WO2025123243A1

WO2025123243A1 - Service deployment on computing nodes

Info

Publication number: WO2025123243A1
Application number: PCT/CN2023/138420
Authority: WO
Inventors: Hai Bo Wen
Original assignee: Nokia Shanghai Bell Co Ltd; Nokia Solutions and Networks Oy; Nokia Technologies Oy
Current assignee: Nokia Shanghai Bell Co Ltd; Nokia Solutions and Networks Oy; Nokia Technologies Oy
Priority date: 2023-12-13
Filing date: 2023-12-13
Publication date: 2025-06-19
Anticipated expiration: 2026-06-13

Abstract

Example embodiments of the present disclosure relate to apparatuses, methods, and a computer readable storage medium for service deployment on computing nodes. A first apparatus, such as a CNC controller, may receive a service deployment request from a terminal device for a specific service to be deployed. The first apparatus determines, based on the service deployment request, a user plane function (UPF) and one or more computing nodes that are to be used for the specific service. The first apparatus causes triggering of a deployment of the specific service on the one or more computing nodes and causes triggering, for the specific service, of an establishment of a path associated with the terminal device, the UPF, and the one or more computing nodes. The first apparatus then transmits, to the terminal device, a service deployment response indicating that the specific service has been deployed.

Description

SERVICE DEPLOYMENT ON COMPUTING NODES

FIELD

Example embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to the field of communications and in particular, to apparatuses, methods, and a computer readable storage medium for service deployment on computing nodes.

BACKGROUND

In traditional network, networking and computing are treated separately; there is no inter-perception between computing resources (i.e., computing force/power) and network topology. It can be regarded as an overlay mode, in which a connectivity is performed first, then the computing is performed, and may lead lower network utilization, unbalanced utilization between different computing power sites, lower quality of experience (QoE) for some service-requests, at least in some part of the network. Since 2019, a concept of Computing Power Network (CPN) or Computing Force Network (CFN) has been proposed which makes a convergence of computing and networking, i.e., Computing and Network Convergence (CNC) .

In the sixth generation (6G) network, the computing resources will be ubiquitously deployed in mobile network, such as Multi-Access Edge Computing (MEC) , far edge, and the computing resource may even be deployed in some intermediate network nodes (e.g. gNB, xNB) . A service of a terminal device, such as a user equipment (UE) , may be deployed on the computing resources, however, how to efficiently deploy the service in these computing resources needs to be further investigated, and an efficient solution for service deployment is needed.

SUMMARY

In general, example embodiments of the present disclosure provide a solution for service deployment on computing nodes.

In a first aspect, there is provided a first apparatus. The first apparatus comprises: at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions, wherein the instructions when executed by the at least one processor, cause the first apparatus at least to perform: receiving, from a terminal device, a service deployment request indicating that a specific service of the terminal device is to be deployed; determining a user plane function (UPF) and one or more computing nodes that are to be used for the specific service based on at least one of the following: requirements of the specific service determined based on the service deployment request, wherein the requirements comprise a network requirement and a computing requirement, one or more network metrics associated the UPF and/or the one or more computing nodes, or one or more computing metrics of the one or more computing nodes; causing triggering of a deployment of the specific service on the one or more computing nodes; causing triggering, for the specific service, of an establishment of a path associated with the terminal device, the UPF, and the one or more computing nodes; and transmitting, to the terminal device, a service deployment response indicating that the specific service has been deployed.

In a second aspect, there is provided a method performed by a first apparatus. The method comprises: receiving, at a first apparatus from a terminal device, a service deployment request indicating that a specific service of the terminal device is to be deployed; determining a UPF and one or more computing nodes that are to be used for the specific service based on at least one of the following: requirements of the specific service determined based on the service deployment request, wherein the requirements comprise a network requirement and a computing requirement, one or more network metrics associated the UPF and/or the one or more computing nodes, or one or more computing metrics of the one or more computing nodes; causing triggering of a deployment of the specific service on the one or more computing nodes; causing triggering, for the specific service, of an establishment of a path associated with the terminal device, the UPF, and the one or more computing nodes; and transmitting, to the terminal device, a service deployment response indicating that the specific service has been deployed.

In a third aspect, there is provided a first apparatus. The first apparatus comprises: means for receiving, at a first apparatus from a terminal device, a service deployment request indicating that a specific service of the terminal device is to be deployed; means for determining a UPF and one or more computing nodes that are to be used for the specific service based on at least one of the following: requirements of the specific service determined based on the service deployment request, wherein the requirements comprise a network requirement and a computing requirement, one or more network metrics associated the UPF and/or the one or more computing nodes, or one or more computing metrics of the one or more computing nodes; means for causing triggering of a deployment of the specific service on the one or more computing nodes; means for causing triggering, for the specific service, of an establishment of a path associated with the terminal device, the UPF, and the one or more computing nodes; and means for transmitting, to the terminal device, a service deployment response indicating that the specific service has been deployed.

In a fourth aspect, there is provided a first apparatus. The first apparatus comprises: receiving circuitry configured to receive, at a first apparatus from a terminal device, a service deployment request indicating that a specific service of the terminal device is to be deployed; determining circuitry configured to determine a UPF and one or more computing nodes that are to be used for the specific service based on at least one of the following: requirements of the specific service determined based on the service deployment request, wherein the requirements comprise a network requirement and a computing requirement, one or more network metrics associated the UPF and/or the one or more computing nodes, or one or more computing metrics of the one or more computing nodes; causing triggering circuitry configured to cause triggering a deployment of the specific service on the one or more computing nodes; causing triggering circuitry configured to cause triggering, for the specific service, of an establishment of a path associated with the terminal device, the UPF, and the one or more computing nodes; and transmitting circuitry configured to transmit, to the terminal device, a service deployment response indicating that the specific service has been deployed.

In a fifth aspect, there is provided a non-transitory computer readable medium comprising program instructions for causing an apparatus to perform at least the method in the second aspect.

In a sixth aspect, there is provided a computer program comprising instructions, which, when executed by an apparatus, cause the apparatus at least the method in the second aspect.

It is to be understood that the summary section 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 easily comprehensible through the following description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Some example embodiments will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates an example schematic of computing resources in an example 6G network;

FIG. 2 illustrates an example of an example system in which some example embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented;

FIG. 3 illustrates an example of a procedure for service deployment in accordance with some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 4 illustrates an example schematic of the procedure for service deployment in 6G network in accordance with some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 5 illustrates an example format of a non-access stratum (NAS) message and the extended protocol discriminator in the NAS message;

FIG. 6 illustrates a flowchart of a method performed by a first apparatus in accordance with some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 7 illustrates a flowchart of a method performed by a terminal device in accordance with some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 8 illustrates a flowchart of a method performed by a second apparatus in accordance with some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 9 illustrates a flowchart of a method performed by a third apparatus in accordance with some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 10 illustrates a flowchart of a method performed by a UPF in accordance with some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 11 illustrates a simplified block diagram of a device that is suitable for implementing some example embodiments of the present disclosure; and

FIG. 12 illustrates a block diagram of an example of a computer readable medium in accordance with some example embodiments of the present disclosure.

Throughout the drawings, the same or similar reference numerals represent the same or similar elements.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Principle of the present disclosure will now be described with reference to some example embodiments. It is to be understood that these embodiments are described only for the purpose of illustration and to help those skilled in the art to understand and implement the present disclosure, without suggesting any limitation as to the scope of the disclosure. The disclosure described herein can be implemented in various manners other than the ones described below.

In the following description and claims, unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skills in the art to which this disclosure belongs.

References in the present disclosure to “one embodiment, ” “an embodiment, ” “an example embodiment, ” and the like indicate that the embodiment described may include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, but it is not necessary that every embodiment includes the particular feature, structure, or characteristic. Moreover, such phrases are not necessarily referring to the same embodiment. Further, when a particular feature, structure, or characteristic is described in connection with an embodiment, it is submitted that it is within the knowledge of one skilled in the art to implement such feature, structure, or characteristic in connection with other embodiments whether or not explicitly described.

It shall be understood that although the terms “first” and “second” etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element from another. For example, a first element could be termed a second element, and similarly, a second element could be termed a first element, without departing from the scope of example embodiments. As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the listed terms.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of example embodiments. As used herein, the singular forms “a” , “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises” , “comprising” , “has” , “having” , “includes” and/or “including” , when used herein, specify the presence of stated features, elements, and/or components etc., but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, elements, components and/or combinations thereof. As used herein, “at least one of the following: <a list of two or more elements>” and “at least one of <a list of two or more elements>” and similar wording, where the list of two or more elements are joined by “and” or “or” , mean at least any one of the elements, or at least any two or more of the elements, or at least all the elements.

As used in this application, the term “circuitry” may refer to one or more or all of the following:

(a) hardware-only circuit implementations (such as implementations in only analog and/or digital circuitry) ;

(b) combinations of hardware circuits and software, such as (as applicable) :

(i) a combination of analog and/or digital hardware circuit (s) with software/firmware, and

(ii) any portions of hardware processor (s) with software (including digital signal processor (s) ) , software, and memory (ies) that work together to cause an apparatus, such as a mobile phone or server, to perform various functions; and

(c) hardware circuit (s) and/or processor (s) , such as a microprocessor (s) or a portion of a microprocessor (s) , that requires software (e.g., firmware) for operation, but the software may not be present when it is not needed for operation.

This definition of circuitry applies to all uses of this term in this application, including in any claims. As a further example, as used in this application, the term circuitry also covers an implementation of merely a hardware circuit or processor (or multiple processors) or portion of a hardware circuit or processor and its (or their) accompanying software and/or firmware. The term circuitry also covers, for example and if applicable to the particular claim element, a baseband integrated circuit or processor integrated circuit for a mobile device or a similar integrated circuit in server, a cellular network device, or other computing or network device.

As used herein, the term “communication network” refers to a network following any suitable communication standards, such as Long Term Evolution (LTE) , LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) , New Radio (NR) , Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA) , High-Speed Packet Access (HSPA) , Narrow Band Internet of Things (NB-IoT) , Non-terrestrial network (NTN) , IoT over NTN, and so on. Furthermore, the communications in the communication network may be performed according to any suitable generation communication protocols, including, but not limited to, the first generation (1G) , the second generation (2G) , 2.5G, 2.75G, the third generation (3G) , the fourth generation (4G) , 4.5G, the fifth generation (5G) , the sixth generation (6G) communication protocols, and/or any other protocols either currently known or to be developed in the future. Embodiments of the present disclosure may be applied in various communication systems. Given the rapid development in communications, there will of course also be future type communication technologies and systems with which the present disclosure may be embodied. Accordingly, description of the example embodiments should not be seen as limiting the scope of the present disclosure to only the aforementioned technologies and systems.

As used herein, the term “network device” refers to a node in a communication network via which a terminal device accesses the network and receives services therefrom. The network device may refer to a base station (BS) or an access point (AP) , for example, a node B (NodeB or NB) , an evolved NodeB (eNodeB or eNB) , a new radio (NR) NB (also referred to as a gNB) , a Remote Radio Unit (RRU) , a radio header (RH) , a remote radio head (RRH) , an integrated access and backhaul (IAB) node, a relay, a low power node such as a femto, a pico, and so forth, depending on the applied terminology and technology.

The term “terminal device” refers to any end device that may be capable of wireless communication. By way of example rather than limitation, a terminal device may also be referred to as a communication device, user equipment (UE) , a Subscriber Station (SS) , a Portable Subscriber Station, a Mobile Station (MS) , or an Access Terminal (AT) . The terminal device may include, but not limited to, a mobile phone, a cellular phone, a smart phone, voice over IP (VoIP) phones, wireless local loop phones, a tablet, a wearable terminal device, a personal digital assistant (PDA) , portable computers, desktop computer, image capture terminal devices such as digital cameras, gaming terminal devices, music storage and playback appliances, vehicle-mounted wireless terminal devices, wireless endpoints, mobile stations, laptop-embedded equipment (LEE) , laptop-mounted equipment (LME) , USB dongles, smart devices, wireless customer-premises equipment (CPE) , an Internet of Things (loT) device, a machine type communication (MTC) device, a watch or other wearable, a head-mounted display (HMD) , a vehicle, a drone, a medical device and applications (e.g., remote surgery) , an industrial device and applications (e.g., a robot and/or other wireless devices operating in an industrial and/or an automated processing chain contexts) , a consumer electronics device, a device operating on commercial and/or industrial wireless networks, and the like. In the following description, the terms “terminal device” , “communication device” , “terminal” , “user equipment” and “UE” may be used interchangeably.

Computing and Network Convergence (CNC) is a topic of interest for some international standardization organizations. CNC and related concepts are considered to be an important feature for 6G and may be a focus in next generation networks.

Currently, most of services are normally deployed beyond the operator’s network, e.g., at a data center in the Internet. Network connection establishment and overlay service deployment are executed independently; that is, the network connection is established first, then the user-specific service is deployed in an overlay way. Separate optimization solutions for network connection and service deployment site selection doesn’t mean that the combination of the separate solutions is the optimal solution from the global view; the separate session establishment and selection cannot guarantee the optimal service performance. However, more and more applications, e.g., metaverse applications (i.e., virtual reality (VR) , augmented reality (AR) , extended reality (XR) -based applications) and auto-driving, require huge bandwidth, huge computation, and less latency, which may lead to the requirement that the related services/applications should be pushed as near to users as possible.

FIG. 1 illustrates an example schematic of computing resources 100 in an example 6G network. As shown in FIG. 1, the computing resources in a 6G network will be ubiquitously deployed in the mobile network, such as MEC, far edge, and even in the computing resource in some intermediate network nodes (e.g., gNB, xNB) . Accordingly, how to efficiently deploy a UE requested service (i.e., a service requested by a UE) in these computing resources needs to be investigated. In other words, an efficient solution for service deployment is needed.

Example embodiments of the present disclosure provide a solution for service deployment on one or more computing nodes. In the embodiments of the present disclosure, a first apparatus, such as a CNC controller, may receive a service deployment request from a terminal device that indicates that a specific service is to be deployed. Based on at least one of requirements of the specific service determined based on the service deployment request, one or more network metrics associated with a UPF and or one or more computing nodes, or one or more computing metrics of the one or more computing nodes, the first apparatus may trigger or cause to be triggered a deployment of the service on the one or more computing nodes, and trigger or cause to be triggered an establishment of a path for the service. As such, the first apparatus may guarantee level of service performance of a deployment of a service of a terminal device (e.g., guarantee of quality of service, guarantee an optimal level of service performance, etc. ) . Since the first apparatus may be aware of the network topology, the service deployment may be made more efficient, and the computing resources thus may be used more efficiently. Some example embodiments of the methods of the present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 2 illustrates an example of an example system 200 in which some example embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented. The system 200 includes a radio access network (RAN) 202, a core network 204, an internet protocol (IP) network domain 206 which connects to an Internet. The system 200 further includes a terminal device 240, a service lifecycle management platform 230, and a plurality of UPFs 250. The system 200 supports computing and network convergence in mobile network.

The terminal device 240 may be a UE, which may be implemented as any type of terminal, such as a wearable device (e.g., smart goggles) . The RAN 202 may include one or more access network devices, such as a gNB, an eNB, or the like. The RAN 202 may also include one or more user plane functions (UPFs) . The RAN 202 may also include one or more computing nodes within the RAN 202. The IP network domain 206 may include multiple routers, at least some of which may be implemented as computing nodes (C-nodes) 205.

The core network 204 may include various types of network functions, which, as shown in FIG. 2, may include an authentication server function (AUSF) , a unified data management (UDM) , a policy control function (PCF) , a network exposure function (NEF) , a network slice selection function (NSSF) , an NF repository function (NRF) , an access and mobility management function (AMF) 203 and a session management function (SMF) 220. It is to be understood that the core network 204 may also be called as a mobile core, and may further include one or more other network functions which are not shown in FIG. 2.

A CNC controller 210 is introduced in the present disclosure. The CNC controller 210 may be configured to receive a service deployment request from the terminal device 240, control a deployment of the service, and return an address of the deployed service to the terminal device 240. In other words, the CNC controller 210 may be configured to receive a request for deployment of a service from the terminal device 240, control a deployment of the service, and return an address of the deployed service to the terminal device. Details of functions implemented by the CNC controller 210 will be described below with reference to FIGS. 3-4.

The CNC controller 210 may in implemented within the core network 204. As shown in FIG. 2, the core network 204 includes the CNC controller 210. However, in some other embodiments, the CNC controller 210 may be arranged independently from the core network 204, for example, the CNC controller 210 may be out of the core network 204, may be in the IP domain, etc., the present disclosure does not limit.

It is to be understood that the numbers of devices, functions, apparatuses shown in FIG. 2 are only for the purpose of illustration only. The system 200 may include any suitable numbers of devices, functions, and apparatuses.

Referring to FIG. 3, an example of a procedure 300 for service deployment in accordance with some example embodiments of the present disclosure. The procedure 300 involves a first apparatus 301, a second apparatus 302, a third apparatus 303, a terminal device 304, and a UPF 305. For the purpose of discussion, the procedure 300 may be described with reference to FIG. 2. For example, the first apparatus 301 may be implemented as or may include the CNC controller 210 as shown in FIG. 2. It should be noted that the CNC controlled may also be integrated into SMF. The second apparatus 302 may be implemented as or may include the SMF 220 as shown in FIG. 2. The third apparatus 303 may be implemented as or may include the service life cycle management platform 230 as shown in FIG. 2. The terminal device 304 may be implemented as or may include the terminal device 240 as shown in FIG. 2. And, the UPF 305 may implemented as or may include the UPFs 250 as shown in FIG. 2. It would be appreciated that the procedure 300 may be applied to other communication scenarios, which will not be described in detail.

Referring to FIG. 3, the terminal device 304 transmits a service deployment request to the first apparatus 301 at 310. In some implementations, the service deployment request may indicate a specific service to the deployed, for example, the service deployment request may include an identifier (ID) of the specific service, e.g., a service ID.

In some example embodiments, the service ID may be associated with a specific service type and specific service requirements. In this case, the first apparatus 301 (e.g., the CNC controller 210) may be aware of the service type and the service requirements upon receiving the service deployment request. For example, an association or mapping information between the service ID and the service type and/or service requirements may be stored in the first apparatus 301 (the CNC controller 210) . As such, the signaling overhead may be reduced.

In some other example embodiments, the service deployment request may further include an indication of the service type and/or service requirements, for example, the service requirements may include a network requirement and a computing requirement (also be called as a resource requirement) . In some examples, the requirements may be determined based on the service type, e.g., mapping information between the service type and the requirements may be used. In this case, the first apparatus 301 (the CNC controller 210) may obtain the service type and/or service requirements in the service deployment request. In some other example embodiments, the service deployment request may indicate a location of service image. In some examples, the service image may refer to computer codes of the service, and the location of the service image may be an IP address of a location where the computer codes stored. In some examples, the requirements may be determined based on the computer codes. In this case, the first apparatus 301 (the CNC controller 210) may determine the service requirements based on the location of service image indicated by the service deployment request.

In some implementations, the service deployment request may be transmitted to the first apparatus 301 (the CNC controller 210) via one or more intermediate apparatuses. In some example embodiments, the service deployment request may be implemented as a dedicated control plane message. In some examples, the service deployment request may be transmitted from the terminal device 304 to an AMF (such as the AMF 203 in FIG. 2) , and the AMF may further forward the service deployment request to the first apparatus 301 (the CNC controller 210) . In some other example embodiments, another type of control message may be reused for the service deployment request, for example, the service deployment request may be implemented as or within a PDU session management control message. In some examples, the service deployment request may be transmitted from the terminal device 304 to an SMF (such as the second apparatus 302, e.g., the SMF 220 in FIG. 2) , and the SMF may further forward the service deployment request to the first apparatus 301 (the CNC controller 210) .

In some other implementations, the service deployment request may be transmitted to the first apparatus 301 (the CNC controller 210) in a dedicated IP message over an IP layer. In some examples, an IP address of the first apparatus 301 (the CNC controller 210) may be configured to the terminal device 304, and thus the terminal device 304 may directly contact the first apparatus 301 over the IP layer. For example, the configuration of the IP address of the first apparatus 301 may be implemented by a configuration associated with the first apparatus, or an entry in an item associated with a domain name server (DNS) .

In addition or alternatively, upon receiving the service deployment request, the first apparatus 301 (the CNC controller 210) may determine that the terminal device 304 has a right to transmit the service deployment request. In some example embodiments, the first apparatus 301 may communicate with a UDM to determine whether the terminal device 304 has a right for requesting a service deployment. In some examples, the first apparatus 301 may transmit a request for checking to the UDM in order to check for the right of a terminal device, where the request for checking may include an ID of the terminal device 304 or the service ID. In some examples, the UDM may determine whether the terminal device 304 has a right for requesting based on stored information in the UDM.

In addition or alternatively, upon receiving the service deployment request, the first apparatus 301 (the CNC controller 210) may determine requirements of the specific service, e.g. the requirements include a network requirement and a computing requirement. In some examples, the network requirement may indicate a requirement for a delay (such as, transmission delay, forward delay) , and/or a requirement for bandwidth. In some examples, the computing requirement may indicate a requirement for computation speed, energy usage (such as, CPU, storage) , and/or energy efficiency.

In the illustrated procedure 300, the first apparatus 301 determines a UPF and one or more computing nodes at 320. In some implementations, the first apparatus 301 may determine one or more candidate UPFs, and select a UPF from the one or more candidate UPFs. In some implementations, the first apparatus 301 may determine one or more candidate computing nodes, and may further determine the one or more computing nodes from the one or more candidate computing nodes.

Alternatively, the first apparatus 301 may determine one or more candidate UPFs reachable for the terminal device 304 at 312. For example, a list of reachable UPFs which includes the one or more candidate UPFs may be determined. Specifically, the first apparatus 301 may contact with the second apparatus 302 (the SMF 220) to retrieve the one or more candidate UPFs which are reachable by the terminal device 304. In some example embodiments, the first apparatus 301 (CNC controller 210) may transmit a query request to the second apparatus 302 (SMF 220) , where the query request may include an ID of the terminal device 304. For example, the ID of the terminal device 304 can be an IP address. In some example embodiments, the second apparatus 302 (SMF 220) may determine one or more candidate UPFs reachable for the terminal device 304, and then transmit a query response to the first apparatus 301 (CNC controller 210) , where the query response indicates the one or more candidate UPFs reachable for the terminal device 304.

Alternatively, the first apparatus 301 may determine one or more candidate computing nodes, where each of the one or more candidate computing nodes has a capability for hosting the specific service of the terminal device 304. In some examples, a computing requirement of the specific service and computing metrics of each computing node may be considered. Computing metrics may include one more of: computation speed, energy usage, or energy efficiency of each computing node. For example, if a computing node has computing metrics satisfying the computing requirement of the specific service, the computing node may be regarded as having a capability for hosting the specific service, then the computing code may be selected as one candidate computing node.

The first apparatus 301 may determine network metrics associated with the one or more candidate UPFs and/or the one or more candidate computing nodes, and may determine the UPF and one or more computing nodes at 320 based on the network metrics. Expressed alternatively, the UPF and the one or more computing nodes may be determined based on one or more network metrics, in particular, one or more network metrics associated with the UPF and/or one or more computing nodes. Network metrics may include one more of: latency, or bandwidth of or between the UPF and/or the one or more computing nodes, which may be selected from one or more candidate UPFs and/or the one or more candidate computing nodes based on the network metrics. In some examples, network metrics may include a latency and/or a bandwidth of a link between two different nodes, such as a UPF and a computing node, a computing node and another computing node. For example, the one or more network metrics may include latency between respective UPF and respective computing nodes of the one or more computing nodes or latency between respective UPF of the candidate UPFs and one or more candidate computing nodes from which the one or more computing nodes to be utilized in conjunction the UPF of one or more UPFs are selected. Bandwidth metrics may be associated with the UPF and one or more computing nodes in a similar fashion.

For example, the network metrics between one or more candidate UPFs reachable by the terminal device and one or more candidate computing nodes may be obtained by the first apparatus 301, and the first apparatus 301 may jointly select a combination (e.g., the optimal combination) of the UPF and one or more computing nodes based on the network metrics.

In some implementations, the first apparatus 301 may obtain the network metrics from the one or more candidate UPFs. With reference to FIG. 2, the first apparatus 301 may transmit an indication for a network metric to each of the one or more candidate UPFs at 314, it being appreciated that the indication to a specific UPF 305 is used for requesting a network metric between the specific UPF 305 and the one or more candidate computing nodes. For example, the first apparatus 301 may trigger the UPF 305 to measure the network metric between the specific UPF 305 and the one or more candidate computing nodes. The UPF 305 may determine the network metric between the specific UPF 305 and the one or more candidate computing nodes at 316 based on the indication from the first apparatus 301. The UPF 305 may further transmit the network metric between the specific UPF 305 and the one or more candidate computing nodes to the first apparatus 301 at 318. As such, the fist apparatus 301 may obtain the network metrics measured by the one or more candidate UPFs.

In some other implementations, the first apparatus 301 may have (maintain) network topology information that is either pre-stored or obtained via some other manner or technologies. For example, the first apparatus 301 may obtain, from the pre-stored network topology information, the network metrics associated with the one or more candidate UPFs and the one or more candidate computing nodes. In some examples, the pre-stored network topology information may include a resource distribution map, for example, it may indicate available network resources, a resource distribution, and a service distribution. As such, since there is no need to contact the UPFs to measure the network metrics, efficiency may be improved.

Accordingly, the first apparatus 301 may select a UPF and one or more computing nodes based on the network metrics, the computing metrics, and the requirements of the specific service. In some implementations, the UPF and the one or more computing nodes may be selected jointly to meet the service requirements. In some examples, any suitable algorithm may be used for the selection of the UPF and the one or more computing nodes, for example, the algorithm may be related with multiple factors (such as latency, bandwidth, computation speed, energy efficiency, etc. ) with different weights, accordingly a combination of the UPF and the one or more computing nodes may be determined. It is to be understood that different algorithm or different weights may lead to different selection result (i.e. the combination of the UPF and the one or more computing nodes) . In some implementations, a delivery path associated with the UPF and the one or more computing nodes may also be determined.

In the illustrated procedure 300, the first apparatus 301 causes triggering of a deployment of the specific service at 330. Specifically, the first apparatus 301 may trigger the third apparatus 303 to instantiate the specific service on the one or more computing nodes to fulfil the service deployment.

The first apparatus 301 (CNC controller 210) transmits a message to the third apparatus 303 (e.g., service life cycle management platform 230) at 332, where the message may indicate the specific service, the terminal device, and the one or more computing nodes. In some examples, the message is used to indicate to the third apparatus 303 (service life cycle management platform 230) to deploy the specific service on the one or more computing nodes. In some examples, the specific service may be instantiated on the one or more computing nodes. In some examples, the specific service may be a multi-module service, that is, there may be multiple modules, where different modules may be instantiated on different C-nodes. For example, a mapping algorithm may be used for determining a mapping relation between modules and C-nodes. The third apparatus 303 (service life cycle management platform 230) may instantiate the specific service and determine a deployed service instance of the specific service on the computing nodes, at 334. The third apparatus 303 (service life cycle management platform 230) transmits a response to the first apparatus 301 at 336, where the response may be an acknowledgement for deploying the specific service. For example, the response at 336 may include an IP address of a deployed service instance. As such, the specific service may be deployed on the one or more computing nodes dynamically.

In the illustrated procedure 300, the first apparatus 301 causes triggering of an establishment of a path associated with the terminal device, the UPF, and the one or more computing nodes at 340. Specifically, the first apparatus 301 triggers an establishment of an end-to-end delivery path from the terminal device 304, via the UPF, and to the one or more computing nodes each having deployed service instance. In some example embodiments, the establishment may include a setup of a PDU session between the terminal device 304 and the selected UPF for the specific service, e.g. in RAN 202; and further include a setup of a path between the selected UPF and the one or more computing nodes each having deployed service instance.

As shown in FIG. 3, the first apparatus 301 transmits an indication for a PDU session between the terminal device and the UPF for the specific service to the second apparatus 302 at 342. Accordingly, the second apparatus 302 may setup a PDU session or update an existing PDU session for the specific service.

The first apparatus 301 transmits (not shown in FIG. 3) a further indication for a path between the UPF and the one or more computing nodes to a controller associated with the computing nodes. For example, the controller associated with the computing nodes may be a software defined network (SDN) controller which may be configured to establish at least one path between the UPF and one or more computing nodes.

In the illustrated procedure 300, the first apparatus 301 transmits a service deployment response to the terminal device 304 at 350. In some implementations, the service deployment response may indicate that the specific service has been successfully deployed, e.g., on one or more computing nodes. In some examples, the service deployment response may be an acknowledgement of the deployment of the specific service. In some examples, the service deployment response may include an IP address of a deployed service instance.

In some implementations, the service deployment response may be implemented as a dedicated control plane message, a PDU session management control message, or a dedicated IP message over an IP layer. In some example embodiments, the service deployment response may be regarded as a service acknowledgement of the service deployment request, as such, the terminal device 304 may be aware of a successful deployment of the specific service.

According to some embodiments with reference to FIG. 3, a solution of an efficient dynamic computing service deployment is proposed, the solution implemented at least based on the service deployment request and response exchange between the terminal device and a CNC controller. The service requested by the service deployment request may be deployed at suitable computing nodes, and an efficiency of the service or a level of service performance (e.g., a level of quality of service, an optimal level of service performance, etc. ) may be guaranteed.

FIG. 4 illustrates an example schematic of the procedure 400 for service deployment in 6G network in accordance with some example embodiments of the present disclosure. The procedure 400 is presented with reference to FIG. 2, and involves steps 1 through 8.

At step 1, a service deployment request may be transmitted from the terminal device 240 to the CNC controller 210. At step 2, the CNC controller 210 may communicate with a corresponding module (e.g., UDM) in core network 204 to check whether the terminal device 240 has a right to request service deployment; if the terminal device 240 has a right to request service deployment, then the CNC controller 210 may further communicate with another related module (e.g., SMF 220) to retrieve one or more candidate UPFs that can be reached by the terminal device 240. At step 3, the CNC controller 210 may determine one or more candidate C-nodes that can host the service requested by the terminal device 240, e.g., after obtaining the reachable one or more candidate UPFs. At step 4, the CNC controller 210 may trigger the UPFs in the reachable one or more candidate UPFs to measure the network metrics between the UPF and the candidate C-nodes. For example, the reachable one or more candidate UPFs may include a UPF in RAN 202 and/or a UPF 250 that is not in but is outside of RAN 202.

At step 5, after obtaining the network metrics between reachable one or more candidate UPFs and candidate C-nodes, the CNC controller 210 may jointly select the combination (e.g., an optimal combination) of UPF, C-node (s) , and a delivery path between the UPF and C-node (s) . For example, requirements of the service, the network metrics, a location of the terminal device 240, and computing metrics on each C-node may be considered during the joint selection.

At step 6, the CNC controller 210 may trigger the service life-cycle management platform 230 to instantiate the service on the specified C-node to fulfil the dynamic service deployment. At step 7, the service life-cycle management platform 230 deploys the service on the specified C-node (s) . For example, the service may be a multi-module service, and different modules may be instantiated on different C-nodes, where a mapping between modules and C-nodes depends on a mapping algorithm.

At step 8, upon the successful deployment, if needed, the CNC controller 210 may trigger the end-to-end path setup based on the joint selection in step 5, including setup of a new PDU session between the terminal device 240 and the selected UPF (such as UPF 2501) for this service, and setup of the path between the selected UPF (such as UPF 2501) and the newly deployed service instance (such as at the C-node 2051) . After this, the CNC controller 210 returns, to the terminal device 240, a message acknowledging the setup of the end-to-end path, for example, via a Service Acknowledgement (including the IP address of the newly deployed service instance) .

According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, a CNC controller is defined in 6G network, and the CNC controller may be configured to have one or more following functions: receiving and/or perceiving service deployment request from a terminal device, discovering reachable UPFs for the terminal device, obtaining network metrics between specified UPFs and candidate c-nodes, joint selection of a UPF of the specified UPFs and a c-node of the candidate c-nodes for an end-to-end deployment of the requested service (e.g., an optimal end-to-end deployment) , triggering to deploy the requested service (e.g., sending message for causing the requested service to be deployed) , triggering to establish the end-to-end delivery path from the terminal device, via the appropriate UPF, and to the service instance newly deployed (e.g., sending messages for causing the end-to-end delivery path to be established) , , and acknowledging the service deployment request has been satisfied.

As discussed above, there are a service deployment request and a service deployment response (e.g., acknowledgement) between the terminal device 240 and the CNC controller 210.

In some implementations, the service deployment request and the service deployment response may be implemented as a dedicated control plane message. FIG. 5 illustrates an example format of a NAS message and the extended protocol discriminator in the NAS message 500. Two values for the field “Extended protocol discriminator” are currently being utilized, in particular, for indicating 5GS session management messages 501 and 5GS mobility management messages 502. In some examples, any one value which is reserved in FIG. 5 may be used for indicating the service deployment request and the service deployment response (be collectively referred to as CNC service deployment management messages) . 18or example, the value 14 for the extended protocol discriminator may be defined to indicate CNC service deployment management messages. In this event, a module in the core network 204 (such as AMF 203) may identify this kind of messages, and forward these messages to CNC controller 210 or the terminal device 240 for further operations.

A PDU session establishment procedure may involves one or more PDU session messages, such as a PDU session management message. In some other implementations, the PDU session establishment procedure may be extended to deliver the service deployment request and service deployment response associated with the CNC controller 210. For example, CNC information may be piggy-backed on or carried in a PDU session management message.

The following Table 1 shows content in a PDU session establishment request message, which may be sent by the terminal device to the SMF to initiate establishment of a PDU session as per 3GPP TS24.501 & TS24.008.

Table 1: PDU session establishment request message content

The information element “Extended Protocol Configuration Options” with IEI 7B, shown above, may be used for delivering the service deployment request and the service deployment response. In some example embodiments, the “additional parameters list” may be included when special parameters and/or requests (associated with a packet data protocol (PDP) context) need to be transferred between the UE and the network. The “additional parameters list” contains a list of special parameters, each one in a separate container. The type of the parameter carried in a container is identified by a specific container identifier (ID) . The following Table 2 shows a format of “Extended Protocol Configuration Options” , for example, via which some special parameters may be delivered.

Table 2: format of “Extended Protocol Configuration Options”

Some container –ID allocations are shown in Table 2. For example, a container ID allocation comprises a container ID, length of container ID n contents, and container ID n contents. According to one example of the present disclosure, a container ID that is not currently being utilized may be assigned to be used for indicating the service deployment request and the service deployment response of the present disclosure. For example, the Container ID n, Length of container ID n contents, and Container ID n contents in Table 2 may be used to carry information related to CNC service deployment.

The following Table 3 shows examples of additional parameters list. For example, a same value-ID (i.e. xxxH) may be used for both directions, that is, for the service deployment request and the service deployment response.

Table 3: examples of additional parameters list

In some other implementations, the service deployment request and the service deployment response may be delivered between the terminal device 240 and the CNC controller 210, e.g., over IP layer. In some examples, in order to directly contact CNC controller 210 over IP, the terminal device 240 should first obtain the IP address of CNC controller 210. For example, a CNC controller configuration option for “Extended Protocol Configuration Options” may be defined, and the terminal device 240 can directly obtain the IP address of CNC controller 210, e.g., in a manner similar to obtaining the IP address from a DNS server. For example, a CNC controller entry in DNS server may be defined, and the terminal device 240 can directly obtain the IP address of CNC controller 210 via DNS query.

In accordance with the above description, the service deployment request and the service deployment response may be implemented in a variety of ways, and a flexible manner of communication may be used between the terminal device 240 and the CNC controller 210.

According to the embodiments discussed above, the CNC controller may receive a service deployment request from a terminal device; trigger a deployment of the service that is requested on one or more computing nodes and trigger an establishment of a communication path for the service; and further transmit a service deployment response (e.g., acknowledgement) to the terminal device. As such, a CNC controller described herein is able to guarantee a level of service performance (e.g., a particular quality of service, an optimal level of service) for a particular deployment of a service for a terminal device. Additionally, in one embodiment, the service deployment that is provided can be a deployment determined to be efficient (e.g., perform with a certain level of efficiency, be a most efficient deployment possible subject to network metrics and service requirements) and thus, computing resources may be used with a desired efficiency.

FIG. 6 illustrates a flowchart of a method 600 performed by a first apparatus in accordance with some example embodiments of the present disclosure. For the purpose of discussion, the method 600 will be described from the perspective of the CNC controller 210 with reference to FIG. 2.

At block 610, the CNC controller 210 receives, from a terminal device, a service deployment request indicating a specific service of the terminal device to be deployed. At block 620, the CNC controller 210 determines a UPF and one or more computing nodes that are to be used for the specific service based on at least one of the following: requirements of the specific service determined based on the service deployment request, wherein the requirements comprise a network requirement and a computing requirement, one or more network metrics associated the UPF and/or the one or more computing nodes, or one or more computing metrics of the one or more computing nodes. At block 630, the CNC controller 210 causes triggering of a deployment of the specific service on the one or more computing nodes. At block 640, the CNC controller 210 causes triggering, for the specific service, of an establishment of a path associated with the terminal device, the UPF, and the one or more computing nodes. At block 650, the CNC controller 210 transmits, to the terminal device, a service deployment response indicating that the specific service has been deployed.

In some example embodiments, based on receipt of a service deployment request indicating a specific service of a terminal device, a CNC controller 210 determines one or more candidate UPFs reachable for the terminal device (in other words, one or more candidate UPFs that the terminal device is able to communication with) ; the CNC controller 210 determines one or more candidate computing nodes, each of the one or more candidate computing nodes having a capability for hosting the specific service of the terminal device; and the CNC controller 210 determines the UPF from the one or more candidate UPFs and one or more computing nodes from the one or more candidate computing nodes, based on at least one of the following: the network requirement of the specific service, one or more network metrics associated the UPF and/or the one or more computing nodes, or one or more computing metrics of the one or more computing nodes.

In some example embodiments, the CNC controller 210 transmits, to a second apparatus, a query request for the one or more candidate UPFs; and the CNC controller 210 receives, from the second apparatus, a query response indicating the one or more candidate UPFs reachable for the terminal device. For example, the second apparatus may be an SMF.

In some example embodiments, the CNC controller 210 determines the one or more candidate computing nodes, where each of the one or more candidate computing nodes has computing metrics meeting the computing requirement of the specific service.

In some example embodiments, the CNC controller 210 transmits, to each respective candidate UPF of the one or more candidate UPFs, an indication for a network metric between the respective candidate UPF of the one or more candidate UPFs and the one or more candidate computing nodes; the CNC controller 210 receives, from each respective candidate UPF of the one or more candidate UPFs, a respective network metric between the respective candidate UPF and the one or more candidate computing nodes. As such, the CNC controller 210 may obtain one or more network metrics from the one or more candidate UPFs respectively. In addition, the CNC controller 210 may select one UPF from the one or more candidate UPFs and select one or more C-nodes from the one or more candidate computing nodes based on the one or more network metrics and further based on computing metrics of the one or more computing nodes and/or requirements of the specific service, where the selected one or more C-nodes are used for the deployment of the specific service. It is to be understood that a delivery path between the selected UPF and the selected one or more C-nodes may be determined based on a network metric from the selected UPF. As such, the CNC controller 210 determines a combination of a UPF, one or more computing node, and a delivery path therebetween.

In some example embodiments, the CNC controller 210 obtains pre-stored network topology information. For example, the network topology information may indicate path information, resource utilization information, etc. The CNC controller 210 may determine, based on the network topology information, one or more network metrics associated with the one or more candidate UPFs.

In some example embodiments, the CNC controller 210 transmits, to a third apparatus, a message indicating the specific service, the terminal device, and the one or more computing nodes, where the message is used to indicate to the third apparatus to deploy a service instance of the specific service on the one or more computing nodes; and the CNC controller 210 receives, from the third apparatus, an acknowledgement of the deployment of the specific service.

In some example embodiments, the acknowledgement comprises: an IP address of the deployed service instance of the specific service. In some example embodiments, the service deployment response comprises the IP address of a service instance of the specific service.

In some example embodiments, the CNC controller 210 transmits, to a second apparatus, an indication for a PDU session between the terminal device and the UPF for the specific service; and the CNC controller 210 transmits, to at least one controller associated with the one or more computing nodes, a further indication for a path between the UPF and the one or more computing nodes.

In some example embodiments, at least one of the service deployment request or the service deployment response is implemented in: a dedicated control plane message, e.g., the dedicated control plane message is transferred via a fourth apparatus in a core network. In some example embodiments, at least one of the service deployment request or the service deployment response is implemented in: a PDU session management control message, e.g., the PDU session management control message is transferred via a second apparatus in the core network.

In some example embodiments, at least one of the service deployment request or the service deployment response is implemented in: a dedicated IP message over an IP layer, where the terminal device is configured with an IP address of the first apparatus.

In some example embodiments, the IP address of the first apparatus is carried in at least one of the following: a configuration associated with the first apparatus, or an entry in an item associated with a DNS.

In some example embodiments, the service deployment request comprises at least one of the following: an identifier of the specific service, or requirements of the specific service.

In some example embodiments, the CNC controller 210 determines that the terminal device has a right to transmit the service deployment request via communicating with a UDM in a core network concerning the right to transmit the service deployment request.

FIG. 7 illustrates a flowchart of a method 700 performed by a terminal device in accordance with some example embodiments of the present disclosure. For the purpose of discussion, the method 700 will be described from the perspective of the terminal device 240 with reference to FIG. 2.

At block 710, the terminal device 240 transmits, to a first apparatus for controlling a service deployment of the terminal device, a service deployment request indicating a request for deployment of a specific service of the terminal device. At block 720, the terminal device 240 receives, from the first apparatus, a service deployment response indicating that the specific service has been deployed.

In some example embodiments, at least one of the following: the service deployment request or the service deployment response is implemented in: a dedicated control plane message. In some example embodiments, at least one of the following: the service deployment request or the service deployment response, is implemented in: a PDU session management control message.

In some example embodiments, at least one of following: the service deployment request or the service deployment response, is implemented in a dedicated IP message over an IP layer, where the terminal device is configured with an IP address of the first apparatus.

In some example embodiments, the terminal device 240 obtains the IP address of the first apparatus from at least one of the following: a configuration associated with the first apparatus, or an entry in an item associated with a DNS.

In some example embodiments, the service deployment response comprises an IP address of a deployed service instance on the one or more computing nodes.

FIG. 8 illustrates a flowchart of a method 800 performed by a second apparatus in accordance with some example embodiments of the present disclosure. For the purpose of discussion, the method 800 will be described from the perspective of the SMF 220 with reference to FIG. 2. That is; for purposes of discussion, the second apparatus implements the SMF 220.

At block 810, the SMF 220 receives, from a first apparatus for controlling a service deployment of a terminal device, an indication for a PDU session between the terminal device and a UPF for a specific service of the terminal device. At block 820, the SMF 220 sets up the PDU session between the terminal device and the UPF based on the indication.

In some example embodiments, the SMF 220 receives, from the first apparatus, a query request for one or more candidate UPFs reachable for the terminal device; and the SMF 220 transmits, to the first apparatus, a query response indicating the one or more candidate UPFs that are reachable for the terminal device.

In some example embodiments, the SMF 220 forwards at least one of the following: a service deployment request or a service deployment response, between the terminal device and the first apparatus, where the at least one of the following: the service deployment request or the service deployment response is implemented in a PDU session management control message.

FIG. 9 illustrates a flowchart of a method 900 performed by a third apparatus in accordance with some example embodiments of the present disclosure. For the purpose of discussion, the method 900 will be described from the perspective of the service lifecycle management platform 230 with reference to FIG. 2. That is; for purposes of discussion, the third apparatus implements the service lifecycle management platform 230.

At block 910, the service lifecycle management platform 230 receives, from a first apparatus for controlling a service deployment of a terminal device, a message indicating the terminal device, a specific service of the terminal device, and one or more computing nodes for deploying the specific service. At block 920, the service lifecycle management platform 230 performs, based on the message, a deployment of a service instance of the specific service on the one or more computing nodes. At block 930, the service lifecycle management platform 230 transmits, to the first apparatus, an acknowledgement of the deployment of the specific service.

In some example embodiments, the service lifecycle management platform 230 instantiates the specific service on the one or more computing nodes, and thereby determines an IP address of the deployed service instance.

FIG. 10 illustrates a flowchart of a method 1000 performed by a UPF in accordance with some example embodiments of the present disclosure. For the purpose of discussion, the method 1000 will be described from the perspective of the UPF 250 with reference to FIG. 2.

At block 1010, the UPF 250 receives, from a first apparatus for controlling a service deployment of a terminal device, an indication for a network metric between the UPF and one or more candidate computing nodes. At block 1020, the UPF 250 determines, based on the indication, the network metric between the UPF and one or more candidate computing nodes. At block 1030, after the network metric is determined, the UPF 250 transmits, to the first apparatus, the network metric between the UPF and one or more candidate computing nodes that was determined.

In some example embodiments, a first apparatus capable of performing the method 600 (for example, the CNC controller 210) may comprise means for performing the respective steps of the method 600. The means may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the means may be implemented in a circuitry or software module.

In some example embodiments, the first apparatus comprises: means for receiving, from a terminal device, a service deployment request indicating that a specific service of the terminal device is to be deployed; means for determining a UPF and one or more computing nodes that are to be used for the specific service based on at least one of the following: requirements of the specific service determined based on the service deployment request, wherein the requirements comprise a network requirement and a computing requirement, one or more network metrics associated the UPF and/or the one or more computing nodes, or one or more computing metrics of the one or more computing nodes; means for causing triggering of a deployment of the specific service on the one or more computing nodes; means for causing triggering, for the specific service, of an establishment of a path associated with the terminal device, the UPF, and the one or more computing nodes; and means for transmitting, to the terminal device, a service deployment response indicating that the specific service has been deployed.

In some example embodiments, means for determining the UPF and the one or more computing nodes comprises: means for determining one or more candidate UPFs reachable for the terminal device; means for determining one or more candidate computing nodes, each of the one or more candidate computing nodes having a capability for hosting the specific service of the terminal device; and means for determining the UPF from the one or more candidate UPFs and the one or more computing nodes from the one or more candidate computing nodes, based on at least one of the following: the network requirement of the specific service, one or more network metrics associated the UPF and/or the one or more computing nodes, or one or more computing metrics of the one or more computing nodes.

In some example embodiments, the first apparatus further comprises: means for determining one or more candidate UPFs reachable for the terminal device; means for determining one or more candidate computing nodes, each of the one or more candidate computing nodes having a capability for hosting the specific service of the terminal device; means for transmitting, to each respective candidate UPF of the one or more candidate UPFs, an indication for a network metric between the respective candidate UPF of the one or more candidate UPFs and the one or more candidate computing nodes; and means for receiving, from each respective candidate UPF of the one or more candidate UPFs, a respective network metric between the respective candidate UPF of the one or more candidate UPFs and the one or more candidate computing nodes, to obtain one or more network metrics from the one or more candidate UPFs respectively.

In some example embodiments, means for determining one or more candidate UPFs reachable for the terminal device comprises: means for transmitting, to a second apparatus, a query request for the one or more candidate UPFs; and means for receiving, from the second apparatus, a query response indicating the one or more candidate UPFs reachable for the terminal device.

In some example embodiments, means for determining one or more candidate computing nodes comprises: means for determining the one or more candidate computing nodes, wherein each of the one or more candidate computing nodes has computing metrics meeting the computing requirement of the specific service.

In some example embodiments, the first apparatus further comprises: means for obtaining network topology information; where the a one or more network metrics associated with the UPF are based on the network topology information.

In some example embodiments, means for causing triggering of the deployment of the specific service on the one or more computing nodes comprises: means for transmitting, to a third apparatus, a message indicating the specific service, the terminal device, and the one or more computing nodes, wherein the message is used to indicate to the third apparatus to deploy a service instance of the specific service on the one or more computing nodes; and means for receiving, from the third apparatus, an acknowledgement of the deployment of the specific service.

In some example embodiments, means for causing triggering of an establishment of a path associated with the terminal device, the UPF, and the one or more computing nodes comprises: means for transmitting, to a second apparatus, an indication for a PDU session between the terminal device and the UPF for the specific service; and means for transmitting, to at least one controller associated with the one or more computing nodes, a further indication for a path between the UPF and the one or more computing nodes.

In some example embodiments, at least one of the service deployment request or the service deployment response is implemented in: a dedicated control plane message. In some example embodiments, at least one of the service deployment request or the service deployment response is implemented in: a PDU session management control message. In some example embodiments, at least one of the service deployment request or the service deployment response is implemented in: a dedicated IP message over an IP layer, wherein the terminal device is configured with an IP address of the first apparatus.

In some example embodiments, the first apparatus further comprises: means for determining that the terminal device has a right to transmit the service deployment request via communicating with a UDM in a core network.

In some example embodiments, the one or more network metrics comprise at least one of the following: a latency; or a bandwidth.

In some example embodiments, the one or more computing metrics comprise at least one of the following: computation speed; energy usage; or energy efficiency.

FIG. 11 illustrates a simplified block diagram of a device 1100 that is suitable for implementing some example embodiments of the present disclosure. The device 1100 may be provided to implement the first apparatus 301, the second apparatus 302, the third apparatus 303, the terminal device 304, and the UPF 305 discussed above in FIG. 3, or to implement the CNC controller 210, the SMF 220, the service lifecycle management platform 230, the terminal device 240, and the UPF 250 device discussed above in FIG. 2. As shown, the device 1100 includes one or more processors 1110, one or more memories 1120 coupled to the processor 1110, and one or more communication modules 1140 coupled to the processor 1110.

The communication module 1140 is for bidirectional communications. The communication module 1140 has at least one antenna to facilitate communication. The communication interface may represent any interface that is necessary for communication with other network elements.

The processor 1110 may be of any type suitable to the local technical network and may include one or more of the following: general purpose computers, special purpose computers, microprocessors, digital signal processors (DSPs) and processors based on multicore processor architecture, as non-limiting examples. The device 1100 may have multiple processors, such as an application specific integrated circuit chip that is slaved in time to a clock which synchronizes the main processor.

The memory 1120 may include one or more non-volatile memories and one or more volatile memories. Examples of the non-volatile memories include, but are not limited to, a Read Only Memory (ROM) 1124, an electrically programmable read only memory (EPROM) , a flash memory, a hard disk, a compact disc (CD) , a digital video disk (DVD) , and other magnetic storage and/or optical storage. Examples of the volatile memories include, but are not limited to, a random access memory (RAM) 1122 and other volatile memories that will not last in the power-down duration.

A computer program 1130 includes computer executable instructions that are executed by the associated processor 1110. The program 1130 may be stored in the ROM 1124. The processor 1110 may perform any suitable actions and processing by loading the program 1130 into the RAM 1122.

The embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented by means of the program 1130 so that the device 1100 may perform any process of the disclosure as discussed with reference to FIGS. 2-8. The embodiments of the present disclosure may also be implemented by hardware or by a combination of software and hardware.

In some example embodiments, the program 1130 may be tangibly contained in a computer readable medium which may be included in the device 1100 (such as in the memory 1120) or other storage devices that are accessible by the device 1100. The device 1100 may load the program 1130 from the computer readable medium to the RAM 1122 for execution. The computer readable medium may include any types of tangible non-volatile storage, such as ROM, EPROM, a flash memory, a hard disk, CD, DVD, and the like.

FIG. 12 illustrates a block diagram of an example of a computer readable medium 1200 in accordance with some example embodiments of the present disclosure. The computer readable medium 1200 has the program 1130 stored thereon. It is noted that although the computer readable medium 1200 is depicted in form of CD or DVD in FIG. 12, the computer readable medium 1200 may be in any other form suitable to carry or hold the program 1130.

Various embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented in hardware or 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 which may be executed by a controller, microprocessor or other computing device. While various aspects of embodiments of the present disclosure are illustrated and described as block diagrams, flowcharts, or using some other pictorial representations, it is to be understood that the block, apparatus, system, technique or method described herein may be implemented in, as non-limiting examples, hardware, software, firmware, special purpose circuits or logic, general purpose hardware or controller or other computing devices, or some combination thereof.

The present disclosure also provides at least one computer program product tangibly stored on a non-transitory computer readable storage medium. The computer program product includes computer-executable instructions, such as those included in program modules, being executed in a device on a target real or virtual processor, to carry out the method as described above with reference to any of FIGS. 2-8. Generally, program modules include routines, programs, libraries, objects, classes, components, data structures, or the like that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types. The functionality of the program modules may be combined or split between program modules as desired in various embodiments. Machine-executable instructions for program modules may be executed within a local or distributed device. In a distributed device, program modules may be located in both local and remote storage media.

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

In the context of the present disclosure, the computer program codes or related data may be carried by any suitable carrier to enable the device, apparatus or processor to perform various processes and operations as described above. Examples of the carrier include a signal, computer readable medium, and the like.

The computer readable medium may be a computer readable signal medium or a computer readable storage medium. A computer readable medium may include but not limited to an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, or device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. More specific examples of the computer readable storage medium would include an electrical connection having one or more wires, a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM) , a read-only memory (ROM) , an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or Flash memory) , an optical fiber, a portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM) , an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. The term “non-transitory, ” as used herein, is a limitation of the medium itself (i.e., tangible, not a signal) as opposed to a limitation on data storage persistency (e.g., RAM vs. ROM) .

Further, while operations are depicted in a particular order, this should not be understood as requiring that such operations be performed in the particular order shown or in sequential order, or that all illustrated operations be performed, to achieve desirable results. In certain circumstances, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous. Likewise, while several specific implementation details are contained in the above discussions, these should not be construed as limitations on the scope of the present disclosure, but rather as descriptions of features that may be specific to particular embodiments. Certain features that are described in the context of separate embodiments may also be implemented in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features that are described in the context of a single embodiment may also be implemented in multiple embodiments separately or in any suitable sub-combination.

Although the present disclosure has been described in languages specific to structural features and/or methodological acts, it is to be understood that the present disclosure 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

A first apparatus comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the first apparatus at least to perform:

receiving, from a terminal device, a service deployment request indicating a specific service of the terminal device is to be deployed;

determining a user plane function (UPF) and one or more computing nodes that are to be used for the specific service based on at least one of the following:

requirements of the specific service determined based on the service deployment request, wherein the requirements comprise a network requirement and a computing requirement,

one or more network metrics associated the UPF and/or the one or more computing nodes, or

one or more computing metrics of the one or more computing nodes;

causing triggering of a deployment of the specific service on the one or more computing nodes;

causing triggering, for the specific service, of an establishment of a path associated with the terminal device, the UPF, and the one or more computing nodes; and

transmitting, to the terminal device, a service deployment response indicating that the specific service has been deployed.
The first apparatus of claim 1, wherein the determining the UPF and the one or more computing nodes comprises:

determining one or more candidate UPFs reachable for the terminal device;

determining one or more candidate computing nodes, each of the one or more candidate computing nodes having a capability for hosting the specific service of the terminal device; and

determining the UPF from the one or more candidate UPFs and the one or more computing nodes from the one or more candidate computing nodes, based on at least one of the following:

the network requirement of the specific service,

one or more network metrics associated the UPF and/or the one or more computing nodes, or

one or more computing metrics of the one or more computing nodes.
The first apparatus of claim 1, wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the first apparatus to perform:

determining one or more candidate UPFs reachable for the terminal device;

determining one or more candidate computing nodes, each of the one or more candidate computing nodes having a capability for hosting the specific service of the terminal device;

transmitting, to each respective candidate UPF of the one or more candidate UPFs, an indication for a network metric between the respective candidate UPF of the one or more candidate UPFs and the one or more candidate computing nodes; and

receiving, from each respective candidate UPF of the one or more candidate UPFs, a respective network metric associated with the respective candidate UPF of the one or more candidate UPFs and the one or more candidate computing nodes, to obtain the one or more network metrics from the one or more candidate UPFs respectively.
The first apparatus of claim 2 or 3, wherein the determining the one or more candidate UPFs reachable for the terminal device comprises:

transmitting, to a second apparatus, a query request for the one or more candidate UPFs; and

receiving, from the second apparatus, a query response indicating the one or more candidate UPFs reachable for the terminal device.
The first apparatus of any of claims 2-4, wherein the determining one or more candidate computing nodes comprises:

determining the one or more candidate computing nodes, wherein each of the one or more candidate computing nodes has computing metrics meeting the computing requirement of the specific service.
The first apparatus of claim 1, wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the first apparatus to perform:

obtaining network topology information; and wherein

the one or more network metrics associated with the UPF are based on the network topology information.
The first apparatus of any of claims 1-6, wherein the causing triggering of the deployment of the specific service on the one or more computing nodes comprises:

transmitting, to a third apparatus, a message indicating the specific service, the terminal device, and the one or more computing nodes, wherein the message is used to indicate to the third apparatus to deploy a service instance of the specific service on the one or more computing nodes; and

receiving, from the third apparatus, an acknowledgement of the deployment of the specific service.
The first apparatus of claim 7, wherein the acknowledgement comprises: an internet protocol (IP) address of the service instance of the specific service.
The first apparatus of any of claims 1-8, wherein the service deployment response comprises an IP address of a service instance of the specific service.
The first apparatus of any of claims 1-9, wherein the causing triggering of an establishment of a path associated with the terminal device, the UPF, and the one or more computing nodes comprises:

transmitting, to a second apparatus, an indication for a packet date unit (PDU) session between the terminal device and the UPF for the specific service; and

transmitting, to at least one controller associated with the one or more computing nodes, a further indication for a path between the UPF and the one or more computing nodes.
The first apparatus of any of claims 1-10, wherein at least one of the following:

the service deployment request, or

the service deployment response,

is implemented in: a dedicated control plane message, or a PDU session management control message.
The first apparatus of any of claims 1-10, wherein at least one of the following:

the service deployment request, or

the service deployment response,

is implemented in: a dedicated IP message over an IP layer, wherein the terminal device is configured with an IP address of the first apparatus.
The first apparatus of claim 12, wherein the IP address of the first apparatus is carried in at least one of the following:

a configuration associated with the first apparatus, or

an entry in an item associated with a domain name server (DNS) .
The first apparatus of any of claims 1-13, wherein the service deployment request comprises at least one of following:

an identifier of the specific service, or

the requirements of the specific service.
The first apparatus of any of claims 1-14, wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the first apparatus to perform:

determining the terminal device has a right to transmit the service deployment request via communicating with a unified data management (UDM) in a core network.
The first apparatus of any of claims 1-15, wherein the one or more network metrics comprise at least one of the following:

a latency; or

a bandwidth.
The first apparatus of any of claims 1-16, wherein the one or more computing metrics comprise at least one of the following:

computation speed;

energy usage; or

energy efficiency.
A method comprising:

receiving, at a first apparatus from a terminal device, a service deployment request indicating a specific service of the terminal device that is to be deployed;

determining, based on the service deployment request, a user plane function (UPF) and one or more computing nodes that are to be used for the specific service based on at least one of the following:

requirements of the specific service determined based on the service deployment request, wherein the requirements comprise a network requirement and a computing requirement,

one or more network metrics associated the UPF and/or the one or more computing nodes, or

one or more computing metrics of the one or more computing nodes;

causing triggering of a deployment of the specific service on the one or more computing nodes;

causing triggering, for the specific service, of an establishment of a path associated with the terminal device, the UPF, and the one or more computing nodes; and

transmitting, to the terminal device, a service deployment response indicating that the specific service has been deployed.
The method of claim 18, wherein the determining the UPF and the one or more computing nodes comprises:

determining one or more candidate UPFs reachable for the terminal device;

determining one or more candidate computing nodes, each of the one or more candidate computing nodes having a capability for hosting the specific service of the terminal device; and

determining the UPF from the one or more candidate UPFs and the one or more computing nodes from the one or more candidate computing nodes, based on at least one of the following:

the network requirement of the specific service,

one or more network metrics associated the UPF and/or the one or more computing nodes, or

one or more computing metrics of the one or more computing nodes.
The method of claim 18, further comprising:

determining one or more candidate UPFs reachable for the terminal device;

determining one or more candidate computing nodes, each of the one or more candidate computing nodes having a capability for hosting the specific service of the terminal device;

transmitting, to each respective candidate UPF of the one or more candidate UPFs, an indication for a network metric between the respective candidate UPF of the one or more candidate UPFs and the one or more candidate computing nodes; and

receiving, from each respective candidate UPF of the one or more candidate UPFs, a respective network metric associated with the respective candidate UPF of the one or more candidate UPFs and the one or more candidate computing nodes, to obtain the one or more network metrics from the one or more candidate UPFs respectively.
The method of claim 19 or 20, wherein the determining the one or more candidate UPFs reachable for the terminal device comprises:

transmitting, to a second apparatus, a query request for the one or more candidate UPFs; and

receiving, from the second apparatus, a query response indicating the one or more candidate UPFs reachable for the terminal device.
The method of any of claims 19-21, wherein the determining one or more candidate computing nodes comprises:

determining the one or more candidate computing nodes, wherein each of the one or more candidate computing nodes has computing metrics meeting the computing requirement of the specific service.
The method of claim 18, wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the first apparatus to perform:

obtaining network topology information; and wherein

the one or more network metrics associated with the UPF are based on the network topology information.
The method of any of claims 18-23, wherein the causing triggering of the deployment of the specific service on the one or more computing nodes comprises:

transmitting, to a third apparatus, a message indicating the specific service, the terminal device, and the one or more computing nodes, wherein the message is used to indicate to the third apparatus to deploy a service instance of the specific service on the one or more computing nodes; and

receiving, from the third apparatus, an acknowledgement of the deployment of the specific service.
A computer readable medium comprising program instructions for causing an apparatus to perform at least the method of any of claims 18-24.