User Plane LAN Identifier for Isolated Group Communication
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current 3GPP networks cannot facilitate communication between different terminals within a Local Area Network (LAN) group, limiting isolated group communication capabilities.
Innovation Solution
A communication method and apparatus that utilize user plane LAN identifiers to enable communication between terminals in a LAN group by determining and using user plane LAN identifiers based on flow characteristic information and LAN identification rules, allowing packets to be forwarded within the group.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the 3GPP network provides only access service for terminal to external data network, then the network architecture remains simple, but communication between different terminals in a LAN group cannot be implemented
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the network functionality by introducing a dedicated user plane network element that handles LAN group communication separately from the core access network functions. This segmentation allows the network to provide both traditional access services and new LAN communication services without overwhelming complexity in the core network architecture.
Solution Approach 2:
The user plane network element acts as an intermediary between terminals in the LAN group. It receives packets from source terminals, determines the appropriate user plane LAN identifier, and forwards packets to destination terminals. This intermediary approach enables complex LAN communication functionality while keeping the core network architecture relatively simple.
2Reliability
If user plane LAN identifier is determined based on flow characteristic information and LAN identification rule, then communication isolation between different LAN groups is achieved, but additional determination and matching processes are required
Solution Approach 1:
The LAN identification rule is pre-configured in the user plane network element, establishing the correspondence between flow characteristic information and user plane LAN identifiers before actual packet forwarding begins. This preliminary configuration allows the network to reliably isolate different LAN groups while reducing the complexity of real-time packet processing decisions.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces complex real-time analysis of packet contents with a simpler lookup process based on pre-configured LAN identification rules. The user plane network element matches flow characteristic information against the predetermined rule set to determine the appropriate user plane LAN identifier, substituting mechanical packet inspection with a more efficient rule-based system.
Data Source
AI summary
This application provides a communication method and apparatus. The method includes: After receiving a first packet from a first device, a first user plane network element determines a user plane LAN identifier corresponding to the first packet, where the user plane LAN identifier is an identifier that is in a user plane and that is of a LAN group to which the terminal belongs, and one user plane LAN identifier corresponds to one LAN group. That is, a function of the user plane LAN identifier is to isolate user plane packets of different LAN groups. Then, the first user plane network element sends the first packet to a second device based on the user plane LAN identifier and a destination address included in the first packet, so that the first packet sent by one terminal in the LAN group is sent to another terminal in the LAN group.