Communication method and apparatus

Abstract

The present application relates to the field of communications, and provides a communication method and apparatus, in order to enable a network to provide services more flexibly and reliably. The method comprises: receiving a first message; on the basis of the first message, determining, from a network element set, a second network element associated with identification information; and sending a second message to the second network element, wherein the first message is used for requesting service provision for a service of a first entity, the first message comprises the identification information, the first network element provides a communication proxy function for network elements in the network element set, the second network element is a network element in the network element set that supports serving the service, and the second message is used for requesting the second network element to provide a service for the service.

Description

Communication methods and devices

[0001] This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202510194934.1, filed on February 20, 2025, entitled "Communication Method and Apparatus", the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0002] This application relates to the field of communications, and more particularly to a communication method and apparatus. Background Technology

[0003] Current communication systems support network function (NF) backup. For example, when a network function producer (NFp) provides services to a network function consumer (NFc), the NFp can serve as the primary NFp. In this case, there can also be a backup NFp (denoted as the backup NFp) so that if the primary NFp stops providing services to the NFc, the backup NFp can continue to provide services to the NFc.

[0004] However, the above method requires the NFC to be configured with the primary and backup NFp information in advance, which is not flexible enough and may not be suitable for more flexible network needs in the future. Summary of the Invention

[0005] This application provides a communication method and apparatus to enable the network to provide services more flexibly and reliably.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, this application adopts the following technical solution:

[0007] In a first aspect, a communication method is provided, applied to a first network element, comprising: receiving a first message; determining a second network element associated with identification information from a set of network elements based on the first message; and sending a second message to the second network element. The first message is used to request service provision for a first entity, the first message includes identification information, the first network element provides communication proxy functionality for network elements in the set of network elements, the second network element is a network element in the set of network elements that supports the service, and the second message is used to request the second network element to provide service for the service.

[0008] Therefore, when the first entity requests to provide services for a business, the first network element, as a communication proxy of the network elements in the network element set, can route the service request message to the network element in the network element set that supports the service based on the identification information. This not only decouples the network element providing the service from the entity requesting the service, enabling more flexible service provision, but also improves service reliability by implementing routing through the identification information.

[0009] In one possible design, the identification information is information associated with the service, or information assigned to the service. This identification information can be reused when different network elements in the network element set serve the same service, thereby reducing the complexity of routing.

[0010] In one possible design, before determining the second network element associated with the identification information from the network element set based on the first message, the method further includes: obtaining the identification information and associating the identification information with the second network element for subsequent routing use, thereby improving service reliability.

[0011] Optionally, obtaining identification information includes: obtaining identification information from a second network element, that is, the identification information can be allocated and provided to the first network element by the network element serving the first entity's business. Compared with the method of the first network element allocating the information itself, this can reduce the processing overhead of the first network element, improve the operating efficiency of the first network element, and save core network resources.

[0012] Furthermore, obtaining identification information from the second network element includes: receiving a third message, and based on the third message, determining from the network element set the second network element that supports the service for the first entity, and then sending a fourth message to the second network element to receive the identification information allocated by the second network element for the service. The third message is used to request service provision for the service, and the fourth message is used to request the second network element to provide service for the service. In other words, the second network element can reuse the service process to pass the identification information to the first network element, thereby reducing additional signaling overhead.

[0013] Optionally, obtaining identification information includes: allocating identification information for the services of the first entity. Compared with the method of allocating identification information by the network element serving the service and providing it to the first network element, this can reduce communication overhead and improve communication efficiency.

[0014] Furthermore, allocating identification information for the service includes: receiving a third message; determining, based on the third message, a second network element from the network element set that supports the service of the first entity; and allocating identification information for the service, in order to send a fourth message to the second network element. The third message is used to request service provision for the service, and the fourth message is used to request the second network element to provide service for the service. In other words, the first network element can choose the second network element that provides service for the service to allocate identification information, so that the allocated identification information can be associated with the second network element.

[0015] Furthermore, the fourth message includes identification information.

[0016] In one possible design, the method further includes sending identification information to a first entity so that the first entity can also include the identification information when requesting services for its own business, so that the message requesting services for the business can be routed to the network element serving the business, thereby improving the reliability of the service.

[0017] Optionally, sending identification information to the first entity includes sending a service-specific response to the first entity, the response including the identification information. This allows the service process to be reused to feedback the identification information, reducing additional signaling overhead. Alternatively, the identification information can be carried in a new message to decouple it from the service process, making the transmission of identification information more flexible.

[0018] Optionally, the method further includes: sending identification information to a second entity serving the first entity, so that the second entity can also include the identification information when requesting to provide services for the first entity, so that the message for requesting services for the service can be routed to the network element serving the service, thereby improving the reliability of the service.

[0019] In one possible design, after sending the second message to the second network element, the method further includes: if the second network element no longer serves the service of the first entity, determining a third network element that supports the service, and associating the identification information with the third network element, where the third network element is a network element in the network element set. In other words, when the first network element switches to serve the service, it does not need to reacquire / allocate identification information; instead, it associates the identification information associated with the original network element with the new network element. Compared to reassigning identification information, this reduces process complexity and improves process efficiency.

[0020] Optionally, the method further includes: sending a first indication message to the second network element, the first indication message being used to instruct the second network element to no longer serve the service of the first entity. The first network element can determine that the second network element is no longer serving the service in various ways, such as not receiving a response from the second network element regarding the service within a timeout period, not sending a message to the second network element within a timeout period, or receiving an indication from another network element / network management system that the second network element is no longer serving the service; no specific restrictions are imposed. In this case, the first network element can inform the second network element that it is no longer serving the service, so that the second network element can release information about the service, such as the service context, improving operational efficiency and saving core network resources. Alternatively, the first network element can receive a second indication message from the second network element, the second indication message instructing the second network element to no longer serve the service, so that the first network element can promptly switch to the network element serving the service.

[0021] Furthermore, the first instruction information includes identification information to trigger the second network element to release associated service information, or the second instruction information includes identification information to trigger the first network element to release associated second network element information, which can improve operational efficiency.

[0022] Furthermore, determining the third network element supporting the service includes: receiving a fifth message; determining, based on the fifth message, a third network element supporting the service of the first entity from the network element set; and sending a sixth message to the third network element. The fifth message requests service provision for the service and includes identification information. The sixth message requests the third network element to provide service for the service. In other words, the first network element triggers the reselection of a network element to support the service only when the first entity requests service provision. Conversely, if the first entity does not request service provision, the first network element can initially avoid reselecting a network element to support the service, thereby reducing overhead, improving operational efficiency, and conserving core network resources.

[0023] For example, according to the fifth message, determining a third network element from the network element set to support the service includes: if the second network element associated with the identification information in the fifth message no longer serves the service of the first entity, or if the identification information in the fifth message does not associate with any network element, then determining a third network element from the network element set to support the service. In other words, the first network element can determine whether to perform routing or reselect a network element to support the service based on the association of the identification information carried in the message, thereby improving the reliability of the service process.

[0024] Optionally, determining the third network element supporting the service includes: based on the second instruction information including information about the third network element, determining the network element supporting the service of the first entity as the third network element. In other words, the network element serving the service can be redirected by the second network element, eliminating the need for selection of the first network element, thus reducing processing overhead, improving operational efficiency, and conserving core network resources.

[0025] In one possible design, the method further includes: obtaining service information from a network element serving the first entity's service, and registering the service information and the first network element's information to a data storage network element. The service information includes identification information, which the first entity can obtain from the data storage network element when requesting service for the service, and then carry in a message requesting service for the service, so that the message can be routed to the network element serving the service, thereby improving service reliability.

[0026] It should be understood that the first entity can be a terminal, or it can be an access network device or network element, without specific restrictions.

[0027] One possible design scheme is that the network elements in the network element set are all of the same type.

[0028] Optionally, at least two network elements in the network element set support different services to achieve flexible and differentiated services.

[0029] Secondly, a communication method is provided, applied to a second network element, comprising: receiving a message from a first network element, and sending identification information to the first network element based on the message. The message is used to request the second network element to provide services for a first entity's service, the first network element provides communication proxy functions for network elements in a set of network elements, the second network element is a network element in the set of network elements that supports the service, and the identification information is used by the first network element to send messages related to the service to the network elements in the set that provide the service.

[0030] In one possible design, sending identification information to the first network element based on the message from the first network element includes: assigning identification information to the services of the first entity based on the message from the first network element, and sending the identification information to the first network element.

[0031] Optionally, sending identification information to the first network element includes sending a response to the first network element for the service of the first entity, the response including the identification information.

[0032] In one possible design, the method further includes associating business information with identification information.

[0033] In one possible design, the method further includes: registering service information to a data storage network element, wherein the service information includes identification information.

[0034] In one possible design, the method further includes: when the second network element no longer serves the service of the first entity, sending indication information to the first network element based on the identification information associated with the service information, the indication information including the identification information.

[0035] Optionally, the indication information may also include information about a third network element, which is a network element that supports the services of the first entity.

[0036] In one possible design, the method further includes: releasing the service information associated with the identification information when the second network element no longer serves the services of the first entity, so as to improve the operating efficiency of the second network element and save core network resources.

[0037] It should be understood that the first entity can be a terminal, or it can be an access network device or network element, without specific restrictions.

[0038] One possible design scheme is that the network elements in the network element set are all of the same type.

[0039] Optionally, at least two network elements in the network element set support different services.

[0040] It is understood that the technical effects of the method described in the second aspect can also refer to the relevant introduction of the method described in the first aspect above, and will not be repeated here.

[0041] Thirdly, a communication method is provided, comprising: acquiring identification information and sending a first message to a first network element. The identification information is used by the first network element to send a service-related message to a network element in a set of network elements that provides services to a first entity. The first network element provides communication proxy functionality to the network elements in the set of network elements. The first message is used to request services to be provided for the service, and the first message includes the identification information.

[0042] It should be understood that the method described in the third aspect can be executed by the first entity or by a second entity serving the first entity, without specific limitations. The first entity can be a terminal, or it can be an access network device or network element, without specific limitations.

[0043] In one possible design, obtaining identification information includes: obtaining identification information associated with business information.

[0044] Optionally, before obtaining the identification information associated with the service information, the method further includes: sending a third message, receiving a response returned by the service, and associating the identification information with the service information. The third message is used to request services to be provided for the service, and the response includes the identification information.

[0045] Optionally, before obtaining the identification information associated with the service information, the method further includes: sending a third message from the first entity, and receiving a response and identification information returned by the service to associate the identification information with the service information, and sending a response to the first entity. The third message is used to request service to be provided for the service.

[0046] In one possible design, obtaining identification information includes: obtaining service information from data storage network elements, whereby the service information includes identification information.

[0047] One possible design scheme is that the network elements in the network element set are all of the same type.

[0048] Optionally, at least two network elements in the network element set support different services.

[0049] It is understandable that the technical effects of the method described in the third aspect can be referred to the relevant introduction of the method described in the first aspect above, and will not be repeated here.

[0050] It should be understood that this application does not limit the type of service mentioned in the methods described in the first to third aspects, and can be any possible service that the network can provide.

[0051] Fourthly, a communication device is provided. This communication device is used to execute the communication method described in any implementation of any one of the first to third aspects.

[0052] In this application, the communication device described in the fourth aspect can be a terminal device or a network device, or a chip (system) or other component or assembly, or a device containing the terminal device or network device. The aforementioned chip (system) or other component or assembly can all be disposed within the terminal device or network device.

[0053] It should be understood that the communication apparatus described in the fourth aspect includes modules, units, or means that implement the communication methods described in any one of the first to third aspects. These modules, units, or means can be implemented in hardware, software, or by hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more modules or units for performing the functions involved in the aforementioned communication methods.

[0054] Fifthly, a communication device is provided. The communication device includes a processor configured to execute the communication method described in any possible implementation of any of the first to third aspects.

[0055] In one possible design, the communication device described in the fifth aspect may further include a transceiver. This transceiver may be a transceiver circuit or an interface circuit. The transceiver can be used for communication between the communication device described in the fourth aspect and other communication devices.

[0056] In one possible design, the communication device described in the fifth aspect may further include a memory. This memory may be integrated with the processor or disposed separately. The memory may be used to store computer programs and / or data relating to the communication method described in any of the first to third aspects.

[0057] In this application, the communication device described in the fifth aspect can be a terminal device or a network device, or a chip (system) or other component or assembly, or a device containing the terminal device or network device. The aforementioned chip (system) or other component or assembly can all be disposed within the terminal device or network device. For example, when the communication device performs the method described in the first or second aspect, the communication device can be a network device; when the communication device performs the method described in the third aspect, the communication device can be a terminal device or a network device.

[0058] A sixth aspect provides a communication device. The communication device includes a processor coupled to a memory, the processor executing a computer program stored in the memory, such that the communication device performs the communication method described in any possible implementation of any of the first to third aspects.

[0059] In one possible design, the communication device described in the sixth aspect may further include a transceiver. This transceiver may be a transceiver circuit or an interface circuit. The transceiver can be used for communication between the communication device described in the sixth aspect and other communication devices.

[0060] In this application, the communication device described in the sixth aspect can be a terminal device or a network device, or a chip (system) or other component or assembly, or a device containing the terminal device or network device. The aforementioned chip (system) or other component or assembly can all be disposed within the terminal device or network device. For example, when the communication device performs the method described in the first or second aspect, the communication device can be a network device; when the communication device performs the method described in the third aspect, the communication device can be a terminal device or a network device.

[0061] A seventh aspect provides a communication device, comprising: a processor and a memory; the memory being used to store a computer program, which, when executed by the processor, causes the communication device to perform the communication method described in any implementation of any one of the first to third aspects.

[0062] In one possible design, the communication device described in the seventh aspect may further include a transceiver. This transceiver may be a transceiver circuit or an interface circuit. The transceiver can be used for communication between the communication device described in the seventh aspect and other communication devices.

[0063] In this application, the communication device described in the seventh aspect can be a terminal device or a network device, or a chip (system) or other component or assembly, or a device containing the terminal device or network device. The aforementioned chip (system) or other component or assembly can all be disposed within the terminal device or network device. For example, when the communication device performs the method described in the first or second aspect, the communication device can be a network device; when the communication device performs the method described in the third aspect, the communication device can be a terminal device or a network device.

[0064] Eighthly, a communication device is provided, comprising: a processor; the processor being coupled to a memory and, after reading a computer program from the memory, executing a communication method according to the computer program as described in any implementation of any one of the first to third aspects.

[0065] In one possible design, the communication device described in the eighth aspect may further include a transceiver. This transceiver may be a transceiver circuit or an interface circuit. The transceiver can be used for communication between the communication device described in the seventh aspect and other communication devices.

[0066] In this application, the communication device described in the eighth aspect can be a terminal device or a network device, or a chip (system) or other component or assembly, or a device containing the terminal device or network device. The aforementioned chip (system) or other component or assembly can all be disposed within the terminal device or network device. For example, when the communication device performs the method described in the first or second aspect, the communication device can be a network device; when the communication device performs the method described in the third aspect, the communication device can be a terminal device or a network device.

[0067] Ninthly, a processor is provided. The processor is configured to execute the communication method described in any possible implementation of any of the first to third aspects.

[0068] A tenth aspect provides a communication system. The communication system includes at least one of the following: a first network element for performing the method described in the first aspect, a second network element for performing the method described in the second aspect, or an entity for performing the method described in the third aspect.

[0069] Eleventhly, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, comprising a computer program or instructions that, when executed, cause the communication method described in any possible implementation of any of the first to third aspects above to be performed.

[0070] In a twelfth aspect, a computer program product is provided, comprising: a computer program or instructions that, when executed, cause the communication method described in any possible implementation of any of the first to third aspects to be performed.

[0071] Furthermore, the technical effects of the aforementioned communication devices and systems can be referenced from the technical effects of the aforementioned communication methods, and will not be elaborated further. Attached Figure Description

[0072] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the 5GS architecture;

[0073] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the primary and backup NF architecture;

[0074] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the scenario flow for primary and backup NF;

[0075] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of NFC and NFp scenarios;

[0076] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0077] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of an application scenario of a communication system provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0078] Figure 7 is a flowchart illustrating a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0079] Figure 8 is a schematic flowchart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0080] Figure 9 is a schematic flowchart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0081] Figure 10 is a schematic flowchart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0082] Figure 11 is a schematic flowchart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0083] Figure 12 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0084] Figure 13 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0085] The technical solutions of this application embodiment can be applied to various communication systems, such as Wi-Fi wireless network systems, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication systems, device-to-device (D2D) communication systems, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication systems, fourth-generation (4G) mobile communication systems, such as long-term evolution (LTE) systems, worldwide interoperability for microwave access (WiMAX) communication systems, fifth-generation (5G) mobile communication systems, such as new radio (NR) systems, and future communication systems.

[0086] The technical terms and related technical solutions in this application will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0087] 1. 5G mobile communication system (5GS):

[0088] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the 5GS architecture. As shown in Figure 1, 5GS includes: an access network (AN) and a core network (CN), and may also include: a terminal.

[0089] The aforementioned terminals can be devices or modules that access the aforementioned communication system and have corresponding communication functions. Terminals can also be called terminal equipment, user equipment (UE), mobile station, mobile terminal, etc. Terminals can be widely used in various scenarios, such as device-to-device (D2D), vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, machine-type communication (MTC), Internet of Things (IoT), virtual reality, augmented reality, industrial control, autonomous driving, telemedicine, smart grids, smart furniture, smart offices, smart wearables, smart transportation, smart cities, etc. Terminals can be mobile phones, tablets, computers with wireless transceiver capabilities, wearable devices, vehicles, drones, helicopters, airplanes, ships, robots, robotic arms, smart home devices, transportation vehicles with wireless communication capabilities, communication modules, etc. Alternatively, terminals can also be servers, such as rack-mounted servers, server clusters, etc.

[0090] The aforementioned AN is used to implement access-related functions, providing network access capabilities for authorized users and determining transmission links of different quality levels to transmit user data based on user level, service requirements, etc. The AN forwards control signals and user data between the terminal and the CN. The AN may include access network equipment, also known as radio access network (RAN) equipment.

[0091] The Network Center (CN) is primarily responsible for maintaining the subscription data of the mobile network and providing terminals with functions such as session management, mobility management, policy management, and security authentication. The CN mainly includes all or some of the following network functions (NFs): User Plane Function (UPF), Authentication Server Function (AUSF), Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF), Session Management Function (SMF), Network Slice Selection Function (NSSF), Network Exposure Function (NEF), Network Repository Function (NRF), Policy Control Function (PCF), Unified Data Management (UDM), Unified Data Repository (UDR), and Application Function (AF).

[0092] As shown in Figure 1, the UE accesses the 5G network through the RAN device. The UE communicates with the AMF through the N1 interface (N1 for short); the RAN communicates with the AMF through the N2 interface (N2 for short); the RAN communicates with the UPF through the N3 interface (N3 for short); the SMF communicates with the UPF through the N4 interface (N4 for short); and the UPF accesses the data network (DN) through the N6 interface (N6 for short). Furthermore, the control plane functions shown in Figure 1, such as AUSF, AMF, SMF, NSSF, NEF, NRF, PCF, UDM, UDR, or AF, interact using service-oriented interfaces. For example, AUSF provides the service interface Nausf; AMF provides the service interface Namf; SMF provides the service interface Nsmf; NSSF provides the service interface Nnssf; NEF provides the service interface Nnef; NRF provides the service interface Nnrf; PCF provides the service interface Npcf; UDM provides the service interface Nudm; UDR provides the service interface Nudr; and AF provides the service interface Naf.

[0093] RAN equipment can be a base station, an evolved NodeB (eNodeB), an access point (AP), a transmission reception point (TRP), a next-generation NodeB (gNB), a base station in a future mobile communication system, or an access node in a WiFi system. RAN equipment can be a macro base station, a micro base station, an indoor station, a relay node, a donor node, or a radio controller in a cloud radio access network (CRAN) scenario. Optionally, RAN equipment can also be a server, a wearable device, a vehicle, or an in-vehicle device. For example, the access network equipment in vehicle-to-everything (V2X) technology can be a roadside unit (RSU). All or part of the functions of the RAN equipment in this application can also be implemented through software functions running on hardware, or through virtualization functions instantiated on a platform (e.g., a cloud platform). RAN equipment can also include communication modules, circuits, or chips that perform corresponding communication functions. RAN equipment can also be configured with program instructions for performing corresponding communication functions and corresponding program instructions.

[0094] The UPF is primarily responsible for user data processing (forwarding, receiving, billing, etc.). For example, the UPF can receive user data from the data network (DN) and forward it to the terminal through access network equipment. The UPF can also receive user data from the terminal through access network equipment and forward it to the DN.

[0095] AUSF is primarily used to perform security authentication for terminals.

[0096] AMF is primarily used for mobility management in mobile networks. Examples include user location updates, user network registration, and user handover.

[0097] SMF is primarily used for session management in mobile networks. This includes session establishment, modification, and release. Specific functions include assigning Internet Protocol (IP) addresses to users and selecting a UPF (User-Defined Provider) to handle packet forwarding.

[0098] The PCF primarily supports providing a unified policy framework to control network behavior, delivering policy rules to control-layer network functions, and acquiring user subscription information related to policy decisions. The PCF can provide policies to the AMF and SMF, such as Quality of Service (QoS) policies and slice selection policies.

[0099] NSSF is primarily used to select network slices for terminals.

[0100] NEF is primarily used to support the opening of capabilities and events.

[0101] UDM is primarily used to store user data, such as contract data and authentication / authorization data.

[0102] UDR is primarily used to store structured data, including contract data, policy data, externally exposed structured data, and application-related data.

[0103] The NRF is primarily responsible for the registration and discovery of NFs.

[0104] AF primarily supports interaction with CN to provide services, such as influencing data routing decisions, policy control functions, or providing third-party services to the network side.

[0105] In the above-mentioned NFs, if one NF requests a service and another NF responds to the request and provides the corresponding service, then the NF requesting the service can be called the NF consumer (NFc), and the NF providing the service can be called the NF producer (NFp).

[0106] 2. Primary and backup NF:

[0107] As shown in Figure 2, when one NFp provides services to an NFc, that NFp can be the primary NFp. In this case, there can also be a backup NFp (denoted as the backup NFp) to continue providing services to the NFc if the primary NFp ceases to provide services. For example, the primary NFp can save the service context to an unstructured data storage function (UDSF) according to pre-configured conditions or periodic triggering. When the primary NFp ceases to provide services to the NFc, the NFc can request services from the backup NFp. Responding to this request, the backup NFp can obtain the service context from the UDSF and continue providing services to the NFc based on the service context.

[0108] As shown in Figure 3, taking NFc as the RAN device and NFp as the AMF as an example, the specific process is as follows:

[0109] The S300 RAN device pre-configures the addresses of AMF#1 and AMF#2, and establishes Stream Control Transmission Protocol (SCTP) connections with AMF#1 and AMF#2 respectively.

[0110] S301, the RAN device sends an NG setup request message #1 to AMF#1.

[0111] S302, AMF#1 sends NG setup response message #1 to the RAN device.

[0112] The NG establishment response message #1 may include the identifier associated with AMF #1, such as a globally unique AMF identifier (GUAMI). At this time, the RAN device cannot determine whether AMF #1 is the primary AMF or the backup AMF.

[0113] S303, the RAN device sends an NG establishment request message #2 to AMF#2.

[0114] S304, AMF#2 sends NG setup response message #2 to the RAN device.

[0115] NG establishment response message #2 may include the aforementioned GUAMI and indication information, such as backup AMF indication information. This GUAMI can also be associated with AMF#2 to jointly indicate with the backup AMF indication information that AMF#2 can serve as a backup AMF for AMF#1 associated with the GUAMI. In other words, at this time, the RAN device can determine that AMF#1 is the primary AMF and AMF#2 is the backup AMF.

[0116] Subsequently, the RAN device interacts with AMF#1 to provide services, such as mobility management services, to the RAN device via AMF#1. When the RAN device determines that AMF#1 will no longer provide services, such as when the connection between the RAN device and AMF#1 is interrupted or AMF#1 needs to be taken offline due to troubleshooting, upgrades, or other reasons, the RAN device can continue to interact with AMF#2 to continue providing services to the RAN device via AMF#2.

[0117] As can be seen from the above introduction, in the primary and backup NF scheme, the NFc needs to be pre-configured with the backup NFp information, such as the address. Since the number of NFcs is large, pre-configuring the backup NFp information undoubtedly increases the workload of network management, and it has poor flexibility, cannot dynamically adapt to network changes, has limited stability improvement, and cannot cope with the situation where both the primary NFp and the backup NFp fail.

[0118] 3. NFC and NFP:

[0119] An NFc is provided by a specific NFp. When that NFp fails, the NFc needs to select another NFp to continue requesting service. As shown in Figure 4, in some special cases, multiple NFcs may provide services to the same service requesting NFp. For example, NFc#1 and NFc#2 may initiate session modification for the same session of the same UE. These NFcs may then select different NFp, such as NFp#1 and NFp#2 providing services for the same service. In this case, it is necessary to ensure the synchronization of the service context. One possible approach is for the UDSF to decide how to handle the UE's context. For instance, after an NFp processes a service request, it needs to promptly update the service context to the UDSF so that another NFp can obtain the latest upper limit of the service and process the service request. However, this design is complex and difficult to guarantee reliability. Furthermore, as a non-standardized data storage network element, the UDSF is unlikely to possess the aforementioned complex logical functions.

[0120] To address the aforementioned technical problems, this application proposes the following technical solutions. The technical solutions in this application will now be described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0121] This application will present various aspects, embodiments, or features relating to systems that may include multiple devices, components, modules, etc. It should be understood and appreciated that individual systems may include additional devices, components, modules, etc., and / or may not include all the devices, components, modules, etc. discussed in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Furthermore, combinations of these approaches are also possible.

[0122] Furthermore, in the embodiments of this application, words such as "exemplarily" and "for example" are used to indicate that something is an example, illustration, or description. Any embodiment or design that is described as an "example" in this application should not be construed as being better or more advantageous than other embodiments or designs. Rather, the use of the word "example" is intended to present the concept in a specific manner.

[0123] First, in this application, "for indicating" can include both direct and indirect indication. When describing "information" for indicating A, it can include whether the information directly indicates A or indirectly indicates A, but does not necessarily mean that the information carries A.

[0124] The information indicated by a given piece of information is called the information to be indicated. In the specific implementation process, there are many ways to indicate the information to be indicated, such as, but not limited to, directly indicating the information to be indicated, such as the information to be indicated itself or its index. It can also be indirectly indicated by indicating other information, where there is a relationship between the other information and the information to be indicated. It can also indicate only a part of the information to be indicated, while the other parts are known or pre-agreed upon. For example, the indication of specific information can be achieved by using a pre-agreed (e.g., protocol-defined) arrangement of various pieces of information, thereby reducing the indication overhead to some extent. At the same time, common parts of various pieces of information can be identified and indicated uniformly to reduce the indication overhead caused by individually indicating the same information.

[0125] Furthermore, the specific indication method can also be any existing indication method, such as, but not limited to, the above-mentioned indication methods and their various combinations. Specific details of various indication methods can be found in existing technologies, and will not be repeated here. As described above, for example, when multiple pieces of information of the same type need to be indicated, the indication methods for different pieces of information may differ. In the specific implementation process, the required indication method can be selected according to specific needs. This application embodiment does not limit the selected indication method; therefore, the indication methods involved in this application embodiment should be understood to cover various methods that enable the party to be indicated to obtain the information to be indicated.

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

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

[0128] Fourth, the “protocol” involved in the embodiments of this application may refer to standard protocols in the field of communication, such as 3GPP’s LTE protocols (such as technical specification (TS) 36, i.e., the TS36 series of technical specifications), NR protocols (such as the TS38 series of technical specifications), and related protocols applied to future communication systems. This application does not limit this.

[0129] The network architecture and business scenarios described in the embodiments of this application are for the purpose of more clearly illustrating the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, and do not constitute a limitation on the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of this application. As those skilled in the art will know, with the evolution of network architecture and the emergence of new business scenarios, the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of this application are also applicable to similar technical problems.

[0130] The network architecture and business scenarios described in the embodiments of this application are for the purpose of more clearly illustrating the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, and do not constitute a limitation on the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of this application. As those skilled in the art will know, with the evolution of network architecture and the emergence of new business scenarios, the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of this application are also applicable to similar technical problems.

[0131] To facilitate understanding of the embodiments of this application, the communication system applicable to the embodiments of this application will be described in detail first using the communication system shown in FIG5 as an example. For example, FIG5 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system to which the method provided in the embodiments of this application applies.

[0132] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of the communication system, which mainly includes the first network element, the second network element, and the physical entity.

[0133] The first network element provides communication proxy functions for network elements in the network element set. That is, the first network element can act as a proxy for communication between network elements in the network element set and network elements / devices outside the network element set, so as to shield the information of network elements in the network element set / changes of network elements from the outside, reduce signaling overhead, and avoid service interruption caused by network element changes.

[0134] For example, for network elements / devices outside the network element set, these network elements / devices may only know that they are communicating and interacting with the first network element, or they may know that they are communicating and interacting with network elements within the network element set through the first network element, but they do not know which network elements / devices in the network element set they are communicating and interacting with, nor can they obtain specific information about the network elements within the network element set, thereby reducing the risk of information exposure.

[0135] The first network element can also be responsible for managing and maintaining the network elements in the network element set. For example, the first network element can maintain information about the network elements in the set, such as their addresses, identifiers, or capabilities. It can also perform routing control, such as sending information to the corresponding network elements in the set. Furthermore, it can support the management of network elements within the set, such as flexible scaling up and down, and canary upgrades. In addition, the first network element typically does not execute the business logic of the network elements within the set. In this case, introducing new business logic usually only requires upgrading the network elements within the set, thus meeting the network's requirements for agility and flexibility.

[0136] It should be understood that, referring to network front-end technology, the first network element can be called a front-end (FE) network element, or it can be replaced with any other network element with a possible name, such as a proxy network element, a communication proxy network element, etc., without specific restrictions. When the first network element is an FE network element, the network elements in the network element set can also be called back-end network elements, back-end NFs, back-end instances, or back-end NF instances, etc., without specific restrictions.

[0137] The network elements in a network element set are typically of the same type. For example, multiple AMFs can form a network element set, or multiple SMFs can also form a network element set. The network elements in a network element set can be non-homogeneous. For example, at least two network elements in the set can support different services and / or characteristics to achieve flexible and differentiated services. For details, please refer to the relevant descriptions in the following method embodiments, which will not be repeated here.

[0138] It should also be understood that network elements in a set of network elements can also be called network functions or network function instances, and a set of network elements can also be called a set of network functions (NF set) or a set of network function instances (NF instance set).

[0139] The second network element can be a network element in the network element set, such as a network element in the network element set that supports the service of the first entity.

[0140] An entity in a communication system can be either a first entity or a second entity. The first entity can be a terminal, or a network-side device such as an access network device, or a network-side element such as an NFC. For details, please refer to the relevant introduction to 5GS above; further details will not be repeated here. The second entity can be a network element / device serving the first entity. For example, if the first entity is a terminal, the second entity could be the access network device accessing that terminal / the network element serving that terminal, etc., or the first entity could be a remote terminal, and the second entity could be a relay terminal establishing a PC5 connection with the remote terminal.

[0141] The interaction between various network elements / entities in this communication system will be briefly described below with reference to Figure 6.

[0142] As shown in Figure 6, when a first entity / second entity sends a message to a first network element requesting service for the first entity's business, the first network element can select a network element, such as the second network element, from the network element set to provide the service. This decouples the network element providing the service from the entity requesting the service, enabling more flexible service provision. Furthermore, the first network element can associate the identification information assigned to the service with the second network element and send the identification information to the first and / or second entities. Therefore, when the first and / or second entities subsequently send messages to the first network element requesting service for the first entity's business, these messages can carry the identification information. The first network element can then route the message to the associated second network element based on this identification information, allowing the second network element to continue providing the service and improving service reliability.

[0143] It should also be understood that Figures 5 and 6 are simplified schematic diagrams for ease of understanding only. This communication system may also include other network elements / devices / terminals, which are not shown in Figures 5 and 6. Furthermore, the solutions in the embodiments of this application can also be applied to other communication systems, and the corresponding names can be replaced by the names of the corresponding functions in other communication systems, without specific limitations.

[0144] The interaction process between network elements in the above-mentioned communication system will be specifically described below with reference to Figure 7 and through method embodiments. The communication method provided in this application embodiment can be applied to the above-mentioned communication system, such as the interaction between the first entity / second entity, the first network element, and the second network element, which will be described in detail below.

[0145] As shown in Figure 7, the flow of this communication method is as follows:

[0146] S701, the first network element receives the first message.

[0147] The first message is used to request services for the business of the first entity, which will be referred to as "business" below.

[0148] For example, the first message may include at least one of the following: information about the first entity, information about the business, or information about the service.

[0149] Information about the first entity can be used to identify the first entity, such as including its identifier. For example, if the first entity is a terminal, the terminal's identifier could be a subscription permanent identifier (SUPI), a subscription concealed identifier (SUCI), a globally unique temporary identity (GUTI), or a newly defined identifier in the future, without specific restrictions. As another example, if the first entity is an NFC, such as an AMF, the AMF's identifier could be the GUAMI associated with the AMF, or a newly defined identifier in the future, without specific restrictions. The information about the first entity can also include other information about the first entity, such as its address / port number.

[0150] Service information can be used to indicate services. For example, if the first entity is a terminal, the terminal's service could be a low-latency extended reality (XR) service; therefore, the service information could include the data network name (DNN) and / or slice information. As another example, if the first entity is an access network device / element, the access network device / element's service could be a service requesting a certain network element to analyze its data; therefore, the service information could include the identifiers of this data and / or the data itself, without specific limitations. Furthermore, service information can also include other information, such as the type of service.

[0151] A service refers to the service provided by the network to a business. It can also be called a Network Function Service (NF service) or any other possible name without specific limitations. The service can be business-related, and different businesses can correspond to different services. For example, if the first entity is a terminal, the network typically needs to establish or update sessions for the terminal's XR services, such as Protocol Data Unit (PDU) sessions. Therefore, this service can be a session establishment service, such as the PDU session management context creation service (Nsmf_PDUSession_SMContextCreate service), or a session modification service. Another example is if the first entity is an access network device / element, and the network can analyze the data from the access network device / element; therefore, this service can be a data analysis service. Yet another example is if the first entity is an access network device serving the terminal, and the access network device can initiate a handover process, allowing the terminal to move between different access network devices; therefore, this service can be a mobility management service.

[0152] Information about the service can be used to instruct / request the service.

[0153] For example, service information may include an information type. An information type can have different values ​​to indicate / request different services; for example, a value of 0 indicates session establishment, and a value of 1 indicates session modification. Alternatively, an information type can have different types / names to indicate / request different services; for example, type 0 indicates session establishment, and type 1 indicates session modification. Of course, the information type is only one exemplary implementation; services can also be indicated / requested by other information, such as message types, non-access stratum signaling types (NAS types), or newly defined information, without specific limitations.

[0154] It should be understood that the above are some examples of services and are not intended to be limiting. A service should be understood as any possible business of the first entity, and a service should be understood as any possible service that the network can provide for that service.

[0155] The first message may also include identification information.

[0156] Identification information can be used by the first network element to perform routing operations, such as sending a service-related message (e.g., a first message) to a network element in the network element set that serves the same service. Identification information can be associated with a service / service set; that is, it can be understood as information at the service or service set granularity. The service belongs to the service set. When different network elements in the network element set serve the same service / service within the same service set, the first network element can reuse this identification information to perform routing operations, thereby reducing routing complexity. For ease of understanding, the following explanation uses service granularity as an example.

[0157] The identification information may include at least one of the following: temporary identifier, identifier of the first entity, identifier of the first entity + temporary identifier, identifier of the first network element + temporary identifier, service information + temporary identifier, or service information + identifier of the first network element, network element set ID (NF Set ID) + temporary identifier, identifier of the first network element + identifier of the second network element + temporary identifier, etc. The temporary identifier can be an identifier temporarily assigned for a service, such as a random string. The "+" sign can be understood as processing two pieces of information together. For example, "identifier of the first entity + temporary identifier" means concatenating the identifier of the first entity with the temporary identifier to obtain the identification information, or concatenating the identifier of the first entity with the temporary identifier and then hashing it to obtain the identification information. Similarly, "service information + temporary identifier" means concatenating the type of service with the temporary identifier to obtain the identification information, or concatenating the type of service with the temporary identifier and then hashing it to obtain the identification information.

[0158] The first entity / second entity can obtain the identification information and send the first message to the first network element.

[0159] The type / name of the first message can be related to the type of the first / second entity and the service requested by the first message.

[0160] Taking the first entity as an example, the second entity can be understood with reference to this. The type of the first entity is a terminal, and the type of the first message can be a message exchanged between the terminal and a network element, such as a non-access stratum (NAS) message. If the terminal requests an XR service update session, meaning the service requested by the first message is a session modification service, then the specific name of the NAS message can be a session modification request message, or a message with a newly defined name in the future, without specific restrictions. Alternatively, the type of the first entity is an access network device / network element, and the type of the first message can be a message exchanged between the access network device / network element and other network elements, such as an Nx message. If the access network device / network element requests analysis of its data, meaning the service requested by the first message is a data analysis service, then the specific name of the Nx message can be a data analysis request message, or a message with a newly defined name in the future, without specific restrictions.

[0161] The first entity and the second entity may obtain identification information in different ways, which will be described in detail below in cases A and B.

[0162] Scenario A: The first entity obtains the identification information and sends the first message to the first network element.

[0163] For example, prior to S701, identification information could be allocated by the first network element or by the network element serving the service (such as the second network element) and provided to the first network element upon the first entity's prior request for service provision. The first network element would then send its own information and identification information to the first entity. For details, please refer to the relevant descriptions in S700a-S700c below, which will not be repeated here. Correspondingly, the first entity could associate the identification information with the service information (referred to as service information), such as associating and saving the service context with the identification information.

[0164] Therefore, in S701, the first entity can obtain the identification information associated with the information of the service.

[0165] For example, if a first entity needs the network to continue providing services or to provide new services, the first entity can obtain the identification information associated with the service context. Then, the first entity can encapsulate the identification information and the information of the first network element into a first message and send the first message to the first network element. The first message can be routed to the first network element through an intermediate network element. The intermediate network element can be an AMF (Advanced Management Function), a Core Network Portal Function (CN Portal Function, CPF), or a newly defined network element in the future; no specific limitations are imposed. For example, an intermediate network element can send the first message to the first network element based on the information of the first network element contained in the first message.

[0166] It should be understood that in case A, if the first message can be sent directly from the first entity to the first network element, that is, the first message is not routed to the first network element through an intermediate network element, the first entity may choose not to encapsulate the information of the first network element into the first message, or may still encapsulate the information of the first network element into the first message. This application embodiment does not impose any restrictions.

[0167] Scenario B: The second entity obtains the identification information and sends the first message to the first network element.

[0168] In one possible approach, prior to S701, the identification information can be allocated by the first network element or by the network element serving the service (such as the second network element) and provided to the first network element upon the first entity's prior request to provide service for the service. The first network element then sends its own information along with the identification information to the second entity. For details, please refer to the relevant descriptions in S700a-S700b and S700d below, which will not be repeated here. Correspondingly, the second entity can associate the identification information with the service information, such as associating and saving the service's context with the identification information.

[0169] Therefore, in S701, the second entity can obtain the identification information associated with the information of the service.

[0170] For example, if a second entity determines that the network needs to provide services for a service, the second entity can obtain identification information based on the context of that service. The second entity can then encapsulate this identification information and information about the first network element into a first message and send the first message to the first network element. In this case, the first message can be routed to the first network element through an intermediate network element. For instance, an intermediate network element can send the first message to the first network element based on the information about the first network element contained within it.

[0171] In another possible approach, prior to S701, the identification information can be allocated by the first network element or by the network element serving the service (such as the second network element) and provided to the first network element if the first entity requests the service in advance. The first or second network element can also register the information of the service with the data storage network element. The information of the service includes the identification information and the information of the first network element. For details, please refer to the relevant introductions of S700a-S700b and S700e below, which will not be repeated here.

[0172] Therefore, in S701, the second entity can obtain service information from the data storage network element.

[0173] For example, if a second entity decides that it needs the network to provide services, it can request service information from a data storage network element. For instance, the second entity can send a message to the data storage network element requesting service information. This message can contain the identifier of the first entity, allowing the data storage network element to send the service information to the second entity. The second entity can obtain the identifier and the first network element's information from the service information, encapsulate these information into a first message, and then send the first message to the first network element. The first message can be routed to the first network element via an intermediate network element. For example, an intermediate network element can send the first message to the first network element based on the first network element's information contained in the first message.

[0174] It should be understood that the first entity can also obtain business information from data storage network elements, in a similar principle to the second entity.

[0175] It should be understood that in case B, if the first message can be sent directly to the first network element by the second entity, that is, the first message is not routed to the first network element through an intermediate network element, the second entity may choose not to encapsulate the information of the first network element into the first message, or may still encapsulate the information of the first network element into the first message. This application embodiment does not impose any restrictions.

[0176] It should also be understood that, for cases A and B, the encapsulation / type / name of the first message received by the intermediate network element and the first message sent by the intermediate network element can be the same, that is, the intermediate network element directly forwards the first message. Alternatively, the encapsulation / type / name of the first message received by the intermediate network element and the third message sent by the intermediate network element can be different, that is, the intermediate network element can encapsulate part or all of the content of the received first message (such as denoted as first message #1) into a new message (such as denoted as first message #2). For example, first message #2 may not contain the information of the first network element compared to first message #1, and then first message #2 is sent to the first network element.

[0177] S702, the first network element determines the second network element associated with the identification information from the network element set based on the first message.

[0178] It should be understood that when the first network element obtains the identification information in advance, it associates the identification information with the second network element. For details on how to save the identification information associated with the information of the second network element, please refer to S700a-S700b below, which will not be elaborated here. Therefore, in S702, the first network element can respond to the first message carrying identification information, determine that there is information of the second network element in the network element set that is associated with the identification information in the first message, and thus determine to perform routing to the second network element, that is, execute S703 below.

[0179] S703, the first network element sends a second message to the second network element.

[0180] The second message is used to request the second network element to provide services for the service, and may include the content of the first message mentioned above. The second message and the first message may be the same message or different messages, such as any possible messages exchanged between the first and second network elements, without specific restrictions.

[0181] The second network element can respond to the second message, provide services for the service, and send a response to the first network element for that service, denoted as response #1. Response #1 can be used to indicate the result of the second network element's service for that service. For example, the first entity is a terminal, the second network element modifies the session for the terminal, and returns response #1 indicating the success / failure of the session modification to the first entity. Another example is that the first entity is an access network device / network element, the second network element provides data analysis services to the access network device / network element, that is, analyzes the data of the access network device / network element, and then returns response #1 carrying the analysis results to the first network element. Thus, the first network element can send response #1 to the first entity. Yet another example is that the first entity is an access network device, the second network element is an access and mobility management network element (such as AMF) or a session management network element (such as SMF), the access network device can request a path handover operation for the terminal, the access and mobility management network element or the session management network element can respond to the request, sending the path handover response #1 to the first network element, thus the first network element can send response #1 to the first entity.

[0182] In summary, when the first entity requests to provide services for a service, the first network element, acting as a communication proxy for network elements in the network element set, can route the service request message to the network element in the network element set that supports the service based on the identification information. This not only decouples the network element providing the service from the entity requesting the service, enabling more flexible service provision, but also improves service reliability by implementing routing through the identification information.

[0183] Combining the above methods, before S701, the first network element can obtain identification information, which will be specifically introduced below through S700a-S700b.

[0184] In S700a, the first network element obtains identification information from the second network element.

[0185] The first network element can obtain identification information from the second network element during the process of requesting to provide services. This can be achieved through the following steps:

[0186] Step A: The first entity sends the third message, and the first network element receives the third message.

[0187] The third message is used to request services for a business. This business can be the same as the business in S701, or it can be the same as or a different service. The type / name of the third message can be related to the type of the first entity and the service requested by the third message, similar to the first message described above. Please refer to the explanation for further details. Furthermore, since step A is executed before S701, the first entity has not yet obtained the identification information at this time; therefore, the third message does not contain the aforementioned identification information.

[0188] The following section uses the first entity as a terminal or access network device / network element as an example to introduce step A in cases 1-2.

[0189] Case 1: The first entity is the terminal.

[0190] The terminal can first send a third message to the intermediate network element, and then the intermediate network element can send the third message to the first network element.

[0191] For example, the terminal can first send a third message to the second entity, such as the access network device to which the terminal is connected, or the terminal being a remote terminal and the second entity being a relay terminal that has established a PC5 connection with the remote terminal. At this point, the second entity can continue to send a third message from the terminal, such as sending a third message to an intermediate network element.

[0192] Intermediate network elements can pre-configure or pre-define information about the first network element, such as its address and / or identifier. Alternatively, intermediate network elements can obtain the first network element's information by discovering it. For example, an intermediate network element can send a request message to the NRF. The request message can include the type of the discovered network element, such as the type of network element in the network element set, and the capability requirements for the discovered network element, such as needing to support the service requested by the third message. The NRF pre-configures the types of network elements in the network element set, the capabilities of the network elements in the network element set, and the correspondence between the first network element and the network element set. Thus, if the type of the network element in the network element set is the type of the discovered network element, and the capabilities of the network elements in the network element set support the service requested by the third message, the NRF can return the information of the first network element to the intermediate network element based on the correspondence.

[0193] It should be understood that the above is based on NRF as an example. NRF can also be replaced by other network elements, such as newly defined network elements / functions in the future.

[0194] For an intermediate network element, upon obtaining information from the first network element, the intermediate network element can send the received third message to the first network element based on that information, thereby routing the third message to the first network element. It should be understood that the encapsulation / type / name of the third message received by the intermediate network element and the third message sent by the intermediate network element can be the same, meaning the intermediate network element directly forwards the third message. Alternatively, the encapsulation / type / name of the third message received by the intermediate network element and the third message sent by the intermediate network element can be different, meaning the intermediate network element can encapsulate part or all of the received third message (e.g., denoted as third message #1) into a new message (e.g., denoted as third message #2). For example, third message #2 may not contain information from the first network element compared to third message #1, and then third message #2 is sent to the first network element.

[0195] Case 2: The first entity is an access network device / network element.

[0196] Access network devices / network elements can directly send third messages to the first network element.

[0197] For example, access network devices / network elements can pre-configure the information of the first network element, or obtain the information of the first network element in advance by interacting with network elements in the network element set; or, access network devices / network elements can also obtain the information of the first network element by discovering the first network element. The principle of access network devices / network elements discovering the first network element is similar to that of the intermediate network element mentioned above, and can be understood by reference, and will not be elaborated here.

[0198] Alternatively, the access network device / network element can first send a third message to the intermediate network element, which then sends the third message to the first network element. In this case, the implementation principle of the intermediate network element is similar to that of case 1 above, and can be understood by reference. It will not be elaborated here.

[0199] It should be understood that in step A, the first entity can also be replaced by the second entity, that is, the second entity serving the first entity requests the network to provide services for the business. The specific implementation principle is similar to that of the first entity, and will not be repeated here.

[0200] Step B: The first network element determines the second network element that supports the service from the network element set based on the third message.

[0201] The first network element can determine the second network element supporting the service from the network element set based on at least one of the following information: the type / name of the third message, or the fact that the third message does not carry identification information. These will be described in detail below.

[0202] A) The type / name of the third message can indicate that the service requested by the third message is a new service, such as session establishment service. This means that no network element in the network element set has provided services for this service yet. Therefore, the first network element needs to select a network element from the network element set to provide services for this service, which triggers the first network element to perform the network element selection process.

[0203] B) Since the identification information is information allocated to provide services for the service, if the third message does not carry the identification information, then no network element in the network element set has provided services for the service. Therefore, the first network element also needs to select a network element from the network element set to provide services for the service, that is, to trigger the first network element to perform the network element selection process.

[0204] The following describes how the first network element performs the network element selection process:

[0205] The first network element can pre-configure or obtain the capabilities of network elements in the network element set in advance, such as network elements in the set registering their own identifiers and capabilities with the first network element in advance. The first network element can provide services to the service based on the capabilities of the network elements in the set and the third message request, determining whether any network element in the set has the capability to support the service. If the second network element in the set has the capability to support services including those for the service, then the second network element supports the service, meaning the first network element can determine that the network element supporting the service is the second network element.

[0206] Optionally, the first network element may also consider the information of the first entity when selecting a network element.

[0207] For example, some services of the first entity need to be executed by specific network elements in the network element set. The first network element can pre-configure the correspondence between the information of the first entity and these network elements. Based on the information of the first entity contained in the third message, the first network element can first determine the network element corresponding to the information of the first entity from the network element set, and then determine the second network element that supports the service from these network elements.

[0208] Step C: The first network element sends a fourth message to the second network element, and the first network element receives the fourth message from the first network element.

[0209] The fourth message is used to request the second network element to provide services, such as including the content of the third message mentioned above. The fourth message and the third message can be the same message or different messages, such as any possible messages exchanged between the first and second network elements, without specific restrictions.

[0210] In step D, the second network element sends identification information to the first network element based on the fourth message from the first network element. Correspondingly, the first network element receives the identification information allocated by the second network element for the service.

[0211] The second network element can assign identification information to services based on the fourth message.

[0212] For example, the second network element can assign identification information to the service based on at least one of the following: the type / name of the fourth message, the fourth message does not carry identification information, or the second network element does not have the context of the first entity, which will be described in detail below.

[0213] 1) The type / name of the fourth message can indicate that the service requested by the fourth message is a new service, such as session establishment service, which means that the second network element has not yet provided services for this service, and therefore has not yet assigned identification information to this service.

[0214] 2) Since the identification information is allocated to provide services for the service, if the fourth message does not carry identification information, it means that the second network element has not yet provided services for the service, and therefore has not yet allocated identification information for the service.

[0215] 3) The context of the first entity can be the context of a service, such as the context of the aforementioned session, or the context of data analysis, without specific limitations. The second network element can provide services for the service based on the fourth message request. It can determine whether the second network element locally stores the context of the service, or whether it can obtain the context of the service from the network element used to store the service context (such as UDSF). If not, it means that the second network element has not yet provided services for the service, and therefore has not yet allocated identification information for the service.

[0216] Therefore, the second network element can assign identification information to services.

[0217] For example, the second network element can generate a temporary identifier and use the temporary identifier as the identification information, or use the identifier of the first entity as the identification information, or use the identifier of the first network element plus the temporary identifier as the identification information, or use the service information plus the temporary identifier as the identification information, or use the service information plus the identifier of the first network element as the identification information, etc. For the specific implementation principle, please refer to the relevant introduction of the identification information above, which will not be repeated here.

[0218] The second network element can also send identification information to the first network element.

[0219] For example, the second network element can send a response to the first network element regarding a service, such as response #2. Response #2 can be used to indicate the result of the second network element's service for that service. The specific principle is similar to that of response #1, which can be understood by referring to it, and will not be repeated here. Response #2 can also contain identification information. Optionally, response #2 can also include information about the second network element, such as the identifier and / or address of the second network element. That is to say, the second network element can reuse the service process to pass the identification information to the first network element to reduce additional signaling overhead.

[0220] For example, the second network element can also send identification information to the first network element independently. This identification information can be carried in a separate message / signaling, such as a creation message or any other potentially named message, to decouple it from response feedback. The feedback of identification information can be more flexible; for example, the identification information can be sent to the first network element before the response is generated. Optionally, this message / signaling can also include information about the second network element, such as its identifier and / or address.

[0221] Optionally, the second network element can also associate service information with identification information. For example, the service information may include the service context. The second network element can generate / obtain the service context during the service process, thereby associating the service context with the identification information. For instance, the second network element can establish an association between the service context (such as the service identifier, the identifier of the service context, or other information in the service context that may be used to indicate the service, such as information indicating the type of service combined with the identifier of the first entity to indicate the service) and the identification information to explicitly indicate the association between the identification information and the service context. Alternatively, the second network element can also save the identification information in the service context to implicitly indicate the association between the identification information and the service context through the inclusion of identification information in the service context.

[0222] For the first network element:

[0223] When the first network element receives the identification information provided by the second network element, the first network element can associate the identification information with the second network element, such as associating and saving the information of the second network element with the identification information for subsequent routing use, thereby improving the reliability of the service.

[0224] It should be understood that in the above-mentioned AD process, since the identification information can be allocated and provided to the first network element by the network element serving the service, compared with the method of the first network element allocating it itself, the processing overhead of the first network element is reduced, the operating efficiency is improved, and core network resources are saved.

[0225] In S700b, the first network element assigns identification information to services.

[0226] The first network element can assign identification information to a service during the process of requesting to provide services, which can be achieved through the following steps 1-3:

[0227] Step 1: The first entity sends the third message. Correspondingly, the first network element receives the third message.

[0228] The third message is used to request services to be provided for the business.

[0229] It should be understood that the specific implementation of the third message can also refer to the relevant introduction in step A above, and will not be repeated here.

[0230] Step 2: The first network element determines the second network element that supports the service from the network element set based on the third message, and assigns identification information to the service.

[0231] The principle of determining the second network element from the first network element can be found in the relevant introduction in step B above, and will not be repeated here.

[0232] The first network element can generate a temporary identifier and use it as identification information, or use the identifier of the first entity as identification information, or use the identifier of the first network element plus the temporary identifier as identification information, or use the service information plus the temporary identifier as identification information, or use the service information plus the identifier of the first network element as identification information, etc. For specific implementation principles, please refer to the relevant introduction to identification information above, which will not be repeated here. The first network element can also associate identification information with a second network element, such as associating and storing the information of the second network element with this identification information. That is, the first network element can choose to allocate identification information when it selects a second network element to provide services for the service, so that the allocated identification information can be associated with the second network element.

[0233] Step 3: The first network element sends the fourth message to the second network element.

[0234] The fourth message is used to request the second network element to provide services for the service. If it includes the content of the third message mentioned above, the specific implementation can be found in the relevant description of step C above, and will not be repeated here. In addition, in step 3, the fourth message may also include identification information, so that the second network element can carry the identification information in the fourth message and not perform the operation of allocating identification information for the service, and can also associate the service information with the identification information. For details, please refer to the relevant description of step D above, and will not be repeated here.

[0235] It should be understood that in the process of steps 1-3 above, compared with the method of allocating identification information by the network element serving the service and providing it to the first network element, communication overhead can be reduced and communication efficiency can be improved.

[0236] In conjunction with the above method, after S700a / S700b, the method may further include:

[0237] In S700c, the first network element sends identification information to the first entity.

[0238] The first network element can send a service-related response #2 to the first entity, and the response #2 may include identification information.

[0239] For example, in the S700a scheme, the identification information can be carried in response #2 by the second network element. The first network element can directly send response #2 to the first entity. Alternatively, if the second network element sends the identification information separately to the first network element, the first network element can first encapsulate the received identification information into response #2 and then send response #2 to the first entity. Or, in the S700b scheme, the first network element can encapsulate the identification information allocated by the first network element into response #2 and then send response #2 to the first entity. Alternatively, the identification information can be received by the second network element and carried in response #2, and the first network element can directly send response #2 to the first entity. In this way, the first network element returns the identification information through the multiplexing service process, thereby reducing additional signaling overhead.

[0240] Identification information can also be carried separately in the message to decouple it from the service process, making the transmission of identification information more flexible.

[0241] For the first entity:

[0242] The first entity can receive response #2 and associate the identification information contained in response #2 with the service information. Alternatively, the first entity can also associate the separately received identification information with the service information. For example, the first entity can establish an association between the service context (such as the service identifier, the identifier of the service context, or other information in the service context that may be used to indicate the service, such as information indicating the type of service combined with the first entity's identifier to indicate the service) and the identification information to explicitly indicate that the identification information is associated with the service context. Alternatively, the first entity can save the identification information in the service context to implicitly indicate that the identification information is associated with the service context through the identification information contained in the service context.

[0243] In this way, when the first entity requests to provide services for a service, it can include identification information so that the message used to request services for that service can be routed to the network element that provides the service, such as the second network element, thereby improving the reliability of the service. For details, please refer to S701, which will not be elaborated here.

[0244] In S700c, the first network element can also send its information to the first entity. For example, the information can be carried in response #2 or sent to the first entity via a separate signaling / message. Of course, if the first network element does not send its information to the first entity, the first entity can still obtain the information of the first network element through network element discovery when executing S701 above. The specific principle can be referred to the relevant introduction in step A above, and will not be repeated here.

[0245] In conjunction with the above method, after S700a / S700b, the method may further include:

[0246] S700d: The first network element sends identification information to the second entity.

[0247] The first network element can send identification information and response #2 to the second entity. Response #2 can be found in the relevant introduction to S700c.

[0248] For example, identification information and response #2 can be carried in the same message. This message can be an interaction between the first network element and the second entity. For instance, if the second entity is an access network device, the message can be an N2 message between the first network element and the access network device. Or, if the second entity is a relay terminal, the message can be a NAS message between the first network element and the relay terminal. The second entity can receive response #2 and identification information, associate the identification information with service information, and send response #2 to the first entity.

[0249] It should be understood that the association of identification information with business information by the second entity can be found in the relevant introduction of the first entity, and will not be repeated here.

[0250] Identification information can also be carried separately in the message to decouple it from the service process, making the transmission of identification information more flexible.

[0251] In this way, when the second entity requests to provide services for the service, it can include identification information so that the corresponding message can be routed to the network element that provides the service, thereby improving the reliability of the service. For details, please refer to S701, which will not be elaborated here.

[0252] In S700d, the first network element can also send its information to the second entity. For example, the information of the first network element can be carried in the same message as the identification information, or sent to the second entity through a separate signaling / message. Of course, if the first network element does not send its information to the second entity, the second entity can still obtain the information of the first network element through network element discovery when executing S701 above. The specific principle can be referred to the relevant introduction in step A above, and will not be repeated here.

[0253] In conjunction with the above method, after S700a / S700b, the method may further include:

[0254] In S700e, the first network element obtains service information from the network element serving the service and registers the service information and the information of the first network element into the data storage network element.

[0255] The network element serving this service can be a second network element or other network elements in the network element set, without specific restrictions.

[0256] Data storage network elements can be UDMs or newly defined network elements in the future, without specific restrictions. Service information can include the service context and identification information.

[0257] When a first network element obtains service information, it can first encapsulate its own information into the service information, and then send the service information to the data storage network element. This registers both the service information and the first network element's information with the data storage network element. Alternatively, the first network element can send the obtained service information and its own information separately to the data storage network element. The data storage network element can then associate and save the first network element's information with the service information, thus also registering both the service information and the first network element's information with the data storage network element.

[0258] Thus, when the first entity / second entity requests to provide services for the service, it can obtain identification information from the data storage network element and carry it in the corresponding message so that the message can be routed to the network element that provides the service, thereby improving the reliability of the service. For details, please refer to S701, which will not be elaborated here.

[0259] It should be understood that the above S700e is an example and not a limitation. For example, S700e can also be replaced by execution by the second network element, such as the second network element first obtaining the information of the first network element, and then registering the service information and the information of the first network element to the data storage network element.

[0260] In conjunction with the above method, after S703, the method may further include:

[0261] S704, if the second network element no longer serves the service, the first network element determines the third network element that supports the service and associates the identification information with the information of the third network element.

[0262] The third network element is a network element in the network element set, such as a network element that is different from the second network element.

[0263] The first network element can determine on its own whether the second network element will no longer serve the service, or the second network element can instruct the second network element to no longer serve the service. These methods are described below using methods 1 and 2.

[0264] Method 1:

[0265] The first network element sends a first instruction message to the second network element, and the second network element receives the first instruction message from the first network element.

[0266] For example, the first indication information can be used to instruct the second network element to no longer serve a service, such as by indicating the second network element to no longer serve the service through the type / name of the information. As an example, the name of the first indication information can be a stateless command, or any other possible name, without limitation. The first indication information may also include identification information. The second network element can determine that it will no longer serve the service based on the association between the identification information carried in the first indication information and the service information, and because the first indication information is a stateless command. When the second network element no longer serves the service of the first entity, it can also release the service information associated with the identification information to improve the operating efficiency of the second network element and save core network resources.

[0267] It should be understood that there are multiple ways for the first network element to determine that the second network element is no longer serving the service, such as not receiving a response from the second network element regarding the service within a timeout period, not sending a message to the second network element within a timeout period, or receiving an instruction from the network management system that the second network element is no longer serving the service; there are no specific restrictions. In the case that the second network element is no longer serving the service, the first network element can also release the information of the second network element associated with the identification information, or mark the information of the second network element as stateless, to indicate that the second network element associated with the identification information is no longer serving the service.

[0268] Subsequently, the first network element can also receive a fifth message, which requests service for the service. This fifth message includes identification information, and its implementation is similar to the first / third message; please refer to the documentation for understanding, and it will not be elaborated further here. The first network element can also determine a third network element from the network element set that supports the service based on the fifth message. For example, if the second network element associated with the identification information in the fifth message no longer serves the service, or if the identification information in the fifth message does not associate with any network element, the first network element can determine a third network element from the network element set that supports the service. The specific principle is similar to the determination of the second network element described above; please refer to the documentation for understanding, and it will not be elaborated further here. In other words, the first network element can determine whether to execute routing or reselect a network element that supports the service based on the association of the identification information carried in the message, thereby improving the reliability of the service process. The first network element can send a sixth message to the third network element, which requests the third network element to provide service for the service. Its implementation is similar to the second message; please refer to the documentation for understanding, and it will not be elaborated further here. Furthermore, the first network element can also associate the identification information with the information of the third network element.

[0269] It can be seen that the first network element triggers the reselection of a network element to support the service when the first entity requests to provide services for the service. In other words, if the first entity does not request to provide services for the service, the first network element does not need to reselect a network element to support the service, thereby reducing overhead, improving operational efficiency, and saving core network resources.

[0270] Method 2:

[0271] The second network element sends a second instruction message to the first network element, and the first network element receives the second instruction message from the second network element.

[0272] For example, the second indication information can be used to indicate that the second network element no longer serves the service, such as by indicating that the second network element no longer serves the service through the type / name of the information. One example is that the name of the second indication information could be a binding idle indication or a binding redirect indication. The second indication information may also include identification information. The first network element can determine that the second network element no longer serves the service based on the association between the identification information carried in the second indication information and the information of the second network element, and because the second indication information is a binding release indication. When the second network element no longer serves the service of the first entity, the first network element can also release the information of the second network element associated with the identification information, or mark the information of the second network element as stateless, to indicate that the second network element associated with the identification information no longer serves the service.

[0273] It should be understood that the above-mentioned "bind idle" indication is an exemplary expression, and can be replaced by "bind release" or "bind undo" indications, etc. Similarly, the "bind reset" indication is also an exemplary expression, and can be replaced by "bind update," "bind replacement," or "bind modification" indications, etc.

[0274] It should be understood that there are multiple ways for a second network element to determine that it no longer serves a particular service. These include situations such as the second network element needing to go offline due to a fault, its load being too high, or receiving an instruction from the network management system that it no longer serves the service. No specific restrictions are imposed. Furthermore, when a second network element no longer serves the first entity's service, it can also release the service information associated with the identification information to improve its operational efficiency and conserve core network resources.

[0275] Optionally, the second indication information may include information about the third network element, indicating that the third network element is a network element supporting the service.

[0276] For example, if the second network element no longer serves the service of the first entity, the second network element can determine that the third network element, which serves as a backup for itself in the network element set, is the network element supporting the service. Alternatively, the second network element can also determine that the third network element supports the service by interacting with other network elements in the network element set, thereby carrying the information of the third network element into the second instruction information. In this way, the second network element can determine the network element supporting the service as the third network element based on the information of the third network element included in the second instruction information. That is, the network element serving the service can be redirected by the second network element to reduce processing overhead, improve operating efficiency, and save core network resources.

[0277] In addition, the third network element can also associate the identification information with the information of the third network element.

[0278] It should be understood that the above example uses the second instruction information including the information of the third network element. The information of the third network element can be carried in other information without specific restrictions. In addition, if the second network element does not indicate the network element that supports the service, such as the information of the third network element, the first network element can also use method 1 to select the network element that supports the service, which will not be elaborated here.

[0279] The overall process of this communication method has been described above with reference to Figure 7. The specific process of this communication method in some example application scenarios is described below with reference to Figures 8 and 9.

[0280] Figure 8 is a schematic flowchart of the communication method provided in the embodiment of this application. The flowchart shown in Figure 8 mainly involves the interaction between FE (as described above as the first network element), AMF#1 (as described above as the second network element), AMF#2 (as described above as the third network element), NRF, xxNF (as described above as the intermediate network element), and UE (as described above as the first entity).

[0281] Specifically, as shown in Figure 8, the flow of this communication method is as follows:

[0282] S800, FE is pre-configured with AMF#1 and AMF#2 capabilities.

[0283] AMF#1 and AMF#2 belong to the same NF set (such as the network element set mentioned above). The capability of AMF#1 indicates that AMF#1 supports initial registration and periodic registration, while the capability of AMF#2 indicates that AMF#2 supports periodic registration.

[0284] S801, the UE sends uplink message #1 to xxNF.

[0285] xxNF indicates that the naming of this NF is not restricted in this application embodiment.

[0286] Uplink message #1 (as described in the third message above) can be a NAS message, such as a registration request message, used to request initial registration services for the UE's services. Uplink message #1 may include the UE's identifier and the registration type, such as initial registration. Uplink message #1 may also include slice information, which can be used to indicate the UE's services.

[0287] It should be understood that S801 can refer to the relevant introduction of step A above, and will not be repeated here.

[0288] S802, xxNF discovers FE from NRF.

[0289] For example, xxNF sends an NF discovery request message to the NRF, requesting the discovery of an AMF that supports initial registration. This message includes the NF type and initial registration indication information, where the NF type is AMF. Based on the NF discovery request message, the NRF can determine that the FE provides communication proxy functionality for the network element requested by xxNF, thus identifying the FE. The NRF can further determine that the FE's capability supports initial registration and return an NF discovery response message, which includes the FE's identifier.

[0290] It should be understood that S802 can also refer to the relevant introduction of step A above, and will not be repeated here.

[0291] S803, xxNF sends uplink message #1 to FE.

[0292] xxNF can send uplink message #1 to FE based on FE's identifier.

[0293] S804, FE selects AMF#1.

[0294] The FE can trigger the selection of an AMF based on whether the name of uplink message #1 is a registration request message, or the type of uplink message #1 is a NAS message, or the uplink message #1 does not carry routing information, such as the identification information to be assigned later. This can determine the AMF #1 in the NF set that supports initial registration.

[0295] It should be understood that S804 can refer to the relevant introduction in step B above, and will not be repeated here.

[0296] S805, FE sends uplink message #2 to AMF#1.

[0297] Uplink message #2 (such as the fourth message) can be the same message as uplink message #1, or it can be a different message. Uplink message #2 contains the content of uplink message #1 to request AMF #1 to provide initial registration services for the UE's services.

[0298] S806, AMF#1 assigns identification information.

[0299] The identification information can be found in the descriptions of S701 and step C above, and will not be repeated here. AMF#1 can associate and save the identification information with service information, which can be the service and registration-related context, or it can be understood as the UE's context. For example, AMF#1 can establish an association between the UE's context and the identification information, or AMF#1 can include the identification information in the UE's context.

[0300] It should be understood that S805-S806 can refer to the relevant introduction of step D above, and will not be repeated here.

[0301] S807, AMF#1 sends a binding creation message to FE.

[0302] The binding creation message may include identification information, and optionally, may also include the identifier of AMF#1, so that the FE can associate and save the identification information with the identifier of AMF#1.

[0303] S808, AMF#1 sends a downlink message to the UE.

[0304] The downlink message type can be a NAS message, such as a registration acceptance message, to indicate whether the UE's initial registration to the network was successful or failed. Downlink messages can include identification information and the FE's identifier.

[0305] It should be understood that S807-S809 can be referred to the relevant introduction of S700c mentioned above, and will not be repeated here.

[0306] S809, UE sends uplink message #3 to xxNF.

[0307] Uplink message #3 (as described in the first message above) can be a NAS message, such as a registration request message, used to request periodic registration services for the UE's services. Uplink message #3 may include the UE's identifier and the registration type, such as periodic registration. Uplink message #3 may also include slice information, which can be used to indicate the UE's services. This uplink message #3 may also include identification information and the FE's identifier.

[0308] For example, when the UE receives the downlink message of S808 mentioned above, it can associate and save the FE's identifier and identification information with the service information (or the UE's context). In this way, when the service requires the UE to periodically register with the network, the UE can obtain the FE's identifier and identification information according to the UE's context and carry it in the uplink message #3.

[0309] S810, xxNF determines the identifier of FE.

[0310] xxNF can determine to send uplink message #3 to FE based on the identifier of FE carried in uplink message #3.

[0311] S811, xxNF sends uplink message #3 to FE.

[0312] It should be understood that S809-S811 can refer to the relevant introduction of S701 above, and will not be repeated here.

[0313] S812, FE determines AMF#1 based on the identification information.

[0314] The FE determines to perform routing to AMF#1 based on the identification information carried in uplink message #3 and the identification of AMF#1.

[0315] It should be understood that S812 can refer to the relevant introduction of S702 above, and will not be repeated here.

[0316] S813, FE sends uplink message #4 to AMF#1.

[0317] Uplink message #4 (such as the second message) can be the same message as uplink message #3, or it can be a different message. Uplink message #4 contains the content of uplink message #3 to request AMF #1 to provide periodic registration services for the UE's services.

[0318] It should be understood that S813 can refer to the relevant introduction of S703 above, and will not be repeated here.

[0319] Optionally, the method may further include the following steps:

[0320] S814, FE sends a stateless command to AMF#1.

[0321] Stateless commands (such as the first indication information mentioned above) are used to indicate that AMF#1 no longer serves the UE's services, including identification information.

[0322] S815a, AMF#1 sends a binding idle indication to FE.

[0323] S815b, AMF#1 sends a binding reset instruction to FE.

[0324] The binding idle indication (as described in the second indication information above) is used to indicate that AMF#1 will no longer serve the UE's services, and may include identification information. The binding reset indication (as described in the second indication information above) not only indicates that AMF#1 will no longer serve the UE's services, and may include identification information, but also indicates redirection to AMF#2, and may include the identification of AMF#2, meaning that AMF#2 will continue to serve the UE's services. AMF#2 and AMF#1 can belong to the same network element set, and AMF#2 can also have its communication proxy function provided by the FE.

[0325] It should be understood that S814-S815b can be an "OR" execution relationship. In S814-S815b, AMF#1 can also store the UE's context in UDSF. FE can release the identifier of AMF#1 associated with the identifier information. If S815b is executed, FE can also associate the identifier of AMF#2 with the identifier information.

[0326] It should be understood that S814-S815b are optional steps, and the details can be found in the relevant introduction of S704 above, which will not be repeated here.

[0327] S816, UE sends uplink message #5 to xxNF.

[0328] Uplink message #5 (as mentioned in the fifth message above) includes identification information and the FE's identifier. It is similar to uplink message #3 and can be understood by referring to it. It will not be repeated here.

[0329] S817, xxNF determines the identifier of FE.

[0330] xxNF can determine to send uplink message #5 to FE based on the identifier of FE carried in uplink message #5.

[0331] S818, xxNF sends uplink message #5 to FE.

[0332] S819, FE determines AMF#2 based on the identification information.

[0333] For S814 / S815a, the FE determines, based on the identification information carried in uplink message #5, that the identification information is not associated with an AMF, and thus selects AMF #2, which supports periodic registration, performs routing to AMF #2, and associates the identification of AMF #2 with the identification information. For S815b, the FE determines, based on the identification information carried in uplink message #5 and the association with the identification of AMF #2, that it will perform routing to AMF #2.

[0334] S820, FE sends uplink message #6 to AMF#2.

[0335] Uplink message #6 (such as the sixth message) can be the same message as uplink message #5, or it can be a different message. Uplink message #6 contains the content of uplink message #5 to request AMF #2 to provide periodic registration services for the UE's services.

[0336] S821, AMF#2 obtains the UE's context.

[0337] According to uplink message #6, AMF#2 determines that there is no UE context locally, so it can obtain the UE context from UDSF and thus provide periodic registration services for the UE's services.

[0338] It should be understood that S816-S821 are optional. For details, please refer to the relevant introduction of S704 above, which will not be repeated here.

[0339] Figure 9 is a schematic flowchart of the communication method provided in this application embodiment. The flowchart shown in Figure 9 mainly involves the interaction between FE (as described above as the first network element), AMF#1 (as described above as the second network element), AMF#2 (as described above as the third network element), NRF, xxNF (as described above as the intermediate network element), and UE (as described above as the first entity).

[0340] Specifically, as shown in Figure 9, the flow of this communication method is as follows:

[0341] The S900 FE is pre-configured with AMF#1 and AMF#2 capabilities.

[0342] S901, the UE sends uplink message #1 to xxNF.

[0343] S902, xxNF discovered FE from NRF.

[0344] S903, xxNF sends uplink message #1 to FE.

[0345] It should be understood that the S900-S903 can also refer to the relevant introduction of S800-S803 mentioned above, and will not be repeated here.

[0346] S904, FE selects AMF#1 and assigns identification information.

[0347] FE can associate and save the identification information with the identification of AMF#1.

[0348] It should be understood that S903 can also refer to the relevant introduction in step 2 above, and will not be repeated here.

[0349] S905, FE sends uplink message #2 to AMF#1.

[0350] Uplink message #2 (such as the fourth message) can be the same message as uplink message #1, or it can be a different message. Uplink message #2 contains the content of uplink message #1 to request AMF #1 to provide initial registration services for the UE's services. In addition, uplink message #2 may also contain identification information.

[0351] S906, AMF#1 sends a downlink message to the UE.

[0352] The downlink message type can be a NAS message, such as a registration acceptance message, to indicate whether the UE's initial registration to the network was successful or failed. Downlink messages can include identification information and the FE's identifier.

[0353] It should be understood that the S906 can be referred to in the above introduction of the S700c, and will not be repeated here.

[0354] S907, UE sends uplink message #3 to xxNF.

[0355] S908, xxNF determines the identifier of FE.

[0356] S909, xxNF sends uplink message #3 to FE.

[0357] S910, FE determines AMF#1 based on the identification information.

[0358] S911, FE sends uplink message #4 to AMF#1.

[0359] S912, FE sends a stateless command to AMF#1.

[0360] S913a, AMF#1 sends a binding idle indication to FE.

[0361] S913b, AMF#1 sends a binding reset instruction to FE.

[0362] S914, UE sends uplink message #5 to xxNF.

[0363] S915, xxNF determines the identifier of FE.

[0364] S916, xxNF sends uplink message #5 to FE.

[0365] S917, FE determines AMF#2 based on the identification information.

[0366] S918, FE sends uplink message #6 to AMF#2.

[0367] S919, AMF#2 obtains the UE's context.

[0368] It should be understood that S907-S919 can refer to the relevant introductions of S809-S821 mentioned above, and will not be repeated here.

[0369] Figure 10 is a schematic flowchart of the communication method provided in the embodiment of this application. The flowchart shown in Figure 10 mainly involves the interaction between FE (as described above as the first network element), SMF#1 (as described above as the second network element), xxNF (as described above as the intermediate network element), UE (as described above as the first entity), and RAN equipment (as described above as the second entity).

[0370] Specifically, as shown in Figure 10, the communication method flow is as follows:

[0371] S1000, the UE initiates a request, the FE selects SMF#1, and associates the identification information with the identification of SMF#1.

[0372] It should be understood that S1000 is similar to S800-S807 or S900-S904 mentioned above, and can be understood by referring to it. It will not be repeated here.

[0373] S1001, SMF#1 sends N2 message #1 to the RAN device.

[0374] N2 message #1 may include downlink messages, identification information, and the FE's identifier.

[0375] Downlink messages can be NAS messages, such as session establishment response messages, to indicate whether the UE's session establishment was successful or failed. Downlink messages can also include identification information and the FE's identifier.

[0376] S1002, the RAN device obtains the identification information and the FE's identifier from N2 message #1, and saves the identification information and the FE's identifier in association with the service context.

[0377] The context of a service can be the context of the UE's session.

[0378] S1003, the RAN device sends a downlink message to the UE.

[0379] It should be understood that S1002-S1003 can be referred to the relevant introduction of S700d above, and will not be repeated here.

[0380] S1004, the RAN device sends N2 message #2 to xxNF.

[0381] N2 message #2 (as described in the first message above) can be used by the RAN device to request service for the UE's services. N2 message #2 can include identification information and the FE's identifier. That is, when the RAN device decides to request service for the UE's services, it can associate the identification information and the FE's identifier with the context of the service and carry the identification information and the FE's identifier into N2 message #2.

[0382] S1005, xxNF determines the identifier of FE.

[0383] xxNF can determine to send N2 message #2 to FE based on the identifier of FE carried in N2 message #2.

[0384] S1006, xxNF sends N2 message #2 to FE.

[0385] It should be understood that S1004-S1006 can refer to the relevant introduction of S701 above, and will not be repeated here.

[0386] S1007, FE determines SMF#1 based on the identification information.

[0387] The FE determines to perform routing to SMF#1 based on the identification information carried in N2 message #2 and the identification of SMF#1.

[0388] It should be understood that S1007 can be referred to the relevant introduction of S702 above, and will not be repeated here.

[0389] S1008, FE sends a service message to SMF#1.

[0390] The service message (such as the second message) and N2 message #2 can be the same message or different messages. The service message contains the content of N2 message #2 to request SMF #1 to provide services for the UE's services.

[0391] It should be understood that S1008 can refer to the relevant introduction of S703 above, and will not be repeated here.

[0392] Figure 11 is a schematic flowchart of the communication method provided in the embodiment of this application. The flowchart shown in Figure 11 mainly involves the interaction between FE (as described above as the first network element), AMF#1 (as described above as the second network element), xxNF (as described above as the intermediate network element), UDM (data storage network element), UE (as described above as the first entity), and SMF (as described above as the second entity).

[0393] Specifically, as shown in Figure 11, the communication method flow is as follows:

[0394] S1100, the UE initiates a request, the FE selects AMF#1, and associates the identification information with the identification of AMF#1.

[0395] It should be understood that S1100 is similar to S800-S807 or S900-S904 mentioned above, and can be understood by reference. It will not be repeated here.

[0396] S1101, AMF#1 sends a UE context management registration (Nudm_UECM Registration) message to UDM.

[0397] The UE context management registration message includes: the type of network element to be registered, the UE's context, identification information, and the FE's identifier. The type of network element to be registered can be an SMF. Optionally, the identification information can also be included in the UE's context for the UE context management registration message.

[0398] S1102, SMF sends a UE context management get request (Nudm_UECM Get Request) message to UDM.

[0399] The UE context management request message is used to request the context of a UE, which may include the UE's identifier and the type of network element, such as SMF. In other words, it requests the context of a UE registered with an SMF.

[0400] S1103, UDM sends a UE context management get response (Nudm_UECM Get Response) message to SMF.

[0401] The UE context management response message includes the UE's context, identification information, and the FE's identifier. Optionally, the identification information can also be included in the UE's context for the UE context management response message.

[0402] S1104, SMF sends an Nx message to xxNF.

[0403] The Nx message (such as the first message mentioned above) can be used by the SMF to request services for the UE. The Nx message can include identification information and the FE's identifier. That is, when the SMF decides to request services for the UE, it can associate the identification information and the FE's identifier with the context of the service and carry the identification information and the FE's identifier into the Nx message.

[0404] S1105, xxNF determines the identifier of FE.

[0405] xxNF can determine to send N2 message #2 to FE based on the identifier of FE carried in the Nx message.

[0406] S1106, xxNF sends an Nx message to FE.

[0407] It should be understood that S1104-S1106 can refer to the relevant introduction of S701 above, and will not be repeated here.

[0408] S1107, FE determines AMF#1 based on the identification information.

[0409] The FE determines which route to execute based on the identification information carried in the Nx message and associates it with the identification of AMF#1.

[0410] It should be understood that S1107 can be referred to the relevant introduction of S702 above, and will not be repeated here.

[0411] S1108, FE sends a service message to AMF#1.

[0412] The service message (such as the second message) and the Nx message can be the same message or different messages. The service message contains the content of the Nx message to request AMF#1 to provide services for the UE's services.

[0413] It should be understood that S1108 can refer to the relevant introduction of S703 above, and will not be repeated here.

[0414] The communication method provided by the embodiments of this application has been described in detail above with reference to Figures 7-11. The communication apparatus used to perform the communication method provided by the embodiments of this application is described in detail below with reference to Figures 12 and 13.

[0415] For example, FIG12 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application. As shown in FIG12, the communication device 1200 includes a processing module 1201 and a transceiver module 1202. For ease of explanation, FIG12 only shows the main components of the communication device.

[0416] In some embodiments, the communication device 1200 may be adapted to the communication system shown in Figures 5-6 to perform the function of the first network element in the communication method shown in Figures 7-11.

[0417] The transceiver module 1202 is used to perform the transceiver functions of the first network element.

[0418] The processing module 1201 is used to perform functions of the first network element other than the transmit and receive functions.

[0419] Optionally, the communication device 1200 may further include a storage module (not shown in FIG. 12) storing programs or instructions. When the processing module 1201 executes the program or instructions, the communication device 1200 can perform the function of the first network element in the communication method shown in FIG. 7-FIG. It should be understood that the processing module 1201 involved in the communication device 1200 may be implemented by a processor or processor-related circuit components, and may be a processor or processing unit; the transceiver module 1202 may be implemented by a transceiver or transceiver-related circuit components, and may be a transceiver or transceiver unit.

[0420] Furthermore, the communication device 1200 can be a network device, a chip (system) or other component or assembly disposed in the network device, or a device containing the network device; this application embodiment does not limit this. The technical effects of the communication device 1200 can be referred to the technical effects of the communication methods shown in any one of Figures 7-11, and will not be repeated here.

[0421] In other embodiments, the communication device 1200 may be adapted to the communication system shown in Figures 5-6 to perform the function of the second network element in the communication method shown in Figures 7-11.

[0422] The transceiver module 1202 is used to perform the transceiver functions of the second network element.

[0423] The processing module 1201 is used to perform functions of the second network element other than the transmit and receive functions.

[0424] Optionally, the communication device 1200 may further include a storage module (not shown in FIG. 12) storing programs or instructions. When the processing module 1201 executes the program or instructions, the communication device 1200 can perform the function of the second network element in the communication method shown in FIG. 7-FIG. It should be understood that the processing module 1201 involved in the communication device 1200 may be implemented by a processor or processor-related circuit components, and may be a processor or processing unit; the transceiver module 1202 may be implemented by a transceiver or transceiver-related circuit components, and may be a transceiver or transceiver unit.

[0425] Furthermore, the communication device 1200 can be a network device, a chip (system) or other component or assembly disposed in the network device, or a device containing the network device; this application embodiment does not limit this. The technical effects of the communication device 1200 can be referred to the technical effects of the communication methods shown in any one of Figures 7-11, and will not be repeated here.

[0426] In some other embodiments, the communication device 1200 may be adapted to the communication system shown in Figures 5-6 to perform the function of the first entity in the communication method shown in Figures 7-11.

[0427] The transceiver module 1202 is used to perform the transceiver functions of the first entity.

[0428] The processing module 1201 is used to perform functions of the first entity other than sending and receiving functions.

[0429] Optionally, the communication device 1200 may further include a storage module (not shown in FIG. 12) storing programs or instructions. When the processing module 1201 executes the program or instructions, the communication device 1200 can perform the functions of the first entity in the communication method shown in FIG. 7-FIG. It should be understood that the processing module 1201 involved in the communication device 1200 may be implemented by a processor or processor-related circuit components, and may be a processor or processing unit; the transceiver module 1202 may be implemented by a transceiver or transceiver-related circuit components, and may be a transceiver or transceiver unit.

[0430] Furthermore, the communication device 1200 can be a terminal device or a network device, or it can be a chip (system) or other component or assembly disposed in the terminal device or network device, or a device containing the terminal device or network device. This application embodiment does not limit this. The technical effects of the communication device 1200 can be referred to the technical effects of the communication methods shown in any of Figures 7-11, which will not be repeated here.

[0431] Figure 13 is a second schematic diagram of the structure of the communication device provided in an embodiment of this application. Exemplarily, the communication device can be a terminal, or a chip (system) or other component or assembly that can be disposed in the terminal. As shown in Figure 13, the communication device 1300 may include a processor 1301. Optionally, the communication device 1300 may further include a memory 1302 and / or a transceiver 1303. The processor 1301 is coupled to the memory 1302 and the transceiver 1303, for example, they can be connected via a communication bus.

[0432] The following is a detailed description of each component of the communication device 1300 with reference to Figure 13:

[0433] The processor 1301 is the control center of the communication device 1300. It can be a single processor or a collective term for multiple processing elements. For example, the processor 1301 can be one or more central processing units (CPUs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), or one or more integrated circuits configured to implement the embodiments of this application, such as one or more digital signal processors (DSPs), or one or more field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs).

[0434] Optionally, the processor 1301 can execute various functions of the communication device 1300 by running or executing software programs stored in the memory 1302 and calling data stored in the memory 1302, such as executing the communication methods shown in Figures 7-11 above.

[0435] In a specific implementation, as one example, processor 1301 may include one or more CPUs, such as CPU0 and CPU1 shown in FIG13.

[0436] In a specific implementation, as one embodiment, the communication device 1300 may also include multiple processors, such as processors 1301 and 1304 shown in FIG. 13. Each of these processors may be a single-core processor (single-CPU) or a multi-core processor (multi-CPU). Here, a processor may refer to one or more devices, circuits, and / or processing cores used for processing data (e.g., computer program instructions).

[0437] The memory 1302 is used to store the software program that executes the solution of this application, and is controlled by the processor 1301 to execute it. The specific implementation method can be referred to the above method embodiment, and will not be repeated here.

[0438] Optionally, the memory 1302 may be a read-only memory (ROM) or other type of static storage device capable of storing static information and instructions, random access memory (RAM) or other type of dynamic storage device capable of storing information and instructions, or electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM) or other optical disc storage, optical disc storage (including compressed optical discs, laser discs, optical discs, digital universal optical discs, Blu-ray discs, etc.), magnetic disk storage media or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium capable of carrying or storing desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and accessible by a computer, but not limited thereto. The memory 1302 may be integrated with the processor 1301 or may exist independently and be coupled to the processor 1301 through the interface circuit of the communication device 1300 (not shown in FIG. 13). This application embodiment does not specifically limit this.

[0439] Transceiver 1303 is used for communication with other communication devices. For example, if communication device 1300 is a terminal, transceiver 1303 can be used to communicate with a network device or with another terminal device. As another example, if communication device 1300 is a network device, transceiver 1303 can be used to communicate with a terminal or with another network device.

[0440] Optionally, transceiver 1303 may include a receiver and a transmitter (not shown separately in Figure 13). The receiver is used to implement the receiving function, and the transmitter is used to implement the transmitting function.

[0441] Optionally, the transceiver 1303 can be integrated with the processor 1301 or exist independently and be coupled to the processor 1301 through the interface circuit of the communication device 1300 (not shown in FIG13). This application embodiment does not specifically limit this.

[0442] It is understood that the structure of the communication device 1300 shown in Figure 13 does not constitute a limitation on the communication device. Actual communication devices may include more or fewer components than shown, or combine certain components, or have different component arrangements.

[0443] Furthermore, the technical effects of the communication device 1300 can be referred to the technical effects of the method described in the above method embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0444] It should be understood that the processor in the embodiments of this application can be a central processing unit (CPU), or it can be other general-purpose processors, 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 can be a microprocessor or any conventional processor.

[0445] It should also be understood that the memory in the embodiments of this application 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 random access memory (RAM) are available, such as static RAM (SRAM), dynamic RAM (DRAM), synchronous DRAM (SDRAM), double data rate synchronous DRAM (DDR SDRAM), enhanced synchronous DRAM (ESDRAM), synchronous linked DRAM (SLDRAM), and direct rambus RAM (DR RAM).

[0446] The above embodiments can be implemented, in whole or in part, by software, hardware (such as circuits), firmware, or any other combination thereof. When implemented using software, the above embodiments can be implemented, in whole or in part, in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions or computer programs. When the computer instructions or computer programs are loaded or executed on a computer, all or part of the processes or functions described in the embodiments of this application are generated. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable device. The computer instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another. For example, the computer instructions can be transmitted from one website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center via wired (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) means. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that a computer can access or a data storage device such as a server or data center that includes one or more sets of available media. The available medium can be a magnetic medium (e.g., floppy disk, hard disk, magnetic tape), an optical medium (e.g., DVD), or a semiconductor medium. A semiconductor medium can be a solid-state drive.

[0447] It should be understood that the term "and / or" in this article 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. A and B can be singular or plural. Additionally, the character " / " in this article generally indicates an "or" relationship between the preceding and following related objects, but it can also represent an "and / or" relationship. Please refer to the context for a more accurate understanding.

[0448] In this application, "at least one" means one or more, and "more than one" means 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 multiple items. For example, at least one of a, b, or c can mean: a, b, c, ab, ac, bc, or abc, where a, b, and c can be single or multiple.

[0449] It should be understood that in the various embodiments of this application, the order of the above-mentioned processes does not imply the order of execution. The execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiments of this application.

[0450] 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.

[0451] 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.

[0452] In the several embodiments provided in this application, 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.

[0453] 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.

[0454] In addition, the functional units in the various embodiments of this application 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.

[0455] 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 application, in essence, or the part that contributes to the prior art, 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 application. 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.

[0456] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of this application, but the scope of protection of this application 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 application should be included within the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be determined by the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that, Applied to the first network element, including: Receive a first message, the first message being used to request services for the business of a first entity, the first message including identification information; According to the first message, a second network element associated with the identification information is determined from the network element set. The first network element provides communication proxy function for the network elements in the network element set, and the second network element is a network element in the network element set that supports the service. A second message is sent to the second network element, the second message being used to request the second network element to provide services for the service.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The identification information is information associated with the service.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, Before determining the second network element associated with the identification information from the network element set based on the first message, the method further includes: Obtain the identification information; The identification information is associated with the second network element.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that, The process of obtaining the identification information includes: The identification information is obtained from the second network element.

5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that, The step of obtaining the identification information from the second network element includes: Receive a third message, the third message being used to request services to be provided for the service; Based on the third message, determine the second network element that supports the service from the network element set; Send a fourth message to the second network element, the fourth message being used to request the second network element to provide services for the service; Receive the identification information allocated by the second network element for the service.

6. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that, The process of obtaining the identification information includes: Assign the identification information to the service.

7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that, Assigning the identification information to the service includes: Receive a third message, the third message being used to request services to be provided for the service; Based on the third message, the second network element supporting the service is determined from the network element set, and the identification information is assigned to the service; A fourth message is sent to the second network element, the fourth message being used to request the second network element to provide services for the service.

8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that, The fourth message includes the identification information.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1-8, characterized in that, The method further includes: Send the identification information to the first entity.

10. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that, Sending the identification information to the first entity includes: Send a response for the service to the first entity, the response including the identification information.

11. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that, The method further includes: The identification information is sent to the second entity that serves the first entity.

12. The method according to any one of claims 1-11, characterized in that, After sending the second message to the second network element, the method further includes: If the second network element no longer serves the service, a third network element is determined to support the service, and the third network element is a network element in the network element set; Associate the identification information with the third network element.

13. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that, The method further includes: Send a first indication message to the second network element, the first indication message being used to instruct the second network element to no longer serve the service; Alternatively, a second indication message may be received from the second network element, which indicates that the second network element no longer provides the service.

14. The method according to claim 13, characterized in that, The first indication information or the second indication information includes the identification information.

15. The method according to claim 13 or 14, characterized in that, The process of determining the third network element that supports the service includes: Receive a fifth message, the fifth message being used to request services for the service, the fifth message including the identification information; Based on the fifth message, the third network element that supports the service is determined from the network element set; A sixth message is sent to the third network element, the sixth message being used to request the third network element to provide services for the service.

16. The method according to claim 15, characterized in that, The step of determining the third network element supporting the service from the network element set according to the fifth message includes: If the second network element associated with the identification information in the fifth message no longer serves the service, or if the identification information in the fifth message has no associated network element, the third network element that supports serving the service is determined from the network element set.

17. The method according to claim 13 or 14, characterized in that, The process of determining the third network element that supports the service includes: Based on the second instruction information, including the information of the third network element, the network element supporting the service is determined to be the third network element.

18. The method according to any one of claims 1-17, characterized in that, The method further includes; Information about the service is obtained from the network element serving the service, and the information about the service includes the identification information; The information of the service and the information of the first network element are registered to the data storage network element.

19. A communication method, characterized in that, Applied to the second network element, including: Receive a message from a first network element, the message being used to request a second network element to provide services for the services of a first entity, the first network element providing communication proxy functions for network elements in the network element set, and the second network element being a network element in the network element set that supports the services; According to the message, identification information is sent to the first network element. The identification information is used by the first network element to send messages related to the service to the network elements in the network element set that serve the service.

20. The method according to claim 19, characterized in that, Sending identification information to the first network element according to the message includes: Based on the message, the identification information is assigned to the service; The identification information is sent to the first network element.

21. The method according to claim 20, characterized in that, Sending the identification information to the first network element includes: A response for the service is sent to the first network element, the response including the identification information.

22. The method according to any one of claims 19-21, characterized in that, The method further includes: Associate the information of the service with the identification information.

23. The method according to any one of claims 19-22, characterized in that, The method further includes: The information of the service is registered to the data storage network element, and the information of the service includes the identification information.

24. The method according to any one of claims 19-23, characterized in that, The method further includes: When the second network element no longer serves the service, it sends an instruction message to the first network element based on the identification information associated with the service information. The instruction message includes the identification information.

25. The method according to claim 24, characterized in that, The indication information also includes information about a third network element, which is a network element that supports the service.

26. The method according to any one of claims 19-25, characterized in that, The method further includes: If the second network element no longer serves the service, release the information of the service associated with the identification information.

27. A communication device, characterized in that, The communication device includes a model for performing the method as described in any one of claims 1-26.

28. A communication device, characterized in that, include: Processor and memory; The memory is used to store computer instructions, which, when executed by the processor, cause the communication device to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1-26.

29. The communication device according to claim 28, characterized in that, The communication device is a chip.

30. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer-readable storage medium includes a computer program or instructions that, when executed, cause the method of any one of claims 1-18 to be performed, or cause the method of any one of claims 19-26 to be performed.

31. A computer program product, characterized in that, The computer program product includes: a computer program or instructions that, when executed, cause the method as described in any one of claims 1-18 to be performed, or cause the method as described in any one of claims 19-26 to be performed.

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