 401 _n) in the condition over the preferences in request from the second network node (303, 403) and the third network node (305, 405) prioritize the first network node according to preference information in the request, ( / / basis page 15, lines 10-20).

15. The method of any of claims 13-14, wherein the determining (506, 606, 609, 706, 806, 809) which first network node (301_n, 401_n) that should be indicated in the response comprises: when the value of the parameter is the first value, ignoring (506) the preference information in the request thereby determining that the first producer node (301_1, 401_1) which is in the condition is to be indicated in the response.

16. The method of any of claims 13-15, wherein the determining (506, 606, 609, 706, 806, 809) which first network node (301_n, 401_n) that should be included in the response comprises: when the value of the parameter is the second value, determining (606, 609) to proceed with the preference information comprised in the request and thereby determining that the preferred first network node in the request is to be indicated in the response; determining (606, 609) whether or not the first network node A (301_1, 401_1) matches the preferred first network node; wherein the response (607) indicates the first network node A (301_1, 401_1) if there is a match, and wherein the response (610) indicates at least one other first network node (301 _2, 301 _3, 401 _3, 401 _4) if there is no match.

17. The method of claim 12, comprising: determining (704) whether a feature is enabled or disabled in the third network node (305, 405).5118. The method of claim 17, wherein the feature is locally configured in the third network node (305, 405) and is a feature enabling the first network node A (301_1 , 401_1) to be indicated in the response when it is in the condition.

19. The method of any of claims 17-18, wherein the determining (506, 606, 609, 706, 806, 809) which first network node (301_n, 401_n) that should be indicated in the response comprises: when the feature is enabled, ignoring (506) the preference information in the request thereby determining that the first producer node A (301_1 , 401_1) which is in the condition is to be indicated in the response.

20. The method of any of claims 17-19, wherein the determining (506, 606, 609, 706, 806, 809) which first network node (301_n, 401_n) that should be indicated in the response comprises: determining (606, 609) whether or not the first producer node A (301_1 , 401_1) matches the preferred first network node; wherein the response (607) indicates the first network node a (301_1 , 401_1) if there is a match, and wherein the response (610) indicates at least one other first network node (301 _2, 301 _3, 401 _3, 401 _4) if there is no match.21 . The method of any of claims 12-20, wherein the response indicates the determined first network node (301_n, 401 _n) by comprising a part of or the whole node information of the determined first network node (301_n, 401_n)22. The method of any of claims 12-21 , wherein the first network node A (301_1 , 401_1) is a Network Function, NF, producer node, wherein the second network node (303, 403) is a NF consumer node; and wherein the third network node (305, 405) is a Network Repository Function, NRF, node.

23. The method of any of claims 12-22, wherein the request is a discovery request and the response is a discovery response comprised in a service allowing a second network node (303, 403) to discover at least one of the first network nodes (301 _n. 401 _n).

24. A method performed by a second network node (303, 403) for enabling a test procedure to be performed in a communication system (200), the method comprising:providing (505, 605, 705, 805) a request to a third network node (305, 405), wherein the request comprises preference information indicating a preferred first network node (301_n, 401_n); obtaining (507, 607, 610, 707, 807, 810) a response from the third network node (305, 405), wherein the response indicates a first network node (301 _n, 401 _n; and selecting (508, 608, 611, 708, 808, 811) the first network node (301_n, 401_1) according to the indication in the response to be used in the test procedure, wherein the selected first network node (301 _n, 401_n) is the first network node A (301_1, 401_1) or at least one other first network node (301_2, 301_3, ..., 301_n, 401_2, 401_3,..., 401_n).

25. The method of claim 24, further comprising: triggering (508, 608, 611, 708, 808, 811) the test process towards the selected first network node (301_n, 401_n).

26. The method of any of claims 24-25, wherein the response indicates the first network node (301_n, 401 _n) by comprising a part of or the whole node information of the first network node (301_n, 401 _n) determined by the third network node (305, 405).

27. The method of any of claims 24-26, wherein the first network node A (301_1, 401_1) is a Network Function, NF, producer node, wherein the second network node (303, 403) is a NF consumer node; and wherein the third network node (305, 405) is a Network Repository Function, NRF, node.

28. The method of any of claims 24-27, wherein the request is a discovery request and the response is a discovery response comprised in a service allowing a second network node (303, 403) to discover at least one of the first network nodes (301 _n. 401 _n).

29. A first network node A (301_1, 401_1) for enabling a test procedure to be performed in a communication system (200), the first network node A (301_1, 401_1) being arranged to perform the method of any of claims 1-11.

30. A third network node (305, 405) for enabling a test procedure to be performed in a communication system (200), the third network node (305, 405) being arranged to perform the method of any of claims 12- 23.31 . A second network node (303, 403) for enabling a test procedure to be performed in a communication system (200), the second network node (303, 403) being arranged to perform the method of any of claims 24-28.

32. A computer program product comprising program code for performing, when executed by the processing circuitry, the method of at least one of claims 1-11, claims 12-23 and claims 24-28.

33. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions, which when executed by the processing circuitry, cause the processing circuitry to perform the method of at least one of claims 1-11, claims 12-23 and claims 24-28.

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