Application layer group management for edge cloud networks

Abstract

A method, system and apparatus are disclosed. A method in a first network node comprising a group management server is described. The first network node is configured to support service enabler architecture layer (SEAL) group management. The method includes, in response to an operation associated with a virtual application layer (VAL) group that has a VAL group membership which includes an application client (AC), transmitting a VAL group operation request to obtain an edge application server (EAS) notification. The EAS notification includes information about an EAS that corresponds to the AC for the operation. The method also includes receiving the EAS notification and, in response to the EAS notification, updating the VAL group membership of the VAL group by including the EAS that corresponds to the AC in the VAL group membership.

Description

[0001] APPLICATION LAYER GROUP MANAGEMENT FOR EDGE CLOUD NETWORKS

[0002] TECHNICAL FIELD

[0003] The present disclosure relates to wireless communications, and in particular, to application layer group management for edge cloud networks.

[0004] BACKGROUND

[0005] The Third Generation Partnership Project (3 GPP) has developed and is developing standards for Fourth Generation (4G) (also referred to as Long Term Evolution (LTE)) and Fifth Generation (5G) (also referred to as New Radio (NR)) wireless communication systems. Such systems provide, among other features, broadband communication between network nodes, such as base stations, and user equipment (UE), as well as communication between network nodes and between UEs. The 3GPP is also developing standards for Sixth Generation (6G) wireless communication networks.

[0006] 3GPP has introduced the Service Enabler Architecture Layer for Verticals (SEAL) in 3GPP Release 16, e.g., in order to allow factories (and other verticals) to automate system integration and 5G network configuration tasks. The SEAL Functional architecture and information flows are explained in 3GPP Technical Specification (TS) 23.434 V18.10.1 (hereinafter referred to as “3GPP TS 23.434”), while SEAL Application Programming Interface (API) specification is given in 3GPP TS 29.549 V18.7.0 (hereinafter referred to as “3GPP TS 29.549). 3GPP TS 23.434 and 3GPP TS 29.549 specify APIs for configuration management, network resource management and monitoring, group management, identity and key management, location management and monitoring, event monitoring and network slice capability enablement.

[0007] Group management is a SEAL service that allows industry verticals to isolate traffic based on use cases and traffic types in order to improve security and performance. From a practical aspect, member devices of the same group are allowed to communicate privately with each another and are also able to access services in enterprise networks.

[0008] The 5G Virtual Network (VN) group concept allows the SEAL group management functionality in 5G systems. According to subclause 5.8.2.13 of 3GPP TS 23.501 V18.8.O (hereinafter referred to as “3GPP TS 23.501”), 5G VN groupcommunication includes one to one communication and one to many communication. One to one communication supports forwarding of unicast traffic between two UEs within a 5G VN, or between a UE and a device on the Data Network (DN). One to many communication supports forwarding of multicast traffic and broadcast traffic from one UE (or device on the DN) to many / all UEs within a 5G VN and devices on the DN.

[0009] Operations with bearers and Packet Data Unit (PDU) sessions are exploited at various use cases explained in 3GPP TS 23.434 and in 3GPP TS 23.558 V18.9.0 (hereinafter referred to as “3GPP TS 23.558”), e.g., Unicast resource management in 3GPP TS 23.434, clause 14.3.3, or Session with Quality of Service (QoS) API in 3GPP TS 23.558, clause 8.6.6, on data session between an Edge Application Client and an Edge Application Server with a specific QoS.

[0010] In 3GPP TS 23.558 subclause A.4.1, the interfaces between SEAL servers include group management servers and Edge Application Servers (EASs) as Application Specific Servers, offering a potential basis for Virtual Application Layer (VAL) group membership of EASs and Application Clients (ACs), and for SEAL group management with the inclusion of EASs and ACs. FIG. 1 shows an example layered application architecture with generic SEAL and Application Enabler server functions available in a cloud network, e.g., as shown in 3GPP TS 23.558, A.4.1-1. FIG. 2 shows an example layered application architecture with generic SEAL and Application Enabler server functions available in the edge, e.g., as shown in 3GPP TS 23.558, A.4.1-2. In FIGS. 1 and 2, EASs can be considered as specific VAL servers, e.g., according to 3GPP TS 23.558, A.4.1-2.

[0011] The group management service of SEAL currently focuses on handling device groups comprising a set of mobile User Equipment (UE). In real life use cases, however, the application servers (such as Edge Application Servers) and their adherent devices (Application Clients running on a UE) are the entities that need to be grouped.

[0012] 3GPP TS 23.558 subclause A.4.1 describes interfaces to introduce the VAL group membership and SEAL group management for EASs and ACs. However, VAL group membership of EASs and ACs is not explicitly stated or discussed in the standards. Mechanisms of group management operations considering EASs and ACs as group members are not covered in the standards as well. Further, inherent safety, ultralow latency and computing capacity of 5G systems remains difficult and circumstantial for Industry 4.0 factory applications, where group management is becoming essential.SUMMARY

[0013] Some embodiments advantageously provide methods, systems, and apparatuses for application layer group management for the edge cloud networks. There are currently no mechanism that guarantees that ACs and corresponding EASs are dynamically involved in the same VAL group for group management operations, although this would be a prerequisite of PDU session management within mixed VAL groups of VAL UEs, EASs and ACs. An example use case for such a hybrid group in need of EASs and ACs as group members may be a robot controller application that runs in an edge cloud co-located with the 5G network which communicates with a set of 5G-connected mobile robots. A dedicated group can be created for this setup by the factory operator, with the robot controller application and the UEs being the members of the group. Another example use case is related to performance scalability of augmented / extended reality (AR / XR) applications. Multiple devices perform simultaneous, low latency, high speed communication, with potentially offloading AR / XR functions into the edge cloud, e.g., rendering, object tracking or simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM). A common VAL group of the AR / XR devices and an edge server with dedicated computational resources would allow significantly improved service performance while obtaining data security.

[0014] One or more embodiments provide a VAL group membership of EASs and ACs and enables existing SEAL group management functionalities for hybrid VAL groups consisting of EASs, ACs, VAL UEs and VAL users. A mechanism for the edge application layer is described, e.g., in order to incorporate SEAL group management operations in which EASs and ACs are potential members of VAL groups. The mechanism allows notification of the necessary edge layer functions on the group management operation. Further, the mechanism ensures dynamic membership update of ACs and their corresponding EASs connected to the same VAL group, e.g., to allow uninterrupted communication within hybrid VAL groups of ACs, VAL UEs and VAL users.

[0015] In some embodiments, a proprietary solution for the interaction of SEAL and Edge layers which is compatible with existing standards is described. The concept of VAL group membership may be extended to incorporate EASs and ACs, beyond the existing VAL group membership concept for VAL UEs and VAL users. The existingSEAL group management functionalities may be extended to hybrid VAL groups consisting of EASs, ACs, VAL UEs and VAL users.

[0016] One or more embodiments provide incorporating SEAL group management operations in the edge application layer, considering VAL group membership of EASs and ACs. With potential VAL group membership of EASs and ACs, the embodiments provide functions for SEAL group management operations where group management clients or VAL servers need notification on the group membership operation. Group management operations may include group creation, group membership notification, group membership update, group announcement and join and group member leave.

[0017] In some embodiments, notification on the SEAL group management operation is transmitted to concerned edge functions including edge enabler servers (EESs), edge enabler client (EEC), edge configuration server (ECS), EAS and AC.

[0018] One or more embodiments ensure that the AC and the EAS (e.g., adherent EAS) are in the same VAL group by dynamically updating the VAL group membership of EASs once an AC is connected to the VAL group. Connection of a VAL group member AC to a new EAS may trigger dynamic update of the VAL group membership of the EAS.

[0019] Edge computing may be a key functionality in 5G systems enabling safety, ultra-low latency and computing capacity, which are fundamental requirements for a broad range of Industry 4.0 factory applications. In addition, SEAL group management is a cornerstone within the application layer, allowing segregated traffic for separate device groups for separate applications.

[0020] Without edge computing support of SEAL group management, certain operations of ACs and EASs together with VAL users and UEs in the same VAL group may not be possible.

[0021] According to one aspect, a method in a first network node including a group management server is described. The first network node is configured to support service enabler architecture layer (SEAL) group management. The method includes, in response to an operation associated with a virtual application layer (VAL) group that has a VAL group membership which includes an application client (AC), transmitting a VAL group operation request to obtain an edge application server (EAS) notification. The EAS notification includes information about an EAS that corresponds to the AC for the operation. The method also includes receiving the EAS notification and, inresponse to the EAS notification, updating the VAL group membership of the VAL group by including the EAS that corresponds to the AC in the VAL group membership.

[0022] In some embodiments, one or both of: (A) the VAL group operation request comprises an AC identifier (ID) and a VAL group ID; and (B) the EAS notification includes an EAS ID.

[0023] In some other embodiments, the AC is comprised in a user equipment (UE), and the AC ID and the EAS ID are stored as VAL UE IDs in a VAL group container to identify VAL group members.

[0024] In some embodiments, the method further includes mapping the AC ID and the EAS ID to the VAL UE IDs.

[0025] In some other embodiments, the AC ID and EAS ID are carried by a VAL UE ID data element.

[0026] In some embodiments, the method further includes receiving a group management request including the VAL UE ID data element and transmitting the VAL group operation request based on the VAL UE ID data element.

[0027] In some other embodiments, the method further includes identifying the AC as a subject of the group management request via one of: (A) the AC ID in case of the AC is a new VAL group member AC; and (B) the VAL UE ID in case the AC is an existing VAL group member AC.

[0028] In some embodiments, the operation includes one or more of: (A) a VAL group creation; (B) a VAL group membership update; (C) a VAL group announcement and join operation; and (D) a VAL group member leave.

[0029] In some other embodiments, the VAL group operation request is transmitted to an edge configuration server (ECS), and the EAS notification is received from the ECS.

[0030] In some embodiments, the VAL group operation request is transmitted to the ECS, via an edge enabler server (EES), and the EAS notification is received from the ECS, via the EES.

[0031] In some other embodiments, one or more of: (A) the first network node is associated with a first network; (B) the ECS and the EES are associated with a second network; (C) the second network and the first network are different; and (D) the second network comprises an edge cloud network.

[0032] According to another aspect, a first network node including a group management server is described. The first network node is configured to support service enabler architecture layer (SEAL) group management. The first network node isconfigured to perform one or more steps corresponding to any one of any one of the method embodiments implemented in the first network node.

[0033] According to one aspect, a method in a second network node including an edge configuration server (ECS) is described. The second network node is configured to support service enabler architecture layer (SEAL) group management. The method includes receiving a virtual application layer (VAL) group operation request. The VAL group operation request requests an edge application server (EAS) notification including information about an EAS that corresponds to an application client (AC) for an operation. The operation is associated with a VAL group that has a VAL group membership comprising the AC. The method also includes determining the information about the EAS based on the VAL group operation request and transmitting the EAS notification including the information about the EAS.

[0034] In some embodiments, one or both of: (A) the VAL group operation request includes an AC identifier (ID) and a VAL group ID; and (B) the EAS notification includes an EAS ID.

[0035] In some other embodiments, the AC is comprised in a user equipment (UE), and the AC ID and the EAS ID are stored as VAL UE IDs in a VAL group container to identify VAL group members.

[0036] In some embodiments, the AC ID and the EAS ID are mapped to the VAL UE IDs.

[0037] In some other embodiments, the AC ID and EAS ID are carried by a VAL UE ID data element.

[0038] In some embodiments, the operation includes one or more of: (A) a VAL group creation; (B) a VAL group membership update; (C) a VAL group announcement and join operation; and (D) a VAL group member leave.

[0039] In some other embodiments, the VAL group operation request is received from a group management server, and the EAS notification is transmitted to the group management server.

[0040] In some embodiments, the VAL group operation request is received from the group management server, via an edge enabler server (EES), and the EAS notification is transmitted to the group management server, via the EES.

[0041] In some other embodiments, one or more of: (A) the group management server is a first network node associated with a first network; (B) the second network node andthe EES are associated with a second network; (C) the second network and the first network are different; and (D) the second network comprises an edge cloud network.

[0042] In some embodiments, the method further includes determining the EES for the EAS when one or both of a UE mobility event and a handover is detected and transmitting, to the EES, a VAL group operation notification including one or more identifiers associated with the AC, the EAS, and the VAL group. The VAL group operation notification is transmittable by the EES to one or more of an edge enabler client (ECC), the EAS, and the AC.

[0043] According to another aspect, a second network node including an edge configuration server (ECS) is described. The second network node is configured to support service enabler architecture layer (SEAL) group management. The second network node is configured to perform one or more steps corresponding to one or more of the method embodiments implemented in the second network node.

[0044] BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0045] A more complete understanding of the present embodiments, and the attendant advantages and features thereof, will be more readily understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:

[0046] FIG. 1 shows an example layered application architecture with generic SEAL and Application Enabler server functions available in a cloud network;

[0047] FIG. 2 shows an example layered application architecture with generic SEAL and Application Enabler server functions available in an edge network;

[0048] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of an example network architecture illustrating a communication system according to principles disclosed herein;

[0049] FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a network node in communication with a user equipment over a wireless connection according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0050] FIG. 5 is a flowchart of an example process in a network node according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0051] FIG. 6 is a flowchart of an example process in a network node according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0052] FIG. 7 is a flowchart of an example process in a network node according to some embodiments of the present disclosure; andFIG. 8 is a flowchart of an example process in a network node according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0053] DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0054] Before describing in detail exemplary embodiments, it is noted that the embodiments reside primarily in combinations of apparatus components and processing steps related to application layer group management for the edge cloud networks.

[0055] Accordingly, components have been represented where appropriate by conventional symbols in the drawings, showing only those specific details that are pertinent to understanding the embodiments so as not to obscure the disclosure with details that will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of the description herein.

[0056] As used herein, relational terms, such as “first” and “second,” “top” and “bottom,” and the like, may be used solely to distinguish one entity or element from another entity or element without necessarily requiring or implying any physical or logical relationship or order between such entities or elements. The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the concepts described herein. As used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “includes” and / or “including” when used herein, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and / or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and / or groups thereof.

[0057] In embodiments described herein, the joining term, “in communication with” and the like, may be used to indicate electrical or data communication, which may be accomplished by physical contact, induction, electromagnetic radiation, radio signaling, infrared signaling or optical signaling, for example. One having ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that multiple components may interoperate and modifications and variations are possible of achieving the electrical and data communication.

[0058] In some embodiments described herein, the term “coupled,” “connected,” and the like, may be used herein to indicate a connection, although not necessarily directly, and may include wired and / or wireless connections.The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the concepts described herein. As used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “includes” and / or “including” when used herein, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and / or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and / or groups thereof.

[0059] The term “network node” used herein can be any kind of network node comprised in a radio network which may further comprise any of base station (BS), radio base station, base transceiver station (BTS), base station controller (BSC), radio network controller (RNC), g Node B (gNB), evolved Node B (eNB or eNodeB), Node B, multi- standard radio (MSR) radio node such as MSR BS, multi-cell / multicast coordination entity (MCE), relay node, donor node controlling relay, radio access point (AP), transmission points, transmission nodes, Remote Radio Unit (RRU) Remote Radio Head (RRH), a core network node (e.g., mobile management entity (MME), selforganizing network (SON) node, a coordinating node, positioning node, MDT node, etc.), an external node (e.g., 3rd party node, a node external to the current network), nodes in distributed antenna system (DAS), a spectrum access system (SAS) node, an element management system (EMS), EAS, SEAL server, application enabler server (AES), EES, Edge Configuration Server (ECS), Group Management Server (GMS), application specific server, etc. The network node may also comprise test equipment. The term “radio node” used herein may be used to also denote a user equipment (UE) such as a wireless device (WD) or a radio network node.

[0060] In some embodiments, the non-limiting terms wireless device (WD) or a user equipment (UE) are used interchangeably. The UE herein can be any type of wireless device capable of communicating with a network node or another UE over radio signals, such as a wireless device (WD). The UE may also be a radio communication device, target device, device to device (D2D) UE, machine type UE or UE capable of machine to machine communication (M2M), low-cost and / or low-complexity UE, a sensor equipped with UE, Tablet, mobile terminals, smart phone, laptop embedded equipped (LEE), laptop mounted equipment (LME), USB dongles, Customer Premises Equipment (CPE), an Internet of Things (loT) device, or a Narrowband loT (NB-IOT)device, Edge Enabler Client (ECC), AC, application specific client, application enabler client, SEAL client, etc.

[0061] Also, in some embodiments the generic term “radio network node” is used. It can be any kind of a radio network node which may comprise any of base station, radio base station, base transceiver station, base station controller, network controller, RNC, evolved Node B (eNB), Node B, gNB, Multi-cell / multicast Coordination Entity (MCE), relay node, access point, radio access point, Remote Radio Unit (RRU) Remote Radio Head (RRH).

[0062] Note that although terminology from one particular wireless system, such as, for example, 3GPP LTE and / or New Radio (NR), may be used in this disclosure, this should not be seen as limiting the scope of the disclosure to only the aforementioned system. Other wireless systems, including without limitation Wide Band Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMax), Ultra Mobile Broadband (UMB) and Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), may also benefit from exploiting the ideas covered within this disclosure.

[0063] Note further, that functions described herein as being performed by a user equipment or a network node may be distributed over a plurality of user equipments and / or network nodes. In other words, it is contemplated that the functions of the network node and user equipment described herein are not limited to performance by a single physical device and, in fact, can be distributed among several physical devices.

[0064] Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure belongs. It will be further understood that terms used herein should be interpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with their meaning in the context of this specification and the relevant art and will not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly so defined herein.

[0065] Referring again to the drawing figures, in which like elements are referred to by like reference numerals, there is shown in FIG. 3 a schematic diagram of a communication system 10, according to an embodiment, such as a 3GPP-type cellular network that may support standards such as LTE and / or NR (5G) and / or 6G, which comprises an access network 12, such as a radio access network, and a core network 14. The core network 14 includes one or more network nodes 15. The access network 12 comprises a plurality of network nodes 16a, 16b, 16c (referred to collectively asnetwork nodes 16), such as NBs, eNBs, gNBs or other types of wireless access points, each defining a corresponding coverage area 18 a, 18b, 18c (referred to collectively as coverage areas 18). Each network node 16a, 16b, 16c is connectable to the core network 14 over a wired or wireless connection 20. A first user equipment (UE) 22a located in coverage area 18a is configured to wirelessly connect to, or be paged by, the corresponding network node 16a. A second UE 22b in coverage area 18b is wirelessly connectable to the corresponding network node 16b. While a plurality of UEs 22a, 22b (collectively referred to as user equipments 22) are illustrated in this example, the disclosed embodiments are equally applicable to a situation where a sole UE is in the coverage area or where a sole UE is connecting to the corresponding network node 16. Note that although only two UEs 22 and three network nodes 16 are shown for convenience, the communication system may include many more UEs 22 and network nodes 16.

[0066] As one example, in certain embodiments, access network 12 may contain some access network nodes 16 that support 3GPP radio access technologies (RAT), such as LTE or NR, while other access network nodes 16 support (or the same access network nodes 16 additionally support) non-3GPP RATs, such as Wi-Fi or a proprietary RAT. As another example, communication system 10 may support multiple generations of related communication standards (e.g., 4G, 5G and 6G 3GPP communication standards) and, as a result, may include an access network 12 and / or a core network 14 that supports multiple different standard generations or may include multiple access networks 12 and / or multiple core networks 14 with individual networks supporting different standards generations.

[0067] Also, it is contemplated that a UE 22 can be in simultaneous communication and / or configured to separately communicate with more than one network node 16 and more than one type of network node 16. For example, a UE 22 can have dual connectivity with a network node 16 that supports LTE and the same or a different network node 16 that supports NR. As an example, UE 22 can be in communication with an eNB for LTE / E-UTRAN, a gNB for NR / NG-RAN (i.e. being configured for multi-radio dual connectivity (MR-DC), such as E-UTRAN (Evolved-UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access Network) New Radio - Dual Connectivity (EN-DC) and / or Wi-Fi.

[0068] A network node 16 is configured to include a node management unit 24 which is configured to perform any step and / or task and / or process and / or method and / orfeature described in the present disclosure, e.g., network node functions. A user equipment 22 is configured to include a UE management unit 26 which is configured to perform any step and / or task and / or process and / or method and / or feature described in the present disclosure, e.g., UE functions.

[0069] Example implementations, in accordance with an embodiment, of the UE 22 and network node 16 discussed in the preceding paragraphs will now be described with reference to FIG. 4.

[0070] The communication system 10 includes a network node 16 provided in a communication system 10 and including hardware 28 enabling it to communicate with the UE 22. The hardware 28 may include a communication interface 29 comprising a radio interface 30 for setting up and maintaining at least a wireless connection 32 with a UE 22 located in a coverage area 18 served by the network node 16. The radio interface 30 may be formed as or may include, for example, one or more RF transmitters, one or more RF receivers, and / or one or more RF transceivers. The radio interface 30 includes an array of antennas 34 to radiate and receive signal(s) carrying electromagnetic waves.

[0071] In the embodiment shown, the hardware 28 of the network node 16 further includes processing circuitry 36. The processing circuitry 36 may include a processor 38 and a memory 40. In particular, in addition to or instead of a processor, such as a central processing unit, and memory, the processing circuitry 36 may comprise integrated circuitry for processing and / or control, e.g., one or more processors and / or processor cores and / or FPGAs (Field Programmable Gate Array) and / or ASICs (Application Specific Integrated Circuitry) adapted to execute instructions. The processor 38 may be configured to access (e.g., write to and / or read from) the memory 40, which may comprise any kind of volatile and / or nonvolatile memory, e.g., cache and / or buffer memory and / or RAM (Random Access Memory) and / or ROM (Read-Only Memory) and / or optical memory and / or EPROM (Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory).

[0072] Thus, the network node 16 further has software 42 stored internally in, for example, memory 40, or stored in external memory (e.g., database, storage array, network storage device, etc.) accessible by the network node 16 via an external connection. The software 42 may be executable by the processing circuitry 36. The processing circuitry 36 may be configured to control any of the methods and / or processes described herein and / or to cause such methods, and / or processes to beperformed, e.g., by network node 16. Processor 38 corresponds to one or more processors 38 for performing network node 16 functions described herein. The memory 40 is configured to store data, programmatic software code and / or other information described herein. In some embodiments, the software 42 may include instructions that, when executed by the processor 38 and / or processing circuitry 36, causes the processor 38 and / or processing circuitry 36 to perform the processes described herein with respect to network node 16. For example, processing circuitry 36 of the network node 16 may include node management unit 24 which is configured to perform any step and / or task and / or process and / or method and / or feature described in the present disclosure, e.g., network node functions.

[0073] The network node 16 may be composed of multiple distinct network entities (e.g., a NodeB entity and a RNC entity, or a BTS entity and a BSC entity, etc.), which may each have or utilize their own respective physical components. In certain scenarios in which the network node 16 comprises multiple such entities (e.g., BTS and BSC), one or more of the separate entities may be shared among several network nodes. For example, a single RNC may control multiple NodeB s. In such a scenario, each unique NodeB and RNC pair may in some instances be considered a single separate network node. In some embodiments, the network node 16 may be configured to support multiple radio access technologies (RATs). In such embodiments, some components may be duplicated (e.g., separate memories 40 or portions of memory 40 for different RATs) and some components may be reused (e.g., a same antenna may be shared by different RATs). The network node 16 may also include multiple sets of the various illustrated components for different wireless technologies integrated into network node 16, for example GSM, WCDMA, LTE, NR, Wi-Fi (e.g., according to an IEEE 802.11 family standard), Zigbee, Z-wave, Long Range Wide Area Network (LoRaWAN), Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) or Bluetooth wireless technologies. These wireless technologies may be integrated into the same or different chip or set of chips and other components within network node 16.

[0074] In certain alternative embodiments, network node 16 may be capable of wireless communication but does not include separate radio front-end circuitry, instead, the processing circuitry 36 includes radio front-end circuitry and is connected to the antenna 34. Similarly, in some embodiments, all or some of the RF receivers, transmitters and / or transceivers are part of the radio interface 30. In still other embodiments, the communication interface 29 includes one or more ports or terminals,the radio interface 30, and the RF receiver, transmitter and / or transceiver, and the communication interface 31 communicates with baseband processing circuitry, which is part of a digital unit (not shown).

[0075] The antenna 34 may include one or more antennas, or antenna arrays, configured to send and / or receive wireless signals. The antenna 34 may be coupled to the radio front-end circuitry in radio interface 30 and may be any type of antenna capable of transmitting and receiving data and / or signals wirelessly. In certain embodiments, the antenna 34 is separate from the network node 16 and connectable to the network node 16 through one or more interfaces or ports.

[0076] Network node 15 can include one or more components described above with respect to network node 16, e.g., communication interface 29, radio interface 30, antenna 34, ports, processing circuitry 36, processor 38, memory 40 and software 42. These elements of network node 15 can be arranged such that network node 15 can perform various core network functions. Network node 15 can communicate wirelessly or via a wired connection with network nodes 16 via communication link 59.

[0077] The communication system 10 further includes the UE 22 already referred to. The UE 22 may have hardware 44 that may include a radio interface 46 configured to set up and maintain a wireless connection 32 with a network node 16 serving a coverage area 18 in which the UE 22 is currently located. The radio interface 46 may be formed as or may include, for example, one or more RF transmitters, one or more RF receivers, and / or one or more RF transceivers. The radio interface 46 includes an array of antennas 48 to radiate and receive signal(s) carrying electromagnetic waves.

[0078] Communication functions of the radio interface 46 may include cellular communication, Wi-Fi communication (e.g., according to an IEEE 802.11 family standard), LPWAN communication, data communication, voice communication, multimedia communication, short-range communications such as Bluetooth, near-field communication, location-based communication such as the use of the global positioning system (GPS) to determine a location, another like communication function, or any combination thereof. Communications may be implemented according to one or more communication protocols and / or standards, such as IEEE 802.11, Code Division Multiplexing Access (CDMA), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), GSM, LTE, New Radio (NR), UMTS, WiMax, Ethernet, transmission control protocol / internet protocol (TCP / IP), synchronous optical networking (SONET),Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM), QUIC, Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), and so forth.

[0079] The hardware 44 of the UE 22 further includes processing circuitry 50. The processing circuitry 50 may include a processor 52 and memory 54. In particular, in addition to or instead of a processor, such as a central processing unit, and memory, the processing circuitry 50 may comprise integrated circuitry for processing and / or control, e.g., one or more processors and / or processor cores and / or FPGAs (Field Programmable Gate Array) and / or ASICs (Application Specific Integrated Circuitry) adapted to execute instructions. The processor 52 may be configured to access (e.g., write to and / or read from) memory 54, which may comprise any kind of volatile and / or nonvolatile memory, e.g., cache and / or buffer memory and / or RAM (Random Access Memory) and / or ROM (Read-Only Memory) and / or optical memory and / or EPROM (Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory).

[0080] Thus, the UE 22 may further comprise software 56, which is stored in, for example, memory 54 at the UE 22, or stored in external memory (e.g., database, storage array, network storage device, etc.) accessible by the UE 22. The software 56 may be executable by the processing circuitry 50. The software 56 may include a client application 58. The client application 58 may be operable to provide a service to a human or non-human user via the UE 22.

[0081] The processing circuitry 50 may be configured to control any of the methods and / or processes described herein and / or to cause such methods, and / or processes to be performed, e.g., by UE 22. The processor 52 corresponds to one or more processors 52 for performing UE 22 functions described herein. The UE 22 includes memory 54 that is configured to store data, programmatic software code and / or other information described herein. In some embodiments, the software 56 and / or the client application 58 may include instructions that, when executed by the processor 52 and / or processing circuitry 50, causes the processor 52 and / or processing circuitry 50 to perform the processes described herein with respect to UE 22. For example, the processing circuitry 50 of the user equipment 22 may include UE management unit 26 which is configured to perform any step and / or task and / or process and / or method and / or feature described in the present disclosure, e.g., UE functions.

[0082] In some embodiments, network node 16 may include an GMS 60, ECS 62, EES 64, EAS 66, or any other server, any of which may be part of the software and / or hardware described with respect to network node 16 or any other component of system10. GMS 60 may be configured to perform any GMS function described herein, ECS 62 may be configured to perform any ECS function described herein, EES 64 may be configured to perform any EES function described herein, and EAS 66 may be configured to perform any EAS function described herein.

[0083] In some other embodiments, UE may include an AC 68, EEC 70, or any other client, any of which may be part of the software and / or hardware described with respect to UE 22 or any other component of system 10. AC 68 may be configured to perform any AC function described herein, and EEC 70 may be configured to perform any EEC function described herein.

[0084] In some embodiments, the inner workings of the network node 16 and UE 22 may be as shown in FIG. 4 and independently, the surrounding network topology may be that of FIG. 3.

[0085] The wireless connection 32 between the UE 22 and the network node 16 is in accordance with the teachings of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure. More precisely, the teachings of some of these embodiments may improve the data rate, latency, and / or power consumption and thereby provide benefits such as reduced user waiting time, relaxed restriction on file size, better responsiveness, extended battery lifetime, etc. In some embodiments, a measurement procedure may be provided for the purpose of monitoring data rate, latency and other factors on which the one or more embodiments improve.

[0086] Although FIGS. 3 and 4 show various “units” such as node management unit 24 and UE management unit 26 as being within a respective processor, it is contemplated that these units may be implemented such that a portion of the unit is stored in a corresponding memory within the processing circuitry. In other words, the units may be implemented in hardware or in a combination of hardware and software within the processing circuitry.

[0087] FIG. 5 is a flowchart of an example process in a first network node 16. The first network node includes a group management server 60. The first network node 16 is configured to support service enabler architecture layer (SEAL) group management. One or more blocks described herein may be performed by one or more elements of network node 16 such as by one or more of processing circuitry 36 (including the node management unit 24), processor 38, and / or radio interface 30. Network node 16 such as via processing circuitry 36 and / or processor 38 and / or radio interface 30 is configured to, in response to an operation associated with a virtual application layer (VAL) groupthat has a VAL group membership which includes an application client (AC) 68, transmit (Block S100) a VAL group operation request to obtain an edge application server (EAS) notification. The EAS notification includes information about an EAS 66 that corresponds to the AC 68 for the operation. The first network node 16 is also configured to receive (Block S102) the EAS notification and, in response to the EAS notification, update (Block S104) the VAL group membership of the VAL group by including the EAS 66 that corresponds to the AC 68 in the VAL group membership.

[0088] In some embodiments, one or both of: (A) the VAL group operation request comprises an AC identifier (ID) and a VAL group ID; and (B) the EAS notification includes an EAS ID.

[0089] In some other embodiments, the AC 68 is comprised of a user equipment (UE) 22, and the AC ID and the EAS ID are stored as VAL UE IDs in a VAL group container to identify VAL group members.

[0090] In some embodiments, the method further includes mapping the AC ID and the EAS ID to the VAL UE IDs.

[0091] In some other embodiments, the AC ID and EAS ID are carried by a VAL UE ID data element.

[0092] In some embodiments, the method further includes receiving a group management request including the VAL UE ID data element and transmitting the VAL group operation request based on the VAL UE ID data element.

[0093] In some other embodiments, the method further includes identifying the AC 68 as a subject of the group management request via one of: (A) the AC ID in case of the AC 68 is a new VAL group member AC; and (B) the VAL UE ID in case the AC 68 is an existing VAL group member AC.

[0094] In some embodiments, the operation includes one or more of: (A) a VAL group creation; (B) a VAL group membership update; (C) a VAL group announcement and join operation; and (D) a VAL group member leave.

[0095] In some other embodiments, the VAL group operation request is transmitted to an edge configuration server (ECS) 62, and the EAS notification is received from the ECS 62.

[0096] In some embodiments, the VAL group operation request is transmitted to the ECS, via an edge enabler server (EES) 64, and the EAS notification is received from the ECS 62, via the EES 64.In some other embodiments, one or more of: (A) the first network node 16 is associated with a first network; (B) the ECS 62 and the EES 64 are associated with a second network; (C) the second network and the first network are different; and (D) the second network comprises an edge cloud network.

[0097] FIG. 6 is a flowchart of an example process in a second network node 16. The second network node 16 includes an edge configuration server (ECS) 62. The second network node 16 is configured to support service enabler architecture layer (SEAL) group management. One or more blocks described herein may be performed by one or more elements of network node 16 such as by one or more of processing circuitry 36 (including the node management unit 24), processor 38, and / or radio interface

[0098] 30. Network node 16 such as via processing circuitry 36 and / or processor 38 and / or radio interface 30 is configured to receive (Block S106) a virtual application layer (VAL) group operation request. The VAL group operation request requests an edge application server (EAS) notification including information about an EAS 66 that corresponds to an application client (AC) 68 for an operation. The operation is associated with a VAL group that has a VAL group membership comprising the AC 68. The network node 16 is also configured to determine (Block S108) the information about the EAS 66 based on the VAL group operation request and transmit (Block SI 10) the EAS notification including the information about the EAS 66.

[0099] In some embodiments, one or both of: (A) the VAL group operation request includes an AC identifier (ID) and a VAL group ID; and (B) the EAS notification includes an EAS ID.

[0100] In some other embodiments, the AC 68 is comprised in a user equipment (UE) 22, and the AC ID and the EAS ID are stored as VAL UE IDs in a VAL group container to identify VAL group members.

[0101] In some embodiments, the AC ID and the EAS ID are mapped to the VAL UE IDs.

[0102] In some other embodiments, the AC ID and EAS ID are carried by a VAL UE ID data element.

[0103] In some embodiments, the operation includes one or more of: (A) a VAL group creation; (B) a VAL group membership update; (C) a VAL group announcement and join operation; and (D) a VAL group member leave.In some other embodiments, the VAL group operation request is received from a group management server 60, and the EAS notification is transmitted to the group management server 60.

[0104] In some embodiments, the VAL group operation request is received from the group management server 60, via an edge enabler server (EES) 64, and the EAS notification is transmitted to the group management server 60, via the EES 64.

[0105] In some other embodiments, one or more of: (A) the group management server 60 is a first network node 16 associated with a first network; (B) the second network node 16 and the EES 64 are associated with a second network; (C) the second network and the first network are different; and (D) the second network comprises an edge cloud network.

[0106] In some embodiments, the method further includes determining the EES 64 for the EAS 66 when one or both of a UE mobility event and a handover is detected and transmitting, to the EES 64, a VAL group operation notification including one or more identifiers associated with the AC 68, the EAS 66, and the VAL group. The VAL group operation notification is transmittable by the EES 64 to one or more of an edge enabler client (ECC) 70, the EAS 66, and the AC 68.

[0107] In one or more embodiments, a VAL UE ID may be a virtual VAL UE ID. Having described the general process flow of arrangements of the disclosure and having provided examples of hardware and software arrangements for implementing the processes and functions of the disclosure, the sections below provide details and examples of arrangements for application layer group management for the edge cloud networks.

[0108] In some embodiments, the term VAL group is used and may refer to a virtual application layer group. However, the embodiments are not limited as such and may refer to any group, such as a group having a membership associated with one or more clients.

[0109] SEAL group management operations in the edge enabler and edge application layers

[0110] FIG. 7 below illustrates the edge enabler and edge application layer call sequences of a VAL group operation or method. In some embodiments, the method may have one or more pre-conditions, which may include one or more of:• The group management server 60, group management client, VAL group members, EES 64, EEC 70, EAS 66 (as an application specific server), edge application client and ECS 62 serve in the same VAL system;

[0111] • The initiator of this operation is aware of the current group membership of the VAL group;

[0112] • The initiator of this operation is aware of the ACs 68 which are impacted by the VAL group operation; and

[0113] • EAS 66 and AC 68 are authorized for the VAL group operation.

[0114] One or more of the following steps may be included in the method:

[0115] S200. An operation on the VAL group membership of the AC 68 has been performed by the SEAL group management server 60. The operation is triggered by another entity of the VAL system, e.g., by the group management client or VAL server in case of a group membership update, according to subclause 10.3.5.2 of 3GPP TS 23.434, or by the group management client in case of group de-registration request, according to subclause 10.3.9 of 3GPP TS 23.434. Examples of a group management server 60 are a Factory 4.0 server connecting to various loT devices and controller applications that may be placed to the edge cloud, or an AR / XR server offering group management for multiple AR / XR devices and edge servers for offloaded, computationally intensive functions.

[0116] S202. The VAL group operation request on the AC 68 is sent from the SEAL group management server to a configured EES 64, together with the AC identifier and VAL group ID. The EES 64 may act as the forwarding point between the SEAL group management and the application specific (edge) layer. Furthermore, EES 64 may be configured to use the VAL group operation parameters to configure the transport layer.

[0117] S204. Notification on the VAL group operation is transmitted from the EES 64 to the ECS 62, together with the AC identifier and VAL group ID, and serves as a request of adherent EAS 66 for the AC 68 as well. ECS 62 may perform group operation (e.g., creates the group)

[0118] S206. ECS 62 determines the adherent EAS 66 for the AC 68 under the VAL group operation.S208. ECS 62 notifies the EES 64 on the adherent EAS 66 and sends the EAS identifier.

[0119] S210. EES 64 notifies the SEAL group management server 60 on the adherent EAS 66 and sends the EAS identifier, (can be one or more EAS IDs) S212. The SEAL group management server 60 revises the group membership of the adherent EAS, according to the group membership update (e.g., step S206) with the AC 68.

[0120] The manifestation of AC and EAS identifiers used in the VAL group document, for the group management server and for the group management procedures may be implementation dependent and resolved by the VAL UE ID.

[0121] S214. Optionally, for service continuity purposes including UE mobility events and handovers, each adherent EES 64 is determined for the EAS 66 by the ECS 62.

[0122] S216. Optionally, for service continuity purposes including UE mobility events and handovers, VAL group operation notification with AC identifier, EAS ID and VAL group ID is sent from the ECS 62 to each determined EES 64.

[0123] S218. EES notifies the EEC on the group management operation on the AC and adherent EAS and sends the AC, EAS and VAL group identifiers. EEC can configure the transport layer based on this information S220. EES 64 notifies the adherent EAS 66 on the group management operation on the AC 68 and sends the AC and VAL group IDs.

[0124] S222. The adherent EAS notifies the AC 68 on the group management operation on the AC 68 and on the EAS 64, and sends the VAL group ID.

[0125] S224. The VAL group operation response on the AC 68 and adherent EAS 66 is sent from the EES 64 to the group management server 60.

[0126] VAL group operations with edge interaction

[0127] The following procedures may be applicable as generic VAL group operations, under Step S200 of a SEAL group management procedure with edge interaction, shown in FIG. 7, e.g., according to 3GPP TS 23.434, subclause 10.3.

[0128] 1. Group creation, including procedures of:

[0129] ■ Group creation request; and■ Group creation notification to the group management client and to the VAL server;

[0130] 2. Group membership update by authorized user / UE / VAL server, including procedures of:

[0131] ■ Group membership update request; and

[0132] ■ Group membership notification to the VAL server;

[0133] 3. Group announcement and join, including procedures of:

[0134] ■ Configure VAL group request;

[0135] ■ Configure VAL group response;

[0136] ■ Group announcement;

[0137] ■ Group registration request;

[0138] ■ Group registration response; and

[0139] ■ Identity list notification to the group management client and to the VAL server;

[0140] 4. Group member leave, including procedures of:

[0141] ■ Group de-registration request; and

[0142] ■ Identity list notification to the group management client and to the VAL server.

[0143] In these procedures, group management clients or VAL servers may need notification regarding the group membership operation, e.g., as defined in subclause 10.3, 3GPP TS 23.434. With the VAL group membership of EASs 66 and ACs 68, identifiers of EASs 66 and ACs 68 may be involved in the notifications on group management operations from the group management server towards group management clients and VAL servers.

[0144] The following embodiments show nonlimiting examples for the manifestation of AC and EAS identifiers in the group management procedures.

[0145] Embodiment 1

[0146] In some embodiments, the term container such as VAL group container is used and may refer to storage location (e.g., memory 40) or a document such as a VAL group document that may be stored in the storage location and be accessed by one or more components of system 10. The container or document may include information such as identity information of one or more members. For example, both AC and EAS IDs are stored as VAL UE IDs in the VAL group document (or container) to identify VAL group members. According to 3GPP TS 29.549, VAL UE IDs are strings with nomandatory format. However, the UE ID format may be fixed by the service agreement. AC IDs and EAS IDs carried by the VAL UE ID data element may be used in each SEAL group management procedure. In any group management request, the group management server 60 may check the VAL UE ID data element within the request. If an AC ID is identified, the group management server 60 may continue to perform more steps, e.g., S202-S224 of FGI. 7, e.g., towards the edge application layer.

[0147] Embodiment 2

[0148] AC and EAS IDs are not stored directly in the VAL group document. Instead, the group management server 60 performs a mapping from AC IDs and EAS IDs to generated, virtual VAL UE IDs. These VAL UE IDs are stored in the VAL group document and used in each SEAL group management procedure. In any group management request, the group management server 60 may check the VAL UE ID data element within the request. An AC 68 may be identified as a subject of the group management request via the AC ID in case of a new VAL group member AC, or via its virtual VAL UE ID in case of an existing VAL group member AC. The group management server 60 may continue with steps S202-S224 of FIG. 7, e.g., towards the edge application layer.

[0149] Service continuity of SEAL group management operations in the edge layers

[0150] FIG. 8 shows edge enabler and edge application layer interactions in case of service continuity for the VAL group membership of an AC 68 and adherent EAS 66. AC 68 may connect to another EAS 66, triggering service continuity. In some embodiments, the method may have one or more pre-conditions, which may include the group management server 60, group management client, VAL group members, edge enabler servers 64, edge enabler client 70, edge application server 66 (as an application specific server), edge application client and edge configuration server serving in the same VAL system. EASs 66 and AC 68 may be authorized for the VAL group operation.

[0151] One or more of the following steps may be included in the method:

[0152] S300. AC 68 connects to another EAS 66 triggering the service continuity procedure, e.g., due to AC 68 (e.g., or UE 22) re-location or a network device outage. The EAS 66 switches to serves as a new adherent EAS 66 for the AC 68.

[0153] S302. ECS 62 notifies the EES 64 on the update to the new adherent EAS 66.S304. EES 64 notifies the group management server 60 on the update to the new adherent EAS 66.

[0154] S306. The group management server 60 revises the VAL group membership of old and new adherent EASs 66. The new EAS 66 is added to the VAL group with the AC 68, in case the EAS 66 is not yet a member of the group. The old EAS 66 is removed from the VAL group, in case there are no adherent ACs 68 for the old EAS 66 in the group.

[0155] S3O8. The group management server 60 notifies the EES 64 about the update of the adherent EAS 66, with the ID of the old EAS to be removed from the group and the ID of the new EAS 66 to be added to the group.

[0156] S310. The EES 64 notifies the ECS 62 on the update of the adherent EAS 66, with the ID of the old EAS 66 to be removed from the group and the ID of the new EAS 66 to be added to the group.

[0157] S312. The EES 64 notifies the EEC 70 on the update of the adherent EAS 66, with the ID of the old EAS 66 to be removed from the group and the ID of the new EAS 66 to be added to the group.

[0158] S314. The EES 64 notifies the old EAS 66 about the removal from the group and the new EAS 66 about the addition to the group.

[0159] S316. The new EAS 66 notifies the AC 68 about the update of the adherent EAS 66, with the ID of the old EAS 66 to be removed from the group and the ID of the new EAS 66 to be added to the group.

[0160] As will be appreciated by one of skill in the art, the concepts described herein may be embodied as a method, data processing system, computer program product and / or computer storage media storing an executable computer program. Accordingly, the concepts described herein may take the form of an entirely hardware embodiment, an entirely software embodiment or an embodiment combining software and hardware aspects all generally referred to herein as a “circuit” or “module.” Any process, step, action and / or functionality described herein may be performed by, and / or associated to, a corresponding module, which may be implemented in software and / or firmware and / or hardware. Furthermore, the disclosure may take the form of a computer program product on a tangible computer usable storage medium having computer program code embodied in the medium that can be executed by a computer. Any suitable tangible computer readable medium may be utilized including hard disks, CD-ROMs, electronic storage devices, optical storage devices, or magnetic storage devices.Some embodiments are described herein with reference to flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams of methods, systems and computer program products. It will be understood that each block of the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams, can be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions may be provided to a processor of a general purpose computer (to thereby create a special purpose computer), special purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus, create means for implementing the functions / acts specified in the flowchart and / or block diagram block or blocks.

[0161] These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer readable memory or storage medium that can direct a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to function in a particular manner, such that the instructions stored in the computer readable memory produce an article of manufacture including instruction means which implement the function / act specified in the flowchart and / or block diagram block or blocks.

[0162] The computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer or other programmable apparatus to produce a computer implemented process such that the instructions which execute on the computer or other programmable apparatus provide steps for implementing the functions / acts specified in the flowchart and / or block diagram block or blocks.

[0163] It is to be understood that the functions / acts noted in the blocks may occur out of the order noted in the operational illustrations. For example, two blocks shown in succession may in fact be executed substantially concurrently or the blocks may sometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon the functionality / acts involved. Although some of the diagrams include arrows on communication paths to show a primary direction of communication, it is to be understood that communication may occur in the opposite direction to the depicted arrows.

[0164] Computer program code for carrying out operations of the concepts described herein may be written in an object oriented programming language such as Python, Java® or C++. However, the computer program code for carrying out operations of the disclosure may also be written in conventional procedural programming languages,such as the "C" programming language. The program code may execute entirely on the user's computer, partly on the user's computer, as a stand-alone software package, partly on the user's computer and partly on a remote computer or entirely on the remote computer. In the latter scenario, the remote computer may be connected to the user's computer through a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN), or the connection may be made to an external computer (for example, through the Internet using an Internet Service Provider).

[0165] Many different embodiments have been disclosed herein, in connection with the above description and the drawings. It will be understood that it would be unduly repetitious and obfuscating to literally describe and illustrate every combination and subcombination of these embodiments. Accordingly, all embodiments can be combined in any way and / or combination, and the present specification, including the drawings, shall be construed to constitute a complete written description of all combinations and subcombinations of the embodiments described herein, and of the manner and process of making and using them, and shall support claims to any such combination or subcombination.

[0166] It will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that the embodiments described herein are not limited to what has been particularly shown and described herein above. In addition, unless mention was made above to the contrary, it should be noted that all of the accompanying drawings are not to scale. A variety of modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings and following claims.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A method in a first network node (16) comprising a group management server, the first network node (16) configured to support service enabler architecture layer, SEAL, group management, the method comprising:in response to an operation associated with a virtual application layer, VAL, group having a VAL group membership comprising an application client, AC (68), transmitting (S100) a VAL group operation request to obtain an edge application server, EAS, notification comprising information about an EAS (66) that corresponds to the AC (68) for the operation;receiving (S102) the EAS notification; andin response to the EAS notification, updating (S104) the VAL group membership of the VAL group by including the EAS (66) that corresponds to the AC (68) in the VAL group membership.

2. The method of Claim 1, wherein one or both of:the VAL group operation request comprises an AC identifier, ID, and a VAL group ID; andthe EAS notification includes an EAS ID.

3. The method of Claim 2, wherein the AC (68) is comprised in a user equipment, UE (22), and the AC ID and the EAS ID are stored as VAL UE IDs in a VAL group container to identify VAL group members.

4. The method of Claim 3, wherein the method further includes: mapping the AC ID and the EAS ID to the VAL UE IDs.

5. The method of any one of Claims 2-4, wherein the AC ID and EAS ID are carried by a VAL UE ID data element.

6. The method of Claim 5, wherein the method further includes: receiving a group management request including the VAL UE ID data element; andtransmitting the VAL group operation request based on the VAL UE ID data element.

7. The method of Claim 6, wherein the method further includes identifying the AC (68) as a subject of the group management request via one of:the AC ID in case of the AC (68) is a new VAL group member AC; and the VAL UE ID in case the AC (68) is an existing VAL group member AC.

8. The method of any one of Claims 1-7, wherein the operation includes one or more of:a VAL group creation;a VAL group membership update;a VAL group announcement and join operation; anda VAL group member leave.

9. The method of any one of Claims 1-8, wherein the VAL group operation request is transmitted to an edge configuration server, ECS (62), and the EAS notification is received from the ECS (62).

10. The method of Claim 9, wherein the VAL group operation request is transmitted to the ECS (62), via an edge enabler server, EES (64), and the EAS notification is received from the ECS (62), via the EES (64).

11. The method of Claim 10, wherein one or more of:the first network node (16) is associated with a first network;the ECS (62) and the EES (64) are associated with a second network;the second network and the first network are different; andthe second network comprises an edge cloud network.

12. A first network node (16) comprising a group management server, the first network node (16) being configured to support service enabler architecture layer, SEAL, group management, the first network node (16) being configured to perform one or more steps corresponding to any one of Claims 1-11.

13. A method in a second network node (16) comprising an edge configuration server, ECS (62), the second network node (16) configured to support service enabler architecture layer, SEAL, group management, the method comprising:receiving (S106) a virtual application layer, VAL, group operation request, the VAL group operation request requesting an edge application server, EAS, notification comprising information about an EAS (66) that corresponds to an application client, AC (68), for an operation, the operation being associated with a VAL group having a VAL group membership comprising the AC (68);determining (S108) the information about the EAS (66) based on the VAL group operation request; andtransmitting (S100) the EAS notification including the information about the EAS (66).

14. The method of Claim 13, wherein one or both of:the VAL group operation request comprises an AC identifier, ID, and a VAL group ID; andthe EAS notification includes an EAS ID.

15. The method of Claim 14, wherein the AC (68) is comprised in a user equipment, UE (22), and the AC ID and the EAS ID are stored as VAL UE IDs in a VAL group container to identify VAL group members.

16. The method of Claim 15, wherein the AC ID and the EAS ID are mapped to the VAL UE IDs.

17. The method of any one of Claims 14-16, wherein the AC ID and EAS ID are carried by a VAL UE ID data element.

18. The method of any one of Claims 13-17, wherein the operation includes one or more of:a VAL group creation;a VAL group membership update;a VAL group announcement and join operation; anda VAL group member leave.

19. The method of any one of Claims 13-18, wherein the VAL group operation request is received from a group management server, and the EAS notification is transmitted to the group management server.

20. The method of Claim 19, wherein the VAL group operation request is received from the group management server, via an edge enabler server, EES (64), and the EAS notification is transmitted to the group management server, via the EES (64).

21. The method of Claim 20, wherein one or more of:the group management server is a first network node (16) associated with a first network;the second network node (16) and the EES (64) are associated with a second network;the second network and the first network are different; andthe second network comprises an edge cloud network.

22. The method of any one of Claims 20 and 21, wherein the method further includes:determining the EES (64) for the EAS (66) when one or both of a UE mobility event and a handover is detected; andtransmitting, to the EES (64), a VAL group operation notification including one or more identifiers associated with the AC (68), the EAS (66), and the VAL group, the VAL group operation notification being transmittable by the EES (64) to one or more of an edge enabler client, ECC, the EAS (66), and the AC (68).

23. A second network node (16) comprising an edge configuration server, ECS (62), the second network node (16) being configured to support service enabler architecture layer, SEAL, group management, the second network node (16) being configured to perform one or more steps corresponding to one or more of Claims 13-22.

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