CN113543157B

CN113543157B - Method and equipment for controlling network resources

Info

Publication number: CN113543157B
Application number: CN202010291102.9A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 张春蕾; 陆晓萍
Original assignee: Huawei Technologies Co Ltd
Current assignee: Huawei Technologies Co Ltd
Priority date: 2020-04-14
Filing date: 2020-04-14
Publication date: 2023-09-08
Anticipated expiration: 2040-04-14
Also published as: CN113543157A; WO2021208817A1

Abstract

The embodiment of the application provides a method and equipment for controlling network resources. The management system acquires network requirements; the management system performs any one or more of the following operations according to the network requirements: create new network functions NF, delete created NF. According to the method provided by the application, the NF in the network is adaptively adjusted according to the network requirements, so that the network resource utilization rate can be effectively improved on the premise of meeting the user requirements.

Description

Method and equipment for controlling network resources

Technical Field

The present application relates to the field of communications, and more particularly, to a method and apparatus for controlling network resources.

Background

The network of the fifth generation (5th Generation,5G) communication system is composed of Network Functions (NFs), and different NFs can provide different network functions to meet different user requirements. With the continuous development of network functions and the diversification of user demands, the types of NFs in the network are becoming more and more abundant.

If all types of NFs are deployed in the network, the utilization rate of some types of NFs is low, and even the NFs are not used by people, so that resource waste is caused. If only some types of NFs are deployed in the network, this may result in the network not supporting the functionality of the undeployed type of NFs.

When NF is deployed in a network, how to improve the utilization rate of network resources on the premise of meeting the needs of users is a problem to be solved urgently.

Disclosure of Invention

The application provides a method and equipment for controlling network resources, which can improve the utilization rate of network resources on the premise of meeting the requirements of users by adaptively adjusting NF in a network according to the requirements of the network.

In a first aspect, a method for controlling network resources is provided, the method comprising: the management system acquires network requirements; the management system performs any one or more of the following operations according to the network requirements: create new network functions NF, delete created NF.

Based on the technical scheme, the NF in the network can be adaptively adjusted according to the network requirements, and the network resource utilization rate can be effectively improved on the premise of meeting the user requirements.

With reference to the first aspect, in certain implementation manners of the first aspect, the acquiring, by the management system, a network requirement includes: the management system receives a creation request message sent by a first NF, wherein the creation request message is used for requesting to create a second NF; wherein the management system performs any one or more of the following operations according to the network requirements: creating a new NF, deleting the created NF, including: and creating the second NF according to the creation request message.

With reference to the first aspect, in certain implementation manners of the first aspect, the creating the second NF according to the creation request message includes: in the case where resources required for creating the second NF have been configured in the network, the second NF is created according to the creation request message.

With reference to the first aspect, in certain implementation manners of the first aspect, the creating the second NF according to the creation request message includes: in case the type of the second NF that can be dynamically established and the system resources required by the second NF have been planned in the network, the second NF is created according to the creation request message.

With reference to the first aspect, in certain implementation manners of the first aspect, before the receiving the create request message sent from the first NF, the method further includes: receiving a subscription message sent by the first NF, wherein the subscription message is used for requesting information of the NF; and sending NF list information to the first NF, wherein the NF list information is used for indicating the type of NF which can be created, and the type of NF which can be created comprises the type of the second NF.

With reference to the first aspect, in certain implementation manners of the first aspect, after the creating the second NF according to the create request message, the method further includes: sending a first message to the first NF, wherein the first message is used for indicating attribute information of the second NF successfully created by the management system, and the attribute information of the second NF comprises the type of the second NF and the address of the second NF; or sending a second message to the first NF, where the second message is used to instruct the management system to fail to create the second NF.

With reference to the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, the method further includes: acquiring the utilization rate of a third NF established in the network; wherein the management system performs any one or more of the following operations according to the network requirements: creating a new NF, deleting the created NF, including: and deleting the third NF under the condition that the utilization rate of the third NF is lower than a threshold value.

With reference to the first aspect, in certain implementation manners of the first aspect, before the obtaining the utilization rate of the third NF, the method further includes: and sending a query message to the third NF, wherein the query message is used for indicating the management system to periodically acquire the use condition of the third NF.

In a second aspect, a method for controlling network resources is provided, the method comprising: the first network function NF obtains network requirements; the first NF sends a create request message to the management system according to the network demand, the create request message being for requesting creation of the second NF.

With reference to the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the first network function NF sends a create request message to the management system according to the network requirement, including: in case it is determined that the second NF is not currently created in the network, the first network function NF sends a create request message to the management system according to the network requirements.

With reference to the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, before the first network function NF sends the request message to the management system according to the network requirement, the method further includes: sending a subscription message to the management system, wherein the subscription message is used for requesting information of NF; and receiving NF list information sent by the management system, wherein the NF list information is used for indicating the type of the NF which can be created, and the type of the NF which can be created comprises the type of the second NF.

With reference to the second aspect, in certain implementations of the second aspect, the method further includes: receiving a first message sent by the management system, wherein the first message is used for indicating attribute information of the second NF successfully created by the management system, and the attribute information of the second NF comprises the type of the second NF and the address of the second NF; or receiving a second message sent from the management system, where the second message is used to instruct the management system to fail to create the second NF.

In a third aspect, a network device is provided, comprising: the processing unit is used for acquiring network requirements; the processing unit is further configured to perform any one or more of the following operations according to the network requirement: create new network functions NF, delete created NF.

With reference to the third aspect, in some implementations of the third aspect, the network device further includes a transceiver unit, configured to receive a create request message sent from the first NF, where the create request message is used to request creation of the second NF; the processing unit is further configured to create the second NF according to the creation request message.

With reference to the third aspect, in some implementations of the third aspect, in case resources required for creating the second NF have been configured in the network, the processing unit is further configured to create the second NF according to the creation request message.

With reference to the third aspect, in some implementations of the third aspect, in a case where a type of the second NF that can be dynamically established and a system resource required by the second NF have been planned in the network, the second NF is created according to the creation request message.

With reference to the third aspect, in some implementations of the third aspect, the transceiver unit is further configured to receive a subscription message sent by the first NF, where the subscription message is used to request information of the NF; and the transceiver unit is further configured to send NF list information to the first NF, where the NF list information is used to indicate a type of NF that can be created, and the type of NF that can be created includes the type of the second NF.

With reference to the third aspect, in some implementations of the third aspect, the transceiver unit is further configured to send a first message to the first NF, where the first message is used to indicate attribute information of the second NF that is successfully created by the management system, and the attribute information of the second NF includes a type of the second NF and an address of the second NF; or the transceiver unit is further configured to send a second message to the first NF, where the second message is used to instruct the management system to fail to create the second NF.

With reference to the third aspect, in some implementations of the third aspect, the processing unit is further configured to obtain a utilization rate of a third NF that has been created in the network; the processing unit is further configured to delete the third NF if the utilization rate of the third NF is lower than a threshold value.

With reference to the third aspect, in some implementations of the third aspect, the network device further includes a transceiver unit, where the transceiver unit is configured to send a query message to the third NF, where the query message is configured to instruct the management system to periodically obtain a usage of the third NF.

In a fourth aspect, there is provided a network device comprising: the processing unit is used for acquiring network requirements; and the receiving and transmitting unit is used for sending a creation request message to the management system according to the network requirement, wherein the creation request message is used for requesting to create the second NF.

With reference to the fourth aspect, in some implementations of the fourth aspect, in a case where it is determined that the second NF is not currently created in the network, the transceiver unit is further configured to send a create request message to a management system according to the network requirement.

With reference to the fourth aspect, in some implementations of the fourth aspect, the transceiver unit is further configured to send a subscription message to the management system, where the subscription message is used to request information of NF; and the transceiver unit is further configured to receive NF list information sent from the management system, where the NF list information is used to indicate a type of NF that can be created, and the type of NF that can be created includes the type of the second NF.

With reference to the fourth aspect, in some implementations of the fourth aspect, the transceiver unit is further configured to receive a first message sent by the management system, where the first message is used to indicate attribute information of the second NF that is successfully created by the management system, and the attribute information of the second NF includes a type of the second NF and an address of the second NF; or the transceiver unit is further configured to receive a second message sent from the management system, where the second message is used to instruct the management system to fail to create the second NF.

In a fifth aspect, a network device is provided, the device comprising a memory and a processor,

the memory is configured to store instructions and the processor is configured to read the instructions stored in the memory, such that the apparatus performs the method of the first aspect and any possible implementation of the first aspect.

In a sixth aspect, a network device is provided, the device comprising a memory for storing instructions and a processor for reading the instructions stored in the memory, causing the apparatus to perform the method of the second aspect and any possible implementation of the second aspect.

Optionally, the processor is one or more, and the memory is one or more.

Alternatively, the memory is integrated with the processor or the memory is separate from the processor.

In a specific implementation process, the memory may be a non-transient (non-transitory) memory, for example, a Read Only Memory (ROM), which may be integrated on the same chip as the processor, or may be separately disposed on different chips.

In a seventh aspect, a computer readable storage medium is provided for storing a computer program comprising instructions for performing the first and/or second aspects and any possible implementation of the first and/or second aspects.

In an eighth aspect, there is provided a computer program product comprising instructions which, when run on a computer, cause the computer to perform the method of the first and/or second aspects and any possible implementation of the first and/or second aspects.

In a ninth aspect, a chip is provided, comprising at least one processor and an interface; the at least one processor is configured to invoke and run a computer program to cause the chip to perform the method of the first aspect and/or the second aspect and any possible implementation of the first aspect and/or the second aspect.

In a tenth aspect, there is provided a communication system comprising the network device of the third aspect and the network device of the fourth aspect, or comprising the network device of the fifth aspect and the network device of the sixth aspect.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of a network architecture suitable for a method of controlling network resources according to an embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 2 is a schematic flow chart of a method 200 for network resource control provided by an embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 3 is a schematic flow chart of a method 300 for network resource control provided by an embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 4 is a schematic flow chart of a method 400 for network resource control provided by an embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 5 is a schematic flow chart diagram of a method 500 for network resource control provided by an embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 6 is a schematic flow chart diagram of a method 600 for network resource control provided by an embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 7 is a schematic flow chart of a method 700 of network resource control provided by an embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 8 is a schematic block diagram of a network device 800 provided by an embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 9 is a schematic block diagram of a network device 900 provided by an embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 10 is a schematic block diagram of a network device 1000 provided by an embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 11 is a schematic block diagram of a network device 1100 provided by an embodiment of the present application.

Detailed Description

The technical scheme of the application will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

In embodiments of the present application, "plurality" may be understood as "at least two"; "multiple items" may be understood as "at least two items".

The technical scheme of the embodiment of the application can be applied to various communication systems, such as: global system for mobile communications (Global System of Mobile communication, GSM), code division multiple access (Code Division Multiple Access, CDMA), wideband code division multiple access (Wideband Code Division Multiple Access, WCDMA) systems, general packet Radio service (General Packet Radio Service, GPRS), long term evolution (Long Term Evolution, LTE) systems, LTE frequency division duplex (Frequency Division Duplex, FDD) systems, LTE time division duplex (Time Division Duplex, TDD), universal mobile telecommunications system (Universal Mobile Telecommunication System, UMTS), worldwide interoperability for microwave access (Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access, wiMAX) communication systems, fifth generation (5th Generation,5G) systems or New Radio, NR), or future communication systems, and the like.

It should be understood that the embodiment of the present application is not particularly limited to the specific structure of the execution body of the method provided in the embodiment of the present application, as long as the communication can be performed by the method provided in the embodiment of the present application by running the program recorded with the code of the method provided in the embodiment of the present application, for example, the execution body of the method provided in the embodiment of the present application may be a terminal or a network side device, or a functional module in the UE or the network side device that can call the program and execute the program.

For the convenience of understanding the embodiment of the present application, first, an application scenario of the embodiment of the present application will be described in detail with reference to fig. 1.

Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of a network architecture suitable for use in the method provided by the embodiment of the present application. As shown, the network architecture may be, for example, a non-roaming (non-roaming) architecture. The network architecture may specifically include the following network elements:

1. user Equipment (UE): a terminal device, terminal, access terminal, subscriber unit, subscriber station, mobile station, remote terminal, mobile device, user terminal, wireless communication device, user agent, or user equipment may be referred to as a terminal device, terminal, access terminal, subscriber unit, subscriber station, mobile station, remote station, mobile device, user agent, or user equipment. The terminal device may also be a cellular telephone, a cordless telephone, a session initiation protocol (Session Initiation Protocol, SIP) phone, a wireless local loop (Wireless Local Loop, WLL) station, a personal digital assistant (Personal Digital Assistant, PDA), a handheld device with wireless communication capabilities, a computing device or other processing device connected to a wireless modem, a vehicle-mounted device, a wearable device, a terminal device in a future 5G network or a terminal device in a future evolved public land mobile network (Public Land Mobile Network, PLMN), etc., as embodiments of the present application are not limited in this regard.

2. Access Network (AN): the network access function is provided for authorized users in the preset area, and transmission tunnels with different qualities can be used according to the level of the users, the service requirements and the like. The access network may be an access network employing different access technologies. There are two types of current radio access technologies: third generation partnership project (3rd Generation Partnership Project,3GPP) access technologies (e.g., wireless access technologies employed in 3G, 4G, 5G, or 6G systems) and non-third generation partnership project (non-3 GPP) access technologies. The 3GPP access technology refers to an access technology conforming to the 3GPP standard specification, and an access network employing the 3GPP access technology is referred to as a radio access network (Radio Access Network, RAN), wherein an access network device in the 5G system is referred to as a next generation base station node (next generation Node Base station, gNB). The non-3GPP access technology refers to an access technology that does not conform to the 3GPP standard specification, for example, an air interface technology typified by an Access Point (AP) in wifi.

An access network implementing access network functions based on wireless communication technology may be referred to as a radio access network (radio access network, RAN). The radio access network can manage radio resources, provide access service for the terminal, and further complete the forwarding of control signals and user data between the terminal and the core network.

The radio access network may be, for example, a base station (Base Transceiver Station, BTS) in a global system for mobile communications (Global System of Mobile communication, GSM) or code division multiple access (Code Division Multiple Access, CDMA), a base station (NodeB, NB) in a wideband code division multiple access (Wideband Code Division Multiple Access, WCDMA) system, an evolved NodeB (eNB or eNodeB) in an LTE system, a radio controller in a cloud radio access network (Cloud Radio Access Network, CRAN) scenario, or the network device may be a relay station, an access point, a vehicle device, a wearable device, a network device in a future 5G network, or a network device in a future evolved PLMN network, etc., which embodiments of the present application are not limited.

3. Access and mobility management function (access and mobility management function, AMF) entity: the method is mainly used for mobility management, access management and the like, and can be used for realizing other functions besides session management in the functions of a mobility management entity (mobility management entity, MME), such as legal interception, access authorization (or authentication) and the like. In the embodiment of the application, the method and the device can be used for realizing the functions of the access and mobile management network elements.

4. Session management function (session management function, SMF) entity: the method is mainly used for session management, internet protocol (Internet Protocol, IP) address allocation and management of the UE, terminal nodes of a selective manageable user plane function, policy control or charging function interface, downlink data notification and the like. In the embodiment of the application, the method and the device can be used for realizing the function of the session management network element.

5. User plane function (User Plane Function, UPF) entity: i.e. a data plane gateway. Quality of service (quality of service, qoS) handling, etc. for packet routing and forwarding, or user plane data. User data may be accessed to a Data Network (DN) through the network element. In the embodiment of the application, the method and the device can be used for realizing the functions of the user plane gateway.

6. Data Network (DN): for providing a network for transmitting data. Such as a network of operator services, internet network, third party service network, etc.

7. An authentication service function (authentication server function, AUSF) entity: the method is mainly used for user authentication and the like.

8. Network open function (network exposure function, NEF) entity: for securely opening services and capabilities provided by 3GPP network functions, etc., to the outside.

9. Network Function (NF) repository function, NRF entity for storing the description information of the network function entity and its service provided, and supporting service discovery, network element entity discovery, etc.

10. Policy control function (policy control function, PCF) entity: a unified policy framework for guiding network behavior, providing policy rule information for control plane function network elements (e.g., AMF, SMF network elements, etc.), and the like.

11. Unified data management (unified data management, UDM) entity: for unified data management, 5G user data management, handling user identification, access authentication, registration, or mobility management, etc.

12. Application function (application function, AF) entity: the method is used for carrying out data routing of application influence, accessing network elements with open functions of the network, or carrying out strategy control and the like in interaction with a strategy framework.

In the network architecture, an N1 interface is a reference point between a terminal and an AMF entity; the N2 interface is a reference point of AN and AMF entities, and is used for sending non-access stratum (NAS) messages; the N3 interface is a reference point between the (R) AN and the UPF entity and is used for transmitting data of a user plane and the like; the N4 interface is a reference point between the SMF entity and the UPF entity, and is used for transmitting information such as tunnel identification information, data buffer indication information, downlink data notification message, and the like of the N3 connection; the N6 interface is a reference point between the UPF entity and the DN, and is used for transmitting data of the user plane, etc.

It should be understood that the network architecture applied to the embodiments of the present application is merely an exemplary network architecture described from the perspective of a conventional point-to-point architecture and a service architecture, and the network architecture to which the embodiments of the present application are applicable is not limited thereto, and any network architecture capable of implementing the functions of the respective network elements described above is applicable to the embodiments of the present application.

It should also be understood that the AMF entity, SMF entity, UPF entity, NSSF entity, NEF entity, AUSF entity, NRF entity, PCF entity, UDM entity shown in fig. 1 may be understood as network elements in the core network for implementing different functions, e.g. may be combined into network slices as required. The core network elements may be independent devices, or may be integrated in the same device to implement different functions, which is not limited in the present application.

The specific form of the network element is not limited, and for example, the network element may be integrated in the same physical device, or may be different physical devices. Furthermore, the above designations are merely for convenience in distinguishing between different functions and should not be construed as limiting the application in any way, and the application does not exclude the possibility of employing other designations in 5G networks and other networks in the future. For example, in a 6G network, some or all of the individual network elements may follow the terminology in 5G, possibly by other names, etc. The description is unified herein, and will not be repeated.

It should also be understood that the names of interfaces between the network elements in fig. 1 are only an example, and the names of interfaces in the specific implementation may be other names, which are not limited in particular by the present application. Furthermore, the names of the transmitted messages (or signaling) between the various network elements described above are also merely an example, and do not constitute any limitation on the function of the message itself.

In conventional network resource management, if the user's demand in the network changes, a manual intervention method is required to create a new NF or delete an NF already created in the network. That is, an engineer is required to monitor a network situation, according to which the engineer can create a new NF in the network or delete an NF that has been created in the network. When the network resource management is performed in the mode, because manual intervention is needed, the problems of inflexible network deployment and long response time exist.

The application provides a method for controlling network resources, which can effectively improve the utilization rate of the network resources on the premise of meeting the demands of users, and the method provided by the embodiment of the application is described in detail below with reference to figure 2.

Fig. 2 shows a schematic flow chart of a method 200 for network resource control according to an embodiment of the present application. The method 200 includes steps 210 and 220, which are described in detail below.

In step 210, the management system obtains network requirements.

In an embodiment of the present application, a management system obtains a network requirement, including: the management system receives a creation request message sent by the first NF, wherein the creation request message is used for requesting to create the second NF. Wherein the creation request message includes a type of the second NF. It should be appreciated that the first NF is an NF that has been deployed in the network before the network requirements change. The second NF is the NF newly deployed in the network after the network demand changes.

The management system receives the creation request message sent by the first NF, and may be implemented in such a manner that the first NF identifies a service requirement of a user in the network according to the cell identifier carried in the user message (for example, the service requirement of the user is that slicing is required), and then sends the creation request message to the management system. In this case, the management system may receive a create request message from the first NF.

Optionally, before the management system receives the creation request message sent by the first NF, the management system further includes: receiving a subscription message sent by a first NF, wherein the subscription message is used for requesting information of the NF; and sending NF list information to the first NF, wherein the NF list information is used for indicating the type of NF which can be created, and the type of NF which can be created comprises the type of the second NF.

After receiving NF list information sent by the management system, the first NF may send a create request message to the management system according to the information in the NF list. It should be noted that, in the case that the type of the second NF that needs to be created does not exist in the NF list, the first NF does not send the creation request message to the management system.

Step 220, the management system performs any one or more of the following operations according to the network requirements: create new network functions NF, delete created NF.

The management system performs any one or more of the following operations according to network requirements: creating a new NF, deleting the created NF, including: and creating the second NF according to the creation request message.

In one implementation, creating the second NF according to the create request message includes: in the case where resources required for creating the second NF have been configured in the network, the second NF is created according to the creation request message. Wherein the resources required to create the second NF include hardware resources and software resources required to create the second NF. When resources required for creating the second NF are not reserved in the network, the management system cannot deploy the second NF according to the creation request message, that is, the creation of the second NF fails.

In another implementation, creating the second NF according to the create request message includes: and under the condition that the type of the second NF which can be dynamically established and the system resources required by the second NF are planned in the network, the second NF is created according to the creation request message.

In the embodiment of the present application, the system resource required by the second NF is not specifically limited. For example, the system resources required by the second NF may be hardware resources associated with the second NF. Alternatively, the system resources required by the second NF may be a software package associated with the second NF.

It should be noted that, after the management system creates the second NF according to the network requirement, the management system also needs to issue configuration information of the second NF. In this case, the second NF may provide the network service to the user. Wherein the configuration information includes system configuration information and network configuration information. The system configuration information includes control parameters, and the network configuration information includes routes, internetworking protocols (internet protocol, IP), etc. required for the second NF to communicate with outside the network.

After the second NF is created according to the creation request message, further comprising: sending a first message to a first NF, wherein the first message is used for indicating attribute information of a second NF successfully created by the management system, and the attribute information of the second NF comprises the type of the second NF and the address of the second NF; or sending a second message to the first NF, where the second message is used to indicate that the management system fails to create the second NF.

The management system performs any one or more of the following operations according to network requirements: creating a new NF, deleting the created NF, further comprising: and deleting the third NF under the condition that the utilization rate of the third NF is lower than the threshold value. Wherein the third NF is an NF that has been created in the network. For example, the third NF may be an NF that has been deployed in the network before the network requirements change. Alternatively, the third NF may be a NF newly deployed in the network after the network requirement changes.

In the embodiment of the application, after the management system obtains the utilization rate of the third NF established in the network, the management system deletes the third NF according to the network requirement under the condition that the utilization rate of the third NF is lower than the threshold value.

Before the management system obtains the utilization rate of the third NF, the method further includes: and sending a query message to the third NF, wherein the query message is used for indicating the management system to periodically acquire the use condition of the third NF.

In one implementation, a third NF may actively report its usage to the management system. Specifically, the management system establishes a second NF and issues relevant configuration information (e.g., system configuration and network configuration) for the second NF. If the second NF (i.e., an instance of the third NF) is already deployed in the network, the second NF (i.e., an instance of the third NF) may periodically report the usage of the second NF (i.e., an instance of the third NF) to the management system according to the configuration information issued by the management system.

In another implementation, the management system may actively acquire the usage of the third NF. Specifically, a second NF is established at the management system, and relevant configuration information (e.g., system configuration and network configuration) of the second NF is issued. If the second NF (i.e., an instance of the third NF) is already deployed in the network, the management system may periodically obtain the usage of the second NF (i.e., an instance of the third NF).

In the embodiment of the application, the third NF is deleted under the condition that the utilization rate of the third NF is lower than the threshold value. It is understood that when the utilization of the third NF is less than or equal to T and is not used for K hours, the management system deletes the third NF. It should be understood that the sizes of T and K may be set according to the network requirements, which is not particularly limited by the present application. For example, T may be 0% and K may be 24 hours. That is, when the utilization rate of the third NF is less than or equal to 0%, and no user uses the third NF for 24 hours, the management system deletes the third NF.

In the embodiment of the present application, the management system may periodically acquire the usage of the third NF. The length of the period can be configured in the configuration information of the management system. The length of the period may be set in the range of 1 minute to 24 hours. For example, the period length may be configured to be 1 minute. In this case, the management system obtains the usage of the third NF every 1 minute interval. For example, the period length may be configured to be 30 minutes. In this case, the management system obtains the usage of the third NF every 30 minutes. For example, the period length may also be configured to be 24 hours. In this case, the management system obtains the usage of the third NF every 24 hours.

The management system performs any one or more of the following operations according to network requirements: creating a new network function NF, deleting the created NF, further comprising: and creating the second NF according to the creation request message, and deleting the third NF under the condition that the utilization rate of the third NF is lower than a threshold value. It should be appreciated that the third NF is an NF that has been created in the network. In other words, the third NF may be an NF that has been deployed in the network before the network requirements change. Alternatively, the third NF may be a NF newly deployed in the network after the network requirement changes. For example, the third NF may be the first NF. Alternatively, the third NF may be the second NF.

According to the network resource control method provided by the embodiment of the application, the established NF in the network is used for automatically sensing the network demand, the NF in the network can be quickly and timely adjusted according to the network demand, and the network resource utilization rate can be effectively improved on the premise of meeting the user demand.

The method for controlling network resources according to the present application is illustrated in the following with reference to fig. 3 to 7.

Fig. 3 shows a schematic flow chart of a method 300 of network resource control according to an embodiment of the application. The method 300 of fig. 3 includes steps 310 through 380, which are described in detail below.

At step 310, the smf (i.e., an example of the first NF) obtains the network requirements.

In the embodiment of the present application, the manner in which the SMF obtains the network requirements is not specifically limited. For example, the SMF may obtain the network requirements from the cell identity carried in the user message. Alternatively, the SMF may also obtain the network requirements by analyzing the network system.

At step 320, the smf (i.e., an example of the first NF) sends a create request message to the management system.

Wherein the creation request message is for requesting creation of the NEW NF (i.e., an example of the second NF), and the creation request message includes a type of the NEW NF.

In one implementation, the SMF sends a create request message to the management system, including: after the SMF identifies the service requirement of the user in the network according to the cell identification carried in the user message, and the network element corresponding to the service requirement of the user is NEW NF, the SMF sends a creation request message to the management system. In this case, the management system may receive a creation request message from the SMF transmission.

It should be appreciated that when the SMF finds that there is no NEW NF in the current network, the SMF may send a create request message to the management system. When the SMF finds that the NEW NF exists in the current network, the SMF may not send the creation request message to the management system.

For example, the SMF identifies that the service requirement of the user is to be sliced according to the cell identifier carried in the user message, and the network element corresponding to the service requirement is NEW nf#1. The SMF finds that NEW nf#1 does not exist in the current network, and the SMF transmits a creation request message to the management system, the request message including the type of the NEW nf#1.

Optionally, step 320 may be preceded by step 370 and step 380.

Wherein, at step 370, the smf (i.e., an example of the first NF) sends a subscription message to the management system.

Wherein the subscription message includes information requesting NF.

Wherein, in step 380, the management system sends an NF list to the SMF (i.e., an instance of the first NF).

The management system sends an NF list to the SMF (i.e., an instance of the first NF) according to the subscription message. The NFs included in the NF list represent types of NFs that the current management system supports creation.

In another implementation, the SMF sends a create request message to the management system, including: after the SMF receives the NF list information sent from the management system, the SMF may send a create request message to the management system according to the information in the NF list. Note that, in the case where there is no type of NEW NF to be created in the NF list, the SMF does not send a creation request message to the management system.

At step 330, the management system determines whether to create a NEW NF (i.e., an example of a second NF).

In one implementation, the management system determines whether to create NEW NF according to the creation request message of step 320, including the following two cases:

case one:

if the hardware resources and the software resources required for creating the NEW NF are reserved in the current network, the management system can create the NEW NF according to the creation request message. In this case, steps 340 and 350 are performed after step 330.

In step 340, the management system issues configuration information to the NEW NF.

After the management system creates the NEW NF according to the network requirements, the NEW NF can provide network services for the user after the management system issues configuration information of the NEW NF. Wherein the configuration information includes system configuration information and network configuration information. For example, the system configuration information includes control parameters. For example, the network configuration information includes routes, IP, and the like required for the NEW NF to communicate with the outside of the network.

In step 350, the management system sends a first message to the SMF.

The first message is used for indicating attribute information of the NEW NF successfully created by the management system, and the attribute information of the NEW NF comprises a type of the NEW NF and an address of the NEW NF.

In the embodiment of the present application, the order of steps 340 and 350 is not particularly limited. For example, step 340 may be performed first, followed by step 350. Alternatively, step 350 may be performed before step 340 is performed.

And a second case:

if no hardware resources and software resources required for creating the NEW NF are reserved in the current network, the management system cannot create the NEW NF according to the creation request message. In this case, step 360 is performed after step 330.

In another implementation manner, the management system determines whether to create the NEW NF according to the creation request message of step 320, including: in the case where the type of the NEW NF that can be dynamically established and the system resources required by the NEW NF have been planned in the network, the NEW NF is created according to the creation request message. In this case, steps 340 and 350 are performed after step 330. Otherwise, step 360 is performed after step 330.

In step 360, the management system sends a second message to the SMF.

The second message is used for indicating that the management system fails to create the NEW NF.

According to the network resource control method provided by the embodiment of the application, the new NF is adaptively created according to the network requirements, so that the network resource utilization rate can be effectively improved on the premise of meeting the user requirements.

Fig. 4 shows a schematic flow chart of a method 400 of network resource control according to an embodiment of the application. The method 400 of fig. 4 includes steps 410 through 490, which are described in detail below.

In the embodiment of the application, NF is taken as a first NF as an example for description. It should be understood that, when the NF is taken as the first NF, the NF needs to acquire information about whether the NEW NF (i.e., an example of the second NF) is included in the current network by querying the NRF.

In step 410, the nf obtains the network requirements.

In the embodiment of the present application, the manner in which the NF obtains the network requirements is not specifically limited. For example, NF may obtain the network requirements based on the cell identity carried in the user message. Alternatively, the NF may analyze the network system to obtain network requirements.

The nf sends a query message to the NRF, step 420.

The NF sends a query message to the NRF, wherein the query message is used for querying whether the NF corresponding to the network demand exists in the current network.

The nrf transmits a creation request message to the management system in step 430.

The NRF sends a creation request message to the management system, which can be understood that the NRF recognizes that the user service requirement in the network changes according to the cell identifier carried in the user message, and determines that the network element corresponding to the user service requirement does not exist in the current network, and sends the creation request message to the management system. It should be understood that if the NRF finds that there is a network element corresponding to the user service requirement in the current network, the NRF does not send a create request message to the management system.

At step 440, the management system determines whether a NEW NF (i.e., an example of a second NF) is created.

In one implementation, the management system determines whether to create NEW NF according to the creation request message of step 430, including the following two cases:

case one:

if the hardware resources and the software resources required for creating the NEW NF are reserved in the current network, the management system can create the NEW NF according to the creation request message. In this case, steps 450 to 470 are performed after step 440.

In step 450, the management system issues configuration information to the NEW NF.

After the management system creates the NEW NF according to the network requirements, the NEW NF can provide network services for the user after the management system issues configuration information of the NEW NF. Wherein the configuration information includes system configuration information and network configuration information. The system configuration information includes control parameters, and the network configuration information includes routes, IP, etc. required for the NEW NF to communicate with the outside of the network.

The management system sends a first message to the NRF, step 460.

In step 470, the nrf sends a first message to the NF.

It should be appreciated that the NRF sends a first message to the NF that is the same as the first message in step 460.

In an embodiment of the present application, step 450 may be performed first, followed by steps 460 and 470. Alternatively, steps 460 and 470 may be performed before step 450.

And a second case:

if no hardware resources and software resources required for creating the NEW NF are reserved in the current network, the management system cannot create the NEW NF according to the creation request message. In this case, step 480 and step 490 follow step 440.

In another implementation manner, the management system determines whether to create the NEW NF according to the creation request message of step 430, including: in the case that the type of NEW NF that can be dynamically established and the system resources required by NEW NF have been planned in the network, NEW NF is created according to the creation request message. In this case, steps 450 to 470 are performed after step 440. Otherwise, step 480 and step 490 follow step 440.

In step 480, the management system sends a second message to the NRF.

The nrf sends a second message to the NF, step 490.

It should be appreciated that the NRF sends a second message to the NF, which is the same as the second message in step 480.

According to the network resource control method provided by the embodiment of the application, the new NF is adaptively established according to the network requirements, so that the network resource utilization rate can be effectively improved on the premise of meeting the user requirements.

It should be understood that the method provided in fig. 3 and fig. 4 for automatically creating NFs according to network requirements is only an example and does not constitute any limitation on the present application.

Embodiments of the management system to automatically create NFs based on network requirements are described in detail above in connection with fig. 3 and 4. An embodiment in which the management system automatically deletes NFs that have been created in the network according to network requirements is described in detail below in connection with fig. 5.

Fig. 5 shows a schematic flow chart of a method 500 of network resource control according to an embodiment of the application. The method 500 of fig. 5 includes steps 510 through 530, which are described in detail below.

At step 510, nf#1 (i.e., an example of the third NF) sends the utilization of nf#1 to the management system.

Where nf#1 is the NF that has already been created in the current network.

In the embodiment of the application, the NF#1 can actively report the utilization rate of the NF#1 to the management system. Specifically, the nf#1 may periodically report the utilization rate of the nf#1 to the management system according to the configuration information issued by the management system.

At step 520, the management system determines whether nf#1 (i.e., an example of the third NF) is deleted.

The management system determines whether to delete nf#1 according to the network demand, including: and deleting the NF#1 under the condition that the utilization rate of the NF#1 is lower than a threshold value.

Under the condition that the utilization rate of the NF#1 is lower than the threshold value, deleting the NF#1 can be understood that when the utilization rate of the NF#1 is smaller than or equal to T and is not used by people within K hours, and the management system deletes the NF#1. It should be understood that the sizes of T and K may be set according to the network requirements, which is not particularly limited by the present application.

For example, T may be 1% and K may be 5 hours. That is, when the utilization of nf#1 is less than or equal to 1%, no user uses the nf#1 for 5 hours, and at this time, the management system deletes the nf#1.

For example, T may be 0% and K may be 24 hours. That is, when the utilization of nf#1 is less than or equal to 0%, and no user uses the nf#1 for 24 hours, the management system deletes the nf#1.

Optionally, step 530 may also be included prior to step 510.

In step 530, the management system sends a query message to nf#1 (i.e., an example of the third NF).

The query message is used for periodically acquiring the utilization rate of nf#1.

Alternatively, in some implementations, the management system may actively acquire the usage of nf#1. Specifically, the management system periodically acquires the utilization rate of nf#1 through the query message.

According to the network resource control method provided by the embodiment of the application, the created NF in the network is adaptively deleted according to the network requirement, so that the network resource utilization rate can be effectively improved on the premise of meeting the user requirement.

It should be understood that the method provided in fig. 5 for automatically deleting NFs created in a network according to network requirements is only an example and does not constitute any limitation on the present application.

In the present application, the method provided in fig. 5 may be combined with the method provided in fig. 3 or the method provided in fig. 4, respectively. The specific implementation is shown in fig. 6 and 7, respectively.

Fig. 6 shows a schematic flow chart of a method 600 of network resource control according to an embodiment of the application. The method 600 of fig. 6 includes steps 610 through 692. The methods of steps 610 to 680 are the same as those of steps 310 to 380, and steps 690 to 692 are the same as those of steps 510 to 530. For brevity, the following is not repeated in detail.

In the embodiment of the application, the SMF is used as the first NF for introduction.

At step 610, the smf (i.e., an example of the first NF) obtains the network requirements.

At step 620, the smf sends a create request message to the management system.

Optionally, step 670 and step 680 may also be included prior to step 620.

Wherein, at step 670, the smf sends a subscription message to the management system.

Wherein, in step 680, the management system sends the NF list to the SMF.

At step 630, the management system determines whether a NEW NF (i.e., an example of a second NF) is created.

Case one: the management system determines to create NEW NF according to the creation request message and the resources in the network, and then performs step 640 and step 650 after step 630.

In step 640, the management system issues configuration information of the NEW NF.

In step 650, the management system sends a first message to the SMF.

And a second case: the management system determines that the NEW NF is failed to be created according to the creation request message and the resources in the network, and then performs step 660 after step 630.

In step 660, the management system sends a second message to the SMF.

In step 690, the NEW NF sends the utilization of the NEW NF to the management system.

Optionally, step 692 may also be included before step 690.

In which, in step 692, the management system sends a query message to the NEW NF.

In step 691, the management system determines whether to delete the NEW NF (i.e., an example of the third NF).

The method for controlling the network resources provided by the embodiment of the application can adaptively create and delete the new NF according to the network requirements. On the premise of meeting the demands of users, the network resource utilization rate can be effectively improved.

Fig. 7 shows a schematic flow chart of a method 700 of network resource control according to an embodiment of the application. The method 700 of fig. 7 includes steps 710 through 793. The methods of steps 710 to 790 are the same as the methods of steps 410 to 490, and the methods of steps 791 to 793 are the same as the methods of steps 510 to 530, respectively. For brevity, the following is not repeated in detail.

In the embodiment of the application, NF is used as a first NF to introduce.

At step 710, the NF (i.e., an example of the first NF) obtains the network requirements.

In step 720, the nf sends a query request message to the NRF.

In step 730, the nrf transmits a creation request message to the management system.

At step 740, the management system determines whether to create a NEW NF.

Case one: the management system determines to create NEW NF according to the creation request message and the resources in the network, and then performs steps 750 to 770 after step 740.

In step 750, the management system issues configuration information of the NEW NF.

Step 760, the management system sends a first message to the NRF.

In step 770, the nrf sends a first message to the NF.

And a second case: the management system determines that the NEW NF is failed to be created according to the creation request message and the resources in the network, and then performs step 780 and step 790 after step 740.

In step 780, the management system sends a second message to the NRF.

In step 790, the nrf sends a second message to the NF.

In step 791, the NEW NF sends the utilization of the NEW NF to the management system.

Optionally, step 793 may also be included prior to step 791.

Wherein, in step 793, the management system sends a query message to the NEW NF.

In step 792, the management system determines whether to delete the NEW NF (i.e., an example of the third NF).

The method provided by the embodiment of the application is described in detail above with reference to fig. 2 to 7. The network device provided in the embodiment of the present application is described in detail below with reference to fig. 8 to 11.

Fig. 8 shows a schematic block diagram of a network device 800 according to an embodiment of the present application. The network device comprises a processing unit 810 and a transceiving unit 820. The processing unit 810 is configured to obtain a network requirement; the processing unit 810 is further configured to perform any one or more of the following operations according to the network requirements: create new network functions NF, delete created NF.

Optionally, in some embodiments, the transceiver unit 820 is configured to receive a create request message sent from the first NF, where the create request message is used to request to create the second NF; the processing unit 810 is further configured to create the second NF according to the creation request message.

Optionally, in some embodiments, in a case where resources required for creating the second NF have been configured in the network, the processing unit 810 is further configured to create the second NF according to the creation request message.

Optionally, in some embodiments, the transceiver unit 820 is further configured to receive a subscription message sent by the first NF, where the subscription message is used to request information of the NF; and the transceiver unit 820 is further configured to send NF list information to the first NF, where the NF list information is used to indicate a type of NF that can be created, and the type of NF that can be created includes the type of the second NF.

Optionally, in some embodiments, the transceiver unit 820 is further configured to send a first message to the first NF, where the first message is used to indicate attribute information of the second NF that is successfully created by the management system, and the attribute information of the second NF includes a type of the second NF and an address of the second NF; or the transceiver unit 820 is further configured to send a second message to the first NF, where the second message is used to instruct the management system to fail to create the second NF.

Optionally, in some embodiments, the processing unit 810 is further configured to obtain a utilization rate of a third NF already created in the network; the processing unit 810 is further configured to delete the third NF if the utilization rate of the third NF is lower than a threshold value.

Optionally, in some embodiments, the transceiver unit 820 is configured to send a query message to the third NF, where the query message is used to instruct the management system to periodically obtain the usage of the third NF.

Fig. 9 shows a schematic block diagram of a network device 900 according to an embodiment of the present application. The network device comprises a processing unit 910 and a transceiving unit 920. The processing unit 910 is configured to obtain a network requirement; and a transceiver unit 920, configured to send a creation request message to the management system according to the network requirement, where the creation request message is used to request to create the second NF.

Optionally, in some embodiments, in a case where it is determined that the second NF is not currently created in the network, the transceiver unit is further configured to send a create request message to a management system according to the network requirement.

Optionally, in some embodiments, the transceiver unit is further configured to send a subscription message to the management system, where the subscription message is used to request information of NF; and

The transceiver unit is further configured to receive NF list information sent from the management system, where the NF list information is used to indicate a type of NF that can be created, and the type of NF that can be created includes the type of the second NF.

Optionally, in some embodiments, the transceiver unit is further configured to receive a first message sent from the management system, where the first message is used to indicate attribute information of the second NF that is successfully created by the management system, and the attribute information of the second NF includes a type of the second NF and an address of the second NF; or alternatively

The transceiver unit is further configured to receive a second message sent from the management system, where the second message is used to instruct the management system to fail to create the second NF.

Fig. 10 shows a schematic block diagram of a network device 1000 provided by an embodiment of the present application.

As shown in fig. 10, the network device 1000 includes: a transceiver 1010, a processor 1020, and a memory 1030. Wherein the transceiver 1010, the processor 1020, and the memory 1030 communicate with each other via internal communication paths to transfer control and/or data signals.

A processor 1020 for obtaining network requirements;

the processor 1020 is further configured to perform any one or more of the following operations according to the network requirements: create new network functions NF, delete created NF.

It will be appreciated that when the processor 1020 retrieves and runs the computer program from memory, the processor 1020 may be configured to perform the method embodiments described above and implement the execution bodies of the method embodiments, such as the functions of a network device.

Fig. 11 shows a schematic block diagram of a network device 1100 provided by an embodiment of the present application.

As shown in fig. 11, the network device 1100 includes: a transceiver 1110, a processor 1120, and a memory 1130. Wherein the transceiver 1110, the processor 1120, and the memory 1130 communicate with each other via internal communication paths to transfer control and/or data signals.

A transceiver 1110 for sending a create request message to the management system according to the network requirement, the create request message being for requesting creation of the second NF;

a processor 1120 for acquiring network requirements.

It will be appreciated that when the processor 1120 invokes and runs the computer program from memory, the processor 1120 may be configured to perform the method embodiments described above and implement the execution bodies of the method embodiments, such as the functions of a network device.

The embodiment of the application also provides a processing device, which comprises a processor and an interface; the processor is configured to perform the method of any of the method embodiments described above.

It should be understood that the processing means described above may be one or more chips. For example, the processing device may be a field programmable gate array (field programmable gate array, FPGA), an application specific integrated chip (application specific integrated circuit, ASIC), a system on chip (SoC), a central processing unit (central processor unit, CPU), a network processor (network processor, NP), a digital signal processing circuit (digital signal processor, DSP), a microcontroller (micro controller unit, MCU), a programmable controller (programmable logic device, PLD) or other integrated chip. In implementation, the steps of the above method may be performed by integrated logic circuits of hardware in a processor or by instructions in the form of software. The steps of a method disclosed in connection with the embodiments of the present application may be embodied directly in a hardware processor for execution, or in a combination of hardware and software modules in the processor for execution. The software modules may be located in a random access memory, flash memory, read only memory, programmable read only memory, or electrically erasable programmable memory, registers, etc. as well known in the art. The storage medium is located in a memory, and the processor reads the information in the memory and, in combination with its hardware, performs the steps of the above method. To avoid repetition, a detailed description is not provided herein.

It should be noted that the processor in the embodiments of the present application may be an integrated circuit chip with signal processing capability. In implementation, the steps of the above method embodiments may be implemented by integrated logic circuits of hardware in a processor or instructions in software form. The processor may be a general purpose processor, a Digital Signal Processor (DSP), an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, or discrete hardware components. The disclosed methods, steps, and logic blocks in the embodiments of the present application may be implemented or performed. A general purpose processor may be a microprocessor or the processor may be any conventional processor or the like. The steps of the method disclosed in connection with the embodiments of the present application may be embodied directly in the execution of a hardware decoding processor, or in the execution of a combination of hardware and software modules in a decoding processor. The software modules may be located in a random access memory, flash memory, read only memory, programmable read only memory, or electrically erasable programmable memory, registers, etc. as well known in the art. The storage medium is located in a memory, and the processor reads the information in the memory and, in combination with its hardware, performs the steps of the above method.

It will be appreciated that the memory in embodiments of the application may be volatile memory or nonvolatile memory, or may include both volatile and nonvolatile memory. The nonvolatile memory may be a read-only memory (ROM), a Programmable ROM (PROM), an Erasable PROM (EPROM), an electrically Erasable EPROM (EEPROM), or a flash memory. The volatile memory may be random access memory (random access memory, RAM) which acts as an external cache. By way of example, and not limitation, many forms of RAM are available, such as Static RAM (SRAM), dynamic RAM (DRAM), synchronous DRAM (SDRAM), double data rate SDRAM (DDR SDRAM), enhanced SDRAM (ESDRAM), synchronous DRAM (SLDRAM), and direct memory bus RAM (DR RAM). It should be noted that the memory of the systems and methods described herein is intended to comprise, without being limited to, these and any other suitable types of memory.

According to a method provided by an embodiment of the present application, the present application also provides a computer program product, including: computer program code which, when run on a computer, causes the computer to perform the method of the management system, the first NF execution in the embodiment shown in fig. 2.

According to the method provided by the embodiment of the application, the application further provides a computer readable medium storing program code which when run on a computer causes the computer to execute the method of managing the system and the first NF execution in the embodiment shown in fig. 2

Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the various illustrative elements and algorithm steps described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein may be implemented as electronic hardware, or combinations of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether such functionality is implemented as hardware or software 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.

It will be clear to those skilled in the art that, for convenience and brevity of description, specific working procedures of the above-described systems, apparatuses and units may refer to corresponding procedures in the foregoing method embodiments, and are not repeated herein.

In the several embodiments provided by the present application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, devices, and methods may be implemented in other manners. For example, the apparatus embodiments described above are merely illustrative, e.g., the division of the units is merely a logical function division, and there may be additional divisions when actually implemented, e.g., multiple units or components may be combined or integrated into another system, or some features may be omitted or not performed. Alternatively, the coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed with each other may be an indirect coupling or communication connection via some interfaces, devices or units, which may be in electrical, mechanical or other form.

The units described as separate units may or may not be physically separate, and units shown as units may or may not be physical units, may be located in one place, or may be distributed on a plurality of network units. Some or all of the units may be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purpose of the solution of this embodiment.

In addition, each functional unit in the embodiments of the present application may be integrated in one processing unit, or each unit may exist alone physically, or two or more units may be integrated in one unit.

The functions, if implemented in the form of software functional units and sold or used as a stand-alone product, may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of the present application may be embodied essentially or in a part contributing to the prior art or in a part of the technical solution, in the form of a software product stored in a storage medium, comprising several instructions for causing a computer device (which may be a personal computer, a server, a network device, etc.) to perform all or part of the steps of the method according to the embodiments of the present application. And the aforementioned storage medium includes: a U-disk, a removable hard disk, a Read-Only Memory (ROM), a random access Memory (Random Access Memory, RAM), a magnetic disk, or an optical disk, or other various media capable of storing program codes.

The foregoing is merely illustrative of the present application, and the present application is not limited thereto, and any person skilled in the art will readily recognize that variations or substitutions are within the scope of the present application. Therefore, the protection scope of the present application shall be subject to the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A method of network resource control, the method comprising:

the management system acquires network requirements;

the management system performs any one or more of the following operations according to the network requirements:

creating a new network function NF, deleting the created NF;

wherein the management system obtains network requirements, comprising:

the management system receives a creation request message sent by a first NF, wherein the creation request message is used for requesting to create a second NF;

wherein the management system performs any one or more of the following operations according to the network requirements: creating a new NF, deleting the created NF, including:

and creating the second NF according to the creation request message, and sending a first message to the first NF, wherein the first message is used for indicating attribute information of the second NF which is successfully created by the management system, and the attribute information of the second NF comprises the type of the second NF and the address of the second NF.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein creating the second NF based on the creation request message comprises:

and under the condition that resources required for creating the second NF are configured in the network, creating the second NF according to the creation request message.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein prior to receiving the create request message from the first NF, the method further comprises:

receiving a subscription message sent by the first NF, wherein the subscription message is used for requesting information of the NF; and

and sending NF list information to the first NF, wherein the NF list information is used for indicating the type of the NF capable of being created, and the type of the NF capable of being created comprises the type of the second NF.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the method further comprises:

acquiring the utilization rate of a third NF established in the network;

and deleting the third NF under the condition that the utilization rate of the third NF is lower than a threshold value.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein prior to the obtaining the utilization of the third NF, the method further comprises:

and sending a query message to the third NF, wherein the query message is used for indicating the management system to periodically acquire the use condition of the third NF.

6. A network device, comprising:

the processing unit is used for acquiring network requirements;

the processing unit is further configured to perform any one or more of the following operations according to the network requirement:

creating a new network function NF, deleting the created NF;

the receiving and transmitting unit is used for receiving a creation request message sent by the first NF, wherein the creation request message is used for requesting to create the second NF;

the transceiver unit is further configured to send a first message to the first NF, where the first message is used to indicate attribute information of the second NF that is successfully created by the management system, and the attribute information of the second NF includes a type of the second NF and an address of the second NF;

the processing unit is further configured to create the second NF according to the creation request message.

7. The network device of claim 6, wherein the network device,

the processing unit is further configured to create the second NF according to the creation request message, in case resources required for creating the second NF have been configured in the network.

8. The network device of claim 6 or 7, wherein,

the receiving and transmitting unit is further configured to receive a subscription message sent by the first NF, where the subscription message is used for requesting information of the NF; and

The transceiver unit is further configured to send NF list information to the first NF, where the NF list information is used to indicate a type of NF that can be created, and the type of NF that can be created includes the type of the second NF.

9. The network device of claim 6, wherein the network device,

the processing unit is further configured to obtain a utilization rate of a third NF that has been created in the network;

the processing unit is further configured to delete the third NF if the utilization rate of the third NF is lower than a threshold value.

10. The network device of claim 9, further comprising a transceiver unit configured to send a query message to the third NF, where the query message is configured to instruct the management system to periodically obtain a use case of the third NF.

11. A network device comprising a processor and a memory for storing instructions, the processor for reading the instructions stored in the memory to implement the method of any one of claims 1 to 5.

12. A computer readable storage medium comprising a computer program which, when run on a computer, causes the computer to perform the method of any one of claims 1 to 5.

13. A chip comprising at least one processor and an interface;

the at least one processor is configured to invoke and run a computer program to cause the chip to perform the method of any of claims 1 to 5.