CN109547232B

CN109547232B - Network slicing time management method and related product

Info

Publication number: CN109547232B
Application number: CN201710870187.4A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 陆伟; 杨水根; 孙文琦; 谭巍
Original assignee: Huawei Technologies Co Ltd
Current assignee: Huawei Technologies Co Ltd
Priority date: 2017-09-22
Filing date: 2017-09-22
Publication date: 2022-04-05
Anticipated expiration: 2037-09-22
Also published as: WO2019056956A1; CN109547232A

Abstract

The embodiment of the invention discloses a time management method of a network slice management instruction and a related product, wherein the method comprises the following steps: a first network slice entity acquires a network slice instance NSI management instruction, designs NSI and arranges NSI, and sends a network slice subnet instance NSSI or network function NF management instruction to a plurality of second network slice entities; the first network slicing entity receives a plurality of response instructions sent by the plurality of second network slicing entities after executing the NSSI or NF management instructions, the first network slicing entity determines an execution time of the management instructions to be a design NSI and orchestrates a time between the NSI to a last response instruction of the plurality of response instructions. By adopting the technical scheme provided by the embodiment of the invention, the time can be effectively managed.

Description

Network slicing time management method and related product

Technical Field

The present invention relates to the field of communications, and in particular, to a network slicing time management method and related products.

Background

Network slice (English: Network slice): refers to different logical networks customized according to different service requirements on top of a physical or virtual network infrastructure. The network slice can be a complete end-to-end network comprising a terminal, an access network, a transmission network, a core network and an application server, can provide complete telecommunication service and has certain network capacity; the network slice may also be any combination of the above terminals, access networks, transport networks, core networks and application servers. A network slice may have one or more of the following characteristics: the access network may or may not be sliced. The access network may be common to multiple network slices. The characteristics of different network slices and the network functions that make up them may be different. Time management for network slicing is a requirement of operators, but existing network slicing cannot manage time.

Disclosure of Invention

The technical problem to be solved by the embodiments of the present invention is to provide a network slicing time management method and a related product, so as to implement management of network slicing time.

In a first aspect, a method for managing time of network slice management instructions is provided, the method comprising the following steps: a first network slice entity acquires a network slice instance NSI management instruction, designs NSI and arranges NSI, and sends a network slice subnet instance NSSI or network function NF management instruction to a plurality of second network slice entities; the first network slicing entity receives a plurality of response instructions sent by the plurality of second network slicing entities after executing the NSSI or NF management instructions, the first network slicing entity determines an execution time of the management instructions to be a design NSI and orchestrates a time between the NSI to a last response instruction of the plurality of response instructions.

In one alternative, the first network slice entity determining the execution time of the management instruction to be a design NSI and orchestrating the time between the NSI to a last response instruction of the plurality of response instructions comprises: the first network slice entity performs a first timing to obtain a first time t1 for designing the NSI and arranging the NSI when designing the NSI and arranging the NSI, and performs a second timing to obtain a second time t2 from sending the NSSI or NF management command to receiving a last response command of the plurality of response commands, wherein the execution time is t1+ t 2.

In another alternative, NSSI or NF service configuration messages are sent to the plurality of second network slice entities, and NSSI or NF service configuration complete messages sent by the plurality of second network slice entities are received; and testing the end-to-end NSI managed by the first network slice entity and the plurality of network slice entities, after the end-to-end NSI is tested, acquiring the third time t3 from the time of sending the NSSI or NF service configuration to the time of testing the end-to-end NSI, and adding the third time into the execution time.

In yet another alternative, the response instruction includes: design time t4 and deployment time t5 for the second network slice entity to execute the NSSI or NF management instructions.

In a second aspect, a method for obtaining time of a network slice management instruction is provided, the method includes the following steps: a first network slice entity receives an execution time request for subscribing or inquiring a network slice management instruction sent by a third network slice entity; and the first network slice entity acquires the execution time of the network slice management instruction and sends the execution time to the third network slice entity.

In a next alternative, the method further comprises, before the first network slice entity obtains the execution time of the network slice management instruction: the first network slice management entity checks the available resources situation.

In a third aspect, a time management method for network slice management instructions is provided, the method includes the following steps: a first network slice entity receives a management instruction and an execution time Quota Quota; and the first network slice entity determines the execution sequence of the management instructions according to the execution time quota.

In an alternative, the determining, by the first network slice entity, the execution order of the management instructions according to the execution time quota includes: and receiving or determining the management instruction, checking a preset execution time quota, and determining the execution time of the management instruction according to the execution time quota if the management instruction and other management instructions cannot be executed in parallel.

In the latter alternative, if it is determined that the actual execution time of the management instruction is greater than the execution time quota, a deferred execution management instruction is sent to the second network slice entity.

In a fourth aspect, there is provided a time management apparatus for network slice management instructions, the apparatus being provided in a first network slice entity, the apparatus comprising: the acquisition unit is used for acquiring a network slice instance NSI management instruction; the processing unit is used for designing NSI and arranging NSI, and controlling the transceiver unit to send a network slice subnet instance NSSI or a network function NF management instruction to the plurality of second network slice entities; the transceiving unit is further configured to receive a plurality of response instructions sent by the plurality of second network slice entities after the NSSI or NF management instructions are executed, and the processing unit is configured to determine that the execution time of the management instruction is the design NSI and schedule the time between the NSI and the last response instruction in the plurality of response instructions.

In a fifth aspect, there is provided a time acquisition apparatus for network slice management instructions, the apparatus being disposed in a first network slice entity, the apparatus comprising: the receiving and sending unit is used for receiving an execution time request for subscribing or inquiring the network slice management instruction sent by a third network slice entity; an obtaining unit, configured to obtain an execution time of the network slice management instruction; the transceiver unit is further configured to send the execution time to the third network slice entity.

In a sixth aspect, there is provided a time management apparatus for network slice management instructions, the apparatus being provided in a first network slice entity, the apparatus comprising: the receiving and sending unit is used for receiving the management instruction and the execution time Quota Quota; and the processing unit is used for determining the execution sequence of the management instruction according to the execution time quota.

In a seventh aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, which stores a computer program for electronic data exchange, wherein the computer program causes a computer to perform the method of the first aspect.

In an eighth aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, storing a computer program for electronic data exchange, wherein the computer program causes a computer to perform the method according to the second aspect.

In a ninth aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, storing a computer program for electronic data exchange, wherein the computer program causes a computer to perform the method of the third aspect.

In a tenth aspect, there is provided a network slice entity comprising one or more processors, memory, a transceiver, and one or more programs stored in the memory and configured for execution by the one or more processors, the programs comprising instructions for performing the steps in the method of the first aspect.

In an eleventh aspect, there is provided a network slice entity comprising one or more processors, memory, a transceiver, and one or more programs stored in the memory and configured for execution by the one or more processors, the programs including instructions for performing the steps in the method of the second aspect.

In a twelfth aspect, there is provided a network slice entity comprising one or more processors, memory, a transceiver, and one or more programs stored in the memory and configured for execution by the one or more processors, the programs comprising instructions for performing the steps in the method of the third aspect.

By implementing the embodiment of the invention, the operator and the equipment can know the execution time of each management command in each stage, so that the operator and the equipment can conveniently carry out targeted optimization, and the operator can estimate the information such as the time of the new service.

Drawings

In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments or the background art of the present invention, the drawings required to be used in the embodiments or the background art of the present invention will be described below.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a network slice management system;

FIG. 2a is a flow diagram of an example creation of a network slice;

FIG. 2b is a flow diagram of an example adjustment of a network slice;

FIG. 2c is a flow diagram of a network slice instance termination;

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a network slice management system;

FIG. 4 is a flow diagram of a method of network slice time management;

FIG. 5 is a flow chart of network slice management command execution time query and reporting;

FIG. 6 is a flow chart of a method of managing time of an instruction;

FIG. 7a is a schematic diagram of a time management apparatus for network slice management command;

FIG. 7b is a schematic diagram of a time acquisition apparatus for network slice management commands;

FIG. 7c is a schematic diagram of a time management apparatus for network slice management command;

fig. 8 is a schematic diagram of a network device.

Detailed Description

The embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

Referring to fig. 1, fig. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a network slice management system, as shown in fig. 1, the network slice management system includes: a Communication Service Management Function (CSMF) entity, a Network Slice Management Function (NSMF) and a Network Slice Subnet Management Function (NSSMF). In practical applications, the NSSMF may be provided in plural.

The CSMF may be responsible for translating the communication service requirements of the operator and/or the third party customer into requirements for the network (slicing), sending the requirements for the network slicing (e.g., create, terminate, modify network slice instance request, etc.) to the NSMF through an interface with the NSMF, obtaining management data (e.g., performance, fault data, etc.) of the network slicing from the NSMF, generating management data for communication traffic running on top of the network slice instance, receiving subscription requirements for the network slicing management data and/or the management data for communication traffic by the operator and/or the third party customer, etc.

The NSMF may be responsible for receiving the network slice requirement sent by the CSMF, managing the life cycle, performance, and failure of the network slice instance (hereinafter, life cycle, performance, and failure management is referred to as management for short), arranging the composition of the network slice instance, decomposing the requirement of the network slice instance into the requirement of each network slice subnet instance and/or network function, and sending a network slice subnet instance management request to each NSSMF.

The NSSMF may be responsible for receiving network slice subnet requirements sent by the NSMF, managing the network slice subnet instances, arranging the composition of the sub-ranked network slice instances, decomposing the requirements of the network slice subnet instances into requirements of each network function and/or nested network slice subnet instances, and possibly sending nested network slice subnet instance management requests to other NSSMFs.

Network slice instance (NSI for short): the network is a real running logic network and can meet certain network characteristics or service requirements. One network slice instance may provide one or more services. The network slice instance can be created by a network management system, and one network management system can create a plurality of network slice instances and manage the network slice instances simultaneously, including performance monitoring, fault management and the like in the operation process of the network slice instances. When multiple network slice instances coexist, portions of the network resources and network functions may be shared between the network slice instances. The network slice instance may or may not be created from a network slice template. A complete Network Slice Instance is capable of providing a complete end-to-end Network service, and what constitutes the Network Slice Instance may be a Network Slice Subnet Instance (NSSI) and/or a Network function. The network functions may include physical network functions and/or virtual network functions. Hereinafter, a physical network function and/or a virtual network function are collectively referred to as a network function.

Network Slice subnet instance (NSSI for short): the network slice subnet instance may not need to provide complete network service end to end, and the network slice subnet instance may be a set formed by network functions of the same equipment provider in the network slice instance, or may be a set formed by network functions divided by domains, such as a core network slice subnet instance, an access network slice subnet instance, or a set formed by other manners, such as a deployment location. A network slice subnet instance may be shared by multiple network slice instances. The network slicing subnet example is provided, and the management of a network management system can be facilitated. A network slice instance may be composed of a number of network slice subnet instances, each network slice subnet instance composed of a number of network functions and/or a number of network slice subnet instances; a network slice instance may consist of several network slice subnet instances and network functions that are not divided into network slice subnet instances; it is also possible that one network slice instance consists of only a few network functions.

Network Function (NF): the network function can be realized by special hardware, software running on the special hardware, or virtual function on general hardware platform. Thus, from an implementation point of view, network functions may be divided into physical network functions and virtual network functions. From the usage perspective, the network functions may be divided into a dedicated network function and a shared network function, and specifically, for a plurality of (sub) network slice instances, different network functions may be independently used, such a network function is referred to as a dedicated network function, and may also share the same network function, such a network function is referred to as a shared network function.

The network slice management flow is described below by some actual network slice management flows.

Referring to fig. 2a, fig. 2a is a flowchart of creating an example network slice, and as shown in fig. 2a, the instructions in the creating flow may be: create NSI instruction, adjust NSI instruction, create NSSI instruction, adjust NSSI instruction, configure NSSI instruction. The network slice instance creation includes the following steps:

step S201a, CSMF receives a communication service request, where the request includes service requirements, such as the geographical area covered by the communication service, isolation requirements for the network, security requirements, application requirements, Key Performance Indicators (KPI) of the network, and so on.

Step S202a, CSMF converts the received communication service requirement into a requirement related to the network slice. This requirement includes whether the network slice instance serving the communication service is sharable with other communication services.

Step S203a, CSMF sends the network slice related requirement to the NSMF, requesting the NSMF to allocate (create) a Network Slice Instance (NSI).

Step S204a, the NSMF analyzes whether the request can be satisfied, and when the request cannot be satisfied with respect to the demand (e.g., device, network, etc. resources), the NSMF rejects the request and sends a rejection feedback to the CSMF. When the requirement corresponding to the request can be met, the following steps are executed:

step S205a, the NSMF determines whether the existing NSI can be reused to satisfy the requirement, and if the existing NSI can be reused to satisfy the requirement, the NSMF lays out an adjustment requirement for the existing NSI and executes a relevant flow of network slice instance adjustment; if an existing NSI cannot be reused, the NSMF creates a new NSI to meet the demand.

Step S206a, the NSMF orchestrates the NSI and decomposes the requirements of the NSI into requirements of each Network Slice Subnet Instance (NSSI). This requirement includes whether the required NSSI can be shared with other NSIs. If the NSMF determines that the required NSSI may not be shared with other NSIs, step S207a, step 208a, and step S211a are performed, and if the NSMF determines that the required NSSI may be shared with other NSIs, step S209a, step S210a, and step S211a are performed.

Step S207a, create a new NSSI, and the NSMF sends the requirement of the new NSSI to the corresponding NSSMF.

Step S208a, NSSMF creates a new NSSI and configures the NSSI to meet the relevant requirements.

Step S209a, the NSMF sends the NSSI requirement to the corresponding NSSMF.

Step S210a, NSSMF adjusts and/or reconfigures existing NSSI to meet the relevant requirements.

Step S211a, the NSMF combines several newly created and/or reused NSSIs into one NSI.

Referring to fig. 2b, fig. 2b is a flowchart illustrating an example adjustment of a network slice, as shown in fig. 2b, the example adjustment of the network slice may include instructions: create NSI instruction, adjust NSI instruction, create NSSI instruction, adjust NSSI instruction, configure NSSI instruction. The network slice example adjustment comprises the following steps:

in step S201b, the NSMF receives the NSI adjustment request or determines to adjust the NSI according to the policy. Adjusting the NSI may include changing the capacity of the NSI, changing the topology within the NSI, adding/deleting network functions within the NSI, etc.

Step S202b, the NSMF determines the NSSI required to be adjusted according to the NSI adjustment request, and sends the adjustment request to the corresponding NSSMF.

In step S203b, NSSMF determines whether the adjustment request can be fulfilled.

Step S204b, if the adjustment request cannot be fulfilled, NSSMF rejects the request and feeds back to NSMF.

Step S205b, NSSMF determines which NSSI components need to be adjusted if the adjustment request can be fulfilled. The constituent components of the NSSI may be Network Functions (NF) or nested NSSI.

At step S206b, if the component is shared with other NSSIs, the NSSMF determines whether the adjustment will adversely affect other NSSIs, and if not, the NSSMF performs the adjustment and/or configuration of the target component. If there are negative effects, NSSMF may decide not to perform the adjustment, or NSSMF creates a new NSSI component to meet the NSSI adjustment requirements, at which point the old shared NSSI component is reconfigured and decoupled from the NSSI with which the new NSSI component is associated. If the component is exclusive to the NSSI, the NSSMF adjusts and configures the target NSSI component according to the adjustment request.

Referring to fig. 2c, fig. 2c is a flowchart of network slice instance termination, and as shown in fig. 2c, the network slice instance termination may include instructions to: an adjust NSI command, an adjust NSSI command, a configure NSSI command, a terminate NSI command, and a terminate NSSI command. The network slice instance finalization comprises the following steps:

in step S201c, the NSMF receives the NSI terminating request or determines to terminate the NSI according to the policy. The NSI is no longer needed.

Step S202c, the NSMF deregisters the NSI, and the NSI that needs to be terminated is in the deregistered state.

Step S203c, the NSMF determines which NSSI of the NSSIs constituting the NSI is terminated and which NSSI needs to be reserved.

Step S204c, if the NSSI needs to be terminated, the NSMF sends an NSSI termination request to the corresponding NSSMF.

In step S205c, NSSMF executes the terminate NSSI command.

Step S206c, if the NSSI does not need to be terminated, the NSMF sends a NSSI adjustment and/or reconfiguration request to the corresponding NSSMF.

Step S207c, NSSMF executes the adjustment or reconfiguration command.

In step S208c, the NSMF deletes the terminated NSI-related information.

The management instruction of the network slice may include, but is not limited to, in addition to the instruction described above: the method comprises the following steps of network slice performance data acquisition, network slice alarm data acquisition, network slice subnet performance measurement instructions, network slice subnet performance threshold monitoring instructions, network slice subnet fault acquisition instructions and the like.

Referring to fig. 3, fig. 3 is a schematic structural diagram of a network slice management system provided in the present application, and as shown in fig. 3, the system includes: CSMF entity, NSMF entity and NSSMF entity. Interface 1: and the interface between the CSMF and the NSMF is used for the CSMF to send the network slice management command and the command execution condition parameters to the NSMF, for the NSMF to feed back the management command execution result to the CSMF, and for the NSMF to report the management data to the CSMF. And (3) interface 2: the interface between the NSMF and the NSSMF is used for the NSMF to send a network slice subnet and/or a network function management instruction and an instruction execution condition parameter to the NSSMF, for the NSSMF to feed back a management instruction execution result to the NSMF, and for the NSSMF to report management data to the NSMF. In practical applications, the NSSMF may be a plurality of entities, and the plurality of NSSMF entities may be connected to the NSMF entity through the interface 2, and of course, when networking is performed, the plurality of NSSMF entities may also be connected to the NSMF entity through other devices connected to the NSMF entity.

Referring to fig. 4, fig. 4 is a schematic flowchart of a network slice time management method according to an embodiment of the present application, and the embodiment shown in fig. 4 is implemented in the system structure shown in fig. 3. As shown in fig. 4, the method comprises the following steps:

step 1, the NSMF receives the NSI management instruction message, or the NSMF determines the management instruction message of the NSI according to the internal strategy, and the NSMF judges that the management instruction can be executed.

Step 2, NSMF starts a timer. The timer may be a timing module internal to the NSMF or may be an external timing module interfacing with the NSMF.

And step 3, the NSMF arranges the requirements of each NSSI and/or NF forming the NSI according to the NSI management instruction message, the network resource use condition, the information of the existing NSSI/NF, NST, NSST and the like. And generates management instructions for the corresponding NSSI and/or NF.

The above steps 2 and 3 may occur simultaneously or sequentially in time sequence, and here, the numbers of the steps 2 and 3 are used only for convenience of description, and the numbers do not indicate the order in time sequence.

Step 4, the NSMF stops the timer, and records the time consumed in the NSI design stage.

Step 5, NSMF starts a timer.

Step 6, NSMF sends NSSI/NF management command to NSSMF.

And 7, after receiving the management instruction, the NSSMF starts a timer, arranges and generates specific requirements and deployment implementation of the NF according to the management instruction of the NSSI and/or the NF, and respectively records the time spent in the two stages.

And 8, the NSSMF feeds back the management instruction to the NSMF to finish the execution. Alternatively, NSSMF reports the time it takes for orchestration and deployment implementations, respectively, to the NSMF.

And 9, stopping the timer by the NSMF, and recording the time consumed by the NSSI/NF deployment phase.

The following steps 10-14 are optional steps, i.e. the service configuration and test phase may or may not take into account the management instruction execution time.

Step 10, the NSMF starts a timer.

Step 11, the NSMF sends NSSI/NF service configuration information to the NSSMF.

And step 12, the NSSMF performs service configuration according to the received service configuration message, and feeds back the completion of the service configuration to the NSMF.

And step 13, the NSMF sends a test task to the NSSMF to confirm that the complete NSI can work normally.

Step 14, the NSMF stops the timer, and records the time consumed by the service configuration and test phases.

Step 15, the NSMF records the complete execution time of the NSI management command, i.e. the sum of the time consumed in the above-mentioned design and arrangement stage, the NSSI/NF deployment stage, the (optional) service configuration, and the test stage.

In the technical solution provided by the embodiment shown in fig. 4, the operator and the service provider can know the execution Time of each management command in each stage, so that the operator and the service provider can perform targeted optimization, and at the same Time, the operator can estimate information such as TTM (Time To Market) of a new service, so that the operator can manage the Time.

Optionally, after the NSMF and the NSSMF calculate the execution time of each stage, the time may be recorded in the internal memory of the NSMF and the NSSMF, or the information may be recorded in the external memory through the interface. Effects of NST, NSST: the network slice template is designed for a certain type of service, and comprises information of network slice subnets, network functions, topology, upper and lower limits of available network resources and the like required for forming the network slice. For example, when the NSMF decides to create an NSI, it checks whether the NSI can be created following a certain NST to meet the requirement, and if there is the NST, the NSMF determines specific parameters of the NSI according to information within the template. Generally, slice management instruction execution times organized according to the same NST have strong dependencies. If the NSMF executes the network slice management command according to the NST, the NSMF associates with the corresponding NST when recording the execution time of the management command.

Referring to fig. 5, fig. 5 provides a method for performing time query and report on a network slice management command, as shown in fig. 5, the method is implemented in a network structure shown in fig. 3, where, in one possible case, the sending entity may be a CSMF, and the receiving entity may be an NSMF, and in another possible case, the sending entity may be an NSMF, and the receiving entity may be an NSSMF. The method, as shown in fig. 5, includes the following steps:

step S501, the sending entity sends a request message for subscribing (subscribe) or querying the execution time of the network slice management instruction to the receiving entity. If the management command is to create an NSI or NSSI, the message carries at least one of the following information: the type of NSI/NSSI to be created, the requirement for the network, SLA (Service Level Agreement) index and other information; if the management command is to adjust the NSI or NSSI, the message carries at least one of the following information: identity information of the NSI or NSSI, type of adjustment, such as expansion, contraction, update, etc., adjustment of involved SLA changes, etc. The request message may also carry an estimation indicator, where the estimation indicator is used to indicate whether the recorded historical management instruction execution time reported by the receiving entity or the management instruction execution time predicted according to the existing resource usage and historical data.

Step S502, when the receiving entity only provides history information to the sending entity, step S503 is executed, and when the receiving entity needs to estimate the instant execution time of the management command, the using conditions of resources such as current calculation, storage, network and the like and the operating conditions of the existing network function/network slice subnet instances are checked.

And step S503, when the receiving entity only provides the history information for the sender, the receiver reads the execution time of the network slice management command matched with the requirement of the sender from the database. When the receiving entity needs to estimate the instant execution time of the management command, the receiving entity estimates the execution time of the management command through an internal algorithm according to the requirement of a sender, historical data and the current resource use condition.

Step S504, if the receiving entity receives the query request in step S501, the receiving entity reports the requested execution time of the management instruction to the sending entity. Optionally, the maximum execution time, the minimum execution time, the average execution time, or any combination thereof may be reported by the receiving entity. If the receiving entity receives the subscription request in step S501, the receiving entity reports the required execution time of the management instruction when the reporting condition is satisfied, and optionally, the reporting of the receiving entity may be the maximum execution time, the minimum execution time, the average execution time, or any combination of the above.

Referring to fig. 6, fig. 6 provides a time management method for managing commands, which is implemented in the network structure shown in fig. 3, in one possible case, the sending entity may be CSMF, and the receiving entity may be NSMF, and in another possible case, the sending entity may be NSMF, and the receiving entity may be NSSMF. The method, as shown in fig. 6, includes the following steps:

step S601, in a possible case, the sending entity sends a network slice management instruction message to the receiving entity, where the message carries a Quota (Quota) of the time required for executing the management instruction, that is, it is specified that the receiving entity needs to complete the management instruction within the specified time Quota. The quota may specify that the management instruction needs to be executed within a time period specified by the quota. Optionally, the quota may be null or infinitely long, that is, the sender does not specify the execution time of the receiving entity.

Step S602, in another possible case, the receiving entity determines to execute the network slice management instruction according to a preset automatic management policy, and the receiving entity checks an execution time Quota of the management instruction according to the preset policy. The quota may specify that the management instruction needs to be executed within a time period specified by the quota. Optionally, the quota may be null or infinitely long, that is, the sender does not specify the execution time of the receiving entity.

Step S603, when the receiving entity receives and/or determines a plurality of network slice management instruction messages (the network slice management instruction may be a management instruction for a certain NSI/NSSI, or may be a management instruction for a plurality of NSIs/NSSIs), and the receiving entity cannot execute all the management instructions at the same time, the receiving entity checks the corresponding execution time Quota, and sorts the execution sequence of the management instructions according to the length of Quota time.

Step S604, when the management instruction of the network slice is sent by the sending entity, i.e. step S601 is executed, and the instruction cannot be executed immediately, the receiving entity feeds back the execution postponing management instruction to the sending entity.

Step S605, the receiving entity executes the network slice management command in sequence.

Referring to fig. 7a, fig. 7a provides a time management apparatus for network slice management instructions, the apparatus being disposed in a first network slice entity, the apparatus comprising:

an obtaining unit 701, configured to obtain a network slice instance NSI management instruction;

a processing unit 702, configured to design and arrange the NSI, and control the transceiver unit to send a network slice subnet instance NSSI or a network function NF management instruction to the plurality of second network slice entities;

a transceiver unit 703, further configured to receive a plurality of response instructions sent by the plurality of second network slice entities after performing the NSSI or NF management instruction,

a processing unit 702, configured to determine that the execution time of the management instruction is a design NSI and schedule a time between the NSI and a last response instruction in the plurality of response instructions.

Optionally, the processing unit 702 is specifically configured to perform a first timing to obtain a first time t1 for designing the NSI and arranging the NSI, and perform a second timing to obtain a second time t2 between sending the NSSI or NF management instruction and receiving a last response instruction of the multiple response instructions, where the execution time is t1+ t 2.

Optionally, the transceiver 703 is further configured to send an NSSI or NF service configuration message to the plurality of second network slice entities, and receive an NSSI or NF service configuration complete message sent by the plurality of second network slice entities;

a processing unit 702, configured to test an end-to-end NSI of the first network slice entity and the multiple network slice entities, after the end-to-end NSI is tested, obtain a third time t3 from sending an NSSI or NF service configuration time to the end-to-end NSI being tested, and add the third time to the execution time.

Optionally, the response instruction includes: design time t4 and deployment time t5 for the second network slice entity to execute the NSSI or NF management instructions.

Referring to fig. 7b, fig. 7b provides a time acquisition apparatus for network slice management instructions, the apparatus being disposed in a first network slice entity, the apparatus comprising:

a transceiving unit 705, configured to receive an execution time request for subscribing or querying a network slice management instruction sent by a third network slice entity;

an obtaining unit 706, configured to obtain an execution time of the network slice management instruction;

the transceiving unit 705 is further configured to send the execution time to the third network slice entity.

Optionally, the apparatus further comprises: the processing unit 707 is a unit that performs,

a processing unit 707 for checking the available resources.

Referring to fig. 7c, fig. 7c provides a time management apparatus for network slice management instructions, the apparatus being disposed in a first network slice entity, the apparatus comprising:

a transceiving unit 708, configured to receive a management instruction and an execution time Quota quote;

the processing unit 709 is configured to determine an execution sequence of the management instruction according to the execution time quota.

Optionally, the processing unit 709 is specifically configured to determine the management instruction, check a preset execution time quota, and determine the execution time of the management instruction according to the execution time quota if the management instruction and other management instructions cannot be executed in parallel.

Optionally, the processing unit 709 is specifically configured to, if it is determined that the actual execution time of the management instruction is greater than the execution time quota, control the transceiver unit to send the deferred execution management instruction to the second network slice entity.

The present application also provides a computer-readable storage medium characterized in that it stores a computer program for electronic data exchange, wherein the computer program causes a computer to perform the method as shown in fig. 4, fig. 5 or fig. 6.

Referring to fig. 8, fig. 8 provides a network device comprising: a processor 801, a memory 802 and a transceiver 803, wherein the processor is connected to the memory 802 and the transceiver, and the connection mode can be through a bus, but in practical application, the connection mode can also be through other modes; wherein, one or more programs are stored in the memory 802, and the processor 801 is configured to call the one or more programs in the memory to control the transceiver 803 to implement the method shown in fig. 4, fig. 5, or fig. 6.

It should be noted that the processor 801 may be a single processing element or may be a general term for a plurality of processing elements. For example, the Processing element may be a Central Processing Unit (CPU), an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), or one or more Integrated circuits configured to implement embodiments of the present Application, such as: one or more microprocessors (digital signal processors, DSPs), or one or more Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs).

One of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that all or part of the processes in the methods of the above embodiments may be implemented by hardware related to instructions of a computer program, which may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium, and when executed, may include the processes of the above method embodiments. And the aforementioned storage medium includes: various media capable of storing program codes, such as ROM or RAM, magnetic or optical disks, etc.

Claims

1. A time management method for network slice management instructions, the method comprising the steps of:

a first network slice entity acquires a network slice instance NSI management instruction, designs NSI and arranges NSI, and sends a network slice subnet instance NSSI or network function NF management instruction to a plurality of second network slice entities;

the first network slice entity receives a plurality of response instructions sent by the plurality of second network slice entities after the NSSI or NF management instructions are executed,

the first network slice entity determines an execution time of the management instruction to be a design NSI and orchestrates a time between the NSI to a last response instruction of the plurality of response instructions.

2. The method of managing of claim 1, wherein the first network slice entity determining that the management command has an execution time of a design NSI and orchestrating the time between the NSI to a last response command of the plurality of response commands comprises:

the first network slice entity performs a first timing in designing the NSI and programming the NSI to obtain a first time t1 for designing the NSI and programming the NSI,

performing a second timing results in a second time t2 between sending the NSSI or NF management command and receiving the last response command of the plurality of response commands,

the execution time = t1+ t 2.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the method further comprises:

sending NSSI or NF service configuration information to the second network slice entities, and receiving NSSI or NF service configuration finishing information sent by the second network slice entities;

and testing the managed end-to-end NSI of the first network slice entity and the plurality of second network slice entities, after the end-to-end NSI is tested, acquiring the third time t3 from the NSSI or NF service configuration sending time to the end-to-end NSI testing completion, and adding the third time into the execution time.

4. The method according to claim 1 or 2,

the response instruction comprises: design time t4 and deployment time t5 for the second network slice entity to execute the NSSI or NF management instructions.

5. A time obtaining method for a network slice management instruction is characterized by comprising the following steps:

a first network slice entity receives an execution time request for subscribing or inquiring a network slice management instruction sent by a third network slice entity;

and the first network slice entity acquires the execution time of the network slice management instruction and sends the execution time to the third network slice entity.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising, prior to the first network slice entity obtaining the execution time of the network slice management instruction:

the first network slice management entity checks the available resources situation.

7. A time management method for network slice management instructions, the method comprising the steps of:

a first network slice entity receives or determines a management instruction and an execution time Quota Quota;

the first network slice entity determines the execution sequence of the management instructions according to the execution time quota; wherein the determining, by the first network slice entity, the execution sequence of the management instruction according to the execution time quota includes:

and receiving or determining the management instruction, checking a preset execution time quota, and determining the execution time of the management instruction according to the execution time quota if the management instruction and other management instructions cannot be executed in parallel.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

and if the actual execution time of the management instruction is determined to be larger than the execution time quota, sending a deferred execution management instruction to a second network slice entity.

9. An apparatus for time management of network slice management instructions, the apparatus being disposed within a first network slice entity, the apparatus comprising:

the acquisition unit is used for acquiring a network slice instance NSI management instruction;

the processing unit is used for designing NSI and arranging NSI, and controlling the transceiver unit to send a network slice subnet instance NSSI or a network function NF management instruction to the plurality of second network slice entities;

the transceiver unit is further configured to receive a plurality of response instructions sent by the plurality of second network slice entities after performing the NSSI or NF management instructions,

a processing unit for determining an execution time of the management instruction to be a design NSI and scheduling a time between the NSI and a last response instruction of the plurality of response instructions.

10. The apparatus of claim 9,

the processing unit is specifically configured to perform a first timing to obtain a first time t1 for designing the NSI and arranging the NSI when designing the NSI and arranging the NSI, and perform a second timing to obtain a second time t2 between sending the NSSI or NF management instruction and receiving a last response instruction of the plurality of response instructions, where the execution time = t1+ t 2.

11. The apparatus of claim 9 or 10,

the transceiver unit is further configured to send an NSSI or NF service configuration message to the plurality of second network slice entities, and receive an NSSI or NF service configuration completion message sent by the plurality of second network slice entities;

the processing unit is configured to test an end-to-end NSI of the first network slice entity and the plurality of network slice entities, acquire a third time t3 from sending an NSSI or NF service configuration time to completion of testing the end-to-end NSI after the end-to-end NSI is tested, and add the third time to the execution time.

12. The apparatus of claim 9 or 10,

13. An apparatus for time acquisition of network slice management instructions, the apparatus being disposed within a first network slice entity, the apparatus comprising:

the receiving and sending unit is used for receiving an execution time request for subscribing or inquiring the network slice management instruction sent by a third network slice entity;

an obtaining unit, configured to obtain an execution time of the network slice management instruction;

the transceiver unit is further configured to send the execution time to the third network slice entity.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, further comprising: a processing unit for processing the received data,

the processing unit is used for checking the condition of the available resources.

15. An apparatus for time management of network slice management instructions, the apparatus being disposed within a first network slice entity, the apparatus comprising:

the receiving and sending unit is used for receiving the management instruction and the execution time Quota Quota;

the processing unit is used for determining the execution sequence of the management instructions according to the execution time quota;

the processing unit is specifically configured to determine the management instruction, check a preset execution time quota, and determine the execution time of the management instruction according to the execution time quota if the management instruction cannot be executed in parallel with other management instructions.

16. The apparatus of claim 15,

the processing unit is specifically configured to control the transceiver unit to send the execution postponing management instruction to the second network slice entity if it is determined that the actual execution time of the management instruction is greater than the execution time quota.

17. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that it stores a computer program for electronic data exchange, wherein the computer program causes a computer to perform the method according to any one of claims 1-4.

18. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that it stores a computer program for electronic data exchange, wherein the computer program causes a computer to perform the method according to any one of claims 5-6.

19. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that it stores a computer program for electronic data exchange, wherein the computer program causes a computer to perform the method according to claim 7 or 8.