CN111699658A - Apparatus and method for fronthaul network authentication in cloud radio access networks - Google Patents

Abstract

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to methods, apparatuses, and devices for fronthaul network authentication in a cloud Radio Access Network (RAN). In an example embodiment, at an application running on a cloud server in a RAN, a first message for a type of traffic is generated based on a traffic profile. The service profile is predefined for the RAN and associated with that type of service. The first message indicates a message format for a second message to be received from a RAP in the RAN. The first message is caused to be transmitted to the RAP. Furthermore, transmission characteristics of the type of traffic in the RAN are determined based on detection of the second message from the RAP. In this way, the fronthaul network between the cloud server and the RAP can be validated efficiently and effectively.

Description

Apparatus and method for fronthaul network verification in cloud radio access network

technical field

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate generally to the field of communications, and in particular to methods, apparatus, and apparatus for fronthaul network authentication in a cloud radio access network (RAN).

Background technique

Cloud RAN is a cloud-based access network architecture in cellular networks. In a cloud RAN, network device functions are implemented in cloud servers and radio access points (RAPs), also known as baseband units. Cloud servers are usually located in data centers, and RAPs can be deployed over distances of several kilometers. The network transmission between the cloud server and the RAP may involve many different types of routing devices, such as switches, routers, and so on. These routing devices form the fronthaul network between the cloud server and the RAP.

Transmission limitations in the fronthaul network can become a bottleneck for the overall performance of the cloud RAN. For example, these limitations may reduce cloud RAN performance or capacity. Therefore, it is necessary to test or verify the performance (or status) of the fronthaul network, especially the impact of the performance of the fronthaul network on the performance of the entire system, before actually deploying the cloud RAN.

Many network testing tools have been developed to test network performance such as availability, response time, utilization, throughput, bandwidth capacity, etc. However, there are few tools designed for cloud RAN. In particular, there is no tool that can simulate the transmission in the fronthaul network between the cloud server and the RAP. Due to the lack of effective validation before deployment, the limitations of the front-end network may be exposed in the actual operation of cloud RAN. However, the study of these limitations is very difficult, and therefore these limitations may degrade the performance of the overall system.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In general, example embodiments of the present disclosure provide methods, apparatus, and apparatus for fronthaul network authentication in a cloud RAN.

In a first aspect, a method implemented at a cloud server in a RAN is provided. At the application running on the cloud server, a first message for a type of service is generated based on the service profile. A service profile is predefined for the RAN and associated with that type of service. The first message indicates the message format for the second message to be received from the RAP in the RAN. Cause the first message to be transmitted to the RAP. Based on the detection of the second message from the RAP, the transmission characteristics of this type of traffic in the RAN are determined.

In a second aspect, a method implemented at a radio access point in a radio access network is provided. The method includes obtaining, at an application running on the radio access point, a first message for a type of service from a cloud server in the radio access network, the first message being generated by the cloud server based on a service profile, the service a profile is predefined for the radio access network and is associated with this type of service; a message format for a second message of this type of service is determined from the first message; a second message is generated in the determined message format message; and causing the second message to be transmitted to the cloud server.

In a third aspect, an apparatus implemented at a cloud server in a radio access network is provided. The apparatus includes a service testing module including a first service module configured to generate a first message for a type of service based on a service profile, the service profile being predefined for the radio access network and associated with this type of service, the first message indicates a message format for a second message to be received from a radio access point in the radio access network; configured to cause the first message to be transmitted to the radio access point The first transmission module; an analysis module configured to determine the transmission characteristics of this type of service in the radio access network based on the detection of the second message from the radio access point.

In a fourth aspect, an apparatus implemented at a radio access point in a radio access network is provided. The apparatus includes a service processing module including a receiving module configured to obtain a first message for a type of service from a cloud server in the radio access network, the first message being generated by the cloud server based on a service profile while generating, the service profile is predefined for the radio access network and associated with the type of service; a second service module comprising a service configured to determine from the first message for the type of service a format determination module for the message format of the second message and a message generation module configured to generate the second message in the determined message format; and a third transmission module configured to transmit the second message to the cloud server.

In a fifth aspect, there is provided a cloud server in a radio access network, the cloud server comprising: a processor; and a memory comprising instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the cloud server to perform the method according to the first aspect .

In a sixth aspect, a radio access point in a radio access network is provided, the radio access point comprising: a processor; and a memory comprising instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the radio access point to execute A method according to the second aspect.

In a seventh aspect, a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon is provided. The computer program comprises instructions which, when executed by at least one processor, cause at least one processor to perform a method according to the first or second aspect.

It should be understood that this Summary is not intended to identify key or essential features of embodiments of the present disclosure, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the present disclosure. Other features of the present disclosure will become readily understood from the following description.

Description of drawings

The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present disclosure will become more apparent from the more detailed description of some embodiments of the present disclosure in the accompanying drawings, in which:

1 illustrates an example radio access network (RAN) in which embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented;

2 shows an example structure of a service testing module at a cloud server according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

3 illustrates an example aggregation of traffic flows in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure;

4 illustrates an example structure of a service processing module at a RAP according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 5 shows a flowchart of an example method according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 6 shows a flowchart of an example method according to some other embodiments of the present disclosure; and

7 shows a block diagram of an apparatus suitable for implementing embodiments of the present disclosure.

Throughout the drawings, the same or similar reference numbers refer to the same or similar elements.

Detailed ways

Embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Although the drawings illustrate some embodiments of the present disclosure, it should be understood that the present disclosure may be embodied in various ways and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments described herein. Rather, the embodiments are provided for a thorough and complete understanding of the present disclosure. It should be understood that the drawings and embodiments of the present disclosure are for illustrative purposes only, and do not propose any limitation to the protection scope of the present disclosure.

As used herein, the term "terminal device" or "user equipment" (UE) refers to any terminal device capable of wirelessly communicating with each other or with a base station. As examples, the terminal equipment may include a mobile terminal (MT), a subscriber station (SS), a portable subscriber station (PSS), a mobile station (MS) or an access terminal (AT), as well as the aforementioned vehicle-mounted equipment. In the context of this disclosure, the terms "terminal device" and "user equipment" may be used interchangeably for the sake of discussion.

As used herein, the term "network equipment" refers to a base station or other entity or node that enables terminal equipment to access a radio access network (RAN). The term "base station" (BS) may refer to a Node B (NodeB or NB) and an evolved Node B (eNode B or eNB). In the context of this disclosure, the functionality of the network equipment is distributed over both cloud servers and radio access points (RAPs) in the RAN.

As used herein, the term "cloud server" refers to a server or computing device located, for example, in a data center remote from a RAP or baseband unit. Cloud servers can be implemented by computers, mainframes, mainframes, etc.

As used herein, the term "Radio Access Point" (RAP) refers to a device having one or more radio frequency antennas that can transmit and/or receive radio signals to/from a terminal device.

As used herein, the term "including" and variations thereof should be understood as open-ended terms meaning "including but not limited to". The term "based on" should be understood as "based at least in part on". The term "one embodiment" should be understood to mean "at least one embodiment." The term "additional embodiment" should be understood to mean "at least one additional embodiment". Definitions related to other terms will be given in the following description.

As mentioned above, there is a need to verify or test the performance or status of the fronthaul network between the cloud server and the RAP, and its impact on the cloud RAN. However, there is no transport tool that can simulate a fronthaul network. Validation of fronthaul networks may require specific considerations including, for example, security, service characteristics, etc. For example, some tools may not be authorized to run on cloud servers and/or RAPs for security purposes.

In terms of service characteristics, fronthaul services can be carried using various types of protocols, such as Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP), Stream Control Transmission Protocol (SCTP), User Datagram Protocol (UDP), and the like. Furthermore, the number and speed of this type of traffic depends on different user scenarios, eg in the management plane (M plane), control plane (C plane) and user plane (U plane). In actual deployments and services, business may go through different paths in cloud servers and RAPs, and testing tools need to cover these specific paths accordingly.

Also, in practice, engineers or operators are required to field test performance using test tools to dig out as many problems as possible. However, the network configuration and test scenarios used for testing differ from the actual deployment and service. As a result, some potential problems will arise in the future. So far, there is no effective and efficient method to verify the fronthaul network between cloud servers and RAPs.

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a framework for validating or testing fronthaul networks in cloud RANs. In this framework, means for authentication can be arranged in both the cloud server and the RAP. The apparatus may be implemented in software, firmware, hardware, or any suitable combination thereof. For discussion purposes, some embodiments of the present disclosure will be discussed where the apparatus is implemented by a software application.

With these means, cloud servers and RAPs can generate and exchange traffic flows based on traffic profiles predefined for the cloud RAN. Based on the exchange of traffic flows, traffic transmission characteristics in the RAN may be determined, which may include delay, throughput, error rate, grant message format, and the like. Furthermore, the traffic transfer characteristics can be used to configure base station functions distributed on both the cloud server and the RAP.

FIG. 1 illustrates an example radio access network (RAN) 100 in which embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented. RAN 100 includes cloud server 105 and RAP 110 . It should be understood that the numbers of cloud servers and RAPs are shown for illustration purposes only, and no limitation is suggested. RAN 100 may include any suitable number of cloud servers and RAPs.

As shown, RAP 110 may communicate wirelessly with end device 115 . Furthermore, the cloud server 10 may be connected to a core network (not shown). Cloud server 105 and RAP 110 jointly implement the functions of traditional network elements such as base stations in RAN 100 .

In this example, the RAN 100 also includes a router 120 between the cloud server 105 and the radio access point 110 . Router 120 enables fronthaul communication between cloud server 105 and RAP 110 . It should be understood that one router is shown for illustrative purposes only, and no limitation is suggested. Any suitable number of routers may be arranged between cloud server 105 and RAP 110 . Furthermore, other switching devices may be arranged in addition to one or more routers.

Fronthaul communications between cloud server 105 and RAP 110 may follow any suitable transport protocol. Examples of protocols may include, but are not limited to, Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP), Stream Control Transmission Protocol (SCTP), User Datagram Protocol (UDP), and the like.

In various embodiments of the present disclosure, two devices 125 and 130 (referred to as "first device" 125 and "second device" 130) are arranged in cloud server 105 and RAP 110, respectively. In this example, the first device 125 and the second device 130 are implemented by two applications. The first device 125 and the second device 130 may cooperate together to authenticate the fronthaul network between the cloud server 105 and the RAP 110 .

As shown, the first device 125 includes a service testing module 135 that can simulate fronthaul services based on a service profile 140 that can Predefined. Business profiles 140 are associated with one or more businesses of this type. In some embodiments, the service profile 140 may be implemented by files formatted for M-plane, C-plane, and U-plane services. Furthermore, the traffic profile 140 may define fronthaul communications in the RAN 100 according to user scenarios, such as UE attach, handover, tracking area update (TAU), paging and measurement, transport protocol, traffic volume and speed, and the like.

FIG. 2 illustrates an example structure of the service testing module 135 in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 2, the service testing module 135 includes a service module 205 (referred to as "first service module" 205) that generates messages associated with the service profile 140 for one type of service (referred to as "first service module" 205). "First News"). For example, the first business module 205 may obtain the business profile 140 and then generate a first message based on the business profile 140 .

The business profile 140 may be obtained in any suitable manner. In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 1, the first device 125 may include an interface module 145 (eg, a webUI) for obtaining the business profile 140 from user input. For example, a user (or operator or client) may log into cloud server 105 to load and configure business profile 140 via interface module 145 . In addition, the interface module 140 may allow the operator to configure the transmission of the cloud server 105 and retrieve the test results of the fronthaul network.

The first service module 205 may use the service profile 140 in any suitable manner to generate the first message. For example, business profile 140 may define the size and format of the first message. In this example, the first service module 205 may generate the first message of the defined size and format. In embodiments where the service profile 140 also defines a transport protocol, the first service module 205 may include a determination module (referred to as a "first determination module") for determining a transport protocol for that type of service based on the service profile 140 . The first service module 205 may also include a generation module (referred to as a "first generation module") for generating a first message based on the determined transport protocol.

In some embodiments, the first message may be included in a traffic flow for this type of traffic (referred to as a "first traffic flow"). For example, the first generation module 205 may include a determination module (referred to as a "second determination module") for determining the amount and speed of the type of traffic based on the traffic profile 140, and a determination module for determining the volume and speed of the type of traffic based on the determined volume and speed A generation module (referred to as a "second generation module") to generate the first service flow.

In embodiments where the traffic profile 140 is associated with different types of traffic, such as C-plane, U-plane, and M-plane traffic, the traffic test module 135 may simulate aggregation for control plane signaling, user plane data transfer, and fronthaul traffic noise Fronthaul traffic flow for multiple traffic flows (such as supervisory packets). For example, the service testing module 135 may include a module (not shown) to generate additional service flows (referred to as "second service flows") of additional types of services associated with the service profile 140 . In this example, the traffic testing module 135 may also include a module for aggregating the first traffic flow and the second traffic flow to generate an aggregated traffic flow.

In embodiments where the service profile 140 defines multiple user scenarios (such as UE attach, handover, TAU, paging, and measurements), the first service module 205 can generate a service flow for each user The aggregated service flow is generated by accumulating various user scenarios at the configured occurrence rate. An example aggregation of traffic flows is shown in FIG. 3 . In this example, curves 305, 310 and 315 represent traffic flow in UE attach, handover and measurement scenarios, respectively. Curve 320 represents the aggregated traffic flow. Furthermore, the simulation of the fronthaul traffic flow can use various types of business models, such as Poisson business models, long-tail business models, and the like.

In addition, the first service module 205 considers load balancing so that overloading within the cloud server 105 or the RAP 110 will not occur. The first service module 205 may share the load at the application level. For example, for a task from a user case of the business profile 140, the first business module 205 can dynamically register the consumer product information database (CPID) with the retail and consumer products (RCP) for message transmission and reception. Since the RAPs can be differentiated by digital signal processor (DSP) core units, the RAPs can be sequentially configured by the cloud server 105 in a round-robin order based on user cases.

Still referring to FIG. 2, the traffic test module 135 also includes a transport module 210 (referred to as "first transport module 210") for causing the first message to be transmitted to the RAP 130. This transmission can be accomplished by, for example, the router 120 between the cloud server 105 and the RAP 110 , and the communication modules of the cloud server 105 and the RAP 110 .

In embodiments where the first message is included in the first traffic flow, the first transport module 210 may cause the first traffic flow to be transported to the RAP 110 . In the embodiment in which the aggregated traffic flow is generated, the transmission module 210 may enable the transmission of the aggregated traffic stream.

In various embodiments of the present disclosure, the first message indicates the message format of the message (referred to as the "second message") to be received from the RAP 110 . For example, the first message may have a message header that indicates the size of the second message as defined by the service profile 140 . Accordingly, RAP 110 may generate a second message having the size indicated by the first message. Embodiments at RAP 110 will be discussed in the following paragraphs.

As shown in FIG. 2 , the first service module 135 further includes an analysis module 215 . The analysis module 215 detects the second message from the RAP 110 and then determines the transmission characteristics in the RAN 110 for this type of traffic. For example, if the second message is not detected, the analysis module 215 may determine that a corresponding transmission error occurred or that the RAP 110 did not allow the type of message to be transmitted.

In some embodiments, the business profile 140 may also define an expiration time for detection. In this case, the analysis module 215 may include a determination module (referred to as a "third determination module") for determining a time period based on the business profile and a detection for detecting the second message within the determined time period module. For example, a timer is started after the transmission of the first message. If no message is detected from the RAP 110 when the timer expires, the analysis module 215 may determine a transmission error or an unlicensed message type.

Next, still referring to FIG. 1, in some embodiments, the first device 125 may integrate a tool module 150 (referred to as "first tool module" 150) for determining different transmission modes, such as between messages the transmission interval, the transmission order of the messages, etc. In these embodiments, the service testing module 135 may include a generation module (referred to as a "third generation module" for generating additional messages (referred to as "third messages") for that type of service based on the service profile 140 ). The traffic test module 135 may include a transport module (referred to as a "second transport module") for causing the first message and the third message to be transported in the transport mode determined by the first tool module 150 .

The first device 125 may also include a management module 155 that can switch between the first device 125 and another device (referred to as a "third device") that enables the network device function of the cloud server 105 . In this example, the third device is implemented by a software application similar to the first device 125 and the second device 130 . It should be understood that the third means may be implemented in software, firmware, hardware or any suitable combination thereof.

For example, the management module 155 may include a switching module. After the traffic test module 135 determines the transmission characteristics, the handover module may cause activation of the third device. In some embodiments, the third device has been configured based on the determined transmission characteristics.

The application management module 155 may also manage the upgrade of the first device 125 and further align the upgrade of the cooperating first device 125 and the second device 130 . For example, the management module 155 may include an indication module. If the code associated with the first device 125 is upgraded, the indication module may cause an indication of the upgrade to be sent to the RAP 110 so that the code associated with the second device 130 may be upgraded accordingly.

In some embodiments, cloud server 105 may receive a request from RAP 110 to upgrade code associated with second device 130 . In these embodiments, management module 155 may include an upgrade module for causing upgrade data for code associated with second device 130 to be transmitted to RAP 110 .

As shown in FIG. 1, the first application 125 also includes an operations and maintenance (O&M) module 160, which may be responsible for configuring fronthaul IP routing and transport routing, directing DSP software, configuring RAP hardware, and the like. In some embodiments, O&M module 160 may verify the connection between cloud server 105 and RAP 110 . For example, O&M module 160 may include a determination module (referred to as a "fourth determination module") that causes requests to be sent to RAP 110. Then, the fourth determination module determines whether a response to the request is received from the RAP 110 . If a response is received, the fourth determination module may determine that a link has been established between the cloud server 105 and the RAP 110 . In some embodiments, O&M module 160 may also include a routing module for configuring routing for cloud server 105 to communicate with RAP 110 in the established link.

In various embodiments of the present disclosure, the second device 130 at the RAP 110 may cooperate with the first device 125 in the verification of the fronthaul network between the cloud server 105 and the RAP 110 . As shown in FIG. 1 , the second device 130 includes a service processing module 165 for processing messages or service flows for authentication.

FIG. 4 illustrates an example structure of the business processing module 165 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 4 , the service processing module 165 includes a receiving module 405 . The receiving module 405 obtains the first message from the cloud server 105 . In embodiments where the first message is included in the first service flow, the receiving module 165 may include an obtaining module (referred to as a "first obtaining module") for obtaining the first service flow, and an obtaining module (referred to as a "first obtaining module") for obtaining the first service flow and An additional acquisition module in the stream that acquires the first message (referred to as a "second acquisition module"). In the embodiment in which the aggregated service stream of the first service stream and the second service stream is transmitted from the cloud server 105, the receiving module 405 may acquire the aggregated service stream and acquire the first service stream from the aggregated service stream.

The business processing module 165 also includes a business module 410 (referred to as "second business module 410"). The second service module 410 includes a format determination module for determining a message format of the second message from the first message, and a message generation module for generating the second message in the determined message format. In some embodiments, the message generation module may include a determination module (referred to as a "fifth determination module") for determining a transport protocol for the first message, and a means for generating the second message using the determined transport protocol A generation module (referred to as a "fourth generation module").

As shown in FIG. 4 , the service processing module 165 further includes a transmission module 415 (referred to as “third transmission module 415 ”) that enables the second message to be transmitted to the cloud server 105 .

Still referring to FIG. 1 , the second device 130 may include a tool module 170 (referred to as “second tool module 170 ”) that cooperates with the first tool module 150 at the cloud server 105 . In some embodiments, the receiving module 405 may include an obtaining module (referred to as a "third obtaining module") for obtaining the first message and the third message from the cloud server 105 . After acquisition, the second tool module 170 determines the transmission mode for the first message and the third message. The receiving module 405 may include an acquisition module (referred to as a "fourth acquisition module") for acquiring the first message based on the determined transmission mode.

The second device 130 may also include a management agent module 175 cooperating with the management module 155 at the cloud server 105 . After detecting an indication of an upgrade of the code associated with the first device 125 , the management agent module 175 may cause a request to upgrade the code associated with the second device 130 to be sent to the cloud server 105 . The request may also be transmitted automatically or autonomously by the RAT. If the upgrade data of the code associated with the second device 130 is obtained from the cloud server 105 , the management agent module 175 may cause the upgrade of the code associated with the second device 130 .

As shown in FIG. 1 , the second device 130 also includes an O&M proxy module 180 cooperating with the O&M module 160 at the cloud server 105 . After obtaining the request from the cloud server 105 , the O&M proxy module 180 may cause a response to the request to be sent to the cloud server 105 .

Similar to transmission and/or reception at cloud server 105 , for example, transmission and/or reception may be accomplished by, for example, router 120 between cloud server 105 and RAP 110 , and communication modules of cloud server 105 and RAP 110 .

It should be understood that all operations and features described above with respect to the first device 125 are equally applicable to the cooperating second device 130 and have similar effects. For the sake of simplicity, details will be omitted.

The modules and/or sub-modules included in the first device 125 and the second device 130 may be implemented in various ways, including software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. In one embodiment, one or more modules may be implemented using software and/or firmware, eg, machine-executable instructions stored on a storage medium. In addition to or in lieu of machine-executable instructions, some or all of the modules in apparatuses 125 and 130 may be implemented, at least in part, by one or more hardware logic components. By way of example and not limitation, illustrative types of hardware logic components that may be used include field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), application specific standard products (ASSPs), systems on a chip (SOCs), complex programmable Logical devices (CPLDs), etc.

FIG. 5 shows a flowchart of an example method 500 in accordance with some other embodiments of the present disclosure. The method 500 may be implemented by the first device 125 at the cloud server 105 as shown in FIG. 1 , eg by an application running on the cloud server 105 . For discussion purposes, method 500 will be described with reference to FIG. 1 .

As shown in FIG. 5 , at block 505 , a first message for a type of service is generated based on the service profile 140 . The service profile 140 is predefined for the RAN 100 and associated with that type of service. The first message indicates the message format for the second message to be received from RAP 110 . At block 510, a first message is transmitted to the RAP 110. At block 515, transmission characteristics in the RAN 100 for this type of traffic are determined based on the detection of the second message from the RAP 110.

In some embodiments, the transport protocol may be determined for this type of traffic based on the traffic profile 140 . The first message may be generated using the determined transport protocol.

In some embodiments, the first message may be included in the first traffic flow for that type of traffic. In these embodiments, the amount and velocity of that type of traffic may be determined based on the traffic profile 140 . A first traffic flow can then be generated based on the determined quantity and velocity.

In some embodiments, business profiles 140 may also be associated with additional types of businesses. A second traffic flow of another type of traffic can be generated based on the traffic profile, and the first traffic flow and the second traffic flow can be aggregated.

In some embodiments, the time period may be determined based on the business profile. A second message from the radio access point is detected within the determined time period.

In some embodiments, the transmission characteristics may include at least one of delay, throughput, error rate, and grant message format for the type of traffic.

In some embodiments, business profile 1400 may be obtained from user input.

In some embodiments, the traffic profile may be predefined based on statistics for that type of task in the RAN 100 . In some embodiments, this type of traffic may include one of control plane traffic, user plane traffic, and management plane traffic.

In some embodiments, at least one third message for a type of service may be generated based on the service profile. The transmission mode may be determined for the first message and the at least one third message. The first message and at least one third message may then be transmitted to RAP 110 in the determined transmission mode.

In some embodiments, further applications may be launched at the cloud server following the determination of the transport characteristics. Additional applications enable cloud server 105 to function as a network device in RAN 100 .

In some embodiments, the additional application is configured prior to startup based on the determined transmission characteristics.

In some embodiments, after the upgrade of the code associated with the application at the cloud server 105, an indication of the upgrade may be sent to the radio access point to cause the upgrade of the code associated with the collaborative application at the RAP 110.

In some embodiments, upgrade data for the code associated with the cooperating device may be transmitted to the RAP 110 upon detection of a request from the RAP 110 to upgrade the code associated with the cooperating device.

In some embodiments, the request may be sent to RAP 110 . It may be determined whether a response to the request is received from RAP 110. If it is determined that a response is received from the RAP, it may be determined that a link has been established between the cloud server 105 and the RAP 110 . In some embodiments, routing may be configured in the established link.

FIG. 6 shows a flowchart of an example method 600 according to some other embodiments of the present disclosure. The method 600 may be implemented by the second device 130 at the RAP 110 as shown in FIG. 1 , eg, by an application running on the RAP 110 . For discussion purposes, method 600 will be described with reference to FIG. 1 .

As shown in FIG. 6 , at block 605 , a first message for a type of service is obtained from the cloud server 105 . At block 610, a message format for a second message for the type of service is determined from the first message. At block 615, a second message is generated in the determined message format. At block 620, a second message is transmitted to the cloud server 620.

In some embodiments, a transport protocol for the first message may be determined. The second message may be generated using the determined transport protocol.

In some embodiments, the first traffic flow for this type of traffic may be obtained from the cloud server 105 . The first traffic flow includes a first message. Then, the first message can be obtained from the first service flow.

In some embodiments, the aggregated traffic flow of the first traffic flow and the second traffic flow for another type of traffic may be obtained from the cloud server 105 . The first service flow can be obtained from the aggregated service flow.

In some embodiments, the first message and at least one third message for the type of service may be obtained from the cloud server. A transmission mode for the first message and the at least one third message can be determined. Then, the first message can be obtained based on the determined transmission mode.

In some embodiments, after an indication of an upgrade of the code associated with the collaborative application is detected at the cloud server 105, a request to upgrade the code associated with the application may be sent to the cloud server 105. Upgrade data for the code associated with the application may be obtained from the cloud server 105 . The code associated with the application can be upgraded based on the upgrade data.

In some embodiments, after obtaining the request from the cloud server 105, a response to the request may be sent to the cloud server 105.

It should be understood that all operations and features related to cloud server 105 and RAP 110 described above with reference to FIGS. 1-4 are equally applicable to methods 500 and 600 and have similar effect. For the sake of simplicity, details will be omitted.

FIG. 7 shows a block diagram of a device 700 suitable for implementing embodiments of the present disclosure. Device 700 may be used to implement a cloud server such as cloud server 105 shown in FIG. 1 and/or a RAP such as RAP 110 shown in FIG. 1 .

As shown in FIG. 7 , the device 700 includes a controller 710 that controls the operation and functionality of the device 700 . In some embodiments, controller 710 may perform various operations, eg, by means of instructions 730 stored in memory 720 coupled to controller 710 . Memory 720 may be of any type suitable for the local technical environment and may be implemented using any suitable data storage technology, including but not limited to semiconductor-based storage devices, magnetic storage devices and systems, and optical storage devices and systems. Although FIG. 7 shows only one memory unit, device 700 may include several physically distinct memory units.

Controller 710 may be of any type suitable for the local technical environment, and may include, but is not limited to, one of a general purpose computer, a special purpose computer, a microcontroller, a digital signal processor (DSP), and a controller-based multi-core controller architecture. one or more. The device may also include a plurality of controllers 710 . Controller 710 is coupled to transceiver 740 . Transceiver 740 may receive and transmit information via one or more antennas, cables or fibers, and/or other components.

When the device 700 is used as the cloud server 105 , the controller 710 and the transceiver 740 may cooperate to perform the method 500 as described above with reference to FIG. 5 . When device 700 is used as RAP 110, controller 710 and transceiver 740 may cooperate to perform method 600 as described above with reference to FIG. 6 . In some embodiments, for example, all actions related to data/information transmission and reception as described above may be performed by transceiver 740 , while other actions may be performed by controller 710 . All features described with reference to FIGS. 1-6 are applicable to device 700 and will not be repeated here.

In general, the various example embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented in hardware, special purpose circuits, software, logic, or any combination thereof. Some aspects may be implemented in hardware, while other aspects may be implemented in firmware or software executed by a controller, microprocessor or other computing device. Although various aspects of the embodiments of the present disclosure are shown and described as block diagrams, flowcharts, or using some other graphical representation, it should be understood that, by way of non-limiting example, the blocks, apparatus, systems, techniques, or methods described herein may Implemented in hardware, software, firmware, special purpose circuits or logic, general purpose hardware or controllers, or other computing devices, or some combination thereof.

By way of example, for example, embodiments of the present disclosure may be described in the context of machine-executable instructions included in program modules executed in a device on a target physical or virtual processor. Generally, program modules include routines, programs, libraries, objects, classes, components, data structures, etc. that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data structures. In various embodiments, the functionality of the program modules may be combined or divided among the program modules. Machine-executable instructions for program modules may be executed within local or distributed devices. In a distributed facility, program modules may be located in both local and remote storage media.

Computer program code for carrying out the methods of the present disclosure may be written in any combination of one or more programming languages. Computer program code may be provided to a processor of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer or other programmable data processing apparatus, such that the program code, when executed by the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus, performs the functions specified in the flowcharts and/or block diagrams /Operation is implemented. The program code may execute entirely on the machine, partly on the machine, as a stand-alone software package, partly on the machine and partly on a remote computer, or entirely on the remote computer or server.

In the context of this disclosure, a machine-readable medium may be any tangible medium that contains or stores a program for or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device. Machine-readable media may be machine-readable signal media or machine-readable storage media, and may include, but are not limited to, electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor systems, devices, or devices, or any suitable combination thereof. More specific examples of machine-readable storage media would include electrical connections with one or more wires, portable computer floppy disks, hard disks, random access memory (RAM), read only memory (ROM), erasable programmable read only Memory (EPROM or flash memory), fiber optics, portable compact disc read only memory (CD-ROM), optical storage devices, magnetic storage devices, or any suitable combination thereof.

Additionally, although operations are depicted in a particular order, it should not be construed as requiring that such operations be performed in the particular order shown, or in a sequential order, or that all illustrated operations be performed to achieve desirable results. In some cases, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous. Likewise, although the above discussion contains several implementation-specific details, these should not be construed as limitations on the scope of the disclosure, but rather as descriptions of features specific to particular embodiments. Certain features that are described in the context of separate embodiments can also be implemented in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features that are described in the context of a single embodiment can also be implemented in multiple embodiments separately or in any suitable subcombination.

Although the disclosure has been described in language specific to structural features and/or methodological acts, it is to be understood that the disclosure as defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or acts described above. Rather, the specific features and acts described above are disclosed as example forms of implementing the claims.

Claims (40)

1. A method implemented at a cloud server in a radio access network, comprising: at the application running on the cloud server, A first message for a type of service is generated based on a service profile, the service profile being predefined for the radio access network and associated with the type of service, the first message indicating the in the message format of the second message, the second message is to be received from a radio access point in the radio access network; causing the first message to be transmitted to the radio access point; and Based on the detection of the second message from the radio access point, transmission characteristics of the type of traffic in the radio access network are determined. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the first message comprises: determining a transport protocol for the type of service based on the service profile; and The first message is generated using the determined transport protocol. 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first message is included in a first traffic flow for the type of traffic, generating the first message comprising: determining the quantity and velocity of the type of traffic based on the traffic profile; and The first traffic flow is generated based on the determined quantity and the speed. 4. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the transmission characteristic comprises: determining a time period based on the business profile; and The second message from the radio access point is detected within the determined time period. 5. The method of claim 1, further comprising: The business profile is obtained from user input. 6. The method of claim 1, further comprising: generating at least one third message for the type of service based on the service profile; and determining a transmission mode for the first message and the at least one third message; and Wherein causing the first message to be transmitted includes causing the first message and the at least one third message to be transmitted to the radio access point in the determined transmission mode. 7. The method of claim 1, further comprising: After said determination of said transmission characteristics, a further application is caused to be launched at said cloud server, said further application enabling said cloud server to act as a network device in said radio access network. 8. The method of claim 7, further comprising: The further application is configured based on the determined transmission characteristics prior to the start-up. 9. The method of claim 1, further comprising: In response to an upgrade of the code of the application, an indication of the upgrade is caused to be sent to the radio access point to cause an upgrade of the code associated with the cooperating application at the radio access point. 10. The method of claim 9, further comprising: In response to detecting a request from the radio access point to upgrade the code associated with the cooperating device, causing upgrade data for the code associated with the cooperating device to be transmitted to the radio access point entry point. 11. The method of claim 1, further comprising: causing a request to be sent to the radio access point; determining whether a response to the request was received from the radio access point; and In response to determining that the response was received from the radio access point, it is determined that a link has been established between the cloud server and the radio access point. 12. The method of claim 11, further comprising: Routes are configured in the established link. 13. A method implemented at a radio access point in a radio access network, the method comprising: at the application running on the radio access point, A first message for a type of service is obtained from a cloud server in the radio access network, the first message being generated by the cloud server based on a service profile for the radio predefined by the access network and associated with the type of service; determining a message format of a second message for the type of service from the first message; generating the second message in the determined message format; and causing the second message to be transmitted to the cloud server. 14. The method of claim 13, wherein generating the second message comprises: determining a transport protocol to be used for the first message; and The second message is generated using the determined transport protocol. 15. The method of claim 13, wherein obtaining the first message comprises: obtaining, from the cloud server, a first service flow for the type of service, the first service flow including the first message; and The first message is obtained from the first service flow. 16. The method of claim 13, wherein obtaining the first message comprises: obtain the first message and at least one third message for the type of service from the cloud server, and determining a transmission mode to be used for the first message and the at least one third message; and The first message is obtained based on the determined transmission mode. 17. The method of claim 13, further comprising: in response to detecting an indication of an upgrade of code associated with a collaborative application at the cloud server, causing a request to upgrade code associated with the application to be sent to the cloud server; obtaining, from the cloud server, upgrade data for the code associated with the application; and The code associated with the application is caused to be upgraded based on the upgrade data. 18. The method of claim 13, further comprising: In response to obtaining the request from the cloud server, a response to the request is sent to the cloud server. 19. An apparatus implemented at a cloud server in a radio access network, the apparatus comprising: Business testing modules, including: a first service module configured to generate a first message for a type of service based on a service profile, the service profile being predefined for the radio access network and associated with the type of service , the first message indicates a message format for a second message to be received from a radio access point in the radio access network; a first transmission module configured to cause the first message to be transmitted to the radio access point; An analysis module configured to determine transmission characteristics of the type of traffic in the radio access network based on the detection of the second message from the radio access point. 20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the first service module comprises: a first determination module configured to determine a transport protocol for the type of service based on the service profile; and A first generation module configured to generate the first message using the determined transport protocol. 21. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the first message is included in a first service flow for the type of service, and the first service module comprises: a second determination module configured to determine the quantity and velocity of the type of traffic based on the traffic profile; and A second generating module configured to generate the first traffic flow based on the determined quantity and the speed. 22. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the analysis module comprises: a third determination module configured to determine a time period based on the business profile; and A detection module configured to detect the second message from the radio access point within the determined time period. 23. The apparatus of claim 19, further comprising: An interface module configured to obtain the service profile from user input. 24. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the service testing module further comprises a third generation module configured to generate at least one first step for the type of service based on the service profile. Three messages, wherein the apparatus further includes a tool module configured to determine a transmission mode for the first message and the at least one third message; and wherein the first transmission module includes a second transmission module configured to cause the first message and the at least one third message to be transmitted to the determined transmission mode radio access point. 25. The apparatus of claim 19, further comprising: Management modules, including: a handover module configured to, following said determination of said transmission characteristic, cause activation of a further device at said cloud server, said further device being configured to enable said cloud server to function as said radio A network device in an access network. 26. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the further apparatus at the cloud server has been configured based on the determined transmission characteristics. 27. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the management module further comprises: An indication module configured to cause an indication of the upgrade to be sent to the radio access point in response to an upgrade of the code associated with the device to cause the code associated with the cooperating device to be in the radio access point An upgrade at the entry point. 28. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the management module further comprises: An upgrade module configured to, in response to detecting a request from the radio access point to upgrade the code associated with the cooperating device, cause upgrade data for the code associated with the cooperating device to be updated transmitted to the radio access point. 29. The apparatus of claim 19, further comprising: an operation and maintenance module, including a fourth determination module configured to: causing a request to be sent to the radio access point; determining whether a response to the request was received from the radio access point; and In response to determining that the response was received from the radio access point, it is determined that a link has been established between the cloud server and the radio access point. 30. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein the operation and maintenance module further comprises: A routing module configured to configure routing in the established link. 31. An apparatus implemented at a radio access point in a radio access network, the apparatus comprising: Business processing module, including: A receiving module configured to obtain a first message for a type of service from a cloud server in the radio access network, the first message being generated by the cloud server based on a service profile, the service profile profile is predefined for the radio access network and associated with the type of service; The second business module includes: a format determination module configured to determine, from the first message, a message format of a second message for the type of service, and a message generation module configured to generate the second message in the determined message format; and A third transmission module configured to transmit the second message to the cloud server. 32. The apparatus of claim 31, wherein the message generation module comprises: a fifth determination module configured to determine the transport protocol used for the first message; and A fourth generating module configured to generate the second message using the determined transport protocol. 33. The apparatus of claim 31, wherein the receiving module comprises: a first obtaining module configured to obtain, from the cloud server, a first service flow for the type of service, the first service flow including the first message; and The second obtaining module is configured to obtain the first message from the first service flow. 34. The apparatus of claim 31, wherein the receiving module comprises: a third obtaining module configured to obtain the first message and at least one third message for the type of service from the cloud server, wherein the apparatus further includes a second tool module configured to determine a transmission mode used for the first message and the at least one third message; and The receiving module further includes a fourth obtaining module configured to obtain the first message based on the determined transmission mode. 35. The apparatus of claim 31, further comprising: The management agent module, configured as: in response to detecting an indication of an upgrade of code associated with a cooperating device at the cloud server, causing a request to upgrade code associated with the device to be sent to the cloud server; obtaining, from the cloud server, upgrade data for the code associated with the device; and The code associated with the device is caused to be upgraded based on the upgrade data. 36. The apparatus of claim 31, further comprising: The operation and maintenance agent module is configured to, in response to obtaining the request from the cloud server, cause a response to the request to be sent to the cloud server. 37. A cloud server in a radio access network, comprising: processor; and A memory comprising instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the cloud server to perform the method of any one of claims 1 to 12. 38. A radio access point in a radio access network, comprising: processor; and A memory comprising instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the radio access point to perform the method of any of claims 13 to 18. 39. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon a computer program comprising instructions that, when executed on at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to execute The method of any one of claims 1 to 12. 40. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon a computer program comprising instructions that, when executed on at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to execute The method of any one of claims 13 to 18.

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