Communication method and apparatus, communication device, storage medium, and program product

Abstract

The present invention provides a communication method and apparatus, a communication device, a storage medium, and a program product. The method comprises: a second network function selects a first computing node on the basis of first information and / or second information; and a first network function selects and / or inserts a UPF on the basis of address information and / or identification information of the first computing node.

Description

A communication method and apparatus, communication equipment, storage medium, and program product

[0001] Cross-reference to related applications

[0002] This disclosure claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202411897265.6, filed in China on December 20, 2024, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0003] This disclosure relates to the field of mobile communication technology, and in particular to a communication method and apparatus, communication equipment, storage medium, and program product. Background Technology

[0004] Mobile computing network convergence technology combines mobile networks with computing networks to meet the high-demand experience requirements of services such as Extended Reality (XR) and cloud gaming. This technology is a potentially important technological direction for 6th-Generation (6G) communication.

[0005] Offloading computing tasks is one of the key technologies in mobile computing network convergence, aiming to offload computing tasks to appropriate computing resources through suitable access points. However, the mobile core network processes and mechanisms of related technologies do not include a scheme for offloading computing tasks. Summary of the Invention

[0006] To address the aforementioned technical problems, this disclosure provides a communication method and apparatus, communication equipment, computer storage medium, and computer program product.

[0007] The communication method provided in this disclosure is applied to a first network function, and the method includes:

[0008] The first network function selects and / or inserts a User Plane Function (UPF) based on the address information and / or identification information of the first computing node.

[0009] The communication method provided in this disclosure is applied to a second network function, and the method includes:

[0010] The second network function selects the first computing node based on the first information and / or the second information.

[0011] The communication method provided in this disclosure is applied to a second network function, and the method includes:

[0012] The second network function receives second information from the fourth function, the second information including at least one of the following: identification information of the computing node, address information of the computing node, and at least one set of association relationships.

[0013] The communication device provided in this disclosure is applied to a first network function, the device comprising:

[0014] The first selection unit is used to select and / or insert a User Plane Function (UPF) based on the address information and / or identification information of the first computing node.

[0015] The communication device provided in this disclosure is used for a second network function, and the device includes:

[0016] The second selection unit is used to select the first computing node based on the first information and / or the second information.

[0017] The communication device provided in this disclosure is used for a second network function, and the device includes:

[0018] The communication unit is configured to receive second information from the fourth function, the second information including at least one of the following: identification information of the computing node, address information of the computing node, and at least one set of association relationships.

[0019] The communication device provided in this disclosure includes: a processor and a memory, the memory being used to store computer programs, and the processor being used to call and run the computer programs stored in the memory to execute any of the above-described communication methods.

[0020] The computer-readable storage medium provided in this disclosure is used to store a computer program that causes a computer to perform any of the above-described communication methods.

[0021] The computer program product provided in this disclosure includes computer program instructions that cause a computer to perform any of the above-described communication methods.

[0022] In the technical solution disclosed herein, the second network function selects the first computing node based on the first information and / or the second information, and the first network function selects and / or inserts a UPF based on the address information and / or identification information of the first computing node, thereby selecting a suitable access point (i.e., UPF) for the computing task, and diverting the computing task to the first computing node that can execute the computing task through the access point, thereby realizing the offloading of the computing task. Attached Figure Description

[0023] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the network architecture provided in an embodiment of this disclosure;

[0024] Figure 2 is a flowchart illustrating the communication method provided in an embodiment of this disclosure;

[0025] Figure 3 is a schematic flowchart of the communication method provided in an embodiment of this disclosure;

[0026] Figure 4 is a schematic flowchart of the communication method provided in this embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0027] Figure 5 is a schematic flowchart of the communication method provided in this embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0028] Figure 6 is a flowchart illustrating the communication method provided in this embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0029] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of the structural composition of the communication device provided in an embodiment of this disclosure;

[0030] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of the structural composition of the communication device provided in an embodiment of this disclosure;

[0031] Figure 9 is a schematic diagram of the structural composition of the communication device provided in an embodiment of this disclosure;

[0032] Figure 10 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this disclosure;

[0033] Figure 11 is a schematic structural diagram of a chip according to an embodiment of this disclosure. Detailed Implementation

[0034] The technical solutions of the embodiments of this disclosure will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some, not all, of the embodiments of this disclosure. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of this disclosure without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this disclosure.

[0035] In the following description, references are made to “some embodiments,” which describe a subset of all possible embodiments. However, it is understood that “some embodiments” may be the same subset or different subsets of all possible embodiments and may be combined with each other without conflict.

[0036] It should also be noted that the terms "first, second, third" used in the embodiments of this disclosure are only used to distinguish similar objects and do not represent a specific order of objects. It is understood that "first, second, third" can be interchanged in a specific order or sequence where permitted, so that the embodiments of this disclosure described herein can be implemented in an order other than that illustrated or described herein.

[0037] It should be noted that the term "and / or" in this document is merely a description of the relationship between related objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can represent: A existing alone, A and B existing simultaneously, or B existing alone. Additionally, the character " / " in this document generally indicates that the preceding and following related objects have an "or" relationship. It should also be understood that "instruction" mentioned in the embodiments of this disclosure can be a direct instruction, an indirect instruction, or an indication of a related relationship. For example, A instructing B can mean that A directly instructs B, for example, B can be obtained through A; it can also mean that A indirectly instructs B, for example, A instructs C, B can be obtained through C; or it can mean that there is a related relationship between A and B. It should also be understood that "correspondence" mentioned in the embodiments of this disclosure can mean that there is a direct or indirect correspondence between two objects, or an related relationship between two objects, or an instruction-instructed, configuration-configured, etc.

[0038] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the network architecture provided in an embodiment of this disclosure. As shown in Figure 1, it includes User Equipment (UE), Radio Access Network (RAN), subscription management function, slice management function, session management function, policy management function, Computing Control Function (CCF), mobility management function, capability exposure function, storage function, Task Control Function (TCF), User Plane Function (UPF), edge nodes, and computing nodes. One or more of the UE, RAN, UPF, edge nodes, and computing nodes can serve as computing execution functions or have computing execution functions.

[0039] It should be noted that the technical solutions of this disclosure can be applied to, but are not limited to, the network architecture shown in Figure 1. There can be some modifications based on the network architecture shown in Figure 1, or there may be more or fewer network functions (NFs). Furthermore, the names of the various functions / network functions / entities in the network architecture shown in Figure 1 may be replaced as the communication system evolves. That is, this disclosure does not limit the names of functions / network functions / entities, as long as they can achieve the corresponding functions. Taking a 5G system as an example, the mobility management function can be the Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF), the session management function can be the Session Management Function (SMF), the policy management function can be the Policy Control Function (PCF), and the storage function can be the Network Repository Function (NRF). In addition, UPF / CCF / TCF, etc., in Figure 1 can also be replaced and described with other names as the communication system evolves.

[0040] Taking CCF as an example, CCF can also be described by other names. This network function can include one or more of the following functions: management of compute nodes, identification of compute requirements, decomposition of compute tasks, and management of compute sessions. It should also be noted that CCF may be deployed as an independent NF or may be co-located with other NFs. For example, CCF may be co-located with SMF or NRF. It may also be a logical function that enhances other NFs. For example, SMF has all the functions of CCF mentioned above, so there is no need to deploy CCF separately.

[0041] It should be noted that in the embodiments of this disclosure, the terms "computing node," "computing power node," and "computing function" (such as "Computing Execution Function" or "CEF") can be used interchangeably. A computing function (such as CEF) can be part of a computing node, or it can be a function or entity co-located / deployed with the computing node. In the former case, the computing function within the computing node can serve to communicate with other functions or entities (such as CCF, SMF, UPF, etc.); in the latter case, the computing function can serve to facilitate communication between the computing node and other functions or entities (such as CCF, SMF, UPF, etc.).

[0042] It should be noted that, in this disclosure, when function or entity A sends information X to function or entity B, it can mean that A sends X directly to B, for example, through a direct interface between A and B, or it can mean that A sends X to B via at least one function or entity, for example, A sends X to B via C.

[0043] It should be noted that in this disclosure, information X includes / contains / carries information Y, or information X is information Y itself.

[0044] It should be noted that the names of NFs in this disclosure are based on the 5G system. As communication systems continue to evolve, the names of these network functions may be replaced. In other words, the embodiments of this disclosure do not limit the names of network functions, as long as they can achieve the corresponding functions.

[0045] In some implementations, the first network function includes at least one of the following: SMF, TCF.

[0046] In some implementations, the second network function includes at least one of the following: CCF and TCF. This example uses CCF / TCF as an independently deployed NF. In practice, CCF / TCF may be co-located with other NFs, such as CCF / TCF co-located with SMF. Alternatively, CCF / TCF may also serve as a logical enhancement function for other NFs, such as SMF possessing all the functions of CCF / TCF. In such cases, CCF / TCF can be replaced by SMF.

[0047] In some implementations, the third function or entity includes at least one of the following: UE, AMF, Policy Control Function (PCF), and Application Function (AF).

[0048] In some implementations, the fourth function includes at least one of the following: AF, Network Exposure Function (NEF).

[0049] Figure 2 is a flowchart illustrating a communication method provided in an embodiment of this disclosure, applied to a first network function. As shown in Figure 2, the communication method includes the following steps:

[0050] Step 201: The first network function selects and / or inserts a UPF based on the address information and / or identification information of the first computing node.

[0051] In some implementations, prior to step 201, the method further includes: a first network function receiving address information and / or identification information of a first computing node from a second network function.

[0052] For example, the SMF receives the address information and / or identification information of the first computing node from the CCF. The SMF selects and / or inserts a UPF based on the address information and / or identification information of the first computing node.

[0053] In some implementations, the UPF is used to offload or offload computing tasks to a first computing node.

[0054] In some implementations, the UPF includes at least one of the following: an Uplink Classifier (UL CL), a Branch Point (BP), or a Local Point of Service Anchor (L-PSA) UPF. UL CL / BP is a type of uplink UPF; L-PSA UPF is a type of local point of service UPF.

[0055] In some implementations, before the first network function receives the address information and / or identification information of the first computing node from the second network function, the method further includes: the first network function sending first information to the second network function, the first information being used to request the selection or discovery of a computing node.

[0056] For example, the SMF sends a compute node selection or discovery request to the CCF, carrying first information in the request; after receiving the compute node selection or discovery request, the CCF selects or discovers the first compute node.

[0057] In some implementations, the first network function receives the first information from a third function or entity before sending the first information to the second network function.

[0058] For example, taking the UE as a third function or entity, the SMF receives a session modification request from the UE, which carries first information. It should be noted that this disclosure does not limit the method of sending the first information; the session modification request is an optional method of sending.

[0059] For example, taking the AMF as a third function or entity, the SMF receives a session context update request from the AMF, which carries first information. It should be noted that this disclosure does not limit the way the first information is sent; the session context update request is an optional sending method.

[0060] For example, taking a third function or entity including the UE and the AMF as an example, the UE sends a session modification request to the AMF (either directly to the AMF or via the RAN), the request carrying the first information; the AMF sends a session context update request to the SMF, the request carrying the first information. Accordingly, the SMF receives a session context update request from the AMF, the request carrying the first information.

[0061] For example, taking the PCF as the third function or entity, the SMF receives SM policy association information sent by the PCF, which carries first information. It should be noted that this disclosure does not limit the method of sending the first information; sending the SM policy association information is an optional method.

[0062] For example, taking the third function or entity as AF, SMF receives a traffic influence creation / update (such as TrafficInfluence Create / Update) message sent by AF or sent by AF via NEF, which carries first information. It should be noted that this disclosure does not limit the way the first information is sent; the traffic influence creation / update message is an optional sending method.

[0063] For example, taking a third function or entity including PCF and AF as an example, SMF receives a TrafficInfluence Create / Update message (such as TrafficInfluence Create / Update) sent by AF via PCF or by AF via NEF and PCF, which carries first information. It should be noted that this disclosure does not limit the way the first information is sent; the TrafficInfluence Create / Update message is an optional sending method.

[0064] In some implementations, the first information includes at least one of the following: computing task type information, computing resource requirement information, computing capacity requirement information, computing task identification information, and address information of computing-related services.

[0065] In some implementations, after step 201, the method further includes: a first network function sending compute offloading information, such as compute offloading rules or compute offloading strategies, to the UPF for the UPF to offload or offload compute tasks to a first compute node.

[0066] In some implementations, the calculation offload information may include: for a message whose source Internet Protocol (IP) address is the UE's IP address and whose destination IP address is the address information for calculating the relevant service, forwarding the message to a designated UPF (such as L-PSAUPF).

[0067] Here, the address information for computing-related services can also be replaced with the service IP address of the computing task, or the IP address of the computing node, etc.

[0068] In some implementations, the address information of computing-related services can be sent to the UPF as part of the computing offload information, or it can be sent to the UPF together with the computing offload information.

[0069] The technical solution of this disclosure embodiment. The first network function selects and / or inserts a UPF based on the address information and / or identification information of the first computing node, thereby selecting a suitable access point (i.e., UPF) for the computing task, and diverting the computing task to the first computing node that can execute the computing task through the access point, thereby realizing the offloading of the computing task.

[0070] Figure 3 is a schematic flowchart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of this disclosure, applied to a second network function. As shown in Figure 3, the communication method includes the following steps:

[0071] Step 301: The second network function selects the first computing node based on the first information and / or the second information.

[0072] In some implementations, prior to step 301, the method further includes: a second network function receiving first information from a first network function, the first information being used to request the selection or discovery of computing nodes.

[0073] For example, the CCF receives a compute node selection / discovery request from the SMF, which carries first information.

[0074] In some implementations, the first information includes at least one of the following: computing task type information, computing resource requirement information, computing capacity requirement information, computing task identification information, and address information of computing-related services.

[0075] In some implementations, prior to step 301, the method further includes: a second network function receiving second information from a fourth function, the second information including at least one of the following: identification information of a computing node, address information of a computing node, and at least one set of association relationships.

[0076] For example, taking the fourth function as AF, the CCF receives the second information from AF.

[0077] For example, taking the fourth function as an example including AF and NEF, CCF receives second information from AF from NEF.

[0078] In some implementations, the aforementioned association relationship includes the association relationship between third information and fourth information, wherein the third information includes computing resource type information and / or supported computing task type information and / or supported computing task identification information, and the fourth information includes computing capability information and / or computing resource quantity information.

[0079] Here, the computing resource type information is used to indicate the computing resource type of the computing node, including but not limited to: Graphics Processing Unit (GPU), Neural Processing Unit (NPU), etc.

[0080] Here, the supported computing task type information is used to indicate the types of computing tasks supported by the computing node, including but not limited to: rendering tasks, inference tasks, etc.

[0081] Here, the supported computing task identification information is used to indicate the computing tasks supported by the computing node, including but not limited to: first rendering task, second rendering task, first inference task, second inference task, etc.

[0082] Here, computing power information is used to indicate the computing power of a computing node, including but not limited to: the number of floating-point operations per second.

[0083] Here, the computing resource information is used to indicate the amount of computing resources available to a computing node, including but not limited to: computing resource utilization rate, etc.

[0084] In some implementations, the content of the second information may be described in other ways, for example: the second information includes node-related information and computing attribute information; wherein, the node-related information includes at least one of the following: the identification information of the computing node, the address information of the computing node; the computing attribute information includes at least one set of association relationships, each set of association relationships including at least one of the following: computing resource type information, supported computing task type information, supported computing task identification information, computing capacity information, computing resource quantity information.

[0085] It should be noted that information related to the same node can correspond to one or more sets of relationships.

[0086] For example, Table 1 below shows the content of the second information. As shown in Table 1, the second information includes node-related information and computing attribute information. The node-related information includes node identifier (i.e., the identifier information of the computing node) and address information (i.e., the address information of the computing node). The computing attribute information includes one or more sets of association relationships. Each set of association relationships includes the following information: computing resource type information, supported computing task type information, computing capacity information, and computing resource utilization information.

[0087] Contents of the second information in Table 1

[0088] In this embodiment of the disclosure, the second network function selects a first computing node based on the obtained first information and / or second information. This embodiment of the disclosure does not limit the computing node selection method of the second network function. In some implementations, the computing node selection method of the second network function is as follows:

[0089] 1) The second network function selects M computing nodes from N computing nodes based on the "computation task type information" in the first information and the "supported task type information" in the second information. Here, the N computing nodes are those for which the second network function stores corresponding second information; for these N computing nodes, if the "supported task type information" in the second information of a certain computing node matches the "computation task type information" in the first information, then that computing node is included in the first selection of computing nodes. N is a positive integer, and M is a positive integer less than or equal to N.

[0090] 2) If M > 1, the second network function selects K computing nodes from the M computing nodes based on the "computing resource requirement information" in the first information and the "computing resource type information" in the second information. For the M computing nodes selected in the previous step, if the "computing resource type information" in the second information of a certain computing node matches the "computing resource requirement information" in the first information, then that computing node is included in the computing nodes selected in the second step. K is a positive integer less than or equal to M.

[0091] If M=1, then the computing node selected in the previous step will be the first computing node to be finally selected.

[0092] 3) If K > 1, the second network function selects L computing nodes from the K computing nodes based on the "computing capacity requirement information" in the first information and the "computing capacity information" in the second information. For the K computing nodes selected in the previous step, if the "computing capacity information" in the second information of a certain computing node matches the "computing capacity requirement information" in the first information, then that computing node is included in the computing nodes selected in the three rounds of screening. L is a positive integer less than or equal to K.

[0093] If K=1, then the computing node selected in the previous step will be the first computing node to be finally selected.

[0094] 4) If L > 1, the second network function randomly selects one computing node from the L computing nodes as the first computing node to be finally selected; or, the second network function selects the computing node with the optimal computing resources (such as the lowest computing resource utilization rate) from the L computing nodes based on the "computing resource quantity information" in the second information as the first computing node to be finally selected.

[0095] It should be noted that the method for selecting compute nodes is not limited to the one described above. For example, the compute node selection process may include one selection step or multiple selection steps. In the case of multiple selection steps, the order of the different selection steps can be adjusted.

[0096] In some implementations, the second network function sends the address information and / or identification information of the first computing node to the first network function.

[0097] In some implementations, after receiving the address information and / or identification information of the first computing node, the first network function can select and / or insert a UPF based on the address information and / or identification information of the first computing node. The scheme of "the first network function selecting and / or inserting a UPF based on the address information and / or identification information of the first computing node" can be referred to the description related to Figure 2 above.

[0098] In the technical solution disclosed herein, the second network function selects the first computing node based on the first information and / or the second information, and the first network function selects and / or inserts a UPF based on the address information and / or identification information of the first computing node, thereby selecting a suitable access point (i.e., UPF) for the computing task, and diverting the computing task to the first computing node that can execute the computing task through the access point, thereby realizing the offloading of the computing task.

[0099] Figure 4 is a schematic flowchart of the communication method provided in this embodiment of the present disclosure, applied to a second network function. As shown in Figure 4, the communication method includes the following steps:

[0100] Step 401: The second network function receives second information from the fourth function. The second information includes at least one of the following: identification information of the computing node, address information of the computing node, and at least one set of association relationships.

[0101] For example, taking the fourth function as AF, the CCF receives the second information from AF.

[0102] For example, taking the fourth function as an example including AF and NEF, CCF receives second information from AF from NEF.

[0103] In some implementations, the aforementioned association relationship includes the association relationship between third information and fourth information, wherein the third information includes computing resource type information and / or supported computing task type information and / or supported computing task identification information, and the fourth information includes computing capability information and / or computing resource quantity information.

[0104] Here, the computing resource type information is used to indicate the type of computing resources of the computing node, including but not limited to: GPU, NPU, etc.

[0105] Here, the supported computing task type information is used to indicate the types of computing tasks supported by the computing node, including but not limited to: rendering tasks, inference tasks, etc.

[0106] Here, the supported computing task identification information is used to indicate the computing tasks supported by the computing node, including but not limited to: first rendering task, second rendering task, first inference task, second inference task, etc.

[0107] Here, computing power information is used to indicate the computing power of a computing node, including but not limited to: the number of floating-point operations per second.

[0108] Here, the computing resource information is used to indicate the amount of computing resources available to a computing node, including but not limited to: computing resource utilization rate, etc.

[0109] In some implementations, the content of the second information may be described in other ways, for example: the second information includes node-related information and computing attribute information; wherein, the node-related information includes at least one of the following: the identification information of the computing node, the address information of the computing node; the computing attribute information includes at least one set of association relationships, each set of association relationships including at least one of the following: computing resource type information, supported computing task type information, supported computing task identification information, computing capacity information, computing resource quantity information.

[0110] It should be noted that information related to the same node can correspond to one or more sets of relationships.

[0111] For example, referring to Table 1 above, the second information includes node-related information and computing attribute information. The node-related information includes node identifier (i.e., the identifier information of the computing node) and address information (i.e., the address information of the computing node). The computing attribute information includes one or more sets of association relationships. Each set of association relationships includes the following information: computing resource type information, supported computing task type information, computing capacity information, and computing resource utilization information.

[0112] In some implementations, the second network function receives the second information at the node granularity or node level; and / or, the second information is at the node granularity or node level.

[0113] In some embodiments, the method further includes: a second network function receiving first information from a first network function, the first information including at least one of the following: computing task type information, computing resource requirement information, computing capacity requirement information, computing task identification information, and address information of computing-related services.

[0114] In some implementations, the method further includes: the second network function sending the address information and / or identification information of the first computing node to the first network function.

[0115] In some implementations, after receiving the address information and / or identification information of the first computing node, the first network function can select and / or insert a UPF based on the address information and / or identification information of the first computing node. The scheme of "the first network function selecting and / or inserting a UPF based on the address information and / or identification information of the first computing node" can be referred to the description related to Figure 2 above.

[0116] The technical solutions of the embodiments of this disclosure are illustrated below with specific application examples. It should be noted that, in the following application examples, the first information is referred to as computing task information and the second information as computing deployment information (CDI). This disclosure does not limit the names of the first information and the second information.

[0117] Application Example 1

[0118] In this application example, we will take SMF as the first network function, CCF as the second network function, UE and AMF as the third function or entity, and AF or AF and NEF as the fourth function.

[0119] In this application example, the UE provides computing task information to the SMF via the AMF. Based on this computing task information, the SMF requests the CCF to select the first computing node, and selects the UPF to perform computing task offloading based on the first computing node.

[0120] Figure 5 is a schematic flowchart of the communication method provided in this embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 5, the communication method includes the following steps:

[0121] Step 501: AF sends CDI to CCF, or AF sends CDI to CCF via NEF.

[0122] Here, AF sends CDI at the node granularity or node level, or in other words, CDI is at the node granularity or node level.

[0123] In some implementations, the CDI includes node-related information and computing attribute information. The node-related information includes at least one of the following: the identifier of the computing node, and the address information of the computing node. The computing attribute information includes at least one set of associations, each set of associations including at least one of the following: computing resource type information, supported computing task type information, supported computing task identifier information, computing capacity information, and computing resource utilization information.

[0124] For example, referring to Table 1 above, Table 1 provides a possible CDI structure. Taking node 1 as an example, the node-related information corresponding to node 1 includes ID1 and IP1, where ID1 is the node identifier of node 1, and IP1 is the address information of node 1. The computational attribute information corresponding to node 1 includes two sets of associations, where one set of associations includes: GPU—Rendering Task—200TFLOPS—50%, and the other set of associations includes: NPU—Inference Task—100TFLOPS—20%.

[0125] Step 502: CCF stores CDI.

[0126] Step 503: The UE sends computation task information to the AMF.

[0127] In some implementations, the computing task information includes at least one of the following: computing task type information, computing resource requirement information, computing capacity requirement information, computing task identification information, and address information of computing-related services.

[0128] In some implementations, the UE may send the aforementioned computing task information to the AMF via or without other functions or entities (e.g., via the RAN).

[0129] In some implementations, the UE can send the address information of the service that triggers the computing task, such as IP address information, to the AMF.

[0130] It should be noted that this disclosure does not limit the method of sending the above-mentioned computing task information, such as the UE sending the above-mentioned computing task information through NAS messages.

[0131] Step 504: AMF sends the above-mentioned computing task information to SMF.

[0132] In some implementations, the aforementioned computational task information may be included in the session context update request.

[0133] Step 505: SMF sends the above computing task information to CCF to request CCF to select / discover computing nodes.

[0134] In some implementations, the aforementioned computing task information may be included in the computing node selection request or computing node discovery request.

[0135] Step 506: CCF selects the first computing node based on CDI and computing task information.

[0136] This disclosure does not limit the method of selecting compute nodes. For example, the compute node selection process may include one selection step or multiple selection steps. In the case of multiple selection steps, the order of the different selection steps can be adjusted. As a possible example, the CCF selects compute nodes as follows:

[0137] 1) CCF extracts the "computation task type information" from the computation task information and matches it with the "supported task type information" in all stored CDIs to filter out M computation nodes that match this item, where M is a positive integer.

[0138] 2) If multiple computing nodes were matched in the previous step (i.e., M > 1), the CCF continues to extract the "computing resource requirement information" from the computing task information and matches it with the "computing resource type information" in the CDI of the M nodes selected in the previous step to further select K computing nodes that match this item; K is a positive integer less than or equal to M. If only one computing node was matched in the previous step, then that computing node is the first computing node finally selected.

[0139] 3) If multiple computing nodes were matched in the previous step (i.e., K > 1), the CCF continues to extract the "computing capacity requirement information" from the computing task information and matches it with the "computing capacity information" in the CDI of the K nodes selected in the previous step to further select L computing nodes that match this item; L is a positive integer less than or equal to K. If only one computing node was matched in the previous step, then that computing node is the first computing node finally selected.

[0140] 4) If multiple computing nodes were matched in the previous step (i.e., L > 1), the CCF can randomly select one computing node from the L computing nodes selected in the previous step as the final first computing node. Alternatively, the CCF can select the computing node with the lowest computing resource utilization rate from the L computing nodes selected in the previous step as the final first computing node. If only one computing node was matched in the previous step, that computing node will be the final first computing node.

[0141] Step 507: CCF sends the address information and / or identification information of the first computing node to SMF.

[0142] In some implementations, the address information and / or identification information of the first computing node may be included in the computing node discovery response information or the computing node selection response information.

[0143] Step 508: The SMF selects the UPF based on the address information and / or identification information of the first computing node.

[0144] Here, UPF is used to offload or offload computing tasks to the first computing node.

[0145] In some implementations, the UPF includes at least one of the following: UL CL, BP, PSAUPF.

[0146] Step 509: SMF sends computation offload information to UPF.

[0147] In some implementations, computational unloading information may be computational unloading rules or computational unloading strategies.

[0148] In some implementations, the calculation offload information may include: for a message whose source IP address is the IP address of the UE and whose destination IP address is the address information of the calculation-related service, forwarding the message to a designated UPF (such as L-PSAUPF).

[0149] In some implementations, the address information of computing-related services can be sent to the UPF as part of the computing offload information, or it can be sent to the UPF together with the computing offload information.

[0150] In some implementations, computational unloading information may be included in the N4 session establishment request information.

[0151] Here, the address information for computing-related services can also be replaced with the service IP address of the computing task, or the IP address of the computing node, etc.

[0152] Application Example 2

[0153] In this application example, we will take the following as an example: the first network function is SMF, the second network function is CCF, the third function or entity includes AF and PCF, or the third function or entity includes AF, NEF and PCF, and the fourth function is AF, or the fourth function includes AF and NEF.

[0154] In this application example, AF provides computing task information to SMF via PCF (or via NEF and PCF). Based on this computing task information, SMF requests CCF to select the first computing node, and selects UPF to perform computing task unloading based on the first computing node.

[0155] Figure 6 is a schematic flowchart of the communication method provided in this embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 6, the communication method includes the following steps:

[0156] Step 601: AF sends CDI to CCF, or AF sends CDI to CCF via NEF.

[0157] Here, AF sends CDI at the node granularity or node level, or in other words, CDI is at the node granularity or node level.

[0158] In some implementations, the CDI includes node-related information and computing attribute information. The node-related information includes at least one of the following: the identifier of the computing node, and the address information of the computing node. The computing attribute information includes at least one set of associations, each set of associations including at least one of the following: computing resource type information, supported computing task type information, supported computing task identifier information, computing capacity information, and computing resource utilization information.

[0159] For example, referring to Table 1 above, Table 1 provides a possible CDI structure. Taking node 1 as an example, the node-related information corresponding to node 1 includes ID1 and IP1, where ID1 is the node identifier of node 1, and IP1 is the address information of node 1. The computational attribute information corresponding to node 1 includes two sets of associations, where one set of associations includes: GPU—Rendering Task—200TFLOPS—50%, and the other set of associations includes: NPU—Inference Task—100TFLOPS—20%.

[0160] Step 602: CCF stores CDI.

[0161] Step 603: AF sends computing task information to the core network.

[0162] This disclosure does not limit the method of sending computation task information. One possible implementation is to send the computation task information through the AF (Action-Based Traffic Influence) process. It should be noted that if the computation task information is sent using the AF traffic influence method, regular information (such as traffic descriptors, data network access identifiers (DNAI), and other information elements (IEs)) will also be sent.

[0163] In some implementations, taking the AF traffic influence process as an example, the AF sends a traffic influence creation / update message (such as Nnef_TrafficInfluence_Create / Update) to the PCF, or the AF sends a traffic influence creation / update message (such as Nnef_TrafficInfluence_Create / Update) to the PCF via the NEF, carrying computation task information.

[0164] In some implementations, the computing task information includes at least one of the following: computing task type information, computing resource requirement information, computing capacity requirement information, computing task identification information, and address information of computing-related services.

[0165] Step 604: PCF sends the above-mentioned computing task information to SMF.

[0166] In some implementations, the aforementioned computational task information may be included in the SM policy association information.

[0167] It should be noted that this disclosure does not limit the method of sending the above-mentioned computing task information, such as sending computing task information through session policy update messages.

[0168] Step 605: SMF sends the above computing task information to CCF to request CCF to select / discover computing nodes.

[0169] In some implementations, the aforementioned computing task information may be included in the computing node selection request or the computing node discovery request.

[0170] Step 606: CCF selects the first computing node based on CDI and computing task information.

[0171] This disclosure does not limit the method of selecting compute nodes. For example, the compute node selection process may include one selection step or multiple selection steps. In the case of multiple selection steps, the order of the different selection steps can be adjusted. As a possible example, the CCF selects compute nodes as follows:

[0172] 1) CCF extracts the "computation task type information" from the computation task information and matches it with the "supported task type information" in all stored CDIs to filter out M computation nodes that match this item, where M is a positive integer.

[0173] 2) If multiple computing nodes were matched in the previous step (i.e., M > 1), the CCF continues to extract the "computing resource requirement information" from the computing task information and matches it with the "computing resource type information" in the CDI of the M nodes selected in the previous step to further select K computing nodes that match this item; K is a positive integer less than or equal to M. If only one computing node was matched in the previous step, then that computing node is the first computing node finally selected.

[0174] 3) If multiple computing nodes were matched in the previous step (i.e., K > 1), the CCF continues to extract the "computing capacity requirement information" from the computing task information and matches it with the "computing capacity information" in the CDI of the K nodes selected in the previous step to further select L computing nodes that match this item; L is a positive integer less than or equal to K. If only one computing node was matched in the previous step, then that computing node is the first computing node finally selected.

[0175] 4) If multiple computing nodes were matched in the previous step (i.e., L > 1), the CCF can randomly select one computing node from the L computing nodes selected in the previous step as the final first computing node. Alternatively, the CCF can select the computing node with the lowest computing resource utilization rate from the L computing nodes selected in the previous step as the final first computing node. If only one computing node was matched in the previous step, that computing node will be the final first computing node.

[0176] Step 607: CCF sends the address information and / or identification information of the first computing node to SMF.

[0177] In some implementations, the address information and / or identification information of the first computing node may be included in the computing node discovery response information or the computing node selection response information.

[0178] Step 608: The SMF selects the UPF based on the address information and / or identification information of the first computing node.

[0179] Here, UPF is used to offload or offload computing tasks to the first computing node.

[0180] In some implementations, the UPF includes at least one of the following: UL CL, BP, PSA UPF.

[0181] Step 609: SMF sends computation offload information to UPF.

[0182] In some implementations, computational unloading information may be computational unloading rules or computational unloading strategies.

[0183] In some implementations, the calculation offload information may include: for a message whose source IP address is the IP address of the UE and whose destination IP address is the address information of the calculation-related service, forwarding the message to a designated UPF (such as L-PSA UPF).

[0184] In some implementations, the address information of computing-related services can be sent to the UPF as part of the computing offload information, or it can be sent to the UPF together with the computing offload information.

[0185] In some implementations, computational unloading information may be included in the N4 session establishment request information.

[0186] Here, the address information for computing-related services can also be replaced with the service IP address of the computing task, or the IP address of the computing node, etc.

[0187] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this disclosure, applied to a first network function. As shown in Figure 7, the communication device includes:

[0188] The first selection unit 701 is used to select and / or insert a User Plane Function (UPF) based on the address information and / or identification information of the first computing node.

[0189] In some embodiments, the apparatus further includes a communication unit 702 for receiving address information and / or identification information of the first computing node from a second network function.

[0190] In some implementations, the communication unit 702 is configured to send first information to the second network function, the first information being used to request the selection or discovery of computing nodes.

[0191] In some implementations, the communication unit 702 is used to receive the first information from a third function or entity.

[0192] In some implementations, the third function or entity includes at least one of the following: UE, AMF, PCF, AF.

[0193] In some implementations, the second network function includes at least one of the following: CCF, TCF.

[0194] In some implementations, the first information includes at least one of the following: computing task type information, computing resource requirement information, computing capacity requirement information, computing task identification information, and address information of computing-related services.

[0195] In some embodiments, the communication unit 702 is used to send computation offloading information to the UPF, the computation offloading information being used by the UPF to offload or offload computation tasks to the first computing node.

[0196] In some implementations, the first network function includes at least one of the following: SMF, TCF.

[0197] In some implementations, the UPF is used to offload or offload computing tasks to the first computing node.

[0198] In some implementations, the UPF includes at least one of the following: UL CL, BP, L-PSA UPF.

[0199] Those skilled in the art should understand that the functions of each unit in the communication device shown in Figure 7 can be understood with reference to the relevant description of the foregoing method. The functions of each unit in the communication device shown in Figure 7 can be implemented by a program running on a processor or by specific logic circuits.

[0200] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this disclosure, applied to a second network function. As shown in Figure 8, the communication device includes:

[0201] The second selection unit 801 is used to select the first computing node based on the first information and / or the second information.

[0202] In some implementations, the second selection unit 801 is configured to receive the first information from a first network function, the first information being used to request the selection or discovery of a computing node; and / or to send the address information and / or identification information of the first computing node to the first network function.

[0203] In some implementations, the first information includes at least one of the following: computing task type information, computing resource requirement information, computing capacity requirement information, computing task identification information, and address information of computing-related services.

[0204] In some implementations, the first network function includes at least one of the following: SMF, TCF.

[0205] In some implementations, the second information includes at least one of the following: identification information of the computing node, address information of the computing node, and at least one set of association relationships.

[0206] In some implementations, the association relationship includes: the association relationship between third information and fourth information, wherein the third information includes computing resource type information and / or supported computing task type information and / or supported computing task identification information, and the fourth information includes computing capability information and / or computing resource quantity information.

[0207] In some implementations, the second network function includes at least one of the following: CCF, TCF.

[0208] Those skilled in the art should understand that the functions of each unit in the communication device shown in Figure 8 can be understood with reference to the relevant description of the foregoing method. The functions of each unit in the communication device shown in Figure 8 can be implemented by a program running on a processor, or by specific logic circuits.

[0209] Figure 9 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this disclosure, applied to a second network function. As shown in Figure 9, the communication device includes:

[0210] The communication unit 901 is used to receive second information from the fourth function, the second information including at least one of the following: identification information of the computing node, address information of the computing node, and at least one set of association relationships.

[0211] In some implementations, the association relationship includes: the association relationship between third information and fourth information, wherein the third information includes computing resource type information and / or supported computing task type information and / or supported computing task identification information, and the fourth information includes computing capability information and / or computing resource quantity information.

[0212] In some implementations, the second network function receives the second information at the node granularity or node level; and / or, the second information is at the node granularity or node level.

[0213] In some embodiments, the communication unit 901 is configured to receive first information from a first network function, the first information including at least one of the following: computing task type information, computing resource requirement information, computing capacity requirement information, computing task identification information, address information of computing-related services; and / or, send address information and / or identification information of a first computing node to the first network function.

[0214] In some implementations, the first network function includes at least one of the following: SMF, TCF.

[0215] In some implementations, the second network function includes at least one of the following: CCF, TCF; and / or, the fourth function includes at least one of the following: AF, NEF.

[0216] Those skilled in the art should understand that the functions of each unit in the communication device shown in Figure 9 can be understood with reference to the relevant description of the aforementioned method. The functions of each unit in the communication device shown in Figure 9 can be implemented by a program running on a processor, or by specific logic circuits.

[0217] Figure 10 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device 1000 provided in an embodiment of this disclosure. The communication device 1000 shown in Figure 10 includes a processor 1010, which can call and run computer programs from memory to implement the methods in the embodiments of this disclosure.

[0218] Optionally, as shown in FIG10, the communication device 1000 may further include a memory 1020. The processor 1010 may retrieve and run computer programs from the memory 1020 to implement the methods in the embodiments of this disclosure.

[0219] The memory 1020 can be a separate device independent of the processor 1010, or it can be integrated into the processor 1010.

[0220] Optionally, as shown in FIG10, the communication device 1000 may further include a transceiver 1030, and the processor 1010 may control the transceiver 1030 to communicate with other devices. Specifically, it may send information or data to other devices or receive information or data sent by other devices.

[0221] The transceiver 1030 may include a transmitter and a receiver. The transceiver 1030 may further include an antenna, and the number of antennas may be one or more.

[0222] Optionally, the communication device 1000 may specifically be a first network function of the present disclosure embodiment, and the communication device 1000 may implement the corresponding processes implemented by the first network function in the various methods of the present disclosure embodiment. For the sake of brevity, it will not be described in detail here.

[0223] Optionally, the communication device 1000 may specifically be a second network function in the embodiments of this disclosure, and the communication device 1000 may implement the corresponding processes implemented by the second network function in the various methods of the embodiments of this disclosure. For the sake of brevity, it will not be described in detail here.

[0224] Figure 11 is a schematic structural diagram of a chip according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The chip 1100 shown in Figure 11 includes a processor 1110, which can call and run computer programs from memory to implement the methods in the embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0225] Optionally, as shown in FIG11, chip 1100 may further include memory 1120. Processor 1110 may retrieve and run computer programs from memory 1120 to implement the methods in the embodiments of this disclosure.

[0226] The memory 1120 can be a separate device independent of the processor 1110, or it can be integrated into the processor 1110.

[0227] Optionally, the chip 1100 may also include an input interface 1130. The processor 1110 can control the input interface 1130 to communicate with other devices or chips, specifically, to acquire information or data sent by other devices or chips.

[0228] Optionally, the chip 1100 may also include an output interface 1140. The processor 1110 can control the output interface 1140 to communicate with other devices or chips, specifically, to output information or data to other devices or chips.

[0229] Optionally, the chip can be applied to the first network function in the embodiments of this disclosure, and the chip can implement the corresponding processes implemented by the first network function in the various methods of the embodiments of this disclosure. For the sake of brevity, it will not be described in detail here.

[0230] Optionally, the chip can be applied to the second network function in the embodiments of this disclosure, and the chip can implement the corresponding processes implemented by the second network function in the various methods of the embodiments of this disclosure. For the sake of brevity, it will not be described in detail here.

[0231] It should be understood that the chip mentioned in the embodiments of this disclosure may also be referred to as a system-on-a-chip, system chip, chip system, or system-on-a-chip, etc.

[0232] It should be understood that the processor in this disclosure embodiment may be an integrated circuit chip with signal processing capabilities. In implementation, the steps of the above method embodiments can be completed by integrated logic circuits in the processor's hardware or by instructions in software form. The processor described above can be a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, or discrete hardware components. It can implement or execute the methods, steps, and logic block diagrams disclosed in this disclosure embodiment. The general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor or any conventional processor, etc. The steps of the methods disclosed in the embodiments of this disclosure can be directly embodied as being executed by a hardware decoding processor, or executed by a combination of hardware and software modules in the decoding processor. The software modules can be located in random access memory, flash memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, electrically erasable programmable memory, registers, or other mature storage media in the art. This storage medium is located in memory, and the processor reads information from the memory and, in conjunction with its hardware, completes the steps of the above method.

[0233] It is understood that the memory in the embodiments of this disclosure can be volatile memory or non-volatile memory, or may include both volatile and non-volatile memory. The non-volatile memory can be read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), or flash memory. The volatile memory can be random access memory (RAM), which is used as an external cache. By way of example, but not limitation, many forms of RAM are available, such as Static Random Access Memory (SRAM), Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM), Synchronous DRAM (SDRAM), Double Data Rate SDRAM (DDR SDRAM), Enhanced Synchronous DRAM (ESDRAM), Synchlink DRAM (SLDRAM), and Direct Rambus RAM (DR RAM). It should be noted that the memory used in the systems and methods described herein is intended to include, but is not limited to, these and any other suitable types of memory.

[0234] It should be understood that the above-described memory is exemplary but not limiting. For example, the memory in the embodiments of this disclosure may also be static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), double data rate synchronous dynamic random access memory (DDR SDRAM), enhanced synchronous dynamic random access memory (ESDRAM), synchronous link dynamic random access memory (SLDRAM), and direct memory bus RAM (DR RAM), etc. That is to say, the memory in the embodiments of this disclosure is intended to include, but is not limited to, these and any other suitable types of memory.

[0235] This disclosure also provides a computer-readable storage medium for storing computer programs.

[0236] Optionally, the computer-readable storage medium can be applied to the first network function in the embodiments of this disclosure, and the computer program causes the computer to execute the corresponding processes implemented by the first network function in the various methods of the embodiments of this disclosure, which will not be described in detail here for the sake of brevity.

[0237] Optionally, the computer-readable storage medium can be applied to the second network function in the embodiments of this disclosure, and the computer program causes the computer to execute the corresponding processes implemented by the second network function in the various methods of the embodiments of this disclosure, which will not be described in detail here for the sake of brevity.

[0238] This disclosure also provides a computer program product, including computer program instructions.

[0239] Optionally, the computer program product can be applied to the first network function in the embodiments of this disclosure, and the computer program instructions cause the computer to execute the corresponding processes implemented by the first network function in the various methods of the embodiments of this disclosure. For the sake of brevity, these will not be described in detail here.

[0240] Optionally, the computer program product can be applied to the second network function in the embodiments of this disclosure, and the computer program instructions cause the computer to execute the corresponding processes implemented by the second network function in the various methods of the embodiments of this disclosure. For the sake of brevity, these will not be described in detail here.

[0241] Those skilled in the art will recognize that the units and algorithm steps of the various examples described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented in electronic hardware, or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether these functions are implemented in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of this disclosure.

[0242] Those skilled in the art will understand that, for the sake of convenience and brevity, the specific working processes of the systems, devices, and units described above can be referred to the corresponding processes in the foregoing method embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0243] In the several embodiments provided in this disclosure, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, apparatuses, and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the apparatus embodiments described above are merely illustrative; for instance, the division of units is only a logical functional division, and in actual implementation, there may be other division methods. For example, multiple units or components may be combined or integrated into another system, or some features may be ignored or not executed. Furthermore, the coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed may be through some interfaces; the indirect coupling or communication connection between apparatuses or units may be electrical, mechanical, or other forms.

[0244] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate. The components shown as units may or may not be physical units; that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of the units can be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs.

[0245] In addition, the functional units in the various embodiments of this disclosure can be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit can exist physically separately, or two or more units can be integrated into one unit.

[0246] If the aforementioned functions are implemented as software functional units and sold or used as independent products, they can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of this disclosure, in essence, or the part that contributes to related technologies, or a portion of the technical solution, can be embodied in the form of a software product. This computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions to cause a computer device (which may be a personal computer, server, or network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the methods described in the various embodiments of this disclosure. The aforementioned storage medium includes various media capable of storing program code, such as USB flash drives, portable hard drives, read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), magnetic disks, or optical disks.

[0247] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of this disclosure, but the scope of protection of this disclosure is not limited thereto. Any variations or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the scope of the technology disclosed in this disclosure should be included within the scope of protection of this disclosure. Therefore, the scope of protection of this disclosure should be determined by the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A communication method applied to a first network function, the method comprising: The first network function selects and / or inserts a User Plane Function (UPF) based on the address information and / or identification information of the first computing node.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: The first network function receives the address information and / or identification information of the first computing node from the second network function.

3. The method according to claim 2, further comprising: The first network function sends a first message to the second network function, the first message being used to request the selection or discovery of computing nodes.

4. The method according to claim 3, further comprising: The first network function receives the first information from the third function or entity.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein, The third function or entity includes at least one of the following: User Equipment (UE), Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF), Policy Control Function (PCF), and Application Function (AF).

6. The method according to any one of claims 2 to 5, wherein, The second network function includes at least one of the following: Computational Control Function (CCF) and Task Control Function (TCF).

7. The method according to any one of claims 3 to 5, wherein, The first information includes at least one of the following: computing task type information, computing resource requirement information, computing capacity requirement information, computing task identification information, and address information of computing-related services.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising: The first network function sends compute offloading information to the UPF, and the compute offloading information is used by the UPF to offload or offload compute tasks to the first compute node.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein, The first network function includes at least one of the following: Session Management Function (SMF) and Task Control Function (TCF).

10. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein, The UPF is used to offload or unload computing tasks to the first computing node.

11. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein, The UPF includes at least one of the following: an uplink splitter UL CL, a branch point BP, or a local service anchor point L-PSA UPF.

12. A communication method applied to a second network function, the method comprising: The second network function selects the first computing node based on the first information and / or the second information.

13. The method according to claim 12, further comprising: The second network function receives the first information from the first network function, and the first information is used to request the selection or discovery of computing nodes; And / or, The second network function sends the address information and / or identification information of the first computing node to the first network function.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein, The first information includes at least one of the following: computing task type information, computing resource requirement information, computing capacity requirement information, computing task identification information, and address information of computing-related services.

15. The method according to claim 13, wherein, The first network function includes at least one of the following: SMF, TCF.

16. The method according to claim 12, wherein, The second information includes at least one of the following: the identification information of the computing node, the address information of the computing node, and at least one set of association relationships.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein, The association relationship includes the association relationship between the third information and the fourth information, wherein the third information includes computing resource type information and / or supported computing task type information and / or supported computing task identification information, and the fourth information includes computing capability information and / or computing resource quantity information.

18. The method according to any one of claims 12 to 17, wherein, The second network function includes at least one of the following: CCF, TCF.

19. A communication method applied to a second network function, the method further comprising: The second network function receives second information from the fourth function, the second information including at least one of the following: identification information of the computing node, address information of the computing node, and at least one set of association relationships.

20. The method according to claim 19, wherein, The association relationship includes the association relationship between the third information and the fourth information, wherein the third information includes computing resource type information and / or supported computing task type information and / or supported computing task identification information, and the fourth information includes computing capability information and / or computing resource quantity information.

21. The method according to claim 19, wherein, The second network function receives the second information at the node granularity or node level; and / or, The second piece of information is at the node granularity or node level.

22. The method according to any one of claims 19 to 21, further comprising: The second network function receives first information from the first network function, the first information including at least one of the following: computing task type information, computing resource requirement information, computing capacity requirement information, computing task identification information, and address information of computing-related services; And / or, The second network function sends the address information and / or identification information of the first computing node to the first network function.

23. The method according to claim 22, wherein, The first network function includes at least one of the following: SMF, TCF.

24. The method according to any one of claims 19 to 23, wherein, The second network function includes at least one of the following: CCF, TCF; and / or, The fourth function includes at least one of the following: AF, NEF.

25. A communication device for a first network function, the device comprising: The first selection unit is used to select and / or insert a UPF based on the address information and / or identification information of the first computing node.

26. A communication device for a second network function, the device comprising: The second selection unit is used to select the first computing node based on the first information and / or the second information.

27. A communication device for a second network function, the device comprising: The communication unit is configured to receive second information from the fourth function, the second information including at least one of the following: identification information of the computing node, address information of the computing node, and at least one set of association relationships.

28. A communication device, comprising: A processor and a memory for storing a computer program, the processor for calling and running the computer program stored in the memory to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 24.

29. A computer-readable storage medium for storing a computer program that causes a computer to perform the method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 24.

30. A computer program product comprising computer program instructions that cause a computer to perform the method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 24.

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