CN106912012B

CN106912012B - The selection method and control face entity of user entity in mobile communications network

Info

Publication number: CN106912012B
Application number: CN201510979740.9A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 侯云静; 王胡成; 张娟; 胡渭琦
Original assignee: China Academy of Telecommunications Technology CATT
Current assignee: China Academy of Telecommunications Technology CATT; Datang Mobile Communications Equipment Co Ltd
Priority date: 2015-12-23
Filing date: 2015-12-23
Publication date: 2019-08-30
Anticipated expiration: 2035-12-23
Also published as: CN106912012A

Abstract

The present invention provides the selection method of the user entity in mobile communications network and control face entities.The embodiment of the present invention is realized to the selection function of user entity after the user entity of SGW/PGW and control plane entity separation, provides support for e-learning quality.In addition, the embodiment of the present invention in user entity selection course, comprehensively considers the load information, capacity and user entity of the user entity factors such as at a distance from UE, realize to user entity preferred process.

Description

Selection method of user plane entity in mobile communication network and control plane entity

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a mobile communication network, and in particular, to a method for selecting a user plane entity in a mobile communication network and a control plane entity.

Background

A Long Term Evolution/System architecture Evolution (LTE/SAE) mobile communication network architecture (taking a non-roaming scenario as an example) is shown in fig. 1, where main logical nodes in an Evolved Packet Core (EPC) include: packet Data Network Gateway (PDN Gateway, Packet Data Network Gateway, denoted PGW), Serving Gateway (SGW) and Mobility Management Entity (MME). The relevant functions of the SGW and PGW are briefly described below.

Wherein, the SGW has the following functions:

-a local mobility anchor at handover across evolved base stations (enbs);

-sending one or more "end markers" to a source eNB, source Serving GPRS Support Node (SGSN) or source Radio Network Controller (RNC) immediately after a data transmission path transfer during a handover between enbs and across Radio access technologies;

-mobility anchor point for cross 3GPP access handover;

-buffering downlink data for the UE in IDLE (ECM-IDLE) mode, initiating a network triggered service request procedure, and optionally paging policy differentiation;

-lawful interception;

-packet routing and forwarding;

-marking the uplink and downlink data packets at the transmission level, e.g. setting a differentiated services code point according to a quality of service class identifier (QCI) of the bearer;

-performing charging operations for cross operator settlement. For the S5/S8 interface based on GPRS Tunneling Protocol (GTP), the SGW generates charging data for each bearer of each user;

-performing offline charging according to charging principles;

-forwarding the "termination flag" to the source eNB, the source SGSN or the source RNC when the "termination flag" is received from the PGW and there is an established downlink data transmission path in the SGW. Upon receiving the flag, the SGW should not send a downlink data notification.

The function of the PGW is as follows:

packet filtering on a per user basis (e.g. using deep packet inspection);

-lawful interception;

-UE IP address assignment;

-marking the transport packets in the uplink and downlink direction, e.g. setting differentiated services code points according to QCIs carried by an Evolved Packet System (EPS);

-performing charging operations for cross-operator settlement: in a home and rural routing roaming scenario, a PGW should collect and report uplink and downlink data volumes of each bearer received from or sent to a service node;

-charging of uplink and downlink service levels;

-performing offline charging according to charging principles;

-gateway control of uplink and downlink traffic levels;

-controlling the uplink and downlink rates of the traffic;

-controlling uplink and downlink rates according to an access point name-aggregate maximum bit rate (APN-AMBR);

-controlling the downlink rate according to the MBR of a set of traffic data streams for which the Guaranteed Bit Rate (GBR) QCIs identical;

-DHCPv4 and DHCPv6 function;

-packet filtering;

-sending one or more "termination flags" to the source SGW immediately after the path switch during the SGW changed handover;

-Policy Control Charging (PCC) related functions;

-uplink and downlink bearer binding;

-upstream bearer binding verification;

-charging for each bearer of each UE.

In existing LTE/SAE, SGW selection refers to the MME selecting one SGW that serves the UE. The selection operation is performed according to the network topology, i.e. the selected SGW can serve the location where the UE is located, the MME will prefer the SGW with the smallest SGW change probability. Load balancing between SGWs is also a criterion for SGW selection. When the SGW IP address returned by the DNS server includes a weight parameter (weight factor), the MME selects the SGW using the weight parameter if load balancing needs to be considered. For a particular SGW, the weight parameter for that SGW is typically set based on the relative capacity between that SGW and other SGWs serving the same tracking area.

If the MME supports GTP-C load control, when the MME selects the SGW, the MME takes into account not only the weight parameters received from the DNS server, but also the load information received from the SGW.

PGW selection refers to MME selecting PGW for UE using subscription information provided by Home Subscriber Server (HSS) and other criteria (e.g. SIPTO/LIPA support information for each APN configured in MME, load balancing between PGWs, etc.). When the IP address of the PGW returned by the DNS server includes a weight parameter, if load balancing is required, the MME uses the parameter when selecting the PGW. For a particular PGW, the weight parameter of the PGW is typically set according to the relative capacity between the PGW and other PGWs associated with the same APN.

When the MME supports the GTP-C load control function, the MME considers load information received from the PGW when selecting the PGW, in addition to the weight parameter returned by the DNS server.

In the prior art, the PDN subscription information provided by the HSS generally includes:

identification of APN and PGW, or

-APN and whether the PGW allocation from VPLMN is allowed or should be allowed;

-optionally, for an APN, whether it is allowed to perform SIPTO above RAN and/or SIPTO atthe Local Network for that APN;

-optionally, for an APN, performing LIPA is conditional, forbidden or supported.

The PGW selection may support static PGW selection, and the specific implementation manner is to map the configured APN to a specific PGW, or the PGW identifier provided by the HSS is a static PGW.

When the UE has connected to one or more PDNs, the UE provides APNs in a request message for PGW selection in order to establish a connection to one PDN. If the PDN subscription context provided by the HSS includes one wildcard APN (wild card APN), then the PDN connection may be established using any APN requested by the UE. If the HSS provides the identity of the statically allocated PGW, or the HSS provides the identity of the dynamically allocated PGW and the request type is "handover", then no PGW selection needs to be performed. If the HSS provides the identification of the dynamically allocated PGW, the HSS also provides the identification information of the PLMN where the PGW is located.

If the HSS provides an identification of the dynamically allocated PGW and the request type is "initial request," the HSS-provided PGW may be used or a new PGW may be selected. If the APN of the PDN connection supports SIPTO, a PGW close to the location of the UE should be selected. The PGW identity refers to a specific PGW. If the PGW identifier comprises an IP address, the address is the IP address of the PGW, otherwise, the PGW identifier comprises an FQDN, and the MME resolves the IP address of the PGW by using a DNS function.

If the PDN subscription context provided by the HSS allows the allocation of a PGW from the VPLMN for the APN and the configuration information in the MME may indicate that there is a roaming agreement between the VPLMN and the HPLMN, the MME derives a PGW identity from the VPLMN. If the PGW identity cannot be derived, or subscription does not allow the allocation of PGWs from VPLMNs, the PGW identity is derived from the HPLMN using the APN. And the MME derives a PGW identifier by using the DNS function according to the APN, the subscription data and other information. If the PGW identity is a logical name and not an IP address, the MME performs DNS resolution using the PGW identity and the protocol type (PMIP or GTP) of the S5/S8 interface. The MME/SGSN is configured with S8 interface protocol for each HPLMN.

When the UE provides an APN, the MME derives a PGW identity using the APN if the HSS-provided subscription context allows the UE to use the APN. The MME should select the same PGW if there is already a PDN connection related to the APN.

In the existing mobile communication network, the PGW and the SGW have both control plane entities (i.e. handling control signaling) and user plane entities (i.e. forwarding data packets), which is not favorable for the network evolution. In the prior art, an MME is responsible for selecting an SGW and a PGW, and when a control plane entity and a user plane entity of the SGW and the PGW are separated, the user plane entity is transparent to the MME, so that the existing selection mechanism is not suitable for selection of the user plane entity.

Disclosure of Invention

The technical problem to be solved in the embodiments of the present invention is to provide a method for selecting a user plane entity in a mobile communication network and a control plane entity, where after a control plane entity and a user plane entity of a PGW/SGW are separated, the selection of the user plane entity is implemented in a plurality of user plane entities deployed in the network.

To solve the above technical problem, a method for selecting a user plane entity in a mobile communication network and a control plane entity provided in an embodiment of the present invention include:

a first SGW control plane entity selects a first PGW user plane entity serving the UE;

the first SGW control plane entity sends a first request message carrying an identifier of the first PGW user plane entity to the first PGW control plane entity.

Preferably, in the above method, when the first SGW control plane entity selects the first PGW user plane entity, the first SGW user plane entity serving the UE is also selected;

the first request message also carries an identifier of a first SGW user plane entity.

Preferably, in the above method, before the step of selecting, by the first SGW control plane entity, the first PGW user plane entity serving the UE, the method further includes:

and the first SGW control plane entity receives a create session request message sent by the MME.

Preferably, in the above method, the selecting of the first SGW user plane entity and the first PGW user plane entity includes:

the first SGW control plane entity determines an SGW user plane entity connected with the first SGW control plane entity and a PGW user plane entity connected with the first PGW control plane entity according to the preconfigured network topology information of the user plane entity;

and respectively selecting a first SGW user plane entity and a first PGW user plane entity from the SGW user plane entity connected with the first SGW control plane entity and the PGW user plane entity connected with the first PGW control plane entity.

a first SGW control surface entity constructs a full-name domain name FQDN and sends the FQDN to a domain name resolution DNS server, wherein the FQDN comprises user position information of the UE and/or an identifier of a first PGW control surface entity;

a first SGW control plane entity receives a first IP address list of an SGW user plane entity and a second IP address list of a PGW user plane entity returned by a DNS server;

and respectively selecting a first SGW user plane entity and a first PGW user plane entity according to the first IP address list and the second IP address list.

the first SGW control surface entity constructs a full-name domain name FQDN according to the user position information of the UE and sends the FQDN and the identifier of the first PGW control surface entity to a domain name resolution DNS server;

Preferably, in the above method, the step of respectively selecting the first SGW user plane entity and the first PGW user plane entity includes:

obtaining screening parameters, wherein the screening parameters comprise at least one of load information of a user plane entity, capacity of the user plane entity and distance between the user plane entity and the UE;

and respectively selecting a first SGW user plane entity and a first PGW user plane entity of which the screening parameters meet the screening strategy from the SGW user plane entity and the PGW user plane entity according to the screening parameters and a preset screening strategy.

Preferably, in the above method, the obtaining of the load information includes: the first SGW control plane entity receives load information of a user plane entity.

Preferably, in the method, the step of receiving, by the first SGW control plane entity, load information of a user plane entity includes:

a first SGW control plane entity receives load information sent by a user plane entity, wherein the user plane entity comprises an SGW user plane entity and/or a PGW user plane entity;

or,

a first SGW control plane entity sends a load request message carrying a PGW user plane entity identifier to a first PGW control plane entity, and receives a load response message carrying load information of the PGW user plane entity sent by the first PGW control plane entity.

The embodiment of the invention also provides a method for selecting another user plane entity, which is characterized by comprising the following steps:

a first PGW control plane entity receives a first request message which is sent by a first SGW control plane entity and carries an identifier of a first PGW user plane entity;

the first PGW control plane entity determines, according to the first request message, that the PGW user plane entity serving the UE is the first PGW user plane entity.

Preferably, in the above method, the first request message further carries an identifier of the first PGW user plane entity.

Preferably, the method further comprises:

a first PGW control plane entity receives a load request message sent by a first SGW control plane entity, wherein the load request message carries an identifier of a PGW user plane entity;

and the first PGW control plane entity sends a load response message carrying the load information of the PGW user plane entity to the first SGW control plane entity according to the load request message.

An embodiment of the present invention further provides a first SGW control plane entity, including:

the device comprises a selecting unit, a sending unit and a receiving unit, wherein the selecting unit is used for selecting a first PGW user plane entity serving the UE;

a sending unit, configured to send a first request message carrying an identifier of a first PGW user plane entity to the first PGW control plane entity.

Preferably, in the first SGW control plane entity, the selecting unit is further configured to select a first SGW user plane entity serving the UE when the first PGW user plane entity is selected;

the first request message sent by the sending unit also carries an identifier of the first SGW user plane entity.

Preferably, the first SGW control plane entity further includes:

a first receiving unit, configured to receive a session creation request message sent by an MME, and trigger the selecting unit to select the first SGW user plane entity and the first PGW user plane entity after receiving the session creation request message.

Preferably, in the first SGW control plane entity, the selecting unit includes:

a determining unit, configured to determine, according to network topology information of a pre-configured user plane entity, an SGW user plane entity connected to a first SGW control plane entity and a PGW user plane entity connected to a first PGW control plane entity;

the filtering unit is configured to select the first SGW user plane entity and the first PGW user plane entity from an SGW user plane entity connected to the first SGW control plane entity and a PGW user plane entity connected to the first PGW control plane entity, respectively.

Preferably, in the first SGW control plane entity, the selecting unit includes:

the system comprises a first construction unit, a domain name resolution DNS server and a second construction unit, wherein the first construction unit is used for constructing a fully-named domain name FQDN and sending the fully-named domain name FQDN to the domain name resolution DNS server, and the FQDN comprises user position information of the UE and/or an identifier of a first PGW control surface entity;

a second receiving unit, configured to receive the first IP address list of the SGW user plane entity and the second IP address list of the PGW user plane entity returned by the DNS server;

and the screening unit is used for respectively selecting a first SGW user plane entity and a first PGW user plane entity according to the first IP address list and the second IP address list.

Preferably, in the first SGW control plane entity, the selecting unit includes:

a second constructing unit, configured to construct a fully-qualified domain name FQDN according to the user location information of the UE, and send the FQDN and an identifier of the first PGW control plane entity to a domain name resolution DNS server;

a third receiving unit, configured to receive the first IP address list of the SGW user plane entity and the second IP address list of the PGW user plane entity returned by the DNS server;

Preferably, in the first SGW control plane entity, the screening unit includes:

a parameter obtaining unit, configured to obtain a screening parameter, where the screening parameter includes at least one of load information of a user plane entity, capacity of the user plane entity, and a distance between the user plane entity and the UE;

and the processing unit is used for respectively selecting a first SGW user plane entity and a first PGW user plane entity of which the screening parameters meet the screening strategy from the SGW user plane entity and the PGW user plane entity according to the screening parameters and a preset screening strategy.

Preferably, in the first SGW control plane entity, the parameter obtaining unit includes:

and the load information obtaining unit is used for receiving the load information of the user plane entity.

Preferably, in the first SGW control plane entity, the load information obtaining unit is specifically configured to:

receiving load information sent by a user plane entity, wherein the user plane entity comprises an SGW user plane entity and/or a PGW user plane entity;

or,

sending a load request message carrying a PGW user plane entity identifier to a first PGW control plane entity, and receiving a load response message carrying load information of the PGW user plane entity sent by the first PGW control plane entity.

An embodiment of the present invention further provides another first SGW control plane entity, including:

a processor; and a memory connected to the processor through a bus interface; the memory is used for storing programs and data used by the processor in executing operation, and when the processor calls and executes the programs and data stored in the memory, the following functional modules are realized:

An embodiment of the present invention further provides a first PGW control plane entity, including:

a first receiving unit, configured to receive a first request message carrying an identifier of a first PGW user plane entity, where the first request message is sent by a first SGW control plane entity;

a determining unit, configured to determine, according to the first request message, that the PGW user plane entity serving the UE is the first PGW user plane entity.

Preferably, in the first PGW control plane entity, the first request message further carries an identifier of the first SGW user plane entity.

Preferably, the first PGW control plane entity further includes:

a second receiving unit, configured to receive a load request message sent by a first SGW control plane entity, where the load request message carries an identifier of a PGW user plane entity;

a sending unit, configured to send, to the first SGW control plane entity, a load response message carrying load information of the PGW user plane entity according to the load request message.

An embodiment of the present invention further provides another first PGW control plane entity, including:

Compared with the prior art, the selection method of the user plane entity and the control plane entity in the mobile communication network provided by the embodiment of the invention realize the selection function of the user plane entity. In addition, in the selection process of the user plane entity, the embodiment of the invention comprehensively considers the factors such as the load information and the capacity of the user plane entity, the distance between the user plane entity and the UE and the like, thereby realizing the optimal processing of the user plane entity.

Drawings

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a network architecture of LTE/SAE in the prior art;

fig. 2 is a schematic diagram of a network logic architecture after an SGW/PGW user plane entity and a control plane entity are separated according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a method for selecting a user plane entity in a mobile communication network according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a method for selecting a user plane entity in the PDN connection creation according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 5 is a schematic view illustrating a flow of interaction of load information between a control plane entity and a user plane entity according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 6 is a schematic diagram of a load information notification flow of a user plane entity when a load congestion level changes according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 7 is a schematic process diagram of the process of interacting the load information of the user plane entity between the control plane entities;

fig. 8 is a schematic diagram of an interaction process of load information between an SGW control plane entity and a PGW control plane entity;

fig. 9 is a schematic structural diagram of a first SGW control plane entity according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 10 is a schematic structural diagram of a first SGW control plane entity according to another embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 11 is a schematic structural diagram of a first PGW control plane entity according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 12 is a schematic structural diagram of a first PGW control surface entity according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed Description

In order to make the technical problems, technical solutions and advantages of the present invention more apparent, the following detailed description is given with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

As mentioned above, in the existing mobile communication network, the PGW and the SGW have both control plane entities and user plane entities, which is not favorable for the network evolution. The embodiment of the invention separates the control plane entity and the user plane entity of the PGW/SGW, and the method specifically comprises the following steps: an SGW control plane entity, an SGW user plane entity, a PGW control plane entity, and a PGW user plane entity.

Wherein the SGW control plane entity supports the control function of the existing SGW, such as a mobility anchor point for cross-3 GPP access handover; the SGW user plane entity supports existing SGW data routing related functions such as packet routing and forwarding. The PGW control plane entity supports the control functions of the existing PGW, such as policy control and charging related functions; the PGW user plane entity supports existing PGW data routing related functions, such as packet filtering.

After the above separation, a plurality of user plane entities usually exist in the network, and fig. 2 shows a network logical architecture after the control plane entities and the user plane entities of the SGW and the PGW are separated. The control plane entity in fig. 2 includes 2 SGW control plane entities (SGW control plane entities 1-2, respectively) and 1 PGW control plane entity (PGW control plane entity 1); the user plane entity comprises 3 SGW user plane entities (SGW user plane entities 1-3 respectively) and 3 PGW user plane entities (PGW user plane entities 1-3). The SGW control surface entity 1 is connected with the SGW user surface entities 1-2 respectively, the SGW control surface entity 2 is connected with the SGW user surface entities 2-3 respectively, and the PGW control surface entity 1 is connected with the PGW user surface entities 1-3 respectively. It can be seen that, in the embodiment of the present invention, one PGW/SGW control plane entity may be connected to multiple PGW/SGW user plane entities, and one PGW user plane entity is usually connected to only one PGW control plane entity.

It can be seen that there are multiple user plane entities in the separated network architecture, and therefore, how to select an entity serving the UE from the multiple user plane entities needs to be considered. The method for selecting the user plane entity provided by the embodiment of the invention can realize the selection of the user plane entity and provide support for the separation of the user plane entity/control plane entity of the SGW/PGW and the network evolution.

Fig. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a method for selecting a user plane entity in a mobile communication network according to an embodiment of the present invention. Here, the mobile communication network includes a user plane entity and a control plane entity, which are independent of each other, the user plane entity includes a PGW user plane entity and an SGW user plane entity, the control plane entity includes a PGW control plane entity and an SGW control plane entity, the SGW control plane entity is connected with at least one SGW user plane entity, the PGW control plane entity is connected with at least one PGW user plane entity, as shown in fig. 3, and the method, when applied to the first SGW control plane entity, includes the following steps:

step 31, the first SGW control plane entity selects a first PGW user plane entity serving the UE.

Step 32, the first SGW control plane entity sends, to the first PGW control plane entity, a first request message carrying the identifier of the first PGW user plane entity.

Here, the first PGW control plane entity is a PGW control plane entity to which the first PGW user plane entity is connected, and the first PGW control plane entity notifies the first PGW control plane entity of the selected PGW user plane entity through the first request message.

As can be seen from the above steps, in the embodiment of the present invention, the first SGW control plane entity is loaded to select a PGW user plane entity for the UE, and notify the corresponding PGW control plane entity, so that the PGW control plane entity can determine the PGW user plane entity providing services for the UE.

The process shown in fig. 3, on the first PGW control surface entity side, includes the following steps:

in said step 32: the first PGW control plane entity receives a first request message carrying an identifier of the first PGW user plane entity, which is sent by the first SGW control plane entity.

Here, the first SGW user plane entity and the first PGW user plane entity are an SGW user plane entity and a PGW user plane entity that are selected by the first SGW control plane entity and serve the UE, the first SGW user plane entity is an SGW user plane entity to which the first SGW control plane entity is connected, and the first PGW user plane entity is a PGW user plane entity to which the first PGW control plane entity is connected.

Then, the first PGW control plane entity may determine, according to the first request message, that the PGW user plane entity serving the UE is the first PGW user plane entity.

It should be noted that, in the embodiment of the present invention, the PGW/SGW user plane entity or the PGW/SGW control plane entity may process the data packet/signaling message corresponding to the user plane entity or the control plane entity in the same manner as in the prior art, and for saving space, the embodiment of the present invention does not describe in detail the processing of the data packet/signaling message by each control plane entity/user plane entity, and the specific processing manner may refer to the related standard/protocol in the prior art.

In step 31, in the embodiment of the present invention, when the first SGW control plane entity selects the first PGW user plane entity, the first SGW user plane entity serving the UE may also be selected. Here, the first SGW user plane entity is an SGW user plane entity to which the first SGW control plane entity is connected. Then, the first request message also carries an identifier of the first SGW user plane entity, so as to notify the first PGW control plane entity.

In the embodiment of the present invention, the identifier of the user plane entity (e.g., the first SGW user plane entity or the first PGW user plane entity) may be an IP address of the user plane entity, or may be a Fully Qualified Domain Name (FQDN).

Fig. 4 shows a flowchart applied to PDN connection creation in an embodiment of the present invention, where after receiving a session creation request message from an MME, a first SGW control plane entity selects a user plane entity for a UE, and a specific flow includes:

in step 41, the first SGW control plane entity receives a create session request message sent by the MME (for the sake of distinction, this message will be referred to as a first create session request message in the following).

Here, the first create session request message may carry an identifier of the first PGW control plane entity selected by the MME for the UE. The MME may select the SGW/PGW for the UE in the same manner as in the prior art, except that the MME selects the SGW control plane entity/PGW control plane entity. Assuming that the MME selects the first SGW control plane entity/the first PGW control plane entity, the MME sends a first session creation request message to the first SGW control plane entity, where relevant information carried in the message is similar to that in the prior art, and includes information of the selected PGW, and in this embodiment, is an identifier of a PGW control plane entity, and may also include information such as an IP address of the UE. Here, the identification of the PGW control plane entity may be an IP address, FQDN, or other custom identification of the PGW control plane entity.

And 42, the first SGW control plane entity selects a first SGW user plane entity and a first PGW user plane entity.

Here, the first SGW user plane entity is an SGW user plane entity to which the first SGW control plane entity is connected, and the first PGW user plane entity is a PGW user plane entity to which the first PGW control plane entity is connected. In the embodiment of the present invention, the first SGW control plane entity selects the SGW/PGW user plane entity, and specifically, the first SGW control plane entity may select an SGW user plane entity serving the UE from SGW user plane entities connected to the first SGW control plane entity, and select a PGW user plane entity serving the UE from PGW user plane entities connected to the first PGW control plane entity.

Step 43, a create session request message sent by the first SGW control plane entity to the first PGW control plane entity (for the sake of distinction, this message is hereinafter referred to as a second create session request message), where the second create session request message carries the identities of the first SGW user plane entity and the first PGW user plane entity.

Here, the first SGW control plane entity may send a second session creation request message to a PGW control plane entity (i.e., a first PGW control plane entity) connected to the first PGW user plane entity, where the message carries an identifier of the first SGW user plane entity and the first PGW user plane entity, and the PGW control plane entity determines that the first PGW user plane entity is a PGW user plane entity serving the UE, and sends the identifier of the first SGW user plane entity, such as information, e.g., an IP address, to the first PGW user plane entity.

In step 31 and step 42 of the foregoing embodiments, there may be a plurality of implementation manners for selecting the user plane entity by the first SGW control plane entity:

for example, the network topology information of the user plane entity may be preconfigured on the SGW control plane entity, and this includes the following steps:

step a1, the first SGW control plane entity determines, according to the pre-configured network topology information of the user plane entity, an SGW user plane entity connected to the first SGW control plane entity and a PGW user plane entity connected to the first PGW control plane entity;

in step a2, the first SGW control plane entity may select the first SGW user plane entity and the first PGW user plane entity from the SGW user plane entity connected to the first SGW control plane entity and the PGW user plane entity connected to the first PGW control plane entity, respectively.

For another example, the selection of the user plane entity may be implemented by domain name resolution (DNS), and the DNS server may be configured with network topology information of the user plane entity in advance or configured with < user location information, an IP address list of the SGW user plane entity, and an IP address list of the PGW user plane entity >, and the PGW user plane entity and the SGW user plane entity that are closer to the user location information may be recorded in the IP address list. In this way, the DNS server may return a list of SGW user plane entities/PGW user plane entities to the first SGW control plane entity according to the relevant information configured by the DNS server.

In the embodiment of the present invention, an implementation manner for selecting a user plane entity through DNS resolution includes the following steps:

and step B1, the first SGW control plane entity constructs a full name domain name (FQDN) and sends the FQDN to the DNS server, where the FQDN includes the user location information of the UE and/or the identifier of the first PGW control plane entity.

Here, the user location information of the UE may be an identifier of a cell in which the UE is located, an identifier of a tracking area or a routing area in which the UE is located, or an identifier of a base station to which the UE accesses;

in step B2, the first SGW control plane entity receives the first IP address list of the SGW user plane entity and the second IP address list of the PGW user plane entity returned by the DNS server.

Here, the first IP address list may be a list of IP addresses of SGW user plane entities to which the first SGW control plane entity is connected, and the second IP address list may be a list of IP addresses of PGW user plane entities to which the first PGW control plane entity is connected. After receiving the FQDN sent by the first SGW control plane entity in step B1, the DNS server may determine, according to its own configuration information, an SGW user plane entity connected to the first SGW control plane entity and a PGW user plane entity connected to the first PGW control plane entity, and select an SGW/PGW user plane entity closer to the UE location to return to the first SGW control plane entity.

Step B3, the first SGW control plane entity selects the first SGW user plane entity and the first PGW user plane entity according to the first IP address list and the second IP address list, respectively.

Here, the first SGW control plane entity may determine, according to the first IP address list and the second IP address list, an SGW user plane entity connected to the first SGW control plane entity and a PGW user plane entity connected to the first PGW control plane entity; then, a first SGW user plane entity and a first PGW user plane entity are respectively selected from the SGW user plane entity connected to the first SGW control plane entity and the PGW user plane entity connected to the first PGW control plane entity.

The embodiment of the invention also provides another implementation mode for selecting the user plane entity through DNS resolution, which comprises the following steps:

and step C1, the first SGW control plane entity constructs a full-name domain name FQDN according to the user location information of the UE and sends the FQDN and the identifier of the first PGW control plane entity to the DNS server.

Here, the first SGW control plane entity sends the FQDN and the identity of the first PGW control plane entity to the DNS server, respectively, i.e. the identity of the first PGW control plane entity is a parameter sent together with the FQDN, rather than as the content of the FQDN.

In step C2, the first SGW control plane entity receives the first IP address list of the SGW user plane entity and the second IP address list of the PGW user plane entity returned by the DNS server.

And step C3, selecting a first SGW user plane entity and a first PGW user plane entity according to the first IP address list and the second IP address list, respectively.

In the foregoing implementation manner, the first SGW control plane entity may determine the user plane entity connected to the first PGW control plane entity and itself according to a pre-configured network topology of the user plane entity or by using an analysis function of the DNS server, and further select the first SGW user plane entity and the first PGW user plane entity from the user plane entities.

In this embodiment of the present invention, in step a2, step B3, or step C3, the first SGW control plane entity may respectively select the first SGW user plane entity and the first PGW user plane entity from the SGW user plane entity connected to the first SGW control plane entity and the PGW user plane entity connected to the first PGW control plane entity according to one or more screening parameters, where the selection manner of the user plane entity in step a2, step B3, or step C3 may specifically include the following steps:

step S1, obtaining screening parameters, wherein the screening parameters comprise at least one of load information of a user plane entity, capacity of the user plane entity and distance between the user plane entity and the UE;

step S2, according to the screening parameters and a predetermined screening policy, respectively selecting a first SGW user plane entity and a first PGW user plane entity whose screening parameters satisfy the screening policy from the SGW user plane entity and the PGW user plane entity.

Here, the first SGW user plane entity and the first PGW user plane entity, of which the screening parameters satisfy the screening policy, may be respectively selected from an SGW user plane entity connected to the first SGW control plane entity and a PGW user plane entity connected to the first PGW control plane entity.

Here, in step S2, the priorities and corresponding weights of the filtering parameters may be determined for the user plane entities, and the priorities of the filtering parameters may be weighted and summed to obtain the weights of the user plane entities. For example, for a parameter of the distance of the user plane entity from the UE, a smaller distance may have a higher priority; for the parameter of load information of the user plane entity, a lower load may have a higher priority; for the parameter capacity of the user plane entity, higher capacity may have higher priority.

As a specific implementation manner of the screening policy, after obtaining the weight of each user plane entity through calculation, the SGW user plane entity with the highest weight in the SGW user plane entities connected to the first SGW control plane entity may be used as the first SGW user plane entity, and the PGW user plane entity with the highest weight in the PGW user plane entities connected to the first PGW control plane entity may be used as the first PGW user plane entity.

As another implementation manner of the screening policy, the first SGW control plane entity may select a user plane entity with relatively large remaining capacity as the first PGW user plane entity or the first SGW user plane entity according to the load and capacity of the user plane entity.

Obviously, the embodiment of the present invention may select the user plane entity based on the above and more screening parameters and by using different screening strategies according to the needs. And, when selecting the user plane entity, the control plane entity may also refer to the information of the APN provided by the UE for selection according to the selection method in the prior art. For economy of space, this is not illustrated here.

The following describes the manner of obtaining the above-mentioned various screening parameters.

When the screening parameter includes the distance between the user plane entity and the UE, the distance between the user plane entity and the UE may be determined according to preconfigured network topology information of the user plane entity. Here, the priority is higher for a generally smaller distance.

When the screening parameter includes the load information of the user plane entity, the first SGW control plane entity receives the load information of the user plane entity, and a specific obtaining manner of the load information has multiple implementation manners, which will be described in detail below.

As an implementation manner, load information sent by a user plane entity may be received by a first SGW control plane entity, so as to obtain load information of the user plane entity, where the user plane entity may include an SGW user plane entity and/or a PGW user plane entity. For example, when a first SGW control plane entity is connected with one or more SGW user plane entities, the first SGW control plane entity may receive load information sent by the SGW user plane entity to which it is connected. For another example, when the first SGW control plane entity learns the IP addresses of one or more PGW user plane entities according to the topology information of the preconfigured user plane entities, the first SGW control plane entity may request the PGW user plane entities to provide the load information.

As another implementation manner, the first SGW control plane entity may also send a load request message carrying a PGW user plane entity identifier to the first PGW control plane entity, and receive a load response message carrying load information of the PGW user plane entity, where the load request message is sent by the first PGW control plane entity. In the process, a first PGW control plane entity receives a load request message sent by a first SGW control plane entity, where the load request message carries an identifier of a PGW user plane entity; then, the first PGW control plane entity sends, to the first SGW control plane entity, a load response message carrying load information of the PGW user plane entity according to the load request message.

The following will further describe the process of acquiring load information in the embodiment of the present invention with reference to the drawings.

Referring to fig. 5, a control plane entity and a user plane entity connected to the control plane entity are shown in fig. 5. When the control plane entity is the SGW control plane entity, the user plane entity is the SGW user plane entity; similarly, when the control plane entity is a PGW control plane entity, the user plane entity is a PGW user plane entity. In fig. 5, the user plane entity reports its own load information to the control plane entity connected to the user plane entity through the first notification message (step 51), so that the control plane entity can obtain the load information of each user plane entity connected to itself.

Here, the user plane entity may send the first notification message to the control plane entity when its own load reaches a preset threshold, or a load congestion level (e.g. high, medium, or low) changes, or receives a load request message of the control plane entity, where the message carries load information of the user plane entity, for example, the load congestion level, or a current load reaches a specific threshold, and the like. Of course, the user plane entity may also report the load information to the control plane entity connected to the user plane entity periodically according to a preset period.

Fig. 6 further shows a notification flow of the user plane entity notifying the self-connected control plane entity when the load congestion level changes, in this embodiment, the control plane entities of the PGW and the SGW maintain load information of the self-connected user plane entity respectively. The load information is in this embodiment specified as load level, i.e. high, medium, low, etc. Fig. 6 illustrates a PGW as an example (of course, the process is also applicable to an SGW), and the process includes the following steps:

step 61, the PGW user plane entity starts up, and when the load is low (for example, the load does not exceed 30%), the PGW user plane entity sends a load notification message to the PGW control plane entity connected to the PGW user plane entity, and the message parameter indicates that the load condition is a low load level;

step 62, as the user traffic increases, the PGW user plane entity finds that the load level becomes a medium load level;

and 63, the PGW user plane entity sends a load notification message to the PGW control plane entity, where the message parameter indicates that the load condition is a medium load.

In the above process, the PGW ue reports the load information to the control plane entity after detecting the event that the load information changes.

Fig. 7 shows a process of interacting load information of a user plane entity between control plane entities (such as an SGW control plane entity and a PGW control plane entity), which specifically includes the following steps:

step 71, when the control plane entity 1 cannot obtain the load information of some user plane entities, for example, the control plane entity 1 is not directly connected to the user plane entities, the control plane entity 1 sends a first request message to the control plane entity 2, where the message carries the identities (for example, IP addresses) of the user plane entities.

Here, the control plane entity 1 may be an SGW control plane entity, and the control plane entity 2 may be a PGW control plane entity; and vice versa. When the load information of the user plane entity cannot be obtained, the control plane entity 1 may determine the control plane entities 2 connected to the user plane entities according to the network topology structure of the user plane entity, and then send the first request message to the control plane entity 2.

Step 72, the control plane entity 2 returns a first reply message to the control plane entity 1, and for each user plane entity identifier in the first request message, the first reply message carries each user plane entity identifier and its load information.

Fig. 8 further illustrates the interaction process of the load information by taking the SGW control plane entity and the PGW control plane entity as examples. In fig. 8, after the SGW control plane entity obtains the PGW user plane entity list, if the SGW control plane entity needs to select the PGW user plane entity according to the load condition, the SGW control plane entity interacts with the PGW control plane entity connected to the PGW user plane entity to obtain the load state of each user plane entity in the list, and the specific process includes:

step 81, the SGW control plane entity obtains a PGW user plane entity list through DNS resolution, where the list is IP addresses of the PGW user plane entity, and the list is IP address 1, IP address 2, and IP address 3. The SGW control plane entity sends a load request message to the PGW control plane entity, and the message parameters comprise identifiers of the PGW user plane entity, such as an IP address, an FQDN or other self-defined identifiers;

in step 82, the PGW control plane entity returns the load status of each PGW user plane entity to the SGW control plane entity.

In the above, how to select the user plane entity in the embodiments of the present invention after the SGW/PGW user plane entity and the control plane entity are separated is described through a plurality of embodiments. It can be seen that, with the above embodiments, the present invention solves the problem of user plane entity selection after the control plane entity and the user plane entity are separated.

Based on the above-mentioned user plane entity selection method, the embodiment of the present invention further provides a control plane entity for implementing the above-mentioned method. Referring to fig. 9, a first SGW control plane entity in a mobile communication network according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a user plane entity and a control plane entity that are independently configured from each other, where the user plane entity includes a packet data gateway PGW user plane entity and a serving gateway SGW user plane entity, the control plane entity includes a PGW control plane entity and an SGW control plane entity, the SGW control plane entity is connected with at least one SGW user plane entity, and the PGW control plane entity is connected with at least one PGW user plane entity. As shown in fig. 9, the first SGW control plane entity includes:

a selecting unit 91, configured to select a first PGW user plane entity serving the UE;

a sending unit 92, configured to send a first request message carrying an identifier of a first PGW user plane entity to the first PGW control plane entity.

Here, the first PGW control plane entity is a PGW control plane entity to which the first PGW user plane entity is connected.

As a preferable mode, in the embodiment of the present invention, the selecting unit 91 is further configured to, when the first PGW user plane entity is selected, further select a first SGW user plane entity serving the UE. At this time, the first request message sent by the sending unit also carries an identifier of the first SGW user plane entity. Here, the first SGW user plane entity is an SGW user plane entity to which the first SGW control plane entity is connected;

preferably, the first SGW control plane entity may further include:

a first receiving unit, configured to receive a session creation request message sent by an MME, and trigger the selecting unit to select the first SGW user plane entity and the first PGW user plane entity after receiving the session creation request message. Here, the create session request message carries an identifier of the first PGW control plane entity selected by the MME for the UE.

As a preferred implementation, the selection unit includes:

As another preferred implementation, the selecting unit includes:

a second receiving unit, configured to receive the first IP address list of the SGW user plane entity and the second IP address list of the PGW user plane entity returned by the DNS server; here, the first IP address list is a list of IP addresses of SGW user plane entities connected to a first SGW control plane entity, and the second IP address list is a list of IP addresses of PGW user plane entities connected to a first PGW control plane entity;

As another preferred implementation, the selecting unit includes:

The screening unit in the above various implementation manners may perform screening of the user plane entity according to the screening parameter, and the screening unit specifically includes:

and the processing unit is used for respectively selecting a first SGW user plane entity and a first PGW user plane entity of which the screening parameters meet the screening strategy from the SGW user plane entity and the PGW user plane entity according to the screening parameters and a preset screening strategy. Specifically, the first SGW user plane entity and the first PGW user plane entity are respectively selected from an SGW user plane entity connected to a first SGW control plane entity and a PGW user plane entity connected to a first PGW control plane entity.

Here, the parameter obtaining unit may specifically include: a load information obtaining unit for receiving load information of the user plane entity. The load information obtaining unit is specifically configured to:

or,

Here, the parameter obtaining unit may further include a distance obtaining unit. The distance obtaining unit is used for determining the distance between the user plane entity and the UE according to the pre-configured network topology information of the user plane entity.

The processing unit is specifically configured to:

respectively carrying out weighted summation on the priority of each screening parameter aiming at each user plane entity to obtain the weight of each user plane entity, wherein when the distance is close, the priority corresponding to the distance is higher; when the load information is low, the priority corresponding to the load information is high;

and taking the SGW user plane entity with the highest weight in the SGW user plane entities connected with the first SGW control plane entity as the first SGW user plane entity, and taking the PGW user plane entity with the highest weight in the PGW user plane entities connected with the first PGW control plane entity as the first PGW user plane entity.

Referring to fig. 10, a first SGW control plane entity according to another embodiment of the present invention includes:

a processor 101; and a memory 103 connected to the processor 101 through a bus interface 102; the memory 103 is used for storing programs and data used by the processor 101 in executing operations, and when the processor 101 calls and executes the programs and data stored in the memory 103, the following functional modules are implemented:

Referring to fig. 11, a first PGW control plane entity in a mobile communication network according to an embodiment of the present invention includes:

a first receiving unit 111, configured to receive a first request message that is sent by a first SGW control plane entity and carries an identifier of a first PGW user plane entity.

Here, the first SGW user plane entity and the first PGW user plane entity are an SGW user plane entity and a PGW user plane entity that are selected by the first SGW control plane entity and serve the UE, the first SGW user plane entity is an SGW user plane entity to which the first SGW control plane entity is connected, and the first PGW user plane entity is a PGW user plane entity to which the first PGW control plane entity is connected. As a preferred mode, the first request message further carries an identifier of the first SGW user plane entity.

A determining unit 112, configured to determine, according to the first request message, that the PGW user plane entity serving as the UE is the first PGW user plane entity.

Preferably, the first PGW control plane entity may further include:

Referring to fig. 12, a first PGW control plane entity according to another embodiment of the present invention includes:

a processor 121; a memory 123 connected to the processor 121 via a bus interface 122; the memory 123 is used for storing programs and data used by the processor 121 in executing operations, and when the processor 121 calls and executes the programs and data stored in the memory 123, the following functional modules are implemented:

In summary, the embodiment of the present invention realizes the function of selecting the user plane entity by the user plane entity selection method under the condition that the SGW/PGW control plane entity and the user plane entity are separated, and provides support for network evolution.

While the foregoing is directed to the preferred embodiment of the present invention, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Claims

1. A method for selecting a user plane entity, the method comprising:

a first SGW control plane entity sends a first request message carrying an identifier of a first PGW user plane entity to a first PGW control plane entity;

wherein, the selection of the first PGW user plane entity includes any one of the following modes:

the first method is as follows: the first SGW control plane entity determines a PGW user plane entity connected with the first PGW control plane entity according to the preconfigured network topology information of the user plane entity; selecting a first PGW user plane entity from PGW user plane entities connected with the first PGW control plane entity;

the second method comprises the following steps: the first SGW control surface entity constructs a first full-name domain name FQDN and sends the first full-name domain name FQDN to a domain name resolution DNS server, wherein the first FQDN comprises user position information of the UE and/or an identifier of a first PGW control surface entity; the first SGW control plane entity receives a second IP address list of the PGW user plane entity returned by the DNS server; selecting a first PGW user plane entity according to the second IP address list;

the third method comprises the following steps: the first SGW control surface entity constructs a second full-name domain name FQDN according to the user position information of the UE and sends the second FQDN and the identifier of the first PGW control surface entity to a domain name resolution DNS server; the first SGW control plane entity receives a second IP address list of the PGW user plane entity returned by the DNS server; and selecting a first PGW user plane entity according to the second IP address list.

2. The method of claim 1,

when the first SGW control plane entity selects the first PGW user plane entity, further selecting a first SGW user plane entity serving the UE;

3. The method of claim 2, wherein prior to the step of the first SGW control plane entity selecting the first PGW user plane entity serving the UE, the method further comprises:

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the selection of the first SGW user plane entity upon the selection of the first PGW user plane entity in the manner comprises:

the first SGW control plane entity determines an SGW user plane entity connected with the first SGW control plane entity according to the preconfigured network topology information of the user plane entity;

and selecting a first SGW user plane entity from SGW user plane entities connected with the first SGW control plane entity.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the selection of the first SGW user plane entity in selecting the first PGW user plane entity in the second manner comprises:

after the first FQDN is sent to the DNS server, the first SGW control plane entity receives a first IP address list of the SGW user plane entity returned by the DNS server;

and selecting a first SGW user plane entity according to the first IP address list.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein the selection of the first SGW user plane entity in the selection of the first PGW user plane entity in the manner of three comprises:

after the second FQDN and the identifier of the first PGW control surface entity are sent to a domain name resolution DNS server, the first SGW control surface entity receives a first IP address list of the SGW user surface entity returned by the DNS server;

7. The method according to any one of claims 4 to 6,

the selecting of the first SGW user plane entity and the first PGW user plane entity further includes:

8. The method of claim 7,

the obtaining of the load information comprises: the first SGW control plane entity receives load information of a user plane entity.

9. The method of claim 8,

the step of receiving, by the first SGW control plane entity, load information of a user plane entity includes:

or,

10. A method for selecting a user plane entity, comprising:

a first PGW control plane entity receives a first request message carrying an identifier of a first PGW user plane entity, where the first request message is sent by a first SGW control plane entity, and the first PGW user plane entity is a PGW user plane entity selected by the first SGW control plane entity and serving a UE;

determining, by the first PGW control plane entity, that the PGW user plane entity serving the UE is the first PGW user plane entity according to the first request message;

the method further comprises the following steps:

11. The method of claim 10,

12. A first SGW control plane entity, comprising:

a sending unit, configured to send a first request message carrying an identifier of a first PGW user plane entity to a first PGW control plane entity;

wherein the selection unit includes: a determining unit, configured to determine, according to preconfigured network topology information of a user plane entity, a PGW user plane entity to which a first PGW control plane entity is connected; the first screening unit is configured to select a first PGW user plane entity from PGW user plane entities connected to the first PGW control plane entity;

or,

the selection unit includes: the first construction unit is used for constructing a first full-name domain name FQDN and sending the first full-name domain name FQDN to a domain name resolution DNS server, wherein the first FQDN comprises user position information of the UE and/or an identifier of a first PGW control surface entity; a second receiving unit, configured to receive a second IP address list of the PGW user plane entity returned by the DNS server; the second screening unit is used for selecting a first PGW user plane entity according to the second IP address list;

or,

the selection unit includes: the second construction unit is used for constructing a second full-name domain name FQDN according to the user position information of the UE and sending the second FQDN and the identifier of the first PGW control surface entity to the domain name resolution DNS server; a third receiving unit, configured to receive a second IP address list of the PGW user plane entity returned by the DNS server; and the third screening unit is used for selecting the first PGW user plane entity from the second IP address list.

13. The first SGW control plane entity of claim 12,

the selecting unit is further configured to select a first SGW user plane entity serving the UE when the first PGW user plane entity is selected;

14. The first SGW control plane entity of claim 13,

a first receiving unit, configured to receive a session creation request message sent by an MME, and receive the session creation request message.

15. The first SGW control plane entity of claim 13, wherein the determining unit is further configured to determine, according to network topology information of a pre-configured user plane entity, an SGW user plane entity to which the first SGW control plane entity is connected;

the first screening unit is further configured to select first SGW user plane entities from the SGW user plane entities connected to the first SGW control plane entity.

16. The first SGW control plane entity of claim 13, wherein the second receiving unit is further configured to receive a first IP address list of an SGW user plane entity returned by a DNS server;

and the second screening unit is further configured to select a first SGW user plane entity according to the first IP address list.

17. The first SGW control plane entity of claim 13, wherein the third receiving unit is further configured to receive a first IP address list of an SGW user plane entity returned by a DNS server;

and the second screening unit is configured to select a first SGW user plane entity and a first PGW user plane entity according to the first IP address list and the second IP address list.

18. The first SGW control plane entity of any of claims 15 to 17, wherein the first, second or third screening unit comprises:

19. The first SGW control plane entity of claim 18,

the parameter obtaining unit includes:

20. The first SGW control plane entity of claim 19,

the load information obtaining unit is specifically configured to:

or,

21. A first SGW control plane entity, comprising:

22. A first PGW control plane entity, comprising:

a first receiving unit, configured to receive a first request message carrying an identifier of a first PGW user plane entity, where the first request message is sent by a first SGW control plane entity, and the first PGW user plane entity is a PGW user plane entity selected by the first SGW control plane entity and serving a UE;

a determining unit, configured to determine, according to the first request message, that a PGW user plane entity serving the UE is a first PGW user plane entity;

23. The first PGW control plane entity of claim 22, wherein the first request message also carries an identification of the first SGW user plane entity.

24. A first PGW control plane entity, comprising: