CN109787793B

CN109787793B - Method, device, equipment and system for managing network slices

Info

Publication number: CN109787793B
Application number: CN201711107241.6A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 孙文琦; 蒋若冰; 杨水根; 陆伟; 谭巍; 冯珍妮
Original assignee: Huawei Technologies Co Ltd
Current assignee: Huawei Technologies Co Ltd
Priority date: 2017-11-10
Filing date: 2017-11-10
Publication date: 2021-12-17
Anticipated expiration: 2037-11-10
Also published as: CN109787793A

Abstract

The embodiment of the application discloses a method, a device, equipment and a system for managing network slices. Before NSI is established, a second management entity for managing a network slice instance NSI receives a message carrying network slice related requirement description information, wherein the message also carries NSI activation/deactivation conditions or service activation/deactivation conditions supported by the NSI, so that NSI activation/deactivation is realized; or, after the NSI is created, the second management entity receives an NSI activation/deactivation request or an activation/deactivation request of a service supported by the NSI, so as to activate/deactivate the NSI. The technical scheme can be applied to the activation/deactivation management of the network slice example in the future communication network, thereby realizing the effective management of the network slice.

Description

Method, device, equipment and system for managing network slices

Technical Field

The present application relates to the field of communications technologies, and in particular, to a technology for managing network slices in network management of a communication system.

Background

With the rapid development of mobile communication, digital transformation has involved almost all the conventional industries. However, the conventional cellular network architecture can only provide uniform network services, and it is difficult to satisfy the very different communication requirements, including functional differences and performance differences, caused by the digitalized transition wave. In the next generation (5G) mobile Network, the Network will be abstracted as "Network Slice (NS)", one Network Slice satisfies the connection communication service requirement of a certain class or one use case, and the whole 5G system is composed of a large number of Network slices satisfying different connection capabilities. A unified network platform, which supports connection communication services with different functions and Quality of Service (QoS) by using dynamic and secure network slices, is one of the basic capabilities of a 5G network.

In order to guarantee the operation of the network, the network management technology has been the technology concerned by people, and similarly, after the network is sliced, the network slices also need to be managed. The management of Network slices specifically relates to the management of Network Slice Instances (NSI), which may also be referred to as Managed Network Slice Instances (MNSI). The life cycle management process of the network slice example comprises the following steps: creation of a network slice instance, modification of a network slice instance (the modification may also include scaling, modifying topology, adding and deleting network functions, etc.), termination of a network slice instance, and the like. After the network slice instance is created, an activation (activation) process may be performed, the network slice instance after activation is in a running state, and may be deactivated (activation), and the network slice instance after deactivation may be terminated. But currently only the active and inactive states of a network slice instance are defined, and there is no specific solution for how to implement, what actions will occur to devices in the network at the time of implementation. Therefore, a network slice management flow scheme is needed to activate and deactivate network slice instances, so as to effectively manage network slices.

Disclosure of Invention

The application provides a method, a device and equipment for Network Slice management, which are used for realizing activation/deactivation of a Network Slice Instance (NSI) and effectively managing Network slices.

In a first aspect, a method and apparatus for network slice management are provided.

In one possible design, the method is applied to a second management entity that manages the NSI, and the activation of the network slice instance is realized. The method comprises the steps that a second management entity receives a first message sent by a first management entity, wherein the first management entity is used for managing network slice related objects; the second management entity activates an NSI based on the first message. It is to be understood that the first message may be used to indicate that the NSI is activated or to indicate that the NSI is to be activated; the second management entity may start the activation processing of the NSI immediately after receiving the first message, or may start the activation processing of the NSI according to the activation condition without immediately starting the activation processing of the NSI after receiving the first message when the activation condition is carried in the first message. The second management entity activates the NSI, and may perform the activation process directly or indirectly through another management entity. Wherein, the network slice related objects managed by the first management entity may be related services related to the network slice, related policies, related requirements, or others, and it is understood that the related services are supported by the network slice (specifically to NSI), and one NSI may provide one or more services, supporting multiple services; the relevant policy may be a policy for mesh slice management, optionally, a policy related to NSI management (including activation) therein; the related requirements may be requirements for a network slice or network that are decomposed according to requirements for traffic, services, policies, etc. Further optionally, after the second management entity completes activation, the state of the NSI is set to the activated state, and feedback information carrying the NSI identity may also be sent to the first management entity, so as to inform the first management entity that the NSI is activated.

In the design, the activation of the network slice instance is realized through the first message interaction between the second management entity for managing the NSI and the first management entity for managing the related objects of the network slice, and the effective management is carried out on the network slice.

Accordingly, an apparatus for network slice management is provided, which may implement the corresponding management method in the first aspect. For example, the apparatus is defined in a functional form, a specific implementation form thereof may be a management device, and the above method may be implemented by software, hardware, or by executing corresponding software through hardware.

In one possible design, the apparatus may include a processor and a memory. The processor is configured to enable the apparatus to perform the corresponding functions in the method of the first aspect. The memory is used for coupling with the processor and holds the necessary programs (instructions) and data for the device. The apparatus may further comprise a communication interface for supporting communication between the apparatus and other network elements. The communication interface may be a transceiver.

In one possible design, the apparatus may include a transceiving unit, where the transceiving unit is configured to receive a first message sent by a first management entity; the apparatus may also include a processing unit to activate the NSI based on the first message.

In a second aspect, a method and apparatus for network slice management are provided.

In one possible design, the method is applied to a second management entity that manages the NSI, and the deactivation of the network slice instance is achieved. The method comprises the steps that a second management entity receives a first message sent by a first management entity, wherein the first management entity is used for managing network slice related objects; the second management entity deactivates the NSI based on the first message. It will be appreciated that the first message may be used to indicate that the NSI is deactivated or to indicate that the NSI is deactivated when certain conditions are met; the second management entity has determined that there is no user data in the NSI and/or that components of the NSI are not used by other NSIs before deactivating the NSI. The second management entity may immediately start the deactivation processing of the NSI after receiving the first message, or may not immediately start the deactivation processing of the NSI after receiving the first message when the first message carries the deactivation condition, and start the deactivation processing according to the deactivation condition. The second management entity deactivates the NSI, which may be performed directly or indirectly through other management entities. Wherein, the network slice related objects managed by the first management entity may be related services related to the network slice, related policies, related requirements, or others, and it is understood that the related services are supported by the network slice (specifically to NSI), and one NSI may provide one or more services, supporting multiple services; the relevant policy may be a policy for mesh slice management, optionally, a policy related to NSI management (including activation) therein; the related requirements may be requirements for a network slice or network that are decomposed according to requirements for traffic, services, policies, etc. Further optionally, after the second management entity completes deactivation, the state of the NSI is set to the deactivated state, and feedback information carrying the NSI identity may also be sent to the first management entity, so as to inform the first management entity that the NSI is deactivated.

In the design, the deactivation of the network slice instance is realized through the first message interaction between the second management entity for managing the NSI and the first management entity for managing the network slice related object, and the network slice is effectively managed.

Accordingly, an apparatus for network slice management is provided, which may implement the corresponding management method in the second aspect. For example, the apparatus is defined in a functional form, a specific implementation form thereof may be a management device, and the above method may be implemented by software, hardware, or by executing corresponding software through hardware.

In one possible design, the apparatus may include a processor and a memory. The processor is configured to enable the apparatus to perform the corresponding functions of the method of the second aspect. The memory is used for coupling with the processor and holds the necessary programs (instructions) and data for the device. The apparatus may further comprise a communication interface for supporting communication between the apparatus and other network elements. The communication interface may be a transceiver.

In one possible design, the apparatus may include a transceiving unit, where the transceiving unit is configured to receive a first message sent by a first management entity; the apparatus may also include a processing unit to deactivate the NSI based on the first message.

In a third aspect, a method and apparatus for network slice management are provided.

In one possible design, the method is applied to a second management entity that manages the NSI, and the activation of the network slice instance is realized. The method includes a second management entity receiving a first message, the second management entity activating an NSI based on the first message. It is to be understood that the first message may be used to indicate that the NSI is activated or to indicate that the NSI is to be activated (activated when a certain condition is met); the second management entity may start the activation processing of the NSI immediately after receiving the first message, or may start the activation processing of the NSI according to the activation condition without immediately starting the activation processing of the NSI after receiving the first message when the activation condition is carried in the first message. The second management entity activates the NSI, and may perform the activation process directly or indirectly through another management entity. Optionally, the first message is sent from a first management entity, and the first management entity may manage network slice related objects, such as related services related to network slices, related policies, related requirements, or others, it being understood that the related services are supported by network slices (specifically to NSI), and that one NSI may provide one or more services, supporting multiple services; the relevant policy may be a policy for mesh slice management, optionally, a policy related to NSI management (including activation) therein; the related requirements may be requirements for a network slice or network that are decomposed according to requirements for traffic, services, policies, etc. Further optionally, after the second management entity completes activation, the state of the NSI is set to the active state.

In the design, the second management entity for managing the NSI receives the first message to activate the network slice instance, so that the network slice is effectively managed.

Accordingly, an apparatus for network slice management is provided, which may implement the corresponding management method in the third aspect. For example, the apparatus is defined in a functional form, a specific implementation form thereof may be a management device, and the above method may be implemented by software, hardware, or by executing corresponding software through hardware.

In one possible design, the apparatus may include a processor and a memory. The processor is configured to enable the apparatus to perform the corresponding functions of the method of the third aspect. The memory is used for coupling with the processor and holds the necessary programs (instructions) and data for the device. The apparatus may further comprise a communication interface for supporting communication between the apparatus and other network elements. The communication interface may be a transceiver.

In one possible design, the apparatus may include a transceiver unit, wherein the transceiver unit is configured to receive a first message; the apparatus may also include a processing unit to activate the NSI based on the first message.

In a fourth aspect, a method and apparatus for network slice management is provided.

In one possible design, the method is applied to a second management entity that manages the NSI, and the deactivation of the network slice instance is achieved. The method includes a second management entity receiving a first message, the second management entity deactivating an NSI based on the first message. It will be appreciated that the first message may be used to indicate that the NSI is deactivated or to indicate that the NSI is deactivated when certain conditions are met; the second management entity has determined that there is no user data in the NSI and/or that components of the NSI are not used by other NSIs before deactivating the NSI. The second management entity may immediately start the deactivation processing of the NSI after receiving the first message, or may not immediately start the deactivation processing of the NSI after receiving the first message when the first message carries the deactivation condition, and start the deactivation processing according to the deactivation condition. The second management entity deactivates the NSI, which may be performed directly or indirectly through other management entities. Optionally, the first message is sent from a first management entity, and the first management entity may manage network slice related objects, such as related services related to network slices, related policies, related requirements, or others, it being understood that the related services are supported by network slices (specifically to NSI), and that one NSI may provide one or more services, supporting multiple services; the relevant policy may be a policy for mesh slice management, optionally, a policy related to NSI management (including activation) therein; the related requirements may be requirements for a network slice or network that are decomposed according to requirements for traffic, services, policies, etc. Further optionally, after the second management entity completes deactivation, the state of the NSI is set to a deactivated state.

In the design, the second management entity for managing the NSI receives the first message, so that the deactivation of the network slice instance is realized, and the network slice is effectively managed.

Accordingly, an apparatus for network slice management is provided, which may implement the corresponding management method in the fourth aspect. For example, the apparatus is defined in a functional form, a specific implementation form thereof may be a management device, and the above method may be implemented by software, hardware, or by executing corresponding software through hardware.

In one possible design, the apparatus may include a processor and a memory. The processor is configured to enable the apparatus to perform the corresponding functions of the method of the fourth aspect. The memory is used for coupling with the processor and holds the necessary programs (instructions) and data for the device. The apparatus may further comprise a communication interface for supporting communication between the apparatus and other network elements. The communication interface may be a transceiver.

In one possible design, the apparatus may include a transceiver unit, wherein the transceiver unit is configured to receive a first message; the apparatus may also include a processing unit to deactivate the NSI based on the first message.

In a fifth aspect, a method and apparatus for network management is provided.

In one possible design, the method is applied to a first management entity that manages network slice related objects, and the method includes: the first management entity sends a first message to a second management entity that manages the NSI, the first message for causing the second management entity to activate the NSI based on the first message. Alternatively, the network slice related object managed by the first management entity may be related services, related policies, related requirements or others related to the network slice. It will be appreciated that the related services are supported by network slices (specifically, NSI), and that one NSI may provide one or more services, supporting multiple services; the relevant policy may be a policy for mesh slice management, optionally, a policy related to NSI management (including activation) therein; the related requirements may be requirements for a network slice or network that are decomposed according to requirements for traffic, services, policies, etc. Further optionally, before the first management entity sends the first message, it has already determined a need for a network slice or a network, and/or determines that an NSI needs to be activated or needs to notify the second management entity that the NSI is to be activated; the first message may enable the second management entity to immediately start the activation processing of the NSI after receiving the message, or may carry an activation condition, so that the second management entity does not immediately start the activation processing of the NSI after receiving the message, and starts the activation processing according to the activation condition. The second management entity activates the NSI, and may perform the activation process directly or indirectly through another management entity. Further optionally, the first management entity further receives feedback information carrying the NSI identity, which is sent after the second management entity completes activation, to confirm that the NSI is activated.

In the design, the activation of the network slice instance is realized through the first message interaction between the first management entity for managing the related objects of the network slice and the second management entity for managing the NSI, and the effective management is carried out on the network.

Accordingly, an apparatus for network management is provided, which may implement the corresponding management method in the fifth aspect. For example, the apparatus is defined in a functional form, a specific implementation form thereof may be a management device, and the above method may be implemented by software, hardware, or by executing corresponding software through hardware.

In one possible design, the apparatus may include a processor and a memory. The processor is configured to enable the apparatus to perform the corresponding functions of the method of the fifth aspect. The memory is used for coupling with the processor and holds the necessary programs (instructions) and data for the device. The apparatus may further comprise a communication interface for supporting communication between the apparatus and other network elements. The communication interface may be a transceiver.

In one possible design, the apparatus may include a transceiving unit, wherein the transceiving unit is configured to transmit a first message to a second management entity; optionally, the apparatus further comprises a processing unit configured to determine a need for a network slice or network and/or determine that the NSI needs to be activated or that the second management entity needs to be notified that the NSI is to be activated, before sending the first message.

In a sixth aspect, a method and apparatus for network management is provided.

In one possible design, the method is applied to a first management entity managing network slice-related objects, and the method includes the first management entity sending a first message to a second management entity managing the NSI, the first message being for causing the second management entity to deactivate the NSI based on the first message. Alternatively, the network slice related object managed by the first management entity may be related services, related policies, related requirements or others related to the network slice. It will be appreciated that the related services are supported by network slices (specifically, NSI), and that one NSI may provide one or more services, supporting multiple services; the relevant policy may be a policy for mesh slice management, optionally, a policy related to NSI management (including activation) therein; the related requirements may be requirements for a network slice or network that are decomposed according to requirements for traffic, services, policies, etc. Further optionally, before the first management entity sends the first message, it has been determined that the NSI needs to be deactivated or needs to be deactivated when certain conditions are met; the first message may enable the second management entity to immediately start the deactivation of the NSI after receiving the message, or may carry a deactivation condition, enable the second management entity not to immediately start the deactivation of the NSI after receiving the message, and start the deactivation according to the deactivation condition. The second management entity deactivates the NSI, which may be performed directly or indirectly through other management entities. Further optionally, the first management entity further receives feedback information carrying the NSI identity, which is sent after the second management entity completes deactivation, to confirm that the NSI is deactivated. It is to be appreciated that prior to deactivating the NSI, it has been determined that no user data is in the NSI and/or that components of the NSI are not being used by other NSIs.

In the design, the deactivation of the network slice instance is realized through the first message interaction between the first management entity managing the network slice related objects and the second management entity managing the NSI, and the network is effectively managed.

Accordingly, an apparatus for network management is provided, which may implement the corresponding management method in the sixth aspect. For example, the apparatus is defined in a functional form, a specific implementation form thereof may be a management device, and the above method may be implemented by software, hardware, or by executing corresponding software through hardware.

In one possible design, the apparatus may include a processor and a memory. The processor is configured to enable the apparatus to perform the corresponding functions in the above-mentioned method of the sixth aspect. The memory is used for coupling with the processor and holds the necessary programs (instructions) and data for the device. The apparatus may further comprise a communication interface for supporting communication between the apparatus and other network elements. The communication interface may be a transceiver.

In one possible design, the apparatus may include a transceiving unit, wherein the transceiving unit is configured to transmit a first message to a second management entity; optionally, the apparatus further comprises a processing unit configured to determine that the NSI needs to be deactivated or that the NSI needs to be deactivated when certain conditions are met before sending the first message.

In a seventh aspect, a method and system for network management are provided.

In one possible design, the method is applied to a network management system, and activation management of the network slice instance is achieved. The management system includes a first management entity that manages network slice related objects and a second management entity that manages NSIs. The method includes a first management entity sending a first message to a second management entity, the second management entity receiving the first message and activating an NSI based on the first message. Alternatively, the network slice related object managed by the first management entity may be related services, related policies, related requirements or others related to the network slice. It will be appreciated that the related services are supported by network slices (specifically, NSI), and that one NSI may provide one or more services, supporting multiple services; the relevant policy may be a policy for mesh slice management, optionally, a policy related to NSI management (including activation) therein; the related requirements may be requirements for a network slice or network that are decomposed according to requirements for traffic, services, policies, etc. Further optionally, before the first management entity sends the first message, it has determined a need for a network slice or a network, and/or determines that an NSI needs to be activated or needs to notify the second management entity that the NSI is to be activated; the second management entity may start the activation processing of the NSI immediately after receiving the first message, or may start the activation processing of the NSI according to the activation condition without immediately starting the activation processing of the NSI after receiving the first message when the activation condition is carried in the first message. The second management entity activates the NSI, and may perform the activation process directly or indirectly through another management entity. Further optionally, after the second management entity completes activation, the second management entity may send feedback information carrying an NSI identity to the first management entity to notify the first management entity that the NSI is activated, and may set the state of the NSI to an activated state.

Accordingly, a system for network management is provided, the system includes a first management entity and a second management entity, each management entity includes a corresponding management device, and the corresponding management method in the seventh aspect can be implemented. For example, each device is defined in a functional form, a specific implementation form thereof may be a management device, and the above method may be implemented by software, hardware, or by executing corresponding software through hardware.

In one possible design, each device may include a processor and a memory. The processor is configured to enable the apparatus to perform the corresponding functions of the method of the seventh aspect. The memory is used for coupling with the processor and holds the necessary programs (instructions) and data for the device. Each apparatus may further comprise a communication interface for supporting communication between the apparatus and other network elements. The communication interface may be a transceiver.

In one possible design, the apparatus corresponding to the first management entity may include a transceiving unit, wherein the transceiving unit is configured to transmit the first message to the second management entity; optionally, the apparatus further comprises a processing unit configured to determine a need for a network slice or network and/or determine that the NSI needs to be activated or that the second management entity needs to be notified that the NSI is to be activated, before sending the first message. The device corresponding to the second management entity may include a transceiving unit, where the transceiving unit is configured to receive a first message sent by the first management entity; the apparatus may also include a processing unit to activate the NSI based on the first message.

In an eighth aspect, a method and system for network management is provided.

In one possible design, the method is applied to a network management system to realize the deactivation management of the network slice instance. The management system includes a first management entity that manages network slice related objects and a second management entity that manages NSIs. The method comprises the steps that a first management entity sends a first message to a second management entity, the second management entity receives the first message, and based on the first message, NSI is deactivated. Alternatively, the network slice related object managed by the first management entity may be related services, related policies, related requirements or others related to the network slice. It will be appreciated that the related services are supported by network slices (specifically, NSI), and that one NSI may provide one or more services, supporting multiple services; the relevant policy may be a policy for mesh slice management, optionally, a policy related to NSI management (including activation) therein; the related requirements may be requirements for a network slice or network that are decomposed according to requirements for traffic, services, policies, etc. Further optionally, before the first management entity sends the first message, it has been determined that the NSI needs to be deactivated or needs to be deactivated when certain conditions are met; the second management entity has determined that there is no user data in the NSI and/or that components of the NSI are not used by other NSIs before deactivating the NSI. The second management entity may immediately start the deactivation processing of the NSI after receiving the first message, or may not immediately start the deactivation processing of the NSI after receiving the first message when the first message carries the deactivation condition, and start the deactivation processing according to the deactivation condition. The second management entity deactivates the NSI, which may be performed directly or indirectly through other management entities. Further optionally, after the second management entity completes deactivation, the second management entity may send feedback information carrying an NSI identity to the first management entity to notify the first management entity that the NSI is deactivated, and may set the state of the NSI to a deactivated state.

In the design, the first management entity for managing the related objects of the network slice and the second management entity for managing the NSI receive the first message, so that the deactivation of the network slice instance is realized, and the network is effectively managed.

Accordingly, a system for network management is provided, the system includes a first management entity and a second management entity, each management entity includes a corresponding management device, and the corresponding management method in the eighth aspect can be implemented. For example, each device is defined in a functional form, a specific implementation form thereof may be a management device, and the above method may be implemented by software, hardware, or by executing corresponding software through hardware.

In one possible design, each device may include a processor and a memory. The processor is configured to support the apparatus to perform the corresponding functions in the method of the above-mentioned eighth aspect. The memory is used for coupling with the processor and holds the necessary programs (instructions) and data for the device. Each apparatus may further comprise a communication interface for supporting communication between the apparatus and other network elements. The communication interface may be a transceiver.

In one possible design, the apparatus corresponding to the first management entity may include a transceiving unit, wherein the transceiving unit is configured to transmit the first message to the second management entity; optionally, the apparatus further comprises a processing unit configured to determine that the NSI needs to be deactivated or that the NSI needs to be deactivated when certain conditions are met before sending the first message. The device corresponding to the second management entity may include a transceiving unit, where the transceiving unit is configured to receive a first message sent by the first management entity; the apparatus may also include a processing unit to deactivate the NSI based on the first message.

Based on any one technical solution provided in the first, third, fifth or seventh aspect:

in one possible design, the NSI is not created, the first message is a message carrying requirement description information related to the network slice, and the message also carries an activation condition of the NSI and/or an activation condition of a service supported by the NSI; and after receiving the first message, the second management entity creates an NSI (network segment related requirement description information) based on the network segment related requirement description information, and activates the corresponding NSI when the activation condition of the NSI is met and/or the activation condition of the service is met. It can be understood that the activation of the NSI may be realized by directly activating the NSI, or may be realized by indirectly activating the service supported by the NSI, and when the service supported by the NSI needs to be activated, the NSI serving as a network service also needs to be activated; if the entity sending the first message is able to perceive the network slice, the message carrying the network slice related requirement description information may be an NSI creation request message. Optionally, the activation condition of the NSI and/or the activation condition of the service supported by the NSI includes activation time, which enables to activate the NSI regularly; the activation conditions may also include other conditions, such as one NSI backing up another NSI, deactivating one NSI when it fails, activating another NSI; flow balance can be carried out between the two NSIs, and one of the two NSIs is activated according to the load conditions of the two NSIs; it is to be understood that other conditions are not limited to the above-listed cases. The design can activate the NSI according to the activation condition, is suitable for a scene that the NSI is activated under a specific condition, and avoids the process of frequently transmitting the activation request.

In one possible design, an NSI has been created, the first message is an activation request message, and the second management entity activates the corresponding NSI according to a real-time request of the activation request message. It can be understood that the entity sending the first message may send the activation request to the second management entity at any required time according to the service requirement and/or the local policy, and the second management entity activates the corresponding NSI based on the activation request, and when there are multiple NSIs, the optional activation request carries the NSI identifier. The design can realize the management of real-time activation according to the requirement.

In one possible design, the second management entity activates the NSI, and may directly execute the activation process, or may indirectly realize the activation through a third management entity, where the third management entity may be a device that manages a Network Slice Subnet Instance (NSSI for short) and/or a Network Function Instance (NFI for short), and may also be referred to as a Managed Network Function Instance (MNFI for short). The activation of NSI requires the activation of the components of NSI, which include NSSI and/or NFI. The NSSI is a second message carrying network slice subnet instance NSSI related requirement description information sent by the second management entity to the third management entity, and the third management entity is further created according to the second message.

Optionally, the activation of the NSI may be performed by the second management entity sending a third message to a third management entity, so that the third management entity activates each component of the NSI, that is, includes the activation of the NSSI and/or the activation of the NFI.

Optionally, after the NSSI is created, the second management entity sends the third message to the third management entity to implement the NSSI activation, and the NSSI activation can be performed in real time as needed; optionally, the activation condition includes an activation time and/or other conditions, where the other conditions may be, for example, that one NSSI and another NSSI are backup to each other, and when one NSSI fails, the NSSI is deactivated and the other NSSI is activated; flow balance can be carried out between the two NSSIs, and one of the two NSSIs is activated according to the load conditions of the two NSSIs; it is to be understood that other conditions are not limited to the above-listed cases. Activation of NSSI according to the activation condition can be achieved by this alternative.

Optionally, the activation of NSSI comprises activating a component of NSSI, the component of NSSI comprising nested NSSI and/or NFI, and the activation of NSSI may be selected according to design considerations by one or more of: activating nested NSSI, configuring parameters necessary for NFI, opening ports for NFI to send and receive data, waking up a dormant hardware device supporting NFI, and waking up a dormant virtual network function instance supporting NFI.

The design enables the activation of NSI through the activation of its various components.

In one possible design, each component of the NSI needs to be configured, and configuration-related information is sent to a third management entity through a second management entity; the configuration-related information is used to enable a third management entity to send configuration information related to the NSI to each component included in the NSI, where the configuration-related information includes configuration information related to the NSI and/or an effective condition of the configuration information, and when the effective condition is not included, the configuration of each component may be performed according to the configuration information but the configuration information is not effective, the third management entity may perform direct configuration or indirect configuration through the third management entity, and then perform an effective operation according to a request of the second management entity. Optionally, the configuration information may include at least one of the following according to design:

subscription Information of a user terminal associated with an NSI, the subscription Information including first related Information of the NSI, the first related Information may include Information of the user terminal and/or some Single Network Slice Selection Assistance Information (S-NSSAI) S-NSSAIs to which the user terminal subscribes, the first related Information enabling the user terminal to be allowed to use the NSI;

and the second related information of the NSI is used for informing of NSI enabling, and the related network function instance NFI can be made to sense that the NSI is available through the second related information so as to inform the NFI of the related information of the NSI. Optionally, the second related information comprises S-NSSAIs and/or other information, such as slice selection strategies.

This design enables configuration management of the components of the NSI.

Based on any one technical solution provided by the second aspect, the fourth aspect, the sixth aspect or the eighth aspect:

in a possible design, the NSI is not created yet, the first message is a message carrying network slice related requirement description information, and the message also carries a deactivation condition of the NSI and/or a deactivation condition of a service supported by the NSI; and after receiving the first message, the second management entity creates an NSI based on the related requirement description information of the network slice, and deactivates the corresponding NSI when the deactivation condition of the NSI is met and/or the deactivation condition of the service is met. It can be understood that the deactivation of the NSI may be realized by directly deactivating the NSI, or may be realized by indirectly deactivating the service supported by the NSI, and when the service supported by the NSI needs to be deactivated, the service serves as the NSI providing the network service, and if there is no other supported activation service on the NSI, the NSI may also be deactivated; if the entity sending the first message is able to perceive the network slice, the message carrying the network slice related requirement description information may be an NSI creation request message. Optionally, the deactivation condition of the NSI and/or the deactivation condition of the service supported by the NSI includes deactivation time, which can implement timed deactivation of the NSI; the deactivation conditions may also include other conditions, such as one NSI backing up another NSI, deactivating one NSI and activating another NSI when it fails; flow balance can be carried out between the two NSIs, and one of the two NSIs is deactivated according to the load conditions of the two NSIs; it is to be understood that other conditions are not limited to the above-listed cases. The design can deactivate the NSI according to the deactivation condition, is suitable for a scene that the NSI is deactivated under a specific condition, and avoids the process of frequently transmitting the deactivation request.

In one possible design, an NSI is already created, the first message is a deactivation request message, and the second management entity deactivates the corresponding NSI according to a real-time request of the deactivation request message. It can be understood that the entity sending the first message may send the deactivation request to the second management entity at any required time according to the service requirement and/or the local policy, and the second management entity deactivates the corresponding NSI based on the deactivation request, and when there are multiple NSIs, the optional deactivation request carries the NSI identifier. The design enables management of on-demand real-time deactivation.

In a possible design, the second management entity deactivates the NSI, which may be performed directly or may be realized indirectly through a third management entity, where the third management entity may be a device that manages a Network Slice Subnet Instance (NSSI) and/or a Network Function Instance (NFI). Deactivation of an NSI requires deactivation of the components of the NSI, which include NSSI and/or NFI. The NSSI is a second message which carries the network slice subnet instance NSSI and carries the network slice subnet instance NSSI related requirement description information and is sent to a third management entity by the second management entity, and the third management entity is further established according to the second message.

Optionally, the deactivation of the NSI may be implemented by the second management entity sending a third message to a third management entity, so that the third management entity deactivates each component of the NSI, that is, includes deactivating the NSSI and/or deactivating the NFI.

Optionally, the NSSI may be deactivated by sending, by the second management entity, the third message to the third management entity after the NSSI is created, and may be deactivated in real time as needed; the third management entity may also be configured to deactivate the NSSI when the NSSI is created, where the deactivation condition includes a deactivation time and/or other conditions, where the other conditions may be, for example, that one NSSI and another NSSI are backup for each other, and when one NSSI fails, the NSSI is deactivated and another NSSI is activated; flow balance can be carried out between the two NSSIs, and one of the two NSSIs is deactivated according to the load conditions of the two NSSIs; it is to be understood that other conditions are not limited to the above-listed cases. This option enables the NSSI to be deactivated according to the deactivation condition.

Optionally, the deactivation of the NSSI includes deactivating components of the NSSI, the components of the NSSI including nested NSSI and/or NFI, and the deactivation of the NSSI may be selected based on design considerations as one or more of: deactivating a nested NSSI, making unavailable parameters necessary for a configured NFI, shutting down a port through which the NFI transceives data, sleeping a dormant hardware device that supports NFI, sleeping a dormant virtual network function instance that supports NFI.

The design enables deactivation of the NSI by deactivation of various components of the NSI.

In one possible design, the second management entity sends configuration-related information to the third management entity; wherein the configuration-related information is used for causing a third management entity to send an invalidation message of the NSI-related configuration information to each component included in the NSI. The configuration-related information may be deactivation-related configuration information failure notification information, or may be information in the related configuration notification when configuring each component of the NSI, and optionally, may include a failure condition of the configuration information, or may include the configuration information and a corresponding failure condition.

Optionally, deactivating the configuration information by the third management entity may include deleting the configuration information or making the configuration information unavailable, and the configuration information may include at least one of the following according to design:

and the second related information of the NSI is used for notifying the NSI of the NSI, and the second related information enables a related Network Function Instance (NFI) to sense that the NSI is available, so as to notify the NF of the relevant information of the NSI. Optionally, the second related information comprises S-NSSAIs and/or other information, such as slice selection strategies.

This design enables configuration management of the components of the NSI.

The present application also provides a computer storage medium having stored thereon a computer program (instructions) which, when run on a computer, causes the computer to perform the method of any of the above aspects.

The present application also provides a computer program product which, when run on a computer, causes the computer to perform the method of any of the above aspects.

The present application also provides a communication chip having stored therein instructions that, when run on a management device, cause the management device to perform the corresponding method of the above aspects.

The application also provides a network slice management device, which comprises a memory, a processor and a computer program stored on the memory and capable of running on the processor, wherein the processor executes the computer program to realize the corresponding method of the above aspects.

The application also provides a network slice management system, which comprises management entities which interact with each other, and each management entity realizes the corresponding method in the aspects.

It can be understood that any one of the apparatuses, computer storage media, computer program products, communication chips, management devices, or management systems provided above is used to implement the corresponding method provided above, and therefore, the beneficial effects achieved by the apparatuses, the computer storage media, the computer program products, the communication chips, the management devices, or the management systems can refer to the beneficial effects in the corresponding methods, and are not described herein again.

Drawings

In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application, the drawings needed to be used in the description of the embodiments of the present application will be briefly described below, and it is obvious that the drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the present application, and for those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained according to the contents of the embodiments of the present application and the drawings without any creative effort.

FIG. 1a is a network management system architecture to which the present invention relates;

fig. 1b is a schematic diagram of the relationship between a network management system and network infrastructure in network slice management;

fig. 2a is a schematic diagram of the location of an element manager in a conventional network management system;

fig. 2b is a schematic location diagram of a possible implementation of a network function management function entity managing network devices and/or network functions in a future communication network;

fig. 3a is a flowchart of a first embodiment of a network slice management method provided in the present application;

fig. 3b is a flowchart of a second embodiment of a network slice management method provided in the present application;

fig. 4 is a flowchart of a third embodiment of a network slice management method provided in the present application;

fig. 5 is a flowchart of a fourth embodiment of a network slice management method provided in the present application;

fig. 6 is a flowchart of a fifth embodiment of a network slice management method provided in the present application;

fig. 7 is a flowchart of a first embodiment of activating/deactivating an NSI in a network slice management method provided by the present application;

fig. 8 is a flowchart of a second embodiment of activating/deactivating an NSI in a network slice management method provided by the present application;

fig. 9 is a flowchart of a third embodiment of activating/deactivating an NSI in a network slice management method provided by the present application;

fig. 10 is a flowchart of a first embodiment of an implementation manner of activating/deactivating NSSI in a network slice management method provided by the present application;

fig. 11 is a flowchart of a second embodiment of activating/deactivating NSSI in a network slice management method provided by the present application;

fig. 12 is a flowchart of a first embodiment of an implementation manner of activating/deactivating an NSI or an NSSI in a network slice management method provided by the present application;

fig. 13 is a flowchart of a second embodiment of an implementation of activating/deactivating an NSI or NSSI in a network slice management method provided by the present application;

fig. 14 is a flowchart of a first embodiment of configuration management in a network slice management method provided by the present application;

fig. 15 is a flowchart of a second embodiment of configuration management in a network slice management method provided by the present application;

fig. 16 is a flowchart of a third embodiment of configuration management in a network slice management method provided in the present application;

FIG. 17 is a simplified block diagram of a management device according to the present disclosure;

fig. 18 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a network slice management apparatus according to the present application.

Detailed Description

In order to make the technical problems solved, technical solutions adopted, and technical effects achieved by the present application clearer, the technical solutions of the present application will be described in further detail below in the form of embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings. The detailed description sets forth various embodiments of the devices and/or processes via the use of block diagrams, flowcharts, and/or examples. Since these block diagrams, flowcharts, and/or examples contain one or more functions and/or operations, it will be understood by those within the art that each function and/or operation within these block diagrams, flowcharts, or examples can be implemented, individually and/or collectively, by a wide range of hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof.

In this application "plurality" means two or more. The term "and/or" in the present application is only one kind of association relationship describing the associated object, and means that there may be three kinds of relationships, for example, a and/or B, which may mean: a exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, and B exists alone. In addition, the character "/" herein generally indicates that the former and latter related objects are in an "or" relationship. The terms "first", "second", "third", "fourth", and the like in this application are used for distinguishing different objects, and do not limit the order of the different objects.

In this application, a Network Slice (NS): 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.

Network Slice Instance (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 and/or a network function instance. 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 function instances of the same equipment in the network slice instance, or may be a set formed by network function instances divided by domains, such as a core network slice subnet instance, an access network slice subnet instance, or a set formed by deployment locations and other manners. 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 consist of several network slice subnet instances, each consisting of several network function instances and/or several network slice subnet instances (which may be referred to as nested network slice subnet instances); a network slice instance may consist of several network slice subnet instances and network function instances that are not divided into network slice subnet instances; a network slice instance may also be composed of several network function instances.

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 dedicated network functions and shared network functions, and specifically, for a plurality of (sub) network slice instances, different network function instances may be used independently, such network function instances are referred to as dedicated network function instances, and may also share the same network function instance, such network function instances are referred to as shared network function instances.

According to the application, the network slice management belongs to the network management technology of future communication networks (such as 5G networks), and is managed by various network management devices in future network management systems. The future communication network supports network slicing, and the management system can manage the network slicing correspondingly and can also manage 5G network equipment and network functions. Fig. 1a shows a network management system architecture related to the present invention, which divides network management modules according to different management objects, and the network management modules may be distributed on different devices, or may be fully integrated or partially integrated on the same device. As shown in fig. 1a, the system architecture includes several types of functional entities: a Network Slice related object Management Function entity (for example, a communication service Management Function entity, a Network policy Management Function entity, a Network demand Management Function entity, or other Management Function entities), a Network Slice Management Function (NSMF) entity, a Network Slice Subnet Management Function (NSSMF) entity, and a Network Function Management Function (NFMF) entity. How these functional entities correspond to the existing network management system or at what location in the 5G network management system in the present application is not limited. The management of the network slice is realized by realizing the method in each embodiment described below through each functional entity in the system.

Wherein, a Communication Service Management Function (CSMF) entity is mainly responsible for converting the Communication Service requirements of an operator and/or a third party client into the requirements for network/network slicing; the network policy management functional entity is mainly responsible for managing related policies in the network, can manage related policies of specific network slices, and can convert the management requirements of the related policies into requirements of the network/network slices; the network requirement management function entity is mainly responsible for managing the requirements of the network/network slice, and relevant requirements are stored on the network requirement management function entity.

The network slice related object management function entity may send a request for a network slice (e.g., a create, terminate, modify network slice instance request, etc.) to the NSMF entity via an interface with the NSMF entity. Optionally, the network slice related object management function entity may obtain management data (such as performance, fault data, and the like) of the network slice from the NSMF entity, generate management data of the communication service running on the network slice instance, and also receive a subscription requirement of the operator and/or a third party customer for the network slice management data and/or the management data of the communication service, and the like. The network slice related object management function entity may or may not belong to an operator.

The NSMF entity is mainly responsible for receiving network slice requirements sent by the object management function entity related to the network slice, managing the life cycle, performance, fault and the like of the network slice example (hereinafter, life cycle, performance and fault management are referred to as management for short), arranging the composition of the network slice example, decomposing the requirements of the network slice example into the requirements of each network slice subnet example and/or network function example, and sending a network slice subnet example management request to each NSSMF entity. In one possible implementation, the NSMF is a logic management unit formed by combining a plurality of atomic functions, where the atomic functions include, but are not limited to, an NSI lifecycle management unit, an NSI performance management unit, an NSI fault management unit, an NSI test management unit, an NSI data analysis and reporting unit, a network management data subscription unit, a slice requirement negotiation unit, a charging unit, a policy management unit, and the like. In this implementation, the atomic management function constituting the NSMF provides its own management function to the authorized user in a service manner, respectively, and the authorized user may be the atomic management function constituting the network slice-related object management function and/or the atomic management function constituting the NSSMF and/or the atomic management function constituting the NFMF.

The NSSMF entity is mainly responsible for receiving network slice subnet requirements sent by the NSMF entity, managing the network slice subnet instances, arranging the composition of the network slice subnet instances, decomposing the requirements of the network slice subnet instances into the requirements of each network function instance and/or nested network slice subnet instances, and possibly sending nested network slice subnet instance management requests to other NSSMF entities. In one possible implementation, the NSSMF is a logic management unit formed by combining a plurality of atomic functions, where the atomic functions include, but are not limited to, an NSSI lifecycle management unit, an NSSI performance management unit, an NSSI fault management unit, an NSSI test management unit, an NSSI data analysis and reporting unit, a network management data subscription unit, a slice subnet requirement negotiation unit, a charging unit, a policy management unit, and the like. In this implementation, the atomic management function constituting the NSSMF provides its own management function to the authorized user in a service manner, and the authorized user may be the atomic management function constituting the network slice-related object management function and/or the atomic management function constituting the NSMF. It should be noted that NSSMF may directly manage network functions or network devices, and may also manage network functions or network devices through NFMF. In the former case, NSSMF may also be referred to as Domain Manager (DM), i.e. NSSMF and NFMF are logically the same management unit. In the latter case, the atomic management function constituting the NSSMF provides its own management function to the atomic management function constituting the NFMF in a service manner, respectively.

The NFMF entity is mainly responsible for managing network devices and/or network functions (instances), and may receive a requirement of a network function sent by the NSMF entity and may also receive a requirement of a network function sent by the NSSMF entity. Similar to the network function management (also called network element management) function in the traditional network management system without slices, the NFMF is responsible for performing Fault, Configuration, charging, Performance, and Security (Fault, Configuration, Accounting, Performance and Security, referred to as FCAPS for short) management, self-optimization, self-healing, testing, and other management on the physical network function or the network device, and performing life cycle management, FCAPS management, and other management on the virtualized network function. In one possible implementation, the NFMF is a logical management unit that is formed by combining the above-mentioned several atomic functions. In this implementation, the atomic management function constituting the NFMF provides its own management function to the authorized user in a service manner, and the authorized user may be the atomic management function constituting the network slice-related object management function and/or the atomic management function constituting the NSMF and/or the atomic management function of the NSSMF. Its implementation may be, but is not limited to, an Element Manager (EM).

Fig. 2a shows a position schematic of an EM in a conventional Network management system, and as shown in fig. 2a, a Network management architecture of a conventional 3GPP includes a Network Manager (NM for short) and an Element Manager (EM for short), where the EM is generally used as an equipment Manager to manage Network equipment, and specifically executes management of one Element (NE for short); NM as network manager to send down management message from higher layer to EM; the EM may be a stand-alone device or may be located directly on the NE or possibly integrated on one domain manager DM. A location schematic of a possible implementation of a network function management function entity managing network devices and/or network functions in a future communication network (e.g. a 5G network) is given in fig. 2b, an exemplary location schematic being given in fig. 2 b. In a future communication network, the NE and the NF may coexist, and then the management of the NE and the NF can be realized by the same management entity, and the management entity may be the EM or other managers with management functions; there may be a dedicated NFMF entity that manages NFs, or an EM may still exist, managing NEs. It is understood that the NFMF shown in fig. 2b may be implemented by a device existing independently, or may be directly located on the NF, or may be integrated on NSSMF or a domain manager DM, or may be in a form that NFMF exists under NSSMF management, or the NFMF entity in fig. 2b may be 5G EM, NE for managing 5G, or the NFMF entity may be other network device implementing similar management function. As shown in fig. 2b, the NSMF and the NM may be located in different devices, and the NSMF and the NM may be located in the same device (indicated by a dashed box).

In this application, an interface between the network slice related object management function entity and the NSMF entity may be a first interface, and an interface between the NSMF entity and the NSSMF entity/NFMF entity may be a second interface. It should be noted that the NSMF is a network slice management function, and the network slice related object management function entity may send a message of the network slice related requirement description information to the NSMF entity, so the network slice related object management function entity may be a user of the NSI, but the user of the NSI is not limited to the network slice related object management function entity.

It should be noted that, since an NSI may consist of several NSSIs, each NSSI consists of several network function instances and/or several nested NSSIs; an NSI may consist of several NSSIs and network function instances that are not classified as NSSIs; an NSI may also consist of several network function instances. Therefore, fig. 1a shows a schematic of a possible communication relationship in the presence of NFMF, which may not exist in some cases, and is not a limitation to the architecture of the network slice management system.

In order to more clearly and intuitively understand the management relationship between the network slice management system architecture and the physical/virtual network infrastructure, fig. 1b shows a relationship between the network management system and the network infrastructure in the network slice management. As shown in fig. 1b, the physical/virtual Network infrastructure includes an Access Network device, which may be a Radio Access Network (RAN) device (e.g., a gNB, etc.), and in a future communication Network, a Core Network (CN) is composed of Network functions NF (e.g., Core Access and Mobility Management functions (AMF), Session Management Functions (SMF), User Plane Functions (UPF), etc.). For a conventional network, each network device forms a network, and under the concept of network slicing, a plurality of logical networks, i.e., a plurality of NSIs, can be supported on a physical and virtual network infrastructure. One NSI may be composed of multiple NSSIs, and one NSSI may include specific Network devices, Network functions (instances), etc., that is, both NSSI and NSI are logically present and are Management objects, the NSSMF entity manages NSSI, the NSMF entity manages NSI, and the Network slice related object Management Function entity manages Network slice related objects, for example, in a scenario where the Network slice related object Management Function is CSMF, the CSMF entity sends a Network slice related requirement description to the NSMF entity so that one NSI supports a certain service, the NSMF entity decides to create one NSI, and thus maintains the state of the NSI, which is also composed of NSSI, the NSMF entity sends the NSSI related requirement description to the NSSMF entity, the NSSMF entity creates NSSI, the NSSMF creates a Network Function through Network Function Virtualization Management and organization (NFV-Management, NFV-Management for short), and configures the Network functions (NFMF instances), thereby enabling creation and management of NSSI, etc., from which the NSSMF entity maintains the status of NSSI. The network slice related object management function, NSMF, NSSMF, NFMF all belong to functions in the network management system, may be located in different devices, may be located in the same device, depending on the architecture.

Example one

Fig. 3a is a flowchart of a first embodiment of a network slice management method provided in the present application according to an embodiment of the present application. The method comprises the following steps:

s1, a second management entity receives a first message.

In this embodiment, the management of the network slice specifically implements activation management of the network slice instance. The second management entity manages the NSI, which may be, but is not limited to, an NSMF entity. Optionally, the first message may be used to indicate activation/deactivation of the NSI or to indicate that the NSI is to be activated/deactivated (when a certain condition is satisfied), and it is understood that the first message is used for activation/deactivation of the NSI. The timing of NSI activation/deactivation can be two: 1) for example, an operator or other administrator decides to activate an NSI so that the NSI can carry data regardless of the service carried on the NSI, for example, existing 4G networks and 2G networks can be used as respective NSIs in a 5G network, and then when the operator or other administrator decides to provide network services, the NSI is activated; an NSI may be deactivated if an operator or other administrative party decides to have an activated NSI no longer carry data providing network services. 2) If the operator or other management party provides support for the service requirement of the third party, the NSI is activated/deactivated according to the requirement or service state requirement of the third party, for example, one NSI is activated at 00:00 pm every day, the data of the smart meter is returned, and 01:00 is deactivated, that is, the NSI is activated only within one hour.

Optionally, the first message is sent from a first management entity, and the first management entity may manage network slice related objects, such as related services related to network slices, related policies, related requirements, or others, it being understood that the related services are supported by network slices (specifically to NSI), and that one NSI may provide one or more services, supporting multiple services; the relevant policy may be a policy for mesh slice management, optionally, a policy related to NSI management (including activation) therein; the related requirements may be requirements for a network slice or network that are decomposed according to requirements for traffic, services, policies, etc.

S2, the second management entity activates/deactivates NSI based on the first message.

It can be understood that the second management entity may immediately start the activation/deactivation process of the NSI after receiving the first message, or may not immediately start the activation/deactivation process of the NSI after receiving the first message when the activation/deactivation condition is carried in the first message, and start the activation/deactivation process according to the activation/deactivation condition. The second management entity activates/deactivates the NSI, and may directly perform the activation/deactivation process, or indirectly implement the activation/deactivation through another management entity.

Optionally, the activation/deactivation condition carried in the first message may be an activation/deactivation condition of an NSI, and/or an activation/deactivation condition of a service supported by the NSI (the NSI is activated/deactivated correspondingly with the activation/deactivation of the supported service), where the activation/deactivation condition includes activation/deactivation time, and may implement timed activation/deactivation of the NSI; the activation conditions may also include other conditions, such as one NSI backing up another NSI, deactivating one NSI when it fails, activating another NSI; flow balance can be carried out between the two NSIs, and one of the two NSIs is activated/deactivated according to the load conditions of the two NSIs; it is to be understood that other conditions are not limited to the above-listed cases.

Further, the second management entity has determined, directly or indirectly, that no user data is present in the NSI and/or that components of the NSI are not being used by other NSIs before deactivating the NSI.

Further optionally, after the second management entity completes activation, the state of the NSI is set to the active state.

In the network slice management method according to the embodiment of the application, the second management entity for managing the NSI receives the first message to activate/deactivate the network slice instance, so that the network slice is effectively managed.

Example two

Fig. 3b is a flowchart of a second embodiment of a network slice management method provided in the present application. The difference between the present embodiment and the first embodiment is that, in the present embodiment, a sender of a first message is specified, and because it is considered that a process of network slice management includes interaction between different management function entities, in order to facilitate understanding of various implementation manners of network slice management in the embodiment, steps executed by each entity in the present embodiment and subsequent embodiments are described together, which embodies integrity of the interaction, but it is by no means limited that flows related to each entity side must be executed together. The same or similar contents as those in the first embodiment are not described in detail in this embodiment.

The method of the embodiment comprises the following steps:

s101, a first management entity sends a first message to a second management entity.

In this embodiment, the management of the network slice specifically implements activation management of the network slice instance. A first management entity manages network slice related objects and a second management entity manages NSI. The first management entity may be, but is not limited to, a CSMF, and may also be, for example, a network policy management function, a network demand management function, or other management function.

The first message is used for the activation/deactivation of the NSI. The timing of NSI activation/deactivation can be two: 1) for example, an operator or other administrator decides to activate an NSI so that the NSI can carry data regardless of the service carried on the NSI, for example, existing 4G networks and 2G networks can be used as respective NSIs in a 5G network, and then when the operator or other administrator decides to provide network services, the NSI is activated; an NSI may be deactivated if an operator or other administrative party decides to have an activated NSI no longer carry data providing network services. 2) If the operator or other management party provides support for the service requirement of the third party, the NSI is activated/deactivated according to the requirement or service state requirement of the third party, for example, one NSI is activated at 00:00 pm every day, the data of the smart meter is returned, and 01:00 is deactivated, that is, the NSI is activated only within one hour.

S102, the second management entity receives the first message and activates/deactivates NSI based on the first message.

It can be understood that, after receiving the first message, the second management entity may immediately start the activation/deactivation process of the NSI, or when the first message carries an activation/deactivation condition (for example, refer to embodiment one, which is not described herein again), after receiving the first message, the second management entity does not immediately start the activation/deactivation process of the NSI, and starts the activation/deactivation process according to the activation/deactivation condition. The second management entity activates/deactivates the NSI, and may directly perform the activation/deactivation process, or indirectly implement the activation/deactivation through another management entity. The second management entity may be, but is not limited to, an NSMF entity.

EXAMPLE III

Fig. 4 is a flowchart of a third embodiment of a network slice management method provided in the present application. The difference from the second embodiment is that, in this embodiment, the first message is specifically a message carrying network slice-related requirement description information, and the same or similar content to that in the second embodiment is not described again in this embodiment, and the method includes:

s201, the first management entity sends a message carrying the network slice related requirement description information to the second management entity.

In this design, when the first management entity sends the message carrying the network slice related requirement description information, the NSI is not created yet, optionally, if the first management entity can perceive the network slice, the message carrying the network slice related requirement description information may be an NSI creation request message, and optionally, there may be two occasions when the creation request message is sent to request for creating the NSI: 1) the operator or other management party decides that an NSI needs to be created, for example, the operator or other management party considers that a default NSI needs to be deployed in the network to support enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB) service, and this NSI does not depend on any service requirement. 2) When there is a service demand, the service demand may come from a third party service provider, such as a water meter or electricity meter company, requesting the operator to support the data transmission service, or may come from a virtual operator or other management party, requesting to use a virtual network; such service requirements may only request the operator or other management party to support the service, or may request the operator or other management party to use the slice to support the service. When a service request is received, the operator or other management decides whether a new NSI needs to be created to satisfy the service. Further optionally, if the first management entity cannot perceive the network slice, the first management entity generates a message carrying the description information of the related requirements of the network slice according to the service requirements, the requirements of the management policy, the requirements of the network/network slice, and the like, and sends the message to the second management entity, and the second management entity determines to create the NSI according to the message.

The message carrying the description information of the related requirement of the network slice may also carry an activation condition of the NSI (for example, an activation time requirement, and the like, and may also be other conditions described in the first embodiment, which are not described herein again), for example: the CSMF request creates an NSI for a water meter company and indicates that: the NSI will transmit data every night from 22:00 to 24:00, which is an activation condition of NSI, and can realize the timing activation of NSI. The NSI creation request may not carry an activation condition of the NSI, and the activation of the NSI may be implemented by requesting activation as described in the subsequent embodiments.

The message carrying the network slice related requirement description information may also carry a deactivation condition of the NSI, or may not carry a deactivation condition of the NSI, and then requests for deactivation in real time as required.

S202, the second management entity creates NSI according to the received network slice related requirement description information.

The creation of the NSI, according to a certain requirement, that is, a requirement description related to a network slice (for example, a delay requirement, a bandwidth requirement, etc.), by selecting each necessary component (for example, selecting the NSSI, which may be RAN NSSI, CN NSSI, which may be already existing or may be newly created), connecting each component to form a complete NSI, where the complete NSI may support several telecommunication services (for example, 2G voice services, 4G services, 5G services), or several other communication services (for example, internet of things services, car networking services, etc.).

After the NSI is created, if the activation condition is not currently satisfied, the NSI is in an inactive state. The second management entity does not immediately activate the NSI, and if the activation condition is satisfied, it immediately activates.

S203, the second management entity feeds back NSI creation completion to the first management entity.

The step is an optional step; the feedback information may include an identifier of the NSI, and in network management, if the NSI can be uniquely determined or determined in another manner, the feedback information does not necessarily include the NSI identifier.

And S204, when the specified activation condition is met, the second management entity activates NSI. The specific activation process is described in the subsequent examples.

And S205, after the activation is completed, the second management entity feeds back that the NSI is activated to the first management entity. Optionally, the feedback information carries an identity of the NSI. This step is an optional step.

And S206, if the message carrying the network slice related requirement description information carries the deactivation condition, when the specified deactivation condition is met, the second management entity deactivates. The deactivation process is described in the subsequent embodiments.

And S207, the second management entity feeds back NSI deactivation completion to the first management entity. Optionally, the feedback information carries an identity of the NSI. This step is an optional step.

Optionally, after steps S202, S204, and S206 are respectively completed, the second management entity sets the state of the NSI, for example, set to be in a created inactive state, an activated state, and a deactivated state.

In the network slice management method of the embodiment of the application, the second management entity for managing the NSI receives the first message, can activate/deactivate the NSI according to the activation/deactivation condition, is suitable for a scene in which the NSI is activated/deactivated under a specific condition, and avoids a process of frequently transmitting an activation/deactivation request. The activation/deactivation of the network slice instance is realized, and the effective management of the network slice is realized.

Example four

Fig. 5 is a flowchart of a fourth embodiment of a network slice management method provided in the present application. The difference from the third embodiment is that, in this embodiment, the message carrying the network slice related requirement description information carries the activation/deactivation conditions of the service supported by the NSI, and the activation/deactivation of the NSI is performed according to the service state requirement. The same or similar contents as those of the embodiment are not described in detail in this embodiment. To more clearly understand how to activate/deactivate the NSI when there is more than one service, the embodiment is described by taking a scenario of multiple services as an example, but this should not be construed as a limitation to the present application. The method comprises the following steps:

s301, the first management entity sends a message carrying the related requirement description information of the first network slice to the second management entity.

In the design, when the first management entity sends the message carrying the requirement description information related to the first network slice, the NSI is not created yet, and optionally, the requirement description information related to the first network slice may correspond to the requirement of the first service; further optionally, if the first management entity is capable of sensing the network slice, the message carrying the requirement description information related to the first network slice may be an NSI creation request message. Further optionally, the message carrying the requirement description information related to the network slice may also carry an activation condition (for example, an activation time requirement, or other conditions described in the first embodiment, which is not described herein again) of the first service supported by the NSI, and may also carry a service requirement. The message carrying the requirement description information related to the first network slice may not carry the activation condition of the service supported by the NSI, and the activation/service activation of the NSI may be implemented by a subsequent request activation.

The message carrying the related requirement description information of the first network slice may also carry a deactivation condition of the NSI and/or a deactivation condition of the service, or may not carry a deactivation condition, and then requests for deactivation in real time as needed.

S302, the second management entity creates NSI according to the received related requirement description information of the first network slice.

After the NSI is created, if the activation condition of the service is not met currently, the NSI is in an inactive state. The second management entity does not immediately activate NSI; and if the current activation condition of the service is met, immediately activating the NSI.

And S303, the second management entity feeds back NSI creation completion to the first management entity.

The step is an optional step; the feedback information may include an identification of the NSI, and in network management, the feedback information may not necessarily include the NSI identification if the NSI can be uniquely determined or determined by other means.

S304, the first management entity sends a message carrying the related requirement description information of the second network slice to the second management entity.

Optionally, the message may indicate that the second service may share the NSI with other services.

Optionally, if the first management entity is capable of sensing a network slice, the message carrying the requirement description information related to the second network slice may be an NSI creation request/reuse request, that is, in order to support the second service, the first management entity may request to create a new NSI to support the second service, isolate the first service from the second service, or request to reuse an NSI created before, put a plurality of services into the same NSI to support, so that the plurality of services share one NSI; if the first management entity can not sense the network slice, the first management entity generates a message carrying the related requirement description information of the second network slice according to the service requirement, the management strategy requirement, the network/network slice requirement and the like and sends the message to the second management entity, and the second management entity determines to create/reuse the NSI according to the message.

S305, the second management entity creates/configures NSI according to the received related requirement description information of the first network slice.

According to the description of the related requirements of the network slice sent by the first management entity, in order to meet the requirements of the second network slice for supporting the second service, the second management entity may create a new NSI to support the second service, isolate the first service from the second service, or reuse the created NSI, put a plurality of services into the same NSI for support, and make a plurality of services share one NSI.

S306, the second management entity feeds back NSI creation completion/configuration completion to the first management entity.

S307, when the specified activation condition of the first service is met, the second management entity activates the first service, so that the NSI is activated.

If the message carries the deactivation condition, when the specified deactivation condition is met, the second management entity deactivates the first service, thereby deactivating the NSI.

It can be understood that the activation/deactivation of the NSI may be realized by directly activating/deactivating the NSI, or may be realized by indirectly activating/deactivating the service supported by the NSI, when the service supported by the NSI needs to be activated, the NSI serving as a network service also needs to be activated, so that the NSI starts to support the service, and when the service supported by the NSI needs to be deactivated, the NSI serving as a network service also may be deactivated, so that the NSI stops supporting the service.

And S308, after the activation/deactivation of the first service is completed, the second management entity feeds back to the first management entity. This step is an optional step.

Optionally, the feedback information carries an identifier of the first service.

S309, likewise, when the specified activation condition of the second service is satisfied, the second management entity activates the second service, thereby activating the NSI.

If the message carries the deactivation condition, the second management entity deactivates the second service when the specified deactivation condition is met, so as to deactivate the NSI.

And S310, after the activation/deactivation of the second service is completed, the second management entity feeds back to the first management entity. This step is an optional step.

It should be noted that, the first management entity may also send an activation request and a deactivation request of each service to the second management entity at any time, instead of carrying the activation and deactivation time when sending the message carrying the network slice related requirement description information.

The activation and deactivation mode of each service can be selected as follows: the method comprises the steps of importing service subscription information of User Equipment (UE) into a Unified Data Management (UDM) functional entity, namely when one service is not activated, the service subscription information of the UE is not imported into the UDM, when one service is activated, the service subscription information of the UE is imported into the UDM, and when the service is deactivated, the service subscription information of the UE is disabled or deleted. The service information subscribed by the UE is defined in the conventional network management, and is not further described in this application, which merely provides a possible way to activate/deactivate each service. It is to be understood that this approach is not a limiting approach to service activation/deactivation, and any other conceivable implementation may be employed.

Optionally, after the second management entity completes the corresponding steps, the state of the NSI is set, for example, set to be the created inactive state, the activated state, the deactivated state, and the like.

In the network slice management method according to the embodiment of the application, the second management entity for managing the NSI receives the first message, can activate/deactivate the NSI according to the service state requirement, especially activate/deactivate the NSI according to the service activation/deactivation condition, is suitable for a scene in which the NSI is activated/deactivated under a specific service condition, and avoids a process of frequently transmitting an activation/deactivation request. The activation/deactivation of the network slice instance is realized, and the effective management of the network slice is realized.

EXAMPLE five

Fig. 6 is a flowchart of a fifth embodiment of a network slice management method provided in the present application. The difference from the third embodiment or the fourth embodiment is that, in this embodiment, the first management entity sends the requirement description information related to the network slice, and sends the first message after the NSI is created, where the first message is specifically an activation/deactivation request message, and may include an NSI activation/deactivation request and/or an activation/deactivation request of a service supported by the NSI, and the same or similar content as that in the third embodiment or the fourth embodiment is not described again in this embodiment, and the method includes:

s401, the first management entity sends the network slice related requirement description information to the second management entity.

Optionally, there may also be an NSI deactivation condition sent together with the requirement description information related to the network slice, and after the subsequent NSI activation is limited, if the deactivation condition is satisfied, deactivation is required.

S402, the second management entity creates NSI according to the received network slice related requirement description information. After the NSI is created, the NSI is in an inactive state.

And S403, the second management entity feeds back NSI creation completion to the first management entity.

This step is an optional step. Optionally, the feedback information may include an identifier of the NSI, and in the network management, if the NSI can be uniquely determined or determined by other means, the feedback information does not necessarily include the NSI identifier.

S404, when the first management entity needs to activate the NSI according to the service requirement, the local strategy and the like, the first management entity sends an activation request to the second management entity.

Optionally, the activation request may include an NSI activation request and/or an activation request for a service supported by the NSI.

Optionally, the NSI activation request carries an identity of the NSI, and if the NSI can be uniquely determined or determined by other means, the NSI does not need to be carried. The request for activating the service supported by the NSI optionally carries the requirement of the supported service and/or the corresponding service identifier.

S405, the second management entity activates the corresponding NSI, and a specific activation process is described in the subsequent embodiments.

It is understood that the activation of the NSI may be realized by directly activating the NSI, or may be realized by indirectly activating the service supported by the NSI, and when the service supported by the NSI needs to be activated, the NSI serving as a service providing network also needs to be activated, so that the NSI starts to support the service.

For the activation of the service supported by the NSI, the service may be activated together with the NSI, or the NSI providing the network service may be activated first (may provide the network service for other services), and when the service needs to be activated, the service activation request is sent. Since the present application focuses on the activation/deactivation of NSI, the activation/deactivation of services thereon is not further elaborated.

And S406, after the activation is completed, the second management entity feeds back the activation completion to the first management entity.

This step is an optional step. For different scenarios, the activation completion feedback information may include NSI activation and/or service activation completion information, and optionally, the feedback information carries an identifier of the NSI and/or a service identifier.

And S407, if the NSI is not deactivated by the deactivation condition, the first management entity sends a deactivation request to the second management entity at any required time according to the service requirement, the local policy and the like.

Optionally, the deactivation request may include an NSI deactivation request/deactivation request of a service supported by the NSI. Optionally, the NSI deactivation request carries an identifier of the NSI; the deactivation request of the service supported by the NSI carries the corresponding service identifier.

And S408, the second management entity deactivates the corresponding NSI, and the specific deactivation process is described in the subsequent embodiment.

It is understood that the deactivation of the NSI may be realized by directly deactivating the NSI, or may be realized by indirectly deactivating the service supported by the NSI, and when the service supported by the NSI needs to be deactivated, the NSI serving as a service providing network may also be deactivated, so that the NSI stops supporting the service.

And S409, the second management entity feeds back the deactivation completion to the first management entity.

This step is an optional step. For different scenarios, the deactivation completion feedback information may include NSI deactivation completion and/or service deactivation completion. Optionally, the feedback information carries an identifier of the NSI and/or a service identifier.

According to the network slice management method, the second management entity for managing the NSI receives the first message, the NSI can be activated/deactivated in real time as required, the activation/deactivation management of the NSI is achieved, and effective management is carried out on the network slice.

EXAMPLE six

The present embodiment will provide an optional manner in the process of activating/deactivating an NSI, and fig. 7 is a flowchart of a first embodiment of activating/deactivating an NSI in a network slice management method provided by the present application, as shown in fig. 7, where the method includes:

s501, the second management entity sends a first related message to the third management entity.

The second management entity manages the NSI, and optionally, the second management entity activates/deactivates the NSI, and may directly perform the activation/deactivation process, or indirectly perform the activation/deactivation process through another management entity, for example, a third management entity, where the third management entity may be an entity that manages the NSSI and/or the NFI. The third management entity has the function of managing NSSI if the components of the NSI include NSSI (which in turn contains NFI), NFI if the components of the NSI directly include NFI, and NFI if the components of the NSI include NSSI and NFI.

Optionally, the activation/deactivation of the NSSI in the component part may be implemented by sending, by the second management entity, the first related message to the third management entity after the NSSI is created, and may be activated in real time as needed; it is also possible to send a first related message when the NSSI is not created, where the first related message carries the relevant requirement description information of the constituent NSSI related to the NSI and carries the activating/deactivating condition of the NSSI (similar to the condition related to the NSI in the previous embodiment, it may include activating/deactivating time, and it can implement timed activating/deactivating of the NSSI, and may also include other conditions, for example, one NSSI and another NSSI backup each other, and when one NSSI fails, it deactivates the NSSI and activates another NSSI, and it may perform traffic balancing between the two NSSIs, and according to the load conditions of the two NSSIs, it is understood that the other conditions are not limited to the above listed conditions), and when the condition is satisfied, the third management entity activates/deactivates the NSSI, and can implement activating/deactivating the NSSI according to the condition.

S502, the third management entity activates/deactivates the NSI components according to the first relevant information.

Optionally, the third management entity may activate/deactivate the component of the NSI, directly perform the activation/deactivation process, or indirectly activate/deactivate through another management entity, or immediately perform the activation/deactivation after receiving the first relevant message, or perform the activation/deactivation according to the setting of the trigger condition when the condition is satisfied. The third management entity activates components of NSI including activation of NSSI and/or activation of NFI.

In the network slice management method according to the embodiment of the present application, the first related message interaction between the second management entity managing the NSI and the third management entity managing the component of the NSI (which may be NSSI, NFI, or others) is used to activate/deactivate the component of the NSI, thereby implementing the activation/deactivation of the NSI and effectively managing the network slice.

EXAMPLE seven

Fig. 8 is a flowchart of a second embodiment of activating/deactivating an NSI in a network slice management method provided by the present application. The difference from the sixth embodiment is that, in this embodiment, the NSI is activated as a component of the NSI, it is clear that the first related message is a message carrying NSSI-related requirement description information, and the same or similar content as in the sixth embodiment is not described again in this embodiment, and the method includes:

s601, the second management entity sends a message carrying NSSI related requirement description information to the third management entity.

And further decomposing the NSSI according to the requirement of the NSI, and sending the relevant requirement description information of the NSSI to a third management entity by the second management entity. Optionally, the message may be a creating request message of the NSSI, and in the creating process of the NSI, the components of the NSI need to be created, at this time, the second management entity needs to start creating the NSSI, and may send NSSI-related requirement description information to the third management entity, so that the third management entity creates the NSSI.

The message carries the activation conditions (e.g., activation time requirements or other conditions, see example six) for the NSI, which may correspond to the activation conditions for the NSI. Optionally, the message may not carry an activation condition of the NSSI, and the activation of the NSSI may be implemented by requesting activation as described in the following embodiments.

The message may carry the NSSI deactivation condition (for example, a deactivation time requirement or other conditions, see the sixth embodiment), or may not carry the NSSI deactivation condition, and then requests for deactivation in real time as needed.

Optionally, the message may also carry an NSI ID.

S602, the third management entity creates NSSI/configures the existing NSSI according to the received NSSI related requirement description information.

The NSSI may be newly created or shared with other NSIs, and for a new NSI, the existing NSSI needs to be reconfigured to meet the needs of the NSI.

And S603, the third management entity feeds back NSSI creation/configuration completion to the second management entity.

This step is an optional step; optionally, the feedback information may carry an NSSI ID, a status description about the NSSI, and indication information indicating that the NSSI is in an active state or an inactive state, and further optionally, may also carry an NSI ID.

S604, when the specified activation condition is met, the third management entity activates NSSI. The specific activation process is described in the subsequent examples.

And S605, after the activation is completed, the third management entity feeds back that the NSSI is activated to the second management entity. The step is an optional step; optionally, the feedback information carries an NSSI ID.

And S606, if the message carrying the NSSI related requirement description information carries the deactivation condition, when the specified deactivation condition is met, the third management entity deactivates. The deactivation process is described in the subsequent embodiments.

And S607, the third management entity feeds back NSSI deactivation completion to the second management entity. The step is an optional step; optionally, the feedback information carries an NSSI ID, and may also carry an NSI ID.

According to the network slice management method, through first related message interaction between a second management entity for managing NSI and a third management entity for managing NSSI, NSSI can be activated/deactivated according to activation/deactivation conditions, so that NSI activation/deactivation is achieved, the method is suitable for a scene that NSI is activated/deactivated under specific conditions, the process of frequently transmitting activation/deactivation requests is avoided, and effective management is carried out on network slices.

Example eight

Fig. 9 is a flowchart of a third embodiment of activating/deactivating an NSI in a network slice management method provided by the present application. The difference from the seventh embodiment is that, in this embodiment, the NSSI sends a first related message after being created, where the first related message is specifically an activation/deactivation request message, and the same or similar content to that in the seventh embodiment is not described again in this embodiment, and the method includes:

and S701, the second management entity sends a message carrying NSSI related requirement description information to the third management entity.

Optionally, the message may carry an NSSI deactivation condition, and after the subsequent NSSI activation is limited, if the deactivation condition is satisfied, deactivation is required.

S702, the third management entity creates NSSI/configures the existing NSSI according to the received NSSI related requirement description information.

And S703, the third management entity feeds back NSSI establishment/configuration completion to the second management entity. This step is an optional step.

And S704, when the second management entity needs to activate the NSSI associated with the NSI according to the service requirement, the local policy and the like, sending an activation request to the third management entity.

Optionally, the NSSI activation request carries an NSSI ID, and may also carry an NSI ID.

S705, the third management entity activates the corresponding NSSI, and a specific activation process is described in the following embodiments.

And S706, after the activation is completed, the third management entity feeds back the activation completion to the second management entity.

The step is an optional step; the activation completion feedback information may carry an NSSI ID and may also carry an NSI ID.

And S707, if the NSSI deactivation is not triggered by the deactivation condition, the second management entity sends a deactivation request to the third management entity at any required time according to the service requirement, the local policy and the like.

Optionally, the deactivation request may include an NSSI deactivation request/deactivation request of services supported by the NSSI. Optionally, the NSSI deactivation request carries an identifier of the NSSI; the deactivation request of the service supported by the NSSI carries the corresponding service identifier.

S708, the third management entity deactivates the corresponding NSSI, and a specific deactivation process is described in the subsequent embodiments.

And S709, the third management entity feeds back the deactivation completion to the second management entity.

The step is an optional step; optionally, the feedback information carries an NSSI ID, and may also carry an NSI ID.

According to the network slice management method, the NSSI can be activated/deactivated in real time as required through first related message interaction between the second management entity for managing the NSI and the third management entity for managing the NSSI, the activation/deactivation management of the NSI is achieved, and effective management is carried out on the network slice.

Example nine

The constituents of the NSSI may include Nested (Nested) NSSI, with activation/deactivation of the NSSI involving the Nested NSSI. Fig. 10 is a flowchart of a first embodiment of an implementation manner of activating/deactivating an NSSI in a network slice management method provided by the present application. The method comprises the following steps:

s801, the third management entity sends a message carrying the description information of the requirement related to the Nested NSSI to the fourth management entity.

The third management entity manages NSSI and the fourth management entity manages Nested NSSI.

Optionally, in the creating process of the NSSI, it is necessary to create the components thereof, at this time, the third management entity needs to start creating the Nested NSSI by sending a description of relevant requirements of the Nested NSSI, and further, optionally, the message may specifically be a Nested NSSI creation request message.

The message carries the activation condition of the Nested NSSI (in particular, similar conditions to those of the previous embodiment are referred to, including time conditions and other conditions for the Nested NSSI), which may correspond to the activation condition of the NSSI. Optionally, the message may not carry an activation condition of the Nested NSSI, and the activation of the Nested NSSI may be implemented by requesting activation as described in the following embodiments.

The message may carry a deactivation condition of the Nested NSSI (specifically, refer to similar conditions of the foregoing embodiment, including a time condition and other conditions for the Nested NSSI), or may not carry a deactivation condition of the Nested NSSI, and then requests for deactivation in real time as needed.

Optionally, the message may also carry an NSSI ID.

S802, the fourth management entity creates the Nested NSSI/configures the existing Nested NSSI according to the received relevant requirement description information of the Nested NSSI.

The NSSI components include Nested NSSI, which may be newly created or shared with other NSSI, and for new NSSI, it is necessary to reconfigure the existing Nested NSSI to meet the NSSI requirements.

And S803. the fourth management entity feeds back the establishment/configuration completion of the Nested NSSI to the third management entity.

The step is an optional step; optionally, the feedback information may carry a Nested NSSI ID, a status description about the Nested NSSI, and indication information indicating that the Nested NSSI is in an active state or an inactive state, and optionally, may also carry the NSSI ID.

S804, when the specified activation condition is met, the fourth management entity activates the Nested NSSI. The specific activation process is described in the subsequent examples.

And S805, after the activation is completed, the fourth management entity feeds back the activated Nested NSSI to the third management entity. The step is an optional step; optionally, the feedback information carries a Nested NSSI ID.

S806, if the message in S801 carries the deactivation condition, when the specified deactivation condition is satisfied, the fourth management entity deactivates. The deactivation process is described in the subsequent embodiments.

And S807, the fourth management entity feeds back the deactivated Nested NSSI to the third management entity. The step is an optional step; optionally, the feedback information carries a Nested NSSI ID, and may also carry an NSSI ID.

According to the network slice management method, through interaction between a third management entity for managing NSSI and a fourth management entity for managing Nested NSSI, the Nested NSSI can be activated/deactivated according to activation/deactivation conditions, so that NSSI activation/deactivation is realized, the method is suitable for a scene that NSSI is activated/deactivated under a specific condition, the process of frequently transmitting activation/deactivation requests is avoided, and network slices are effectively managed.

Example ten

Fig. 11 is a flowchart of a second embodiment of activating/deactivating NSSI in a network slice management method provided by the present application. The difference from the ninth embodiment is that, in this embodiment, after the Nested NSSI is created, an activation/deactivation request message is sent, and the same or similar content to that in the ninth embodiment is not described again in this embodiment, and the method includes:

s901, the third management entity sends a message carrying the description information of the requirement related to the Nested NSSI to the fourth management entity.

Optionally, the message may carry a Nested NSSI deactivation condition, and after the subsequent activation of the Nested NSSI is limited, if the deactivation condition is satisfied, deactivation is required.

S902, the fourth management entity creates a Nested NSSI/configures the existing Nested NSSI according to the received relevant requirement description information of the Nested NSSI.

S903. the fourth management entity feeds back the establishment/configuration completion of the Nested NSSI to the third management entity. This step is an optional step.

And S904, when the third management entity needs to activate the Nested NSSI associated with the NSSI according to the service requirement, the local policy and the like, sending an activation request to the fourth management entity.

Optionally, the request for activating Nested NSSI carries Nested NSSI ID, and may also carry NSSI ID.

S905. the fourth management entity activates the corresponding Nested NSSI, and the specific activation process is described in the following embodiments.

S906, after the activation is completed, the fourth management entity feeds back the activation completion to the third management entity.

The step is an optional step; the activation completion feedback information may carry a Nested NSSI ID and may also carry an NSSI ID.

And S907, if the deactivation of the Nested NSSI is not triggered by the deactivation condition, the third management entity sends a deactivation request to the fourth management entity at any required time according to the service requirement, the local policy and the like.

Optionally, the deactivation request may include a request for deactivating a subscribed NSSI/service supported by a subscribed NSSI. Optionally, the request for deactivating the Nested NSSI carries an identifier of the Nested NSSI; the deactivation request of the service supported by the Nested NSSI carries the corresponding service identification.

S908, the fourth management entity deactivates the corresponding Nested NSSI, and the specific deactivation process is described in the subsequent embodiments.

S909, the fourth management entity feeds back the deactivation completion to the third management entity.

The step is an optional step; optionally, the feedback information carries a Nested NSSI ID, and may also carry an NSSI ID.

According to the network slice management method, the Nested NSSI can be activated/deactivated in real time as required through interaction between the third management entity for managing the NSSI and the fourth management entity for managing the Nested NSSI, the activation/deactivation management of the NSSI is realized, and effective management is carried out on the network slices.

EXAMPLE eleven

The NSI or NSSI component may include NFI, and activation/deactivation of the NSI or NSSI involves NFI. Fig. 12 is a flowchart of a first embodiment of an implementation manner of activating/deactivating an NSI or an NSSI in a network slice management method provided by the present application. The method comprises the following steps:

s1001, the third management entity sends the NFI configuration related message to the fourth management entity.

The third management entity may be a configuration management function in the NSMF/NM or other related functional entity, and the fourth management entity may be the NFMF/EM or other related functional entity.

The third management entity may be NSSMF or other related functional entity and the fourth management entity may be NFMF/EM or other related functional entity.

One possible way is that, during the activation process, through the NFI configuration related message, the third management entity may configure, through the fourth management entity, the NFI with parameters necessary for the NF to perform certain functions, such as some application layer parameters: a Mobility Management Function Identifier (Core Access and Mobility Management Function Identifier, abbreviated as AMF ID), an AMF set Identifier (AMF set ID), a Public Land Mobile Network Identifier (Public Land Mobile Network Identifier, abbreviated as PLMN ID), and the like, wherein configuration related messages are optional and can carry NFI ID and configuration parameters; in the deactivation process, through the NFI configuration related message, the third management entity may delete or make unavailable the NFI parameter through the fourth management entity, and optionally, the configuration related message may carry the NFI ID.

One possible way is: through the NFI configuration related message, the third management entity may open (activation procedure)/close (deactivation procedure) a port (enable/disable port number) through which the NFI receives and/or transmits data, so that the NFI can/cannot transmit and/or receive data, through the fourth management entity. Optionally, the configuration related message may carry the NFI ID, the port open/close indication, and the port number. The possible ways are not limited by the way of enumeration, and those skilled in the art may implement configuration management in other ways through NFI configuration related messages as needed.

And S1002, the fourth management entity configures NF according to the NFI configuration message.

The fourth management entity may configure, according to the NFI configuration message, parameters necessary for the NF to execute a certain function to the NFI, or delete/use the unavailable parameters under certain requirements, or open or close a corresponding NFI port according to the NFI configuration message, or execute other corresponding configurations according to the NFI configuration message.

In the network slice management method in the embodiment of the present application, the third management entity for managing the NSI or the NSSI and the fourth management entity for managing the NFI are interacted with each other, so that the NSI or the NSSI is activated/deactivated, and the network slice is effectively managed.

Example twelve

Fig. 13 is a flowchart of a second embodiment of an implementation manner of activating/deactivating an NSI or an NSSI in a network slice management method provided by the present application. The method comprises the following steps:

s1101, the third management entity sends an activation/deactivation request message to the fourth management entity.

The third management entity may be an NSMF/NM or other related functional entity and the fourth management entity may be an NFMF/EM or other related functional entity.

The third management entity may be an NSSMF entity or other related functional entity and the fourth management entity may be an NFMF/EM or other related functional entity.

Optionally, the activation/deactivation request message may be a request message for activating/deactivating a Virtual Network Function Instance (VNFI).

When the NFI is implemented by the VNFI, the third management entity (which may be an NSSMF entity) activates/deactivates the VNFI through the fourth management entity (which may be a management function in the NFV-MANO or other management functions), and during the activation, the fourth management entity activates a dormant VNFI, for example, activates a virtual machine used by the VNFI, which is applicable when the VNFI is in a dormant state; in the deactivation process, the VNFI is deactivated, and the corresponding virtual machine sleeps.

Optionally, the third management entity may have searched the VNFI corresponding to the NF and determined the VNFI ID, so that the VNFI ID may be carried in the VNFI activation message.

Optionally, the activation/deactivation request message may be a request message for activating and waking up/deactivating a physical network element device supporting NFI. When the NFI is implemented by the physical network element device, the third management entity activates/deactivates the NFI through the fourth management entity, for example, if the hardware device can enter a sleep state, in an activation process, a sleep device supporting the NFI is awakened, and a corresponding device that is in sleep in a deactivation process is deactivated.

And S1102, the fourth management entity awakens/sleeps the corresponding equipment according to the activation/deactivation request message.

EXAMPLE thirteen

The present embodiment will provide an optional way in the process of activating/deactivating the NSI, and fig. 14 is a flowchart of a first embodiment of configuration management in a network slice management method provided by the present application, as shown in fig. 14, the method includes:

and S1201, the second management entity sends configuration related information to the third management entity.

The configuration related information, which may be sent by the second management entity at the stage of creating and pre-configuring the NSI during the activation process, includes configuration information to be configured on the management object, optionally, an identifier that marks a group of configuration information with delayed execution (i.e., indicating that the configuration information is not immediately effective), and optionally, an effective/ineffective condition (which may correspond to an NSI activation/deactivation condition) for each configuration information, where the condition may be time, i.e., a time that the configuration is effective during time period T1, and the configuration is not effective during time period T2. The configuration related information may also be indication information of configuration information to be activated, which is carried in an activation configuration message sent by the second management entity after the NSI is preconfigured. During activation, the configuration information is validated and the NSI can enter a normal operational state.

The configuration related information may be, in the deactivation process, indication information of configuration information to be deactivated, which is carried in the notification message, and is used to notify the management object that the configuration information is unavailable or delete the configuration information. Optionally, the notification message may be the deactivation request message described in the foregoing embodiment, or may be a dedicated notification message.

And S1202, the third management entity executes configuration on the management object according to the received configuration related information.

The second management entity may be an NSMF entity or other related functional entity, the third management entity may be an NSSMF entity/NFMF entity or other related functional entity, and if the third management entity is an NSSMF entity, the NSSMF may be configured directly (i.e., the NSSMF integrates the functions of DM/EM/NFMF), or the NSSMF may be configured through DM/EM/NFMF.

The second management entity may be an NM or other related functional entity and the third management entity may be a DM/EM/NFMF or other related functional entity.

The second management entity may be an NSMF entity or other related functional entity and the third management entity may be an NM or other related functional entity, in which case the third management entity does not directly configure NF/NE/NSSI but will also go through DM/EM/NFMF.

And S1203, the third management entity sends a configuration completion message to the second management entity.

Optionally, the completion message may carry configuration identification information.

According to the network slice management method, the management of configuration in the NSI activation/deactivation process is realized through interaction between the second management entity and the third management entity, and effective management is carried out on the network slices.

Example fourteen

Fig. 15 is a flowchart of a second embodiment of configuration management in a network slice management method provided in the present application, and a difference from the thirteenth embodiment is that in this embodiment, a description is given by taking an example of a configuration of subscription information of a user equipment, and a content that is the same as or similar to the thirteenth embodiment is not repeated in this embodiment, where the method includes:

and S1301, the second management entity sends subscription information of the user terminal related to the NSI to the third management entity.

Optionally, the second management entity may send a configuration request to the third management entity, where the request carries subscription information of the user terminal related to the NSI, and the subscription information may include: information of the UE and/or a plurality of pieces of Single Network Slice Selection Assistance Information (S-NSSAI for short) S-NSSAIs to which the UE subscribes, optionally, an NSI identifier (NSI ID, one-to-one corresponding to NSI, different from S-NSSAI) may also be carried;

optionally, the configuration message may carry an effective and invalid condition of the subscription information, such as time, so as to implement: during the time period T1, the UE cannot be authorized to use the NSI, and during the time period T2, the UE can use the NSI, that is, the preceding embodiment is implemented to automatically perform activation and deactivation on the NSI according to the conditions.

S1302, the third management entity configures the subscription information for the management object according to the received subscription information.

Further, the third management entity may import the subscription information of the user to the database, thereby enabling the UE to be authorized by the network to use the NSI. For example, subscription information of a user, for example, a correspondence between an identity of a UE and NSI information (for example, subscribed S-nsais), is imported into a functional entity of the UDM (and a Unified Data Repository (UDR) managed by the UDM). Optionally, validation and invalidation time periods may be set for the subscription information, thereby achieving automatic activation and deactivation.

And S1303, the third management entity sends a configuration completion message to the second management entity.

Optionally, the completion message carries the subscription information identifier.

According to the network slice management method, the subscription information configuration management in the NSI activation/deactivation process is realized through interaction between the second management entity and the third management entity, and effective management is carried out on the network slices.

Example fifteen

Fig. 16 is a flowchart of a third embodiment of configuration management in a network slice management method provided by the present application, and a difference from the thirteenth embodiment is that in this embodiment, an example of related information notification/configuration of other NSIs is described, and the same or similar content to the thirteenth embodiment is not repeated in this embodiment, where the method includes:

and S1401, the second management entity sends the related information of the NSI to the third management entity.

Optionally, the second management entity sends a configuration request to the third management entity, where the request carries relevant information related to the NSI, and optionally, for example, S-NSSAIs, NSI ID, other information (such as Network Slice Selection policy), and the like, to implement notification of a plurality of NFs, and the information about the NSI enables an entity having a corresponding Function (for example, Network Slice Selection Function (NSSF)) to select and use the NSI for some UEs according to a certain policy; for another example, a Network database Function (NRF) entity is notified that a plurality of Session Management Function Instances (SMFI) are newly generated, optionally, the related information includes an SMFI ID and may also include an NSI ID, so that an Instance belonging to the NSI can be selected and used; for another example, S-NSSAIs corresponding to NSI are arranged in a Next generation base station (hereinafter generation NodeB, abbreviated as gNB) in a certain area, so that the gNB supports the S-NSSAIs corresponding to the NSI.

Optionally, the configuration message may carry the validation and expiration times of the subscription information, so that the UE can be selected to the NSI in the time period T1, and the UE cannot be selected to the NSI in the time period T2, that is, the NSI is automatically activated and deactivated according to the condition in the foregoing embodiment.

S1402, the third management entity notifies/configures the related information to the management object according to the received related information.

Sending information about the NSI to several NFs, so that the NFs can perceive the NSI and can therefore put user data to the NSI for transmission, for example, configuring the NSSF so that the NSSF can perceive that the NSI can be used, so that the NSSF can then select the NSI for the UE according to a certain selection policy. For another example, the NRF is configured such that the NRF can store information of all Session Management Functions (SMFs) of a newly generated NSI, and thus the Core Access and Mobility Management functions (AMFs) can select an SMF for the NSI and forward a message belonging to the NSI to the SMF. Optionally, validation and invalidation time periods may be set for the configuration information, thereby enabling automatic activation and deactivation.

And S1403, the third management entity sends a configuration completion message to the second management entity.

Optionally, the completion message carries the relevant information identifier.

According to the network slice management method, the management of the relevant information configuration of the NSI in the NSI activation/deactivation process is realized through the interaction between the second management entity and the third management entity, and the network slice is effectively managed.

The above-mentioned scheme provided by the embodiment of the present application is introduced mainly from the viewpoint of the process of performing network slice management by communication between management entities. It will be appreciated that each management entity, in order to implement the above-described functions, comprises corresponding hardware structures and/or software modules for performing the respective functions. Those of skill in the art would readily appreciate that the various illustrative elements and algorithm steps described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein may be implemented as hardware or combinations of hardware and computer software. Whether a function is performed as hardware or computer software drives hardware depends upon the particular application and design constraints imposed on the solution. Skilled artisans may implement the described functionality in varying ways for each particular application, but such implementation decisions should not be interpreted as causing a departure from the scope of the present application.

In the embodiment of the present application, the management entity may be divided into the functional modules according to the method example, for example, each functional module may be divided corresponding to each function, or two or more functions may be integrated into one processing module. The integrated module can be realized in a hardware mode, and can also be realized in a software functional module mode. It should be noted that, in the embodiment of the present application, the division of the module is schematic, and is only one logic function division, and there may be another division manner in actual implementation. The following description will be given taking the example of dividing each functional module corresponding to each function.

The embodiment of the application also provides a management device. If the management device is used as an object related to managing network slices, it may be used to perform the steps performed by the first management entity in any of fig. 3 b-6; if the management device is used to manage the NSI, the management device may be configured to perform the steps performed by the second management entity in any one of fig. 3a to 9 and 14 to 16, or may be configured to perform the steps performed by the third management entity in a scenario in fig. 12 to 13. If the management device is used as a component for managing the NSI, the management device may be configured to execute steps executed by a third management entity in any one of fig. 7 to 11 and fig. 14 to 16, or may be configured to execute steps executed by a third management entity or a fourth management entity in a scenario in fig. 12 to 13. For ease of understanding and illustration, fig. 17 shows a simplified management device schematic diagram, and in fig. 17, a management device 1700 includes a processor/controller 1701, a memory 1702, a communication unit 1703 including a communication interface 17031, and an optional input-output device 1704. The processor/controller 1701 is mainly used for processing a communication protocol and communication data, controlling a management apparatus, executing a software program, processing data of the software program, and the like. The memory 1702 is primarily used for storing software programs and data. The communication unit 1703 is mainly used for transmission processing of network communication. The communication interface 17031 performs interface processing with respect to network communication, mainly for transmitting and receiving messages and data. The input/output device 1704, such as a pointer, a touch panel, a display screen, a keyboard, etc., is mainly used for receiving data input by an operator and outputting data to the operator. Note that some kinds of management apparatuses may not have the input/output device 1704. The memory 1702 and the processor/controller 1701 may be integrated together or may be separate.

When data needs to be transmitted, the processor/controller 1701 processes data to be transmitted and outputs the processed data to the communication unit 1703, and the communication unit 1703 performs interface processing through the communication interface 17031 and transmits the data to the outside. When data is transmitted to the management apparatus, the communication unit 1703 receives the data through the communication interface 17031, processes and outputs the data to the processor/controller 1701, and the processor/controller 1701 further processes the data. For ease of illustration, only one memory 1702 and processor/controller 1701 is shown in FIG. 17. In an actual device, there may be one or more processors/controllers 1701 and one or more memories 1702. The memory 1702 may also be referred to as a storage medium or storage device, etc. The memory 1702 may be provided separately from the processor/controller 1701 or may be integrated with the processor/controller 1701, which is not limited in this embodiment.

In an embodiment of the present application, fig. 18 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a network slice management apparatus, where the management apparatus includes: a transceiving unit 1801 and a processing unit 1802. The network slice management apparatus is shown in the form of functional units, which as used herein may refer, without limitation, to Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs), electronic circuits, processors/controllers and memory (shared, dedicated, or group) executing one or more software or firmware programs, combinational logic circuits, and/or other suitable components that provide the described functionality.

In one aspect, when the management apparatus is applied to a management device that manages network slice related objects, it is configured to implement the following functions:

in one implementation, the processing unit 1802 is configured to perform the operations associated with the first management entity determining to activate/deactivate an NSI or to activate/deactivate an NSI in the implementation of fig. 3b, and/or other associated steps herein; the transceiving unit 1801 is configured to perform step S101 of fig. 3b, and/or other related steps in this application.

In another implementation, the processing unit 1802 is configured to perform the operations associated with the first management entity determining to activate/deactivate an NSI or to activate/deactivate an NSI in the implementation of fig. 4, and/or other associated steps in this application; the transceiving unit 1801 is configured to perform step S201 of fig. 4 and/or other related steps in this application.

In another implementation, the processing unit 1802 is configured to perform operations associated with the first management entity determining to create an NSI, activating/deactivating an NSI, or to activate/deactivate an NSI in the implementation of fig. 5, and/or other associated steps herein; the transceiving unit 1801 is configured to perform steps S301 and S304 of fig. 5 and/or other related steps in this application.

In another implementation, the processing unit 1802 is configured to perform operations related to the first management entity determining to create an NSI, activating/deactivating an NSI, or to activate/deactivate an NSI in the implementation of fig. 6, and/or other related steps in this application; the transceiving unit 1801 is configured to perform steps S401, S404, and S407 of fig. 6, and/or other related steps in this application.

In a non-specific example, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the management apparatus may be implemented in the form of the management device of fig. 17. The processing unit 1802 may be implemented via the processor/controller 1701 and the memory 1702, and in particular, via the processor/controller 1701 executing first instructions in the memory 1702 to determine a network management action and determine to communicate corresponding information, and further via the processor/controller 1701 executing second instructions in the memory 1702 to determine the content of the received feedback information; the transceiving unit 1801 may be implemented by the processor/controller 1701, the memory 1702, and the communication unit 1703, and in particular, by the processor/controller 1701 executing a third instruction in the memory 1702 to cause the communication unit 1703 to send corresponding information through the communication interface 17031, and may also be implemented by the processor/controller 1701 executing a fourth instruction in the memory 1702 to cause the communication unit 1703 to obtain feedback information through the communication interface 17031.

On the other hand, when the management apparatus is applied to a management device that manages NSI, it is configured to realize the following functions:

in one implementation, the transceiving unit 1801 is configured to perform step S1 in the embodiment of fig. 3a, and/or other related steps in this application; the processing unit 1802 is configured to perform step S2 in the embodiment of fig. 3a, and/or other related steps in the present application.

In another implementation, the transceiving unit 1801 is configured to perform operations related to receiving the first message in the embodiment of fig. 3b, and/or other related steps in this application; the processing unit 1802 is configured to perform step S102 of fig. 3b, and/or other related steps in the present application.

In another implementation manner, the transceiving unit 1801 is configured to execute steps S203, S205, and S207 in fig. 4, perform related operations related to receiving a message carrying network slice related requirement description information in the embodiment of fig. 4, and/or perform other related steps in this application; the processing unit 1802 is configured to perform steps S202, S204, S206 of fig. 4, and/or other related steps in this application.

In another implementation manner, the transceiving unit 1801 is configured to perform steps S303, S306, S308, and S310 in fig. 5, perform operations related to receiving a request sent by a first management entity in the embodiment of fig. 5, and/or perform other related steps in this application; the processing unit 1802 is configured to perform steps S302, S305, S307, S309 of fig. 5, and/or other related steps in this application.

In another implementation manner, the transceiving unit 1801 is configured to perform steps S403, S406, and S409 in fig. 6, perform operations related to receiving a request sent by a first management entity in the embodiment of fig. 6, and/or perform other related steps in this application; the processing unit 1802 is configured to perform steps S402, S405, S408 of fig. 6, and/or other related steps in this application.

In another implementation, the processing unit 1802 is configured to perform the operations associated with the embodiment of fig. 7 with respect to the second management entity determining to activate/deactivate components of the NSI or to activate/deactivate components of the NSI, and/or other associated steps in this application; the transceiving unit 1801 is configured to perform step S501 in fig. 7 and/or other related steps in this application.

In another implementation, the processing unit 1802 is configured to perform the operations related to the second management entity determining to send NSSI related requirement description information, creating NSSI, activating/deactivating NSSI, or activating/deactivating NSSI in the embodiment of fig. 8, and/or other related steps in this application; the transceiving unit 1801 is configured to perform step S601 in fig. 8, perform operations related to receiving a feedback message, and/or perform other related steps in this application.

In another implementation, the processing unit 1802 is configured to perform the operations related to the second management entity determining to send NSSI related requirement description information, creating NSSI, activating/deactivating NSSI, or activating/deactivating NSSI in the embodiment of fig. 9, and/or other related steps in this application; the transceiving unit 1801 is configured to perform steps S701, S704, and S707 of fig. 9, perform operations related to receiving a feedback message, and/or perform other related steps in this application.

In another implementation, in some scenarios, the processing unit 1802 is configured to perform operations related to the third management entity determining that NFI configuration is to be performed in the embodiment of fig. 12, and/or other related steps in this application; the transceiving unit 1801 is configured to perform step S1001 of fig. 12 and/or other related steps in this application.

In another implementation, in some scenarios, the processing unit 1802 is configured to perform operations related to the determination, by the third management entity, of activation/deactivation to be performed in the embodiment of fig. 13, and/or other related steps in this application; the transceiving unit 1801 is configured to perform step S1101 of fig. 13 and/or other related steps in this application.

In another implementation, the processing unit 1802 is configured to perform operations related to the determination, by the second management entity, of sending configuration-related information in the embodiment of fig. 14, and/or other related steps in this application; the transceiving unit 1801 is configured to perform step S1201 in fig. 14, receive feedback information, and/or other related steps in this application.

In another implementation, the processing unit 1802 is configured to perform the relevant operations related to the determination by the second management entity of the embodiment of fig. 15 to perform configuration, and/or other relevant steps in this application; the transceiving unit 1801 is configured to perform step S1301 of fig. 15, perform operations related to receiving a feedback message, and/or perform other related steps in this application.

In another implementation, the processing unit 1802 is configured to perform the operations associated with the second management entity determining to perform configuration in the embodiment of fig. 16, and/or other associated steps in this application; the transceiving unit 1801 is configured to perform step S1401 of fig. 16, perform operations related to receiving a feedback message, and/or perform other related steps in this application.

On the other hand, when the management apparatus is applied to a management device that manages components of an NSI, it is configured to realize the following functions:

in one implementation, the transceiving unit 1801 is configured to perform operations related to receiving the first related message in the embodiment of fig. 7, and/or other related steps in this application; the processing unit 1802 is configured to perform step S502 of fig. 7, and/or other related steps in the present application.

In another implementation manner, the transceiving unit 1801 is configured to perform related operations regarding receiving a message carrying NSSI-related requirement description information in the embodiment of fig. 8, perform steps S603, S605, S607, and/or other related steps in this application; the processing unit 1802 is configured to perform steps S602, S604, S606 of fig. 8, and/or other related steps in this application.

In another implementation manner, the transceiving unit 1801 is configured to perform related operations regarding receiving a message carrying NSSI related requirement description information in the embodiment of fig. 9, perform steps S703, S706, S709, and/or other related steps in this application; the processing unit 1802 is configured to perform steps S702, S705, S708 of fig. 9, and/or other related steps in this application.

In another implementation, the processing unit 1802 is configured to perform operations related to the third management entity determining to send NSSI related requirement description information, creating a Nested NSSI, activating/deactivating a Nested NSSI, or activating/deactivating a Nested NSSI in the embodiment of fig. 10, and/or other related steps in this application; the transceiving unit 1801 is configured to perform step S801 of fig. 10, perform operations related to receiving a feedback message, and/or perform other related steps in this application.

In another implementation, the processing unit 1802 is configured to perform operations related to the third management entity determining to send NSSI related requirement description information, creating a Nested NSSI, activating/deactivating a Nested NSSI, or activating/deactivating a Nested NSSI in the embodiment of fig. 11, and/or other related steps in this application; the transceiving unit 1801 is configured to perform steps S901, S904, and S907 of fig. 11, perform operations related to receiving a feedback message, and/or perform other related steps in this application.

In another implementation, in some scenarios, the processing unit 1802 is configured to perform operations related to the third management entity determining that NFI configuration is to be performed in the embodiment of fig. 12, and/or other related steps in this application; the transceiving unit 1801 is configured to perform step S1001 of fig. 12 and/or other related steps in this application. In other scenarios, the transceiving unit 1801 is configured to perform operations related to the fourth management entity in the embodiment of fig. 12 regarding receiving the configuration-related message, and/or other related steps in this application; the processing unit 1802 is configured to perform step S1002 of fig. 12, and/or other related steps in this application.

In another implementation, in some scenarios, the processing unit 1802 is configured to perform operations related to the determination, by the third management entity, of activation/deactivation to be performed in the embodiment of fig. 13, and/or other related steps in this application; the transceiving unit 1801 is configured to perform step S1101 of fig. 13 and/or other related steps in this application. In other scenarios, the transceiving unit 1801 is configured to perform operations related to the fourth management entity in the embodiment of fig. 13 regarding receiving the request message, and/or other related steps in this application; the processing unit 1802 is configured to perform step S1102 of fig. 13, and/or other related steps in the present application.

In another implementation manner, the transceiving unit 1801 is configured to perform operations related to receiving configuration-related information by a third management entity in the embodiment of fig. 14, perform step S1203, and/or perform other related steps in this application; the processing unit 1802 is configured to perform step S1202 of fig. 14, and/or other related steps in the present application.

In another implementation manner, the transceiving unit 1801 is configured to perform operations related to receiving subscription information in the embodiment of fig. 15, perform steps S1302, S1303, and/or other related steps in this application; the processing unit 1802 is configured to perform operations of the third management entity with respect to determining to perform configuration of the management object in the embodiment of fig. 15, and/or other related steps in the present application.

In another implementation, the transceiving unit 1801 is configured to perform operations related to receiving relevant information of an NSI in the embodiment of fig. 16, perform steps S1402 and S1403, and/or perform other relevant steps in this application; the processing unit 1802 is configured to perform operations of the third management entity in the embodiment of fig. 16 regarding determining to perform notification/configuration of a management object, and/or other related steps in the present application.

The transceiving unit 1801 may be referred to as a communication unit, a transceiver, a transceiving device, etc. The processing unit 1802 may also be referred to as a processor/controller, processing board, processing module, processing device, control module, control unit, control device, or the like. Optionally, a device for implementing a receiving function in the transceiving unit 1801 may be regarded as a receiving unit, and a device for implementing a sending function in the transceiving unit 1801 may be regarded as a sending unit, that is, the transceiving unit 1801 includes a receiving unit and a sending unit. A transceiver unit may also sometimes be referred to as a transceiver, transceiving circuitry, or the like. A receiving unit may also be referred to as a receiver, a receiving circuit, or the like. The transmitting unit may sometimes be a transmitter, a transmitter or a transmitting circuit, etc. In some embodiments, the transceiving unit 1801 and the processing unit 1802 may be integrated or may be separate. In addition, all functions in the processing unit 1802 may be integrated into one chip, or a part of the functions may be integrated into one chip, or another part of the functions may be integrated into one or more other chips, which is not limited in this application.

For the explanation and beneficial effects of the related content in any network slice management apparatus provided above, reference may be made to the corresponding method embodiments provided above, and details are not repeated here.

In the above embodiments of the apparatus, the transmitting unit or the transmitter performs the transmitting steps of the above embodiments of the method, the receiving module or the receiver performs the receiving steps of the above embodiments of the method, and other steps are performed by the processing module or the processor/controller; the sending module and the receiving module can form a receiving and sending module and a communication module, and the receiver and the sender can form a transceiver.

The network slice management apparatus may be a first management entity that manages a network slice related object, a second management entity that manages an NSI (a third management entity in a specific scenario of some embodiments), a third management entity that manages a component of the NSI (a fourth management entity in a specific scenario of some embodiments), or a functional module or chip of the first management entity, the second management entity, the third management entity, or the fourth management entity in the method embodiment.

The present application further provides a network slice management system, including the first management entity and the second management entity in the foregoing embodiment, or corresponding devices and/or apparatuses for implementing the related functions of the first management entity and the second management entity, and optionally, further including a third management entity and/or a fourth management entity, or corresponding devices and/or apparatuses for implementing the related functions of the third management entity and the fourth management entity.

The present application also provides a computer program product which, when run on a computer, causes the computer to perform any of the methods provided above. The present application also provides a communication chip having instructions stored therein that, when run on management entities, cause the management entities to perform the method provided above.

In the above embodiments, the implementation may be wholly or partially realized by software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented using a software program, may be implemented in whole or in part in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. The procedures or functions described in accordance with the embodiments of the present application are all or partially generated upon loading and execution of computer program instructions on a computer. The computer may be a general purpose computer, a special purpose computer, a network of computers, or other programmable device. The computer instructions may be stored on a computer readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer readable storage medium to another, for example, from one website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center via wire (e.g., coaxial cable, fiber optic, Digital Subscriber Line (DSL)) or wireless (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.). The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer or can comprise one or more data storage devices, such as a server, a data center, etc., that can be integrated with the medium. The usable medium may be a magnetic medium (e.g., floppy disk, hard disk, magnetic tape), an optical medium (e.g., DVD), or a semiconductor medium (e.g., Solid State Disk (SSD)), among others.

While the present application has been described in connection with various embodiments, other variations to the disclosed embodiments can be understood and effected by those skilled in the art in practicing the claimed application, from a review of the drawings, the disclosure, and the appended claims. In the claims, the word "comprising" does not exclude other elements or steps, and the word "a" or "an" does not exclude a plurality. A single processor/controller or other unit may fulfill the functions of several items recited in the claims. The mere fact that certain measures are recited in mutually different dependent claims does not indicate that a combination of these measures cannot be used to advantage.

Although the present application has been described in conjunction with specific features and embodiments thereof, it will be evident that various modifications and combinations can be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the application. Accordingly, the specification and figures are merely exemplary of the present application as defined in the appended claims and are intended to cover any and all modifications, variations, combinations, or equivalents within the scope of the present application. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made in the present application without departing from the spirit and scope of the application. Thus, if such modifications and variations of the present application fall within the scope of the claims of the present application and their equivalents, the present application is intended to include such modifications and variations as well.

Claims

1. An apparatus for network slice management, the apparatus comprising:

the receiving unit is used for receiving a first message sent by a first management entity;

a processing unit for activating a network slice instance NSI based on the first message;

wherein the first management entity is used for managing network slice related objects;

when the first message is a message carrying network slice related requirement description information, the message also carries an NSI activation condition and/or an NSI supported service activation condition; the processing unit is further configured to create an NSI based on the network slice-related requirement description, and activate the corresponding NSI when an activation condition of the NSI is satisfied and/or an activation condition of the service is satisfied;

wherein the activation condition includes: the method includes activating the NSI at the time of activation, or when 1 NSI of two NSIs backing up each other fails, deactivating the NSI and activating the other 1 NSI, or activating 1 NSI according to the load conditions of the two NSIs allowed to perform flow balancing.

2. The apparatus of claim 1,

when the first message is an activation request message;

the processing unit is further configured to activate a corresponding NSI based on the activation request message;

the activation request message includes an NSI activation request and/or a service activation request, the NSI activation request carries an NSI identity, and the service activation request is an activation request for a service supported by NSI.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

and the sending unit is used for sending a second message carrying the network slice subnet instance NSSI related requirement description information to the third management entity.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the second message carries an activation condition for NSSI.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a sending unit, configured to send configuration related information to a third management entity;

wherein the configuration-related information is used for enabling a third management entity to send the configuration information related to the NSI to each component included in the NSI, and the configuration-related information includes configuration information related to the NSI and/or an effective condition of the configuration information.

6. The apparatus of claim 5,

the configuration information includes at least one of:

subscription information for a user terminal associated with an NSI, said subscription information comprising first relevant information for said NSI, said first relevant information being such that said user terminal is allowed to use said NSI;

second relevant information for the NSI, the second relevant information for NSI-enabled notifications.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a sending unit, configured to send a third message to a third management entity, where the third message is used to enable the third management entity to activate each component of the NSI.

8. An apparatus for network slice management, the apparatus comprising:

a processing unit for deactivating a network slice instance NSI based on the first message;

when the first message is a message carrying network slice related requirement description information, the message also carries a deactivation condition of the NSI and/or a deactivation condition of a service supported by the NSI;

the processing unit is further configured to create an NSI based on the network slice related requirement description, and deactivate the corresponding NSI when a deactivation condition of the NSI is satisfied and/or a deactivation condition of the service is satisfied;

wherein the deactivation condition comprises: the method comprises the steps of deactivating time, or deactivating 1 NSI of two NSIs which are backup to each other when the NSI is failed, and deactivating the NSI and activating the other 1 NSI, or deactivating the 1 NSI according to the load conditions of the two NSIs which are allowed to perform flow balancing.

9. The apparatus of claim 8,

the processing unit is further configured to determine that no user data is present in the NSI and/or that components of the NSI are not used by other NSIs prior to deactivating the NSI.

10. The apparatus of claim 8,

when the first message is a deactivation request message;

the processing unit is further configured to deactivate the corresponding NSI based on the deactivation request message;

the deactivation request message includes an NSI deactivation request and/or a service deactivation request, where the NSI deactivation request carries an NSI identity, and the service deactivation request is a deactivation request for a service supported by an NSI.

11. The apparatus of claim 8, further comprising:

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the second message carries a deactivation condition for NSSI.

13. The apparatus of claim 8, further comprising:

wherein the configuration related information is used for a third management entity to send an invalidation message of the configuration information related to the NSI to each component included in the NSI.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the configuration-related information comprises a failure condition of the configuration information.

15. The apparatus of claim 8, further comprising:

a sending unit, configured to send a third message to a third management entity, where the third message is used to enable the third management entity to deactivate each component of the NSI.

16. A method of network slice management, the method comprising:

a second management entity receives a first message sent by a first management entity;

the second management entity activates a network slice instance NSI based on the first message;

wherein the first management entity is configured to manage network slice related objects and the second management entity is configured to manage the NSI;

when the first message is a message carrying network slice related requirement description information, the message also carries an NSI activation condition and/or an NSI supported service activation condition;

the second management entity activates a network slice instance NSI based on the first message, including: the second management entity creates an NSI based on the network slice related requirement description, and activates the corresponding NSI when the activation condition of the NSI is met and/or the activation condition of the service is met;

17. The method of claim 16,

when the first message is an activation request message;

the second management entity activates a network slice instance NSI based on the first message, including:

the second management entity activates the corresponding NSI based on the activation request message;

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising: and the second management entity sends a second message carrying network slice subnet instance NSSI related requirement description information to a third management entity.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the second message further carries an activation condition for NSSI.

20. The method according to claim 16, wherein the activating the network slice instance NSI comprises: and the second management entity sends a third message to a third management entity, wherein the third message is used for enabling the third management entity to activate all components of the NSI.

21. A method of network slice management, the method comprising:

the second management entity deactivating a network slice instance, NSI, based on the first message;

the second management entity deactivating, based on the first message, a network slice instance NSI, including: the second management entity creates an NSI based on the network slice related requirement description, and deactivates the corresponding NSI when the deactivation condition of the NSI is satisfied and/or the deactivation condition of the service is satisfied;

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

determining that no user data is in the NSI and/or that components of the NSI are not used by other NSIs before the second management entity deactivates the NSI.

23. The method of claim 21,

when the first message is a deactivation request message;

the second management entity deactivating, based on the first message, a network slice instance NSI, including:

the second management entity deactivates the corresponding NSI based on the deactivation request message;

24. The method of claim 21, further comprising: and the second management entity sends a second message carrying network slice subnet instance NSSI related requirement description information to a third management entity.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the second message carries a deactivation condition for NSSI.

26. The method of claim 21, further comprising: and the second management entity sends a third message to a third management entity, wherein the third message is used for enabling the third management entity to deactivate each component of the NSI.

27. A computer-readable storage medium, on which a computer program is stored, which, when being executed by a processor, carries out the method of network slice management according to any one of claims 16 to 26.

28. A network slice management apparatus comprising a memory, a processor and a computer program stored on the memory and executable on the processor, wherein the processor, when executing the computer program, implements a method of network slice management as claimed in any one of claims 16 to 26.