Communication method and communication apparatus

Abstract

The present application relates to the technical field of communications, and provides a communication method and a communication apparatus. The method comprises: determining that a first monitoring indicator of a first service satisfies a first condition; and sending first information to a virtualized network function manager (VNFM) network element, the first information being used for instructing the VNFM to execute an overall elastic scaling task, the overall elastic scaling task comprising performing scale-out processing or scale-in processing on each of a plurality of services, and the plurality of services comprising the first service. The method in the embodiments of the present application can better meet scale-out or scale-in requirements of services, thereby improving service performance.

Description

Communication methods and communication devices

[0001] This application claims priority to Chinese patent application filed on January 21, 2025, with application number 202510093366.6 and entitled "Communication Method and Communication Device", the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0002] This application relates to the field of communication technology, specifically to a communication method and a communication device. Background Technology

[0003] With the development of communication technology, some communication systems support elastic network element management, which means automatically scaling up or down when the service capacity carried by a network element changes. This is to prevent a single service (the service capacity carried by a network element can be completed by multiple services) from triggering overload flow control and causing service damage. For example, when the workload of a service exceeds or falls below a configured threshold, the service can be scaled up or down. However, existing automatic scaling methods still have some problems. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This application provides a communication method and communication device that can better meet the expansion or reduction requirements of services, thereby improving service performance.

[0005] In a first aspect, a communication method is provided, the method being applied to a containerized network function (CNF) element or a component within a CNF element (e.g., a processor, chip, chip system, circuit, or functional module, etc.), the method comprising:

[0006] The first monitoring indicator of the first service is determined to meet the first condition; the first information is sent to the Virtualization Network Function Manager (VNFM) network element, the first information being used to instruct the VNFM to perform a whole-machine elastic task, the whole-machine elastic task including scaling up or down each of a plurality of services, the plurality of services including the first service.

[0007] In this embodiment of the application, when the first monitoring indicator of the first service meets the first condition, the first information is sent to the VNFM network element. In this way, multiple services including the first service can be simultaneously scaled up or down, so that the workload of multiple services remains consistent. This can avoid the damage to services caused by overload flow control triggered by the failure of a certain service to scale up or down in time, and can better meet the scaling up or scaling down requirements of services, thereby improving service performance.

[0008] In some possible implementations, the first information includes: indication information for at least one of the plurality of services, and / or, capacity expansion or capacity reduction for at least one of the plurality of services.

[0009] In some possible implementations, sending the first information to the Virtualized Network Function Manager (VNFM) includes sending the first information to the VNFM within a first preset time period.

[0010] In this embodiment of the application, a first message is sent to the VNFM within a first preset time period so that the VNFM can execute the whole machine elastic task within a suitable time period. This helps to avoid executing the whole machine elastic task during peak business hours, reduces the impact of the whole machine elastic task on business, and avoids business damage.

[0011] In some possible implementations, the first condition includes at least one of the following conditions: the M consecutive sampled values ​​of the first monitoring indicator all exceed the threshold of the first monitoring indicator; the M sampled values ​​of the first monitoring indicator within a second preset time period exceed the threshold of the first monitoring indicator; or the sampled values ​​of the first monitoring indicator within the second preset time period all exceed the threshold of the first monitoring indicator, where M is an integer greater than 1.

[0012] In this application embodiment, the first condition includes at least one of the above conditions, which can avoid triggering expansion or contraction processing due to short-term business fluctuations, thereby helping to avoid the ping-pong effect of elastic tasks on the whole machine.

[0013] In some possible implementations, the second preset time period is determined by the sampling period, the start time, and / or the duration.

[0014] In some possible implementations, before sending the first information to the Virtualization Network Function Manager (VNFM), the method further includes sending a second information to the VNFM, the second information instructing the VNFM to create the whole machine elastic task.

[0015] In this embodiment of the application, the second information instructs the VNFM to create a whole-machine elastic task. Sending the second information to the VNFM can create the elastic task in advance before it is executed, thereby helping to ensure the timely execution of the elastic task.

[0016] In some possible implementations, the method further includes: receiving third information from a Container Infrastructure Service Management (CISM) network element, the third information indicating at least one of the following: elastic startup mode, elastic granularity, the first condition, or, the execution period of the elastic task; wherein the elastic startup mode includes delayed startup or non-delayed startup, the elastic granularity includes executing the whole machine elastic task or the service elastic task, the elastic task includes the whole machine elastic task or the service elastic task, and the service elastic task includes scaling up or scaling down the first service.

[0017] In this embodiment of the application, receiving third information from the CISM network element helps the CNF network element trigger the whole machine elastic task based on the third information, which helps to meet the expansion or reduction requirements of the service, thereby helping to improve the service performance.

[0018] Secondly, a communication method is provided, the method being applied to a Virtualized Network Function Manager (VNFM) or a component within the VNFM (e.g., a processor, chip, chip system, circuit, or functional module, etc.), the method comprising:

[0019] The system receives first information from a containerized network function (CNF) element, which instructs the VNFM to perform a system elastic task. The system elastic task includes scaling up or scaling down each of a plurality of services, including the first service. The system then executes the system elastic task based on the first information.

[0020] In this embodiment, the first information is used to instruct the VNFM to perform whole-machine elastic tasks. Receiving the first information from the CNF network element can simultaneously perform scaling up or scaling down processing on multiple services including the first service, so that the workload of multiple services remains consistent. This can avoid service damage caused by overload flow control triggered by a certain service not scaling up or down in time, and can better meet the scaling up or scaling down requirements of services, thereby improving service performance.

[0021] In some possible implementations, the first information includes: indication information for at least one of the plurality of services, and / or, capacity expansion or capacity reduction for at least one of the plurality of services.

[0022] In some possible implementations, receiving the first information from the containerized network function (CNF) element includes: receiving the first information from the CNF element within a first preset time period.

[0023] In this embodiment of the application, receiving the first information from the CNF network element within a first preset time period enables the VNFM to execute the whole machine elastic task within a suitable time period, which can avoid executing the whole machine elastic task during peak business hours, thereby reducing the impact of the whole machine elastic task on the business and avoiding business damage.

[0024] In some possible implementations, before receiving the first information from the containerized network function (CNF) element, the method further includes receiving second information from the CNF element, the second information instructing the VNFM to create the whole machine elastic task.

[0025] In this embodiment of the application, the second information instructs the VNFM to create a whole-machine elastic task. Receiving the second information from the CNF network element can create the elastic task in advance before executing the elastic task, thereby helping to ensure the timely execution of the elastic task.

[0026] Thirdly, a communication method is provided, the method being applied to a Container Infrastructure Service Management (CISM) network element or a component (e.g., a processor, chip, chip system, circuit, or a functional module) within a CISM network element, the method comprising:

[0027] Send a third message to the containerized network function (CNF) element, the third message indicating at least one of the following: elastic startup mode, elastic granularity, the first condition, or, the execution period of the elastic task;

[0028] The elastic startup method includes delayed startup or non-delayed startup, the elastic granularity includes executing the whole machine elastic task or the service elastic task, the elastic task includes the whole machine elastic task or the service elastic task, and the service elastic task includes scaling up or scaling down the first service.

[0029] In this embodiment of the application, sending third information to the CNF network element helps the CNF network element trigger the whole machine elastic task based on the third information, which helps to meet the expansion or reduction requirements of the service, thereby helping to improve the service performance.

[0030] Fourthly, a communication device is provided, comprising: the communication device can be used for a containerized network function (CNF) element of the first aspect, the communication device can be a CNF element, or a device in a CNF element (e.g., a chip, or a chip system, or a circuit, or a processor), or a device that can be matched with a CNF element, or a logic module or software that can implement all or part of a CNF element.

[0031] The communication device includes modules that perform the methods / operations / steps / actions described in the first aspect or any possible implementation of the first aspect. These modules can be hardware circuits, software, or a combination of hardware circuits and software.

[0032] Fifthly, a communication device is provided, comprising: the communication device can be used in the Virtualized Network Function Manager (VNFM) of the second aspect, the communication device can be the VNFM, or a device in the VNFM (e.g., a chip, or a chip system, or a circuit, or a processor), or a device that can be used in conjunction with the VNFM, or a logical module or software that can implement all or part of the VNFM.

[0033] The communication device includes modules that perform the methods / operations / steps / actions described in the second aspect or any possible implementation of the second aspect. These modules can be hardware circuits, software, or a combination of hardware circuits and software.

[0034] In a sixth aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising: the communication device can be used for Container Infrastructure Service Management (CISM) network elements in the third aspect; the communication device can be a CISM network element, or a device within a CISM network element (e.g., a chip, a chip system, a circuit, or a processor), or a device that can be used in conjunction with a CISM network element, or a logic module or software that can implement all or part of a CISM network element.

[0035] The communication device includes modules that perform the methods / operations / steps / actions described in the third aspect or any possible implementation of the third aspect. These modules can be hardware circuits, software, or a combination of hardware circuits and software.

[0036] In a seventh aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising: a processor and a memory, the processor being coupled to the memory, the memory being used to store a computer program (also referred to as code or instructions), the computer program being executed by the processor causing the device to perform a method in any one aspect or any possible implementation of any one aspect.

[0037] In some possible implementations, the device also includes a memory coupled to the processor.

[0038] In some possible implementations, there are one or more processors, and / or one or more memories.

[0039] In some possible implementations, the memory can be integrated with the processor, or the memory can be set up separately from the processor.

[0040] Eighthly, a computer-readable storage medium is provided that stores a computer program (also referred to as code or instructions) that, when run on a computer, causes the computer to perform the methods of any of the above aspects or any possible implementations thereof.

[0041] Ninthly, a computer program product is provided, comprising: a computer program (also referred to as code or instructions) that, when run on a computer, causes the computer to perform the method of any of the above aspects or any possible implementation thereof.

[0042] In a tenth aspect, a chip is provided, comprising: a processor and a memory, the memory for storing a computer program (also referred to as code or instructions), the processor for calling and running the computer program stored in the memory, such that an apparatus or device on which the chip is mounted performs the method of any of the above aspects or any possible implementation thereof. Attached Figure Description

[0043] Figure 1 is a schematic block diagram of an automatic scaling process in an embodiment of this application.

[0044] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of an HPA processing architecture in an embodiment of this application.

[0045] Figure 3 is a schematic flowchart of a communication method provided in one embodiment of this application.

[0046] Figure 4 is a schematic flowchart of a communication method provided in another embodiment of this application.

[0047] Figure 5 is a schematic flowchart of a communication method provided in another embodiment of this application.

[0048] Figure 6 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device provided in one embodiment of this application.

[0049] Figure 7 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device provided in another embodiment of this application.

[0050] Figure 8 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device provided in another embodiment of this application.

[0051] Figure 9 is a schematic structural diagram of an apparatus provided in one embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0052] The technical solutions in the embodiments of this application will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0053] In the description of this application, unless otherwise stated, " / " indicates that the objects before and after are in an "or" relationship. For example, A / B can represent A or B. "And / or" in this application merely describes the relationship between related objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can represent: A alone, A and B simultaneously, and B alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. Furthermore, in the description of this application, unless otherwise stated, "multiple" refers to two or more. "At least one of the following" or similar expressions refer to any combination of these items, including any combination of single or plural items. For example, at least one of a, b, or c can represent: a, b, c, ab, ac, bc, or abc, where a, b, and c can be single or multiple. Additionally, to facilitate a clear description of the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, the terms "first" and "second" are used in the embodiments of this application to distinguish identical or similar items with essentially the same function and effect. Those skilled in the art will understand that the terms "first," "second," etc., do not limit the quantity or order of execution, and that "first," "second," etc., do not necessarily imply that they are different. It should be understood that in this application, descriptions such as "in the case of," "if," "when," "if," etc., can be used interchangeably.

[0054] The following section introduces the relevant terms and concepts used in this application.

[0055] Overall system flexibility: Automatic scaling up and down step size is configured according to service capacity. For example, if the network element capacity increases by 1 million (w) users, it requires 10 expansions of the minimum point of deployment (POD) of type A containers, 15 expansions of type B PODs, and so on. The automatic scaling up and down controller will adjust the scale up and down step size according to the configured scale up and down step size, and will adjust the scale up and down step size according to the required POD types and corresponding number of PODs for the 1 million users increase.

[0056] Expansion / shrinkage step size: The number of PODs that are increased or decreased in one expansion or shrinkage step.

[0057] Horizontal scaling: refers to deploying more PODs or reducing the number of deployed PODs.

[0058] Vertical scaling: Allocating more resources (e.g., memory (MEM) or central processing unit (CPU)) to PODs that are already running for workloads.

[0059] Kubernetes, abbreviated as K8s (an abbreviation of the eight characters "ubernete" in its name), is an open-source application used to manage containerized applications across multiple hosts in a cloud platform. Kubernetes aims to make deploying containerized applications simple and efficient, and it provides a mechanism for application deployment, planning, updating, and maintenance.

[0060] Operator: A method for encapsulating, deploying, and managing Kubernetes applications. It allows you to deploy and manage Kubernetes applications on Kubernetes using the Kubernetes application programming interface (API) and the kubectl tool. For example, an Operator can be understood as an application-specific controller that extends the functionality of the Kubernetes API to create, configure, and manage instances of complex applications on behalf of Kubernetes users.

[0061] VNFM operator: An operator that replaces some of the functions of VNFM.

[0062] Helm: An open-source packaging tool that helps install and manage the lifecycle of Kubernetes applications. Similar to Linux package managers like APT and Yum, Helm can be used to manage Kubernetes graphs, which can be pre-configured Kubernetes resource packages.

[0063] helmclient: Helm client.

[0064] Helm template: chart template.

[0065] Chart templates: Helm application packages can be called charts, which can be combined with configurations (config) containing configuration information and merged into a chart to create a release. A release is a running instance of the application (the chart and configuration are combined). A chart can be a collection of files describing a set of related Kubernetes resources.

[0066] Automatic scaling virtual machine architecture standard: an automatic scaling process built on the ETSI SOL002 standard.

[0067] Prometheus Components: Prometheus is an open-source system monitoring and alerting toolkit originally built on SoundCloud. Since its inception in 2012, many companies and organizations have adopted Prometheus, and the project boasts a very active developer and user community.

[0068] Virtual machine deployment: Virtualized network elements deployed based on virtual machines.

[0069] Bare metal deployment: Containerized network elements based on bare metal container deployment.

[0070] Elastic workload: This refers to the key performance indicator (KPI) that affects automatic scaling.

[0071] Ping-pong effect: Continuously (or repeatedly) performing expansion or contraction processes.

[0072] The problems existing in the prior art are explained in detail below with reference to Figures 1 and 2.

[0073] Currently, the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) standards do not define a process for managing the elasticity (automatic scaling) of network elements in bare-metal scenarios. The overall framework still follows the virtual machine standard (automatic scaling virtual machine architecture standard, such as the automatic scaling process built based on the ETSI SOL002 standard). However, for network elements deployed on virtual machines and those deployed on bare-metal containers, in a virtual machine-based architecture, the network element lifecycle management is entirely controlled by the virtualized network function manager (VNFM), and the automatic scaling process can also be managed by VNFM. But in a bare-metal-based architecture, due to the introduction of HelmClient, the functionality of VNFM is significantly weakened. If VNFM is continued to be used for automatic scaling process management, it will conflict with the bare-metal architecture, and each module requires proprietary customization and cannot be decoupled. Therefore, the automatic scaling process defined by the current ETSI standard is no longer applicable to bare-metal scenarios.

[0074] Kubernetes provides native HPA horizontal elasticity, but this feature only monitors the workload (or load) of a single service and does not have smooth control. Elasticity is triggered when the KPI is above or below the threshold, which can cause the elasticity ping-pong effect due to business fluctuations.

[0075] For example, as shown in Figure 1, the automatic scaling process may include the following steps:

[0076] S110, the user instructs the horizontal POD autoscaler (HPA) (i.e., K8s) to update the chart template and enable the elasticity feature.

[0077] S120, based on a bare-metal architecture, containerized virtualized network function (CNF) periodically obtains workload (such as the usage of the central processing unit (CPU) and memory (MEM) of the POD) from HPA according to an elastic policy.

[0078] S130 triggers an elastic task to HPA if the result of a single sampling exceeds the configured threshold.

[0079] S140, HPA updates instances that exceed the threshold (e.g., release).

[0080] S150, repeat steps S120 to S140 above.

[0081] The above scaling-up and scaling-down process can only scale up a single service. However, the service capacity carried by a network element is completed by multiple services. If only one service scales up while other services do not scale up in a timely manner, it will cause the service to trigger overload flow control, resulting in service disruption. Therefore, HPA cannot meet the high stability and high reliability requirements of telecom cloud scenarios and cannot achieve commercial automatic scaling-up and scaling in telecom cloud scenarios.

[0082] The problems existing in the prior art will be explained in detail below with reference to Figure 2.

[0083] Kubernetes provides a horizontal scaling capability called Horizontal POD Autoscaler (HPA). HPA monitors the workload of running replicas (such as POD replicas) and dynamically adjusts the number of replicas. Figure 2 shows a schematic diagram of the HPA processing architecture. The HPA processing architecture can include a Virtualized Infrastructure Manager (VIM), Virtual Network Manager (VNFM), and CNF. Horizontal scaling can be performed through the following steps:

[0084] Step 1: Create an update elasticity policy.

[0085] Since HPA lacks a configuration interface, it is necessary to complete the HPA configuration, update the release, and start the HPA function by editing the chart template or relying on an external web product user interface (webUI).

[0086] Step 2: Obtain the workload and custom workload of each service.

[0087] The HPA controller can periodically monitor the load from release1 to releaseN (where N is a positive integer) according to the HPA configuration. Currently, the HPA controller only supports acquiring two load types: CPU and MEM. If business load (i.e., other types of custom load) needs to be reported, a third-party plugin, such as Prometheus, is required to complete the reporting of custom load.

[0088] Step 3: Determine whether the workload of each service exceeds the configured threshold.

[0089] The HPA controller compares the acquired load with the configured threshold. If the load exceeds or falls below the configured threshold, the HPA controller will trigger horizontal scaling.

[0090] Step 4, update the release.

[0091] The number of updated replicas is calculated using a specific algorithm, for example, the following algorithm:

[0092] Expected number of replicas = ceil[current number of replicas * (current metric / expected metric)], where ceil[] represents rounding up, and the current number of replicas is the number of replicas currently running in this release. The result calculated by this algorithm (i.e., the expected number of replicas) may not be the scaling step size expected by the user.

[0093] As can be seen from the above embodiments, the scaling method using HPA as the automatic scaling control center has at least the following problems:

[0094] 1. HPA only supports performing elastic tasks (such as scaling up and down) on a single service. If you want to scale up and down multiple services at the same time, the load of multiple services must meet the monitoring threshold before the elastic task can be triggered. However, when the business grows, only the service that handles the business may trigger scaling up, while other platform services may not trigger scaling up. In this case, other platform services may not be able to support the increased business volume, thereby triggering overload flow control and causing business damage.

[0095] 2. The HPA horizontal elasticity function does not perform smooth control on the automatic scaling up and down KPI detection of the business. When the KPI is higher or lower than the threshold, elasticity will be triggered. This may cause the elasticity ping-pong effect due to business fluctuations (not real business growth).

[0096] 3. The HPA scaling step size is calculated based on the configuration and the actual number of replicas (such as the current metric and the current number of replicas). This may result in the scaling step size being different from the expected scaling step size, thus failing to meet business needs.

[0097] 4. HPA cannot provide the ability to expand capacity at a specified time. This may lead to abnormal network fluctuations caused by expansion during peak business hours. For example, expansion during the day may cause abnormal network fluctuations, resulting in business disruptions.

[0098] In order to solve one or more of the above-mentioned technical problems, this application proposes a communication method and communication device that can better meet the expansion or reduction requirements of services, thereby improving service performance.

[0099] The embodiments of this application are applicable to various communication systems deployed based on bare-metal containers, such as 5th generation (5G) systems, new radio (NR) systems, long term evolution (LTE) systems, LTE frequency division duplex (FDD) systems, LTE time division duplex (TDD) systems, satellite and other non-terrestrial communication systems, and communication systems that integrate terrestrial and non-terrestrial communication. The communication systems used in this application can meet the standard architecture of the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI).

[0100] The communication method in the embodiments of this application will be described in detail below with reference to Figure 3.

[0101] Figure 3 is a schematic flowchart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application. The method 300 shown in Figure 3 may include steps S310, S320 and S330, as follows:

[0102] S310, CNF network element determines that the first monitoring indicator of the first service meets the first condition.

[0103] The first monitoring metric can be the workload of the first service. For example, the first monitoring metric can include the CPU and MEM usage of the POD corresponding to the first service, or it can include other types of custom loads (custom loads can be reported to the HPA controller in the CNF network element through third-party plugins (such as the Prometheus component)).

[0104] In some embodiments, the first condition may include: a first monitoring indicator exceeding a threshold of the first monitoring indicator, for example, the sampled value of the first monitoring indicator within a second preset time period exceeding the threshold of the first monitoring indicator. The threshold of the first monitoring indicator may be pre-configured.

[0105] The second preset time period can be determined by the sampling period, the start time, and / or the duration.

[0106] In some embodiments, the first condition may include at least one of the following conditions:

[0107] The first monitoring indicator is defined as follows: M consecutive sampling values ​​of the first monitoring indicator exceed the threshold of the first monitoring indicator; M sampling values ​​of the first monitoring indicator within a second preset time period exceed the threshold of the first monitoring indicator; or, the sampling values ​​of the first monitoring indicator within a second preset time period exceed the threshold of the first monitoring indicator, where M is an integer greater than 1.

[0108] In this application embodiment, the first condition includes at least one of the above conditions, which can avoid triggering expansion or contraction processing due to short-term business fluctuations, thereby helping to avoid the ping-pong effect of elastic tasks on the whole machine.

[0109] S320, CNF network element sends the first information to VNFM network element.

[0110] In some embodiments, the first information may be used to instruct VNFM to perform a whole-machine elastic task. The whole-machine elastic task may include scaling up or scaling down each of a plurality of services, and the plurality of services may include the first service.

[0111] Optionally, each of the multiple services can correspond to a type of POD. For example, service 1 can correspond to type A POD, service 2 can correspond to type B POD, and service 3 can correspond to type C POD.

[0112] Optionally, multiple services can be interconnected. If the monitoring indicators of some services (such as n services in multiple services, where n is an integer greater than or equal to 1) meet the conditions, each of the multiple services can be scaled up or scaled down.

[0113] For example, multiple services may include access services, uplink transmission services, and downlink transmission services. Access services, uplink transmission services, and downlink transmission services can be interconnected. When a UE accesses the network, if the monitoring indicators of the access service meet the conditions, the access service, uplink transmission services, and downlink transmission services can be expanded or reduced simultaneously.

[0114] This ensures that the workload of these multiple services remains consistent, preventing business disruptions caused by overload flow control triggered by a service failing to scale up or down in a timely manner.

[0115] In some embodiments, the first information may include: indication information for at least one of the multiple services, and / or, capacity expansion or contraction for at least one of the multiple services. That is, the first information may be used to indicate: at least one of the multiple services, and / or, the capacity expansion / contraction step size for at least one of the multiple services.

[0116] In some embodiments, in step S320, the CNF network element can send the first information to the VNFM in two ways. Specifically:

[0117] Method 1: Delay sending the first message.

[0118] The CNF network element can send the first information to the VNFM within a first preset time period.

[0119] In this embodiment of the application, a first message is sent to the VNFM within a first preset time period so that the VNFM can execute the whole machine elastic task within a suitable time period. This helps to avoid executing the whole machine elastic task during peak business hours, reduces the impact of the whole machine elastic task on business, and avoids business damage.

[0120] Method 2: Send the first message immediately.

[0121] The CNF network element can immediately send the first information to the VNFM once it determines that the first monitoring indicator meets the first condition.

[0122] In some embodiments, before step S320, method 300 may further include step S302, as follows:

[0123] S302, the CNF network element sends a second message to the VNFM. This second message can instruct the VNFM to create the overall system elastic task.

[0124] In this embodiment of the application, the second information instructs the VNFM to create a whole-machine elastic task. Sending the second information to the VNFM can create the elastic task in advance before it is executed, thereby helping to ensure the timely execution of the elastic task.

[0125] S330, VNFM executes the whole machine's elastic task based on the first information.

[0126] Elastic task of the whole machine can also refer to the automatic scaling of containerized network elements (CNF level Auto scaling), that is, the automatic scaling of the whole machine based on CNF granularity.

[0127] In some embodiments, VNFM can acquire an elasticity policy before step S330. For example, method 300 may further include step S304, as follows:

[0128] S304, Container Infrastructure Service Management (CISM) network element sends third information to CNF network element.

[0129] The third piece of information may indicate at least one of the following: elastic startup method, elastic granularity, first condition, or, the execution period of the elastic task.

[0130] Optionally, the flexible startup method may include delayed startup or non-delayed startup.

[0131] Optionally, the elasticity granularity may include executing whole-machine elastic tasks or service elastic tasks. Elastic tasks may include whole-machine elastic tasks or service elastic tasks. Service elastic tasks may include scaling up or scaling down the first service.

[0132] Optionally, when the third information indicates the first condition, the third information may include at least one of the following: the threshold of the first monitoring indicator, the sampling period of the second preset time period, the start time, and the duration.

[0133] Optionally, the third information can also indicate the scaling step size for each of the multiple services. This allows for scaling up or down the entire machine according to the scaling step size for each service when executing elastic tasks. Optionally, the scaling step size for each of the multiple services can be pre-configured.

[0134] In this embodiment of the application, receiving third information from the CISM network element helps the CNF network element trigger the whole machine elastic task based on the third information, which helps to meet the expansion or reduction requirements of the service, thereby helping to improve the service performance.

[0135] In some embodiments, VNFM can create an elastic policy before step S330. For example, a VNFM network element can instruct a container infrastructure service management (CISM) network element to create an elastic policy.

[0136] Optionally, the elastic strategy may include at least one of the following: elastic initiation method, elastic granularity, first condition, or, the execution period of the elastic task.

[0137] Among them, the elastic startup method can include delayed startup or non-delayed startup, the elastic granularity includes executing whole machine elastic tasks or service elastic tasks, the elastic tasks include whole machine elastic tasks or service elastic tasks, and the service elastic tasks can include scaling up or scaling down the first service.

[0138] For example, elasticity policies can be included in user-defined resource definitions (CRDs). A CRD can refer to a custom resource provided by Kubernetes for the user, who can then monitor that custom resource.

[0139] In this embodiment of the application, when the first monitoring indicator of the first service meets the first condition, the first information is sent to the VNFM network element. In this way, multiple services including the first service can be simultaneously scaled up or down, so that the workload of multiple services remains consistent. This can avoid the damage to services caused by overload flow control triggered by the failure of a certain service to scale up or down in time, and can better meet the scaling up or scaling down requirements of services, thereby improving service performance.

[0140] The following example illustrates the communication method in this application embodiment using the delayed execution method of elastic scaling in the elastic strategy (such as method one in method 300) in conjunction with Figure 4.

[0141] Figure 4 is a schematic flowchart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application. The method 400 shown in Figure 4 may include steps S401 to S424, as follows:

[0142] S401, User creates resilient CRD.

[0143] In this embodiment of the application, the CRD can be used as a system release document and created when the network element is deployed, or it can be created manually during the subsequent operation of the network element.

[0144] S402, VNFM instructs CISM to create a resilient CRD.

[0145] VNFM can parse Helm templates and call the CISM interface to create resilient CRDs.

[0146] The elastic CRD can include elastic strategies, which can include: elastic granularity, the sampling period and duration of elastic monitoring, and specify the method for performing elastic scaling. Elastic strategies can also include: specifying the scaling time and specifying the elastic KPI collection period.

[0147] The meanings of the various elasticity strategies mentioned above can be summarized as follows:

[0148] Elasticity granularity: This indicates elasticity at the system level (or system-wide elasticity) or elasticity at the service level (or service elasticity or single-service elasticity). System-wide elasticity can mean that automatic scaling increases or decreases according to the growth capacity of the configured service, with multiple services (which can refer to multiple services corresponding to the configured service) scaling up or down in tandem. Single-service elasticity can mean that automatic scaling KPIs between services are monitored independently, and a single service scales or decreases independently.

[0149] Sampling period of elastic monitoring: indicates how often to collect workload values ​​from network elements.

[0150] Duration: Indicates how long the monitored metric reaches the threshold and remains there for an extended period before the VNFM operator (as shown in Figure 4, CNF may include the VNFM operator and service fabric (SF)) performs scaling up or down operations.

[0151] Specify the method for performing elastic scaling: Indicate whether elastic scaling is performed immediately or with a delay. Immediate execution means that when the VNFM operator detects that the workload exceeds the threshold and the required duration for automatic scaling is met, the VNFM operator will immediately generate a scaling task and execute the automatic scaling operation for that type of POD. Delayed execution means that when the VNFM operator detects that the workload exceeds the threshold and the required duration for automatic scaling is met, the VNFM operator will immediately generate a scaling task, but will not immediately execute the automatic scaling operation; it will determine whether to execute the scaling task based on the configured "specified scaling time".

[0152] Specify scaling time: After the scaling task is triggered, it will not be executed immediately, but will be performed at the specified scaling time.

[0153] Specify the elastic KPI collection period: This identifies the time period for workload collection. During the collection period, the VNFM operator will continuously collect CNF scaling metrics (workload). Outside the collection period, the VNFM operator will no longer monitor CNF scaling metrics (workload). The specified elastic KPI collection period can be set to empty, which means collection will occur throughout the day.

[0154] The settings in a CRD can all be default values, which users can update later (the automatic scaling function is off by default). An example of an elastic CRD is shown in Table 1 below:

[0155] Table 1 shows an example of an elastic CRD.

[0156] S403, the VNFM operator obtains the elasticity policy from CISM.

[0157] The VNFM operator can monitor elastic CRDs and synchronize them locally for storage, which can then be used to monitor the automatic scaling KPIs of network elements.

[0158] S404, User update elasticity policy.

[0159] Users can edit the webUI interface through the automatic scaling strategy provided by VNFM, and modify the automatic scaling strategy, including one or more elastic strategies created in step S402 above.

[0160] It should be noted that in this embodiment, VNFM only provides a configuration entry point and is no longer used as the bare-metal automatic scaling control center. Subsequent automatic scaling control is completed by the VNFM operator.

[0161] S405, VNFM synchronizes the updated elasticity policy to CISM.

[0162] VNFM can synchronize user-edited elastic policies to CISM by updating the CRD.

[0163] S406, the VNFM operator obtains the updated elasticity policy from CISM.

[0164] The VNFM operator can monitor CRD change status and obtain the latest automatic scaling elasticity policy configuration.

[0165] The S407 VNFM operator can periodically retrieve workload from SF.

[0166] After obtaining the latest elasticity policy and determining that the automatic scaling switch (scaling_switch) is enabled, the VNFM operator can periodically retrieve the network element automatic scaling workload from the SF based on the elasticity policy's sampling interval (samplingInterval) and duration. The automatic scaling workload can be defined by the service, and the VNFM operator collects and summarizes the workloads according to the service-defined workload types (e.g., collecting the workload for each of the multiple services corresponding to the configured service).

[0167] The S408 VNFM operator collects workload multiple times within a specified time period.

[0168] The VNFM operator collects workload data according to the elastic strategy, based on the optional collection periods kpiCollectStarttime and kpiCollectEndtime. If the workload is outside the collection period, it is not collected. If it is within the collection period, the workload is sampled according to the sampling interval and duration. Automatic scaling is triggered only when all sampling results within the collection period meet the automatic scaling threshold, thus avoiding the ping-pong effect.

[0169] For example, if the elasticity granularity is system-wide elasticity, the workload of each service in multiple services corresponding to a certain business (such as configuration business) can be sampled, and if the workload of at least one of the multiple services meets the auto-scaling threshold, these multiple services can be automatically scaled up or down; if the elasticity granularity is single-service elasticity, the workload of a service can be sampled, and if the workload of that service meets the auto-scaling threshold, that service can be automatically scaled up or down.

[0170] S409, the VNFM operator indicates to SF whether the capacity can be expanded or reduced.

[0171] Before performing automatic scaling, the VNFM operator can notify the SF whether scaling can be performed (if the automatic scaling threshold is met), thus avoiding anomalies caused by direct scaling when the current business is in an unstable state.

[0172] S410, SF determines whether the current business status allows for scaling up or down.

[0173] SF determines whether the current business status allows for scaling up or down. If it allows, it returns success; otherwise, it returns failure.

[0174] S411, SF returns the judgment result to the VNFM operator.

[0175] The VNFM operator responds to the judgment result returned by SSF. If the return is successful, the next step is triggered. If the return fails, the current elasticity is skipped and monitoring is restarted. An alarm is reported to notify the user to intervene.

[0176] S412, the VNFM operator notifies the VNFM to trigger a pre-elasticity check (also known as a health check) task.

[0177] This step is to prevent components from being in a suboptimal state, which could lead to failure in scaling up or down, and to ensure the success rate of scaling up or down.

[0178] S413, VNFM notifies CNF and / or CISM to perform a pre-resilience check.

[0179] VNFM can generate elasticity check tasks and notify CNF or CISM to perform pre-elasticity checks. CNF can check service status (to determine if the current service can be scaled up or down) and check alarms. VNFM or CISM can check node status, service status, and I-layer resource availability. After the checks are completed, the results are reported to VNFM. The VNFM interface provides a report download function for users (such as operations and maintenance personnel) to view the check details. Here, I-layer can refer to the slice nodes managed in CISM.

[0180] S414, CISM performs Layer I node elasticity.

[0181] CISM can perform I-layer node elasticity when I-layer resources are insufficient.

[0182] S415, VNFM sends the check results to the VNFM operator.

[0183] After the pre-elasticity check is completed, VNFM can send the check results to the VNFM operator.

[0184] At this point, the VNFM operator can perform appropriate processing based on the inspection results.

[0185] The specific handling can be as follows:

[0186] (1) If the check is successful, S416 can be executed. This means the VNFM operator can process the data according to the automatic scaling policy configuration. If the user selects delayed elasticity (e.g., scalingStarttype: delayed), the VNFM operator can instruct the VNFM to create a system-wide elastic task to be executed based on the selected elasticity granularity (e.g., scalingGranularity: CNF). This means that during the day, only tasks to be executed are generated, not executed directly. Execution then occurs at a specified time in the evening (e.g., scalingStarttime: 01:00:00). System-wide scaling involves configuring the associated service type (or POD type) and scaling step size according to the elasticity policy configuration. Multiple services are scaled up or down in batches according to the overall network element service capacity, thus achieving rapid capacity increases and decreases.

[0187] (2) If the check fails, S417 can be executed, meaning the VNFM operator can stop executing the automatic scaling task and report an alarm to the element management unit (EM) to notify the user to intervene. For example, the VNFM operator can report an alarm to the EM to notify the user that an elastic task is currently being generated and is about to be executed. The user needs to pay attention to the subsequent execution results of the elastic scaling.

[0188] S418, the VNFM operator triggers system-wide elastic tasks.

[0189] Once the elastic execution time configured in the elastic policy is reached (usually during the early morning off-peak business hours), the VNFM operator can determine whether to trigger the automatic scaling task.

[0190] S419, the VNFM operator instructs the VNFM to execute a system-wide elastic task.

[0191] The VNFM operator can instruct the VNFM to execute system-wide elastic tasks. The VNFM can perform scaling up and down operations on various types of PODs in conjunction with the configuration of the elasticity policy to achieve rapid elasticity of service capacity.

[0192] S420, VNFM notifies EM to start a business KPI monitoring task.

[0193] Before executing elastic tasks, VNFM can notify EM to start a business KPI monitoring task. EM can pre-configure monitoring metrics based on the adaptation layer and collect business KPI metrics before and after scaling up or down for comparison of business metric fluctuations after elasticity. For example, it can judge metrics such as the number of network element users and activation success rate. When the fluctuation of metrics before and after elasticity exceeds 5% (this threshold is configurable), it compares whether there are new alarms before and after elasticity, and performs data comparison on specified business custom human-machine language (MML) commands to determine whether business anomalies have occurred. If business anomalies occur, subsequent anomaly handling actions can be automatically executed.

[0194] S421, VNFM notifies helmclient to scale up or down.

[0195] After the elastic operation business KPI monitoring task is started and completed, VNFM can notify helmclient to scale up or down.

[0196] S422, VNFM requests CISM to update release.

[0197] After receiving a request, CISM updates the release and can create or delete POD services corresponding to the service capacity.

[0198] S423, VNFM notifies EM to generate a comparison report of business KPIs before and after elasticity.

[0199] After the elasticity is completed, VNFM can notify EM to generate a comparison report of business KPIs before and after the elasticity, which users can view and obtain the results. If abnormalities are detected in the business KPIs or alarms, elastic business isolation or automatic rollback can be performed.

[0200] S424, VNFM outputs the result of this task execution.

[0201] After the elastic task is completed, users can log in to the VNFM interface to view the results of the task.

[0202] The following example illustrates the communication method in this application embodiment in detail, taking the immediate execution of elastic scaling in the elastic strategy (such as method two in method 300) as an example, in conjunction with Figure 5.

[0203] Figure 5 is a schematic flowchart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application. The method 500 shown in Figure 5 may include steps S501 to S522, as follows:

[0204] Steps S501 to S516 in Figure 5 are similar to steps S401 to S415 and S417 in Figure 4 above. For a detailed description of steps S501 to S516, please refer to steps S401 to S415 and S417 in Figure 4 above, which will not be repeated here.

[0205] S417, the VNFM operator instructs the VNFM to execute a system-wide elastic task.

[0206] The VNFM operator can instruct the VNFM to execute system-wide elastic tasks. The VNFM can perform scaling up and down operations on various types of PODs in conjunction with the configuration of the elasticity policy to achieve rapid elasticity of service capacity.

[0207] S418, VNFM notifies EM to start the business KPI monitoring task.

[0208] Before executing elastic tasks, VNFM can notify EM to start a business KPI monitoring task. EM can pre-configure monitoring metrics based on the adaptation layer and collect business KPI metrics before and after scaling up or down for comparison of business metric fluctuations after elasticity. For example, it can judge metrics such as the number of network element users and activation success rate. When the fluctuation of metrics before and after elasticity exceeds 5% (this threshold is configurable), it compares whether there are new alarms before and after elasticity, and performs data comparison using custom MML commands for specified services to determine whether business anomalies have occurred. If business anomalies occur, subsequent anomaly handling actions can be automatically executed.

[0209] S419, VNFM notifies helmclient to scale up or down.

[0210] After the elastic operation business KPI monitoring task is started and completed, VNFM can notify helmclient to scale up or down.

[0211] S420, VNFM requests CISM to update release.

[0212] After receiving a request, CISM updates the release and can create or delete POD services corresponding to the service capacity.

[0213] S421, VNFM notifies EM to generate a comparison report of business KPIs before and after elasticity.

[0214] After the elasticity is completed, VNFM can notify EM to generate a comparison report of business KPIs before and after the elasticity, which users can view and obtain the results. If abnormalities are detected in the business KPIs or alarms, elastic business isolation or automatic rollback can be performed.

[0215] S422, VNFM outputs the result of this task execution.

[0216] After the elastic task is completed, users can log in to the VNFM interface to view the results of the task.

[0217] It should be noted that the steps or the order of execution of the steps included in the above embodiments are merely examples and not limitations. The embodiments of this application may include more or fewer steps, or may include other steps. At the same time, the above steps may be executed in other orders, and the embodiments of this application are not limited in this regard.

[0218] The method embodiments of this application have been described in detail above with reference to Figures 1 to 5. The apparatus embodiments of this application will be described in detail below with reference to Figures 6 to 9. It should be understood that the descriptions of the method embodiments correspond to the descriptions of the apparatus embodiments; therefore, any parts not described in detail can be referred to the preceding method embodiments.

[0219] Figure 6 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application. The communication device 600 shown in Figure 6 can be used in the CNF network element in the foregoing embodiments. The communication device 600 can be a CNF network element, or a device in a CNF network element (e.g., a processor, chip, chip system, circuit, or a functional module, etc.), or a device that can be matched with a CNF network element, or a logic module or software that can implement all or part of the CNF network element.

[0220] As shown in Figure 6, the communication device 600 includes a determining unit 610 and a transmitting unit 620, as detailed below:

[0221] Determining unit 610 is used to determine whether the first monitoring indicator of the first service meets the first condition;

[0222] The sending unit 620 is used to send first information to the Virtualization Network Function Manager (VNFM) network element. The first information is used to instruct the VNFM to perform a whole-machine elastic task. The whole-machine elastic task includes scaling up or scaling down each of a plurality of services, and the plurality of services includes the first service.

[0223] In this embodiment of the application, when the first monitoring indicator of the first service meets the first condition, the first information is sent to the VNFM network element. In this way, multiple services including the first service can be simultaneously scaled up or down, so that the workload of multiple services remains consistent. This can avoid the damage to services caused by overload flow control triggered by the failure of a certain service to scale up or down in time, and can better meet the scaling up or scaling down requirements of services, thereby improving service performance.

[0224] In some possible implementations, the first information includes: indication information for at least one of the plurality of services, and / or, capacity expansion or capacity reduction for at least one of the plurality of services.

[0225] In some possible implementations, the sending unit 620 is specifically used to send the first information to the VNFM within a first preset time period.

[0226] In this embodiment of the application, a first message is sent to the VNFM within a first preset time period so that the VNFM can execute the whole machine elastic task within a suitable time period. This helps to avoid executing the whole machine elastic task during peak business hours, reduces the impact of the whole machine elastic task on business, and avoids business damage.

[0227] In some possible implementations, the first condition includes at least one of the following conditions: the M consecutive sampled values ​​of the first monitoring indicator all exceed the threshold of the first monitoring indicator; the M sampled values ​​of the first monitoring indicator within a second preset time period exceed the threshold of the first monitoring indicator; or the sampled values ​​of the first monitoring indicator within the second preset time period all exceed the threshold of the first monitoring indicator, where M is an integer greater than 1.

[0228] In this application embodiment, the first condition includes at least one of the above conditions, which can avoid triggering expansion or contraction processing due to short-term business fluctuations, thereby helping to avoid the ping-pong effect of elastic tasks on the whole machine.

[0229] In some possible implementations, the second preset time period is determined by the sampling period, the start time, and / or the duration.

[0230] In some possible implementations, before sending the first information to the Virtualization Network Function Manager (VNFM), the sending unit 620 is further configured to: send a second information to the VNFM, the second information instructing the VNFM to create the whole machine elastic task.

[0231] In this embodiment of the application, the second information instructs the VNFM to create a whole-machine elastic task. Sending the second information to the VNFM can create the elastic task in advance before it is executed, thereby helping to ensure the timely execution of the elastic task.

[0232] In some possible implementations, the communication device 600 further includes a receiving unit 630, configured to: receive third information from a Container Infrastructure Service Management (CISM) network element, the third information indicating at least one of the following: elastic startup mode, elastic granularity, the first condition, or, the execution period of the elastic task; wherein the elastic startup mode includes delayed startup or non-delayed startup, the elastic granularity includes executing the whole machine elastic task or the service elastic task, the elastic task includes the whole machine elastic task or the service elastic task, and the service elastic task includes scaling up or scaling down the first service.

[0233] In this embodiment of the application, receiving third information from the CISM network element helps the CNF network element trigger the whole machine elastic task based on the third information, which helps to meet the expansion or reduction requirements of the service, thereby helping to improve the service performance.

[0234] Figure 7 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application. The communication device 700 shown in Figure 7 can be used in the VNFM in the foregoing embodiments. The communication device 700 can be a VNFM, or a device in the VNFM (e.g., a processor, chip, chip system, circuit, or a functional module, etc.), or a device that can be used in conjunction with a VNFM, or a logic module or software that can implement all or part of the VNFM.

[0235] As shown in Figure 7, the communication device 700 includes a receiving unit 710 and an execution unit 720, as detailed below:

[0236] The receiving unit 710 is configured to receive first information from a containerized network function (CNF) element, the first information being used to instruct the VNFM to perform a whole-machine elastic task, the whole-machine elastic task including scaling up or scaling down each of a plurality of services, the plurality of services including the first service.

[0237] The execution unit 720 is used to execute the whole machine elastic task according to the first information.

[0238] In this embodiment, the first information is used to instruct the VNFM to perform whole-machine elastic tasks. Receiving the first information from the CNF network element can simultaneously perform scaling up or scaling down processing on multiple services including the first service, so that the workload of multiple services remains consistent. This can avoid service damage caused by overload flow control triggered by a certain service not scaling up or down in time, and can better meet the scaling up or scaling down requirements of services, thereby improving service performance.

[0239] In some possible implementations, the first information includes: indication information for at least one of the plurality of services, and / or, capacity expansion or capacity reduction for at least one of the plurality of services.

[0240] In some possible implementations, the receiving unit 710 is specifically used to: receive the first information from the CNF network element within a first preset time period.

[0241] In this embodiment of the application, receiving the first information from the CNF network element within a first preset time period enables the VNFM to execute the whole machine elastic task within a suitable time period, which can avoid executing the whole machine elastic task during peak business hours, thereby reducing the impact of the whole machine elastic task on the business and avoiding business damage.

[0242] In some possible implementations, before receiving the first information from the containerized network function (CNF) element, the receiving unit 710 is further configured to: receive second information from the CNF element, the second information instructing the VNFM to create the whole machine elastic task.

[0243] In this embodiment of the application, the second information instructs the VNFM to create a whole-machine elastic task. Receiving the second information from the CNF network element can create the elastic task in advance before executing the elastic task, thereby helping to ensure the timely execution of the elastic task.

[0244] Figure 8 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application. The communication device 800 shown in Figure 8 can be used in the CISM network element in the foregoing embodiments. The communication device 800 can be a CISM network element, or a device in a CISM network element (e.g., a processor, chip, chip system, circuit, or a functional module, etc.), or a device that can be matched with a CISM network element, or a logic module or software that can implement all or part of the CISM network element.

[0245] As shown in Figure 8, the communication device 800 includes a transmitting unit 810, as detailed below:

[0246] The sending unit 810 is used to send third information to the containerized network function (CNF) network element, wherein the third information indicates at least one of the following: elastic start mode, elastic granularity, the first condition, or the execution period of the elastic task.

[0247] The elastic startup method includes delayed startup or non-delayed startup, the elastic granularity includes executing the whole machine elastic task or the service elastic task, the elastic task includes the whole machine elastic task or the service elastic task, and the service elastic task includes scaling up or scaling down the first service.

[0248] In this embodiment of the application, sending third information to the CNF network element helps the CNF network element trigger the whole machine elastic task based on the third information, which helps to meet the expansion or reduction requirements of the service, thereby helping to improve the service performance.

[0249] Figure 9 is a schematic structural diagram of an apparatus provided in an embodiment of this application. The dashed lines in Figure 9 indicate that the unit or module is optional. This apparatus 900 can be used to implement the methods described in the above method embodiments. The apparatus 900 can be a chip or a communication device.

[0250] The device 900 may include one or more processors 910. The processor 910 may support the device 900 in implementing the methods described in the preceding method embodiments. The processor 910 may be a general-purpose processor or a special-purpose processor. For example, the processor may be a central processing unit (CPU). Alternatively, the processor may be other general-purpose processors, microprocessor units (MPUs), microcontroller units (MCUs), graphics processing units (GPUs), artificial intelligence processors (AI processors) or neural processing units (NPUs), digital signal processors (DSPs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, etc. The general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor or any conventional processor.

[0251] The device 900 may further include one or more memories 920. The memories 920 store a program that can be executed by the processor 910, causing the processor 910 to perform the methods described in the preceding method embodiments. The memories 920 may be independent of the processor 910 or integrated within the processor 910. In this embodiment, the memories 920 may include, but are not limited to, cache, read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), hard disk drive (HDD) or solid-state drive (SSD), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), or compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), etc.

[0252] The device 900 may also include a transceiver 930. The processor 910 can communicate with other devices or chips via the transceiver 930. For example, the processor 910 can send and receive data with other devices or chips via the transceiver 930.

[0253] It should be noted that the information interaction and execution process between the above-mentioned devices / units are based on the same concept as the method embodiments of this application. For details on their specific functions and technical effects, please refer to the method embodiments section, and they will not be repeated here.

[0254] Those skilled in the art will clearly understand that, for the sake of convenience and brevity, the above-described division of functional units and modules is merely an example. In practical applications, the above functions can be assigned to different functional units and modules as needed, that is, the internal structure of the device can be divided into different functional units or modules to complete all or part of the functions described above. The functional units and modules in the embodiments 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. The integrated unit can be implemented in hardware or as a software functional unit. Furthermore, the specific names of the functional units and modules are only for easy differentiation and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of this application. The specific working process of the units and modules in the above system can be referred to the corresponding process in the foregoing method embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0255] This application also provides a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program that, when run on a computer, causes the computer to perform the steps described in the various method embodiments above.

[0256] This application also provides a computer program product, which includes a computer program that, when run on a computer, causes the computer to perform the steps described in the various method embodiments above.

[0257] This application also provides a chip, which includes a processor and a memory. The memory is used to store a computer program, and the processor is used to call and run the computer program stored in the memory, so that a device or equipment (such as a communication device) with the chip installed performs the steps in the above-described method embodiments.

[0258] If the integrated unit is implemented as a software functional unit and sold or used as an independent product, it can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, all or part of the processes in the methods of the above embodiments of this application can be implemented by a computer program instructing related hardware. The computer program can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium, and when executed by a processor, it can implement the steps of the various method embodiments described above. The computer program includes computer program code, which can be in the form of source code, object code, executable files, or some intermediate form. The computer-readable storage medium can include at least: any entity or device capable of carrying computer program code to a device / app, a recording medium, a computer memory, a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), an electrical carrier signal, a telecommunication signal, and a software distribution medium. Examples include USB flash drives, portable hard drives, magnetic disks, or optical disks. In some possible implementations, the computer-readable storage medium may not be an electrical carrier signal or a telecommunication signal.

[0259] In the above embodiments, the descriptions of each embodiment have different focuses. For parts that are not described in detail or recorded in a certain embodiment, please refer to the relevant descriptions of other embodiments.

[0260] 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 application.

[0261] In the embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed apparatus / devices and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the apparatus / device embodiments described above are merely illustrative. For instance, the division of modules or 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.

[0262] 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.

[0263] The above-described embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of this application, and are not intended to limit them. Although this application has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that modifications can still be made to the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments, or equivalent substitutions can be made to some of the technical features. Such modifications or substitutions do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, and should all be included within the protection scope of this application.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that, The method is applied to containerized network function (CNF) network elements, and the method includes: The first monitoring indicator of the first service is determined to meet the first condition; Send first information to the Virtualization Network Function Manager (VNFM) network element. The first information is used to instruct the VNFM to perform a whole-machine elastic task. The whole-machine elastic task includes scaling up or scaling down each of a plurality of services, and the plurality of services includes the first service.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first information includes: indication information for at least one of the plurality of services, and / or, capacity expansion or capacity reduction for at least one of the plurality of services.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, Sending the first information to the Virtualization Network Function Manager (VNFM) includes: The first information is sent to the VNFM within a first preset time period.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The first condition includes at least one of the following conditions: The first monitoring indicator has M consecutive sampled values ​​that exceed the threshold of the first monitoring indicator, the first monitoring indicator has M sampled values ​​that exceed the threshold of the first monitoring indicator within a second preset time period, or the first monitoring indicator has M sampled values ​​that exceed the threshold of the first monitoring indicator within the second preset time period, where M is an integer greater than 1.

5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that, The second preset time period is determined by the sampling period, start time, and / or duration.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that, Before sending the first information to the Virtualization Network Functions Manager (VNFM), the method further includes: Send a second message to the VNFM, the second message instructing the VNFM to create the whole machine elastic task.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that, The method further includes: Receive third information from the Container Infrastructure Service Management (CISM) network element, wherein the third information indicates at least one of the following: elastic startup mode, elastic granularity, the first condition, or, the execution period of the elastic task; The elastic startup method includes delayed startup or non-delayed startup, the elastic granularity includes executing the whole machine elastic task or the service elastic task, the elastic task includes the whole machine elastic task or the service elastic task, and the service elastic task includes scaling up or scaling down the first service.

8. A communication method, characterized in that, The method is applied to Virtual Network Function Manager (VNFM), and the method includes: The first information is received from the containerized network function (CNF) element. The first information is used to instruct the VNFM to perform a whole-machine elastic task. The whole-machine elastic task includes scaling up or scaling down each of a plurality of services, and the plurality of services includes the first service. The machine's flexible task is executed based on the first information.

9. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that, The first information includes: indication information for at least one of the plurality of services, and / or, capacity expansion or capacity reduction for at least one of the plurality of services.

10. The method according to claim 8 or 9, characterized in that, The receipt of the first information from the containerized networking function (CNF) element includes: The first information is received from the CNF network element within a first preset time period.

11. The method according to any one of claims 8 to 10, characterized in that, Before receiving the first information from the containerized network function (CNF) element, the method further includes: The system receives a second message from the CNF network element, which instructs the VNFM to create the whole machine elastic task.

12. A communication method, characterized in that, The method is applied to CISM network elements in Container Infrastructure Service Management, and the method includes: Send a third message to the CNF network element, the third message being used to trigger the CNF network element to execute a whole-machine elastic task, the third message indicating the elastic granularity and at least one of the following: elastic startup mode, first condition, or, the execution period of the whole-machine elastic task; The elastic granularity includes executing the whole machine elastic task, the elastic startup mode includes delayed startup or non-delayed startup, and the first condition is used to instruct the CNF network element to instruct the Virtualization Network Function Manager (VNFM) network element to execute the whole machine elastic task when the first condition is met.

13. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that, The method further includes: Receive instructions from the Virtualization Network Functions Manager (VNFM) to create an elastic policy.

14. A communication system, characterized in that, The communication system includes Containerized Network Functions (CNF) network elements and Virtualized Network Function Managers (VNFM) network elements, wherein: The CNF network element is used to determine that the first monitoring indicator of the first service meets the first condition; and to send the first information to the VNFM network element within a first preset time period. The first information is used to instruct the VNFM network element to perform a whole-machine elastic task. The whole-machine elastic task includes scaling up or scaling down each of multiple services, and the multiple services include the first service. The VNFM network element is used to receive the first information from the CNF network element within a first preset time period; and to execute the whole machine elastic task according to the first information.

15. The communication system according to claim 14, characterized in that, The communication system also includes a Container Infrastructure Service Management (CISM) network element, wherein: The CISM network element is used to send third information to the CNF network element. The third information is used to trigger the CNF network element to execute the whole machine elastic task. The third information indicates the elastic granularity and at least one of the following: elastic start mode, the first condition, or the execution period of the whole machine elastic task. The CNF network element is also used to receive the third information from the CISM network element; The elastic granularity includes executing the whole machine elastic task, the elastic start method includes delayed start or non-delayed start, and the first condition is used to instruct the CNF network element to instruct the VNFM network element to execute the whole machine elastic task when the first condition is met.

16. A communication device, characterized in that, include: A module or unit for performing the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 13.

17. A communication device, characterized in that, include: A processor and a memory, the processor being coupled to the memory, the memory being used to store a computer program, which, when executed by the processor, causes the apparatus to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 13.

18. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer-readable storage medium stores a computer program that, when run on a computer, causes the computer to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 13.

19. A computer program product, characterized in that, include: A computer program that, when run on a computer, causes the computer to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 13.

20. A chip, characterized in that, include: A processor and a memory, the memory for storing a computer program, the processor for calling and running the computer program stored in the memory, causing a device or apparatus on which the chip is mounted to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 13.

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