Patent Description:
A most advanced mobile communications technology is used in a 5th generation (5th-generation, <NUM>) mobile communications system (<NUM> system for short). The <NUM> system can provide a super-capacity bandwidth rate and more secure communication for a mobile user, to meet widely varied service requirements in all walks of life. In the <NUM> system, a physical network is sliced into a plurality of virtual end-to-end networks by using a network slice technology. Each virtual network may be referred to as one network slice (network slice, NS). Each network slice is logically independent. Each network slice includes an independent network function or an independent network function instance combination. A same network slice may carry services of different tenants, to meet service requirements and services of the different tenants. For example, an electricity meter reading service and a water meter reading service may be carried in one network slice that supports a meter reading service.

Currently, a service management unit usually aggregates service requests of different tenants into network slice requirement information, and sends the network slice requirement information to a network management unit, so that the network management unit deploys, based on the network slice requirement information, a network slice that carries services of the different tenants. The network management unit is aware of a service obtained through aggregation by the service management unit, but cannot be aware of a plurality of services. Therefore, the network management unit cannot dynamically and adaptively adjust a network resource based on different service requirements.

<CIT> discloses a method of generating a network slice, modifying a network slice, and terminating a network slice. The method comprises a network slice orchestrator (NWSO) receiving from a network slice manager (NWSM) a request for a new network slice, the NWSO adding a new service to the new network slice, the NWSO determining a network slice descriptor (NWSD) for the new network slice, the NWSO transmitting to a resource orchestrator (RO) a request for an instantiation of the network slice using enhanced network function virtualization management and orchestration (E-MANO).

<CIT> discloses a method for providing virtualized functions in control and data planes, and for operating a communication network having network slices. The method comprises selecting network slices based on identification of type of network slice or requirements, and keeping track of associations between UEs and network slices.

The present invention is as defined in the appended set of claims. Embodiments of this application provide a network service management method, a network management unit, a computer storage medium and a computer program product, to resolve an existing problem that a network resource cannot be adaptively and dynamically adjusted based on different service requirements.

To achieve the foregoing objective, the embodiments of this application use the following technical solutions:
According to a first aspect, an embodiment of this application provides a network service management according to claim <NUM>.

According to an aspect, an embodiment of this application provides a network management unit according to claim <NUM>.

According to an aspect, an embodiment of this application provides a computer storage medium according to claim <NUM>.

According to an aspect, an embodiment of this application provides a computer program product according to claim <NUM>.

The following describes implementations in embodiments of this application in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Before the technical solutions are described, to facilitate understanding of the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application, some terms in the embodiments of this application are explained.

Network slice: may also be referred to as a network slice instance, and is a combination of network function (network function, NF) and resources that ensure that a bearer service can meet a service level agreement (service level agreement, SLA) requirement. Hard isolation (for example, physical isolation) or soft isolation (for example, logical isolation) may be performed on these NFs and resources based on different requirements. Each network slice is logically independent. The network slice may include at least a core network (core network, CN), an access network (access network, AN), and a transport network (transport network, TN), or may include any one or two of a CN, an AN, or a TN.

In the embodiments of this application, the network slice is a broad concept. It may be considered that a conventional network or a dedicated network is also a network slice, or it may be considered that a network slice subnet is also a network slice.

Network slice subnet: may be referred to as a network slice subnet instance, and is a combination of network functions and resources that ensure that a bearer service can meet an SLA requirement. Usually, the network slice subnet may be obtained by slicing a network slice, or a network slice may be directly used as the network slice subnet.

Tenant: is a user (such as an enterprise, a factory, or a school) that uses a network slice or a network slice subnet to implement a service function.

As shown in <FIG>, a network architecture may include a service management unit, a network slice management unit, component management units, a transport network domain manager (transport network manager, TN-DM), and network function (network function, NF) units. Data or a signaling message may be transmitted between the component management units by using the TN-DM. A plurality of NFs may form a network slice or a network slice subnet.

The service management unit in <FIG> may be a service management function (service management function, SMF) unit, and is mainly configured to: receive a service requirement of a tenant, convert the service requirement into a network slice requirement, and perform service management. The service management unit may be deployed in an operation support system (operation support system, OSS), or may be deployed outside the OSS. The service management unit may be a management or operation system of a third party (such as a tenant). The service management unit may be independently deployed, or may be integrated into a management unit (such as a business support system (business support system, BSS), a service management unit, a service orchestration unit, or a service management and orchestration unit). It should be noted that the service management unit in <FIG> is not limited to being named as the SMF unit, and may be alternatively named as a customer service management function (customer service management function, CSMF) unit or a communication service management function (communication service management function, CSMF) unit.

The network slice management unit in <FIG> may be a network slice management function (network slice management function, NSMF) unit, and mainly includes one or both of an end-to-end network management function and an end-to-end network orchestration function. The network slice management unit may have some or all of the following functions: end-to-end network management (for example, network life cycle management, network template management, network fault management, network performance management, and network configuration management), end-to-end network, subnet, and network function mapping, coordination of network resources or sub-SLAs provided by different domains (for example, an access network domain, a core network domain, and a transmission domain), splitting of network requirement information into subnet requirement information, and centralized orchestration on subnets and network resources provided by all subdomains, so that subnets or network functions provided by different subdomains can meet a requirement (for example, an SLA requirement, a key performance indicator (key performance indicator, KPI) requirement, and a quality of service (quality of service, QoS) requirement) of a target service or network. The network slice management unit may be deployed in an OSS, or may be deployed outside the OSS. The network slice management unit may be independently deployed, or may be integrated into a management unit (such as a network orchestration unit, a network management and orchestration unit, a service management unit, a service orchestration unit, a service management and orchestration unit, or a network functions virtualization orchestrator (network function virtualization orchestrator, NFVO)). It should be noted that the network slice management unit in <FIG> is not limited to being named as an NM, and may be alternatively named as a cross-domain management unit, a cross-domain network slice management unit, a network management (network management, NM) function unit, or the like.

The component management unit in <FIG> may be a domain management (domain management, DM) unit, and includes one or both of a subnet management function and a subnet orchestration function. The component management unit may have some or all of the following functions: domain management (including subnet life cycle management (creation, update, and deletion), subnet fault management, subnet performance management, subnet configuration management, and the like), service management (including service life cycle management, service fault management, service performance management, service configuration management, and the like), and network resource (for example, NF unit or network element (network element, NE)) coordination, and is used for centralized orchestration. The component management unit may be deployed in an OSS, or may be deployed outside the OSS. The component management unit may be independently deployed, or may be integrated into a management unit (such as a network slice management unit, a network orchestration unit, a network management and orchestration unit, a network element management unit, a network function management unit, a service management unit, a service orchestration unit, a service management and orchestration unit, or an NFVO). It should be noted that the component management unit in <FIG> is not limited to being named as the DM unit, and may be alternatively named as a domain slice management unit, a network slice subnet management unit, or the like.

Specifically, a subnet managed by the component management unit may include one or more of the following parts: an AN, a CN, and a TN. When the subnet managed by the component management unit includes only the AN, the subnet management unit may be considered as an AN DM. When the subnet managed by the component management unit includes only the CN, the subnet management unit may be considered as a CN DM. When the subnet managed by the component management unit includes the AN and the CN, the subnet management unit may be considered as a mix DM.

The TN-DM in <FIG> includes one or both of a transport network management function and a transport network orchestration function. The TN-DM may have some or all of the following functions: transport network management (including transport network life cycle management (creation, update, and deletion), transport network fault management, transport network performance management, transport network configuration management, and the like). The TN-DM may be deployed in an OSS, or may be deployed outside the OSS. The TN-DM may be independently deployed, or may be integrated into a management unit (such as a network slice management unit, a network orchestration unit, a network management and orchestration unit, a component management unit, a network element management unit, a service management unit, a service orchestration unit, a service management and orchestration unit, or an NFVO). It should be noted that the TN-DM is not limited to the name shown in <FIG>, and the TN-DM may be alternatively named as a (transport network) subnet management unit, a network slice transport network management unit, or the like.

It should be noted that <FIG> is only an example architectural diagram. In addition to the function nodes shown in <FIG>, the network architecture may further include another function node. For example, in addition to the management units shown in <FIG>, the network architecture further includes a network function management (NF manager) unit. The NF manager unit includes one or all of the following functions: network function life cycle management, network function fault management, network function performance management, network function configuration management, and the like. In this application, a name of the NF manager is not limited, and may be alternatively a network element manager (element manager (EM)). The NF manager may be deployed in the component management unit. In other words, the component management unit includes a function of the NF manager. Alternatively, the NF manager may be deployed independently of the component management unit, and there is a network function management interface between the NF manager and the component management unit.

Specifically, the service management unit, the network slice management unit, and the domain management unit in <FIG> may be collectively referred to as a network management unit that may include components shown in <FIG> is a schematic composition diagram of a network management unit according to an embodiment of this application. As shown in <FIG>, the management unit may include at least one processor <NUM>, a memory <NUM>, a communications interface <NUM>, and a communications bus <NUM>. It should be noted that the device structure shown in <FIG> constitutes no limitation on the management unit. The management unit may include more or fewer components than those shown in the figure, or combine some components, or have different component arrangements. This is not limited in this embodiment of this application. The following describes the components of the management unit in detail with reference to <FIG>.

The processor <NUM> is a control center of the management unit; and may be one processor, or may be a general name of a plurality of processing elements. For example, the processor <NUM> may be a central processing unit (central processing unit, CPU), or may be an application-specific integrated circuit (application specific integrated circuit, ASIC), or may be configured as one or more integrated circuits implementing the embodiments of this application, for example, one or more microprocessors (e.g. digital signal processor, DSP) or one or more field programmable gate arrays (field programmable gate array, FPGA). The processor <NUM> may perform various functions of the management unit by running or executing a software program stored in the memory <NUM> and by invoking data stored in the memory <NUM>.

In specific implementation, in an embodiment, the processor <NUM> may include one or more CPUs, for example, a CPU <NUM> and a CPU <NUM> that are shown in <FIG>. In specific implementation, in an embodiment, the management unit may include a plurality of processors, for example, the processor <NUM> and a processor <NUM> that are shown in <FIG>. Each of these processors may be a single-core (single-CPU) processor, or may be a multi-core (multi-CPU) processor. The processor herein may be one or more devices, circuits, and/or processing cores configured to process data (such as a computer program instruction).

The memory <NUM> may be a read-only memory (read-only memory, ROM) or another type of static storage device that can store static information and an instruction, or a random access memory (random access memory, RAM) or another type of dynamic storage device that can store information and an instruction, or may be an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (electrically erasable programmable read-only memory, EEPROM), a compact disc read-only memory (compact disc read-only memory, CD-ROM) or another compact disc storage, an optical disc storage (including a compact disc, a laser disc, an optical disc, a digital versatile disc, a Blu-ray disc, and the like), a magnetic disk storage medium or another magnetic storage device, or any other medium that can be used to carry or store expected program code in a form of an instruction or a data structure and that can be accessed by a computer. However, the memory <NUM> is not limited thereto. The memory <NUM> may exist independently, and is connected to the processor <NUM> by using the communications bus <NUM>. Alternatively, the memory <NUM> may be integrated into the processor <NUM>. The memory <NUM> is configured to store a software program for performing the solutions provided in the embodiments of this application, and the processor <NUM> controls execution of the software program.

The communications interface <NUM> is configured to communicate with another device or a communications network, such as the Ethernet, a radio access network (radio access network, RAN), or a wireless local area network (wireless local area networks, WLAN). The communications interface <NUM> may include a receiving unit for implementing a receiving function and a sending unit for implementing a sending function.

The communications bus <NUM> may be an industry standard architecture (industry standard architecture, ISA) bus, a peripheral component interconnect (peripheral component, PCI) bus, an extended industry standard architecture (extended industry standard architecture, EISA) bus, or the like. The bus may be classified as an address bus, a data bus, a control bus, or the like. For ease of representation, only one thick line is used to represent the bus in <FIG>, but this does not mean that there is only one bus or only one type of bus.

With reference to the communications system shown in <FIG>, the following describes in detail a network service management method provided in the embodiments of this application. <FIG> is a flowchart of a network service management method according to an embodiment of this application. As shown in <FIG>, the method may include the following steps.

Step <NUM>: A network management unit obtains information about a target network service.

The network management unit may be the network slice management unit or the domain management unit in <FIG>.

The information about the target network service may be information about a network, and may include an identifier of the target network service and requirement information of the target network service. The identifier of the target network service is used to identify the target network service, and is used to identify a network requirement of a service. The identifier of the target network service may include any one of the following identifiers: a network request identifier, a tenant identifier, a service identifier, a tenant service identifier, a network service requirement information identifier, network slice selection assistance information, a network service management information identifier, a network requirement information identifier, and the like. This is not limited. The network service requirement information identifier may be alternatively a network requirement information identifier.

The requirement information of the target network service may be requirement information of the network, for example, requirement information of a target network slice. The requirement information of the target network service may be used to describe a requirement of the target network service or a requirement of the network. The requirement information of the target network service includes at least one of the following information: a quantity of users, area distribution of the users, a service transmission status of a user, an activation ratio of the users, a coverage area of the service or the network, a movement status of the user, and a latency of the network.

The user may correspond to a device (such as a terminal device) that can obtain or use a service of the tenant, and the user may be a tenant. For example, the terminal device may be a device such as an electricity meter that records an amount of electricity used by the tenant, and the user may correspond to the terminal device. For example, the user may use the terminal device.

A service requested by the tenant may be a service function performed by a user corresponding to the tenant. For example, the user is an electricity meter that records an amount of electricity used by the tenant, and the service requested by the tenant may be an electricity meter reading service.

The quantity of users may be a quantity of users or devices that is capable of obtaining or using a service of the tenant.

The area distribution of the users may be an area deployment status of users or devices that can obtain or use a service of the tenant. The quantity of users and the area distribution status of the users may be combined as one type of information in service traffic information of a network slice. For example, there are <NUM> users in an area <NUM> and <NUM> users in an area <NUM>.

The service transmission status of the user may be a service use status of the user, for example, a time period for sending/receiving the service by the user, a packet size for sending/receiving the service by the user, power for sending/receiving the service by the user, and a bandwidth size for sending/receiving the service by the user. For example, the user is an electricity meter that records an amount of electricity used by the tenant, and the service transmission status of the user is as follows: The electricity meter sends a packet once a day, and a size of the packet sent each time is <NUM>.

The activation ratio of the users may be a ratio of a quantity of users in an activated state to a quantity of all users, or may be a ratio of a quantity of users in an activated state to a quantity of all users at a specific moment.

The use time of the service may be a time at which the user uses the service. For example, the electricity meter reading service is performed on the last day of each month.

The coverage area of the service may be used to indicate a coverage status of the service, and may be a coverage level or a coverage scenario of the service. For example, the coverage scenario of the service is indoor coverage, outdoor coverage, suburban coverage, subway coverage, tunnel coverage, or the like. The coverage level of the service may be strong coverage, normal coverage, weak coverage, or the like.

The movement status of the user may include at least one of the following statuses: whether the user moves, a quantity of users in a moving state, and a moving level of the user. The moving level of the user may include one or more of the following: fast, medium-speed, slow, immobile, or the like.

The roaming status of the user may include at least one of the following statuses: whether the user roams, quantities of users who may roam at different moments, and the like.

The latency of the network may be a response time of the network. For example, a latency of a network is <NUM> milliseconds (ms).

The bandwidth of the network may be a bandwidth that can be provided by the network. For example, a bandwidth of a network is <NUM> megahertz (MHz).

The throughput of the network may be used to describe a data forwarding capability of the network. For example, a throughput of a network is <NUM> megabits per second (Mbit/s), indicating that the network slice supports transmission of <NUM>-Mbit data in one second.

The reliability of the network may be used to describe a data forwarding capability of the network. For example, a throughput of a network is <NUM> megabits per second (Mbit/s), indicating that the network slice supports transmission of <NUM>-Mbit data in one second.

The coverage level of the network may include a coverage level of a network slice, and is used to indicate coverage strength of the network. Herein, the coverage strength may be represented by using strong coverage, normal coverage, weak coverage, or the like, or may be represented by using indoor coverage, outdoor coverage, suburban coverage, or the like.

The coverage area of the network may be used to describe a network coverage area in which the network is used, for example, Shanghai.

In a possible implementation, the network management unit is the network slice management unit in <FIG>, the target network service is a network slice service, the information about the target network service is information about the network slice service, the identifier of the target network service is an identifier of the network slice service, and the requirement information of the target network service is requirement information of the network slice service. The network slice management unit receives, from a service management unit, a network management request that carries the information about the network slice service, and obtains the information about the network slice service based on the network management request. The information about the network slice service is obtained by the service management unit based on service requirement information, and the service requirement information is requirement information of the service requested by the tenant. For example, when the service requested by the tenant is carried in one network slice, the service management unit may directly use, as the identifier of the network slice service, an identifier of the service requested by the tenant, and the service management unit may use the service requirement information as the requirement information of the network slice service; or when the service requested by the tenant is carried in at least two network slices, the service management unit splits the service requested by the tenant into at least two network slice services, splits the service requirement information into requirement information of the at least two network slice services, and allocates, to each network slice service, an identifier of the network slice service. It should be noted that the network slice service may be alternatively named as a network slice service management object, network slice requirement information, or the like. This is not limited.

In another possible implementation, the network management unit is the domain management unit in <FIG>, the target network service is a network slice subnet service, the information about the target network service is information about the network slice subnet service, the identifier of the target network service is an identifier of the network slice subnet service, and the requirement information of the target network service is requirement information of the network slice subnet service. The domain management unit receives, from a network slice management unit, a network management request that carries the information about the network slice subnet service, and obtains the information about the network slice subnet service based on the network management request. The information about the network slice subnet service is obtained by the network slice management unit based on information about a network slice service. For example, when the network slice service is carried in one network slice subnet, the network slice management unit directly uses an identifier of the network slice service as the identifier of the network slice subnet service, and uses requirement information of the network slice service as the requirement information of the network slice subnet service; or when the network slice service is carried in at least two network slice subnets, the network slice management unit splits the network slice service into at least two network slice subnet services, splits requirement information of the network slice service into requirement information of the at least two network slice subnet services, and allocates, to each network slice subnet service, an identifier of the network slice subnet service. It should be noted that the network slice subnet service may be alternatively named as a network slice subnet service management object or the like. This is not limited.

In the foregoing possible implementations, the network management request may include any one of the following requests: a network creation request, a network allocation request, a network modification request, a network service migration request, and a network activation request.

The network creation request is used to request to create a network instance.

The network modification request is used to request to modify a network instance. Optionally, when the foregoing request is the network modification request, the foregoing request further carries a network modification type and/or an identifier of the network. The network modification type includes at least one of the following: adding a network service, removing a network service, and deleting a network service.

The network service migration request is used to request to migrate a network service from a source network to a destination network. When the network management request is the network service migration request, and the network service migration request is used to request to migrate the target network service from a source network to a destination network, the network management request further carries an identifier of the source network and an identifier of the destination network. The source network and the target network are relative concepts, the source network is a network that carries the target network service before a current moment, and the target network is a network that carries the target network service after the current moment. It should be noted that, in this application, when the target network service is the network slice service, a network that carries the target network service is a network slice, or when the target network service is the network slice subnet service, a network that carries the target network service is a network slice subnet.

The network activation request is used to request to activate a network service. Optionally, a network slice activation request carries an identifier of the network.

Step <NUM>: The network management unit obtains the identifier of the network based on the requirement information of the target network service, where the network meets the requirement information of the target network service.

The network may be a network slice, a network slice subnet, or a subnet. The identifier of the network is used to identify the network, and may be a number, a letter, or another identifier. This is not limited. When the network management unit is the network slice management unit in <FIG>, the network is the network slice, and the identifier of the network is an identifier of the network slice. When the network management unit is the domain management unit in <FIG>, the network is the network slice subnet, and the identifier of the network is an identifier of the network slice subnet.

In a possible implementation, when an available network that meets the requirement of the target network service exists in existing networks, the network management unit selects, from the existing networks, the available network that meets the requirement of the network service, obtains an identifier of the available network, and uses the identifier of the available network as the identifier of the network in step <NUM>.

Selecting, from the existing networks, the available network that meets the target network service may mean that when a network (a network slice or a network subnet) that meets the requirement information of the target network service exists in the existing networks, or when a network that can be modified (for example, expanded) to meet the requirement information of the target network service exists in the existing networks, or when the network management unit receives a message used to instruct to reuse a network in the existing networks, the network management unit selects the available network from the existing networks.

In another possible implementation, when no network that meets the requirement information of the target network service exists in the existing networks, the network management unit creates a network based on the requirement information of the target network service, uses the created new network as the network in step <NUM>, and allocates an identifier to the network.

That the network management unit creates a network may mean that the network management unit combines available network resources (including at least one of the following information: network functions and transmission resources) in the existing networks into the network to meet the requirement information of the target network service.

Step <NUM>: The network management unit configures the identifier of the target network service in management information of the network.

That the network management unit configures the identifier of the target network service in management information of the network may mean that the network management unit stores the identifier of the target network service in the management information of the network, where the management information of the network may be information indicating the network.

In a possible implementation, the target network service is a network slice service, the network is a network slice, and the network management unit is the network slice management unit in <FIG>. In this case, step <NUM> may be replaced with the following: The network slice management unit configures an association relationship between an identifier of the network slice service and an identifier of the network slice, or the network slice management unit configures the identifier of the network slice service in management information of the network slice, or the network slice management unit configures the identifier of the network slice in management information of the network slice service.

In another possible implementation, the target network service is a network slice subnet service, the network is a network slice subnet, and the network management unit is the domain management unit in <FIG>. In this case, step <NUM> may be replaced with the following: The domain management unit configures an association relationship between an identifier of the network slice subnet service and an identifier of the network slice subnet, or the domain management unit configures the identifier of the network slice subnet service in management information of the network slice subnet, or the domain management unit configures the identifier of the network slice subnet in management information of the network slice subnet service.

Compared with the prior art, in the solution shown in <FIG>, the network management unit may associate the target network service with the network. Because the target network service is a service carried in the network, different services carried in the network can be well distinguished in a scenario in which the network carries a plurality of services, thereby implementing dynamic management by the network management unit on the different services carried in the network.

Optionally, in the solution shown in <FIG>, the method further includes:
configuring, by the network management unit, the requirement information of the target network service in the management information of the network, so that requirement information of a service carried in the network can be well determined.

Optionally, when the network management unit is the network slice management unit in <FIG>, and the target network service is a network slice service, the method further includes:
determining, by the network management unit, requirement information of at least one network slice subnet service based on the requirement information of the target network service; and allocating, by the network management unit to each of the at least one network slice subnet service, an identifier of the network slice subnet service.

When the network management unit determines that the target network service can be split into the at least one network slice subnet, the network management unit determines the requirement information of the target network service as the requirement information of the at least one network slice subnet service.

Further, after the allocating, by the network management unit to each of the at least one network slice subnet service, an identifier of the network slice subnet service, the method further includes:
configuring, by the network management unit, an association relationship between the identifier of the network slice subnet service and the identifier of the target network service.

Compared with the prior art, in the solution shown in <FIG>, the target network service may correspond to the network slice subnet service, to better determine a plurality of network slice subnet services included in the target network service.

The following describes the solution shown in <FIG> in detail by using an example in which the network management unit is the network slice management unit in <FIG>. <FIG> shows another network service management method according to an embodiment of this application. The method is performed by the units shown in <FIG> through interaction, and the method may include the following steps.

Step <NUM>: A service management unit receives a service management request.

The service management request carries service requirement information, and the service requirement information includes at least one of the following information: a quantity of users, area distribution of the users, a service transmission status of a user, an activation ratio of the users, a use time of a service, a coverage area of the service or a network, a movement status of the user, a roaming status of the user, a latency of the network, a bandwidth of the network, a throughput of the network, reliability of the network, a coverage level of the network, and a coverage area of the network. Specifically, for a detailed description of the service requirement information, refer to the description of the requirement information of the target network service in the solution shown in <FIG>.

Optionally, the service management unit receives the service management request sent by a tenant.

Step <NUM>: The service management unit determines information about a network slice service based on the service requirement information.

The information about the network slice service includes an identifier of the network slice service and requirement information of the network slice service. When the service is carried in one network slice, one network slice service is created, an identifier of the network slice service is allocated, and an attribute of the network slice service is set, that is, requirement information of the network slice service is configured on the network slice service. When the service is carried in a plurality of network slices, the service requirement information is split into requirement information of a plurality of network slice services, identifiers of the network slice services are allocated, and attributes of the network slice services are set, that is, requirement information of the network slice services is configured on the network slice services.

Step <NUM>: The service management unit sends a network slice management request to a network slice management unit.

The network slice management request may carry the information about the network slice service, and the network slice management request may be the network management request in the solution shown in <FIG>.

Step <NUM>: The network slice management unit determines a network slice that meets the requirement information of the network slice service, and associates the network slice service with the network slice.

The network slice management unit may use an existing available network slice or create a new network slice to meet the requirement information of the network slice service.

That the network slice management unit associates the network slice service with the network slice may include: configuring, by the network slice management unit, an association relationship between the identifier of the network slice service and an identifier of the network slice, or configuring, by the network slice management unit, the identifier of the network slice service in management information of the network slice, or configuring, by the network slice management unit, the identifier of the network slice in management information of the network slice service. This process is the same as step <NUM> in the solution shown in <FIG>.

Step <NUM>: The network slice management unit determines requirement information of at least one network slice subnet service based on the requirement information of the network slice service, and allocates, to each of the at least one network slice subnet service, an identifier of the network slice subnet service.

When the network slice service is carried in one network slice subnet of the network slice, one network slice subnet service is created, an identifier of the network slice subnet service is allocated, and an attribute of the network slice subnet service is set, that is, requirement information of the network slice subnet service is configured for the network slice subnet service. When the network slice service is carried in a plurality of network slice subnets of the network slice, the requirement information of the network slice service is split into requirement information of a plurality of network slice subnet services, the plurality of network slice subnet services are created, identifiers of the network slice subnet services are allocated, and attributes of the network slice subnet services are set, that is, corresponding requirement information of the network slice subnet services is configured on the network slice subnet services.

Step <NUM>: The network slice management unit sends a network slice subnet management request to a domain management unit.

The network slice subnet management request may carry information about the network slice subnet service (the identifier of the network slice subnet service and requirement information of the network slice subnet service). The network slice management request may be the network management request in the solution shown in <FIG>.

Step <NUM>: The domain management unit determines a network slice subnet that meets the requirement information of the network slice subnet service, and associates the network slice subnet service with the network slice subnet.

The domain management unit may use an existing available network slice subnet or create a new network slice subnet to meet the requirement information of the network slice subnet service.

That the domain management unit associates the network slice subnet service with the network slice subnet may include: configuring, by the domain management unit, an association relationship between the identifier of the network slice subnet service and an identifier of the network slice subnet, or configuring, by the domain management unit, the identifier of the network slice subnet service in management information of the network slice subnet, or configuring, by the domain management unit, the identifier of the network slice subnet in management information of the network slice subnet service. This process is the same as step <NUM> in the solution shown in <FIG>.

In another feasible solution, the network management unit may alternatively obtain only requirement information of a target network service, and create management information of the target network service based on the obtained requirement information of the target network service. Optionally, the network management unit may further allocate an identifier of the management information of the target network service to the target network service, set an attribute of the management information of the target network service, that is, configure the requirement information of the target network service in the management information of the target network service, and after determining a network that carries the target network service, associate the management information of the target network service with the network, where the identifier of the management information of the target network service is used to uniquely identify the management information of the target network service. Specifically, for this solution, refer to <FIG>.

<FIG> is a flowchart of another network service management method according to an embodiment of this application. As shown in <FIG>, the method may include the following steps.

Step <NUM>: A network management unit obtains requirement information of a target network service.

The requirement information of the target network service may be requirement information of a network, for example, may be requirement information of a target network slice. The requirement information of the target network service may be used to describe a requirement of the target network service or a requirement of the network. The requirement information of the target network service may include at least one of the following information: a quantity of users, area distribution of the users, a service transmission status of a user, an activation ratio of the users, a use time of the service, a coverage area of the service or the network, a movement status of the user, a roaming status of the user, a latency of the network, a bandwidth of the network, a throughput of the network, reliability of the network, a coverage level of the network, and a coverage area of the network. Specifically, for the requirement information of the target network service, refer to the related description of the requirement information of the target network service in the solution shown in <FIG>.

In a possible implementation, the network management unit is the network slice management unit in <FIG>, the target network service is a network slice service, and the requirement information of the target network service is requirement information of the network slice service. The network slice management unit receives, from a service management unit, a network management request that carries the requirement information of the network slice service, and obtains the requirement information of the network slice service based on the network management request. The requirement information of the network slice service is obtained by the service management unit based on service requirement information, and the service requirement information is requirement information of a service requested by a tenant. For example, when the service requested by the tenant is carried in one network slice, the service management unit directly uses the service requirement information as the requirement information of the network slice service; or when the service requested by the tenant is carried in at least two network slices, the service management unit splits the service requested by the tenant into at least two network slice services, and splits the service requirement information into requirement information of the at least two network slice services. It should be noted that the network slice service may be alternatively named as a network slice service management object, network slice requirement information, or the like. This is not limited.

In another possible implementation, the network management unit is the domain management unit in <FIG>, the target network service is a network slice subnet service, and the requirement information of the target network service is requirement information of the network slice subnet service. The domain management unit receives, from a network slice management unit, a network management request that carries the requirement information of the network slice subnet service, and obtains the requirement information of the network slice subnet service based on the network management request. The requirement information of the network slice subnet service is obtained by the network slice management unit based on requirement information of a network slice service. For example, when the network slice service is carried in one network slice subnet, the network slice management unit directly uses the requirement information of the network slice service as the requirement information of the network slice subnet service; or when the network slice service is carried in at least two network slice subnets, the network slice management unit splits the network slice service into at least two network slice subnet services, and splits the requirement information of the network slice service into requirement information of the at least two network slice subnet services. It should be noted that the network slice subnet service may be alternatively named as a network slice subnet service management object or the like. This is not limited.

In the foregoing possible implementations, the network management request may include any one of the following requests: a network creation request, a network allocation request, a network modification request, a network service migration request, and a network activation request. Specifically, for the network management request, refer to the related description of the network management request in the solution shown in <FIG>.

Step <NUM>: The network management unit creates management information of the target network service.

The management information of the target network service includes an identifier of the management information of the target network service, the identifier of the management information of the target network service is used to uniquely identify the management information of the target network service, and the requirement information of the target network service is configured in the management information of the target network service. That the network management unit creates management information of the target network service includes: configuring, by the network management unit, the requirement information of the target network service in the management information of the network service.

Step <NUM>: The network management unit associates the management information of the target network service with the network.

The network meets the requirement information of the target network service. When the target network service is a network slice service, the network is a network slice. When the target network service is a network slice subnet service, the network is a network slice subnet.

That the network management unit associates the management information of the target network service with the network includes: configuring, by the network management unit, a relationship between the identifier of the management information of the target network service and an identifier of the network, or configuring, by the network management unit, the identifier of the management information of the target network service in management information of the network, or configuring, by the network management unit, the identifier of the management information of the target network service and the requirement information of the target network service in the management information of the network.

Optionally, in the solution shown in <FIG>, before step <NUM>, the method further includes:
determining, by the network management unit, the network that meets the target network service. For example, the network management unit may determine, from existing available networks, the network that meets the target network service, or the network management unit deploys a new network to meet the requirement information of the target network service.

Optionally, in the solution shown in <FIG>, the method further includes:
allocating, by the network management unit, the identifier to the management information of the target network service, where the identifier of the management information of the target network service is used to identify the management information of the target network service, and the identifier of the management information of the target network service may include but is not limited to any one of the following identifiers: a network request identifier, a tenant identifier, a service identifier, a tenant service identifier, a network service requirement information identifier, a network requirement information identifier, and a network service management information identifier. This is not limited. Management information of different target network services corresponds to different identifiers. The network service requirement information identifier may be alternatively described as a network slice requirement information identifier.

After allocating the identifier of the management information of the target network service, the network management unit further returns the identifier of the management information of the target network service. For example, when the network management unit is the network slice management unit in <FIG>, the network management unit returns the identifier of management information of the target network service to the service management unit; or when the network management unit is the domain management unit in <FIG>, the network management unit returns the identifier of the management information of the target network service to the network slice management unit.

The following describes the solution, shown in <FIG>, in detail by using an example in which the network management unit is the network slice management unit in <FIG>. <FIG> and <FIG> are a flowchart of still another network service management method according to an embodiment of this application. The method is performed through interaction by the units shown in <FIG>. As shown in <FIG>and <FIG>, the method may include the following steps.

Step <NUM>: The service management unit determines requirement information of a network slice service based on the service requirement information.

When the service is carried in one network slice, the service management unit determines the service requirement information as the requirement information of the network slice service. When the service is carried in at least two network slices, the service management unit splits the service requirement information into requirement information of at least two network slice services.

The network slice management request may carry the requirement information of the network slice service, and the network slice management request may be the network management request in the solution shown in <FIG>.

Step <NUM>: The network slice management unit creates management information of the network slice service, allocates an identifier to the management information of the network slice service, and configures the requirement information of the network slice service in the management information of the network slice service.

The identifier of the management information of the network slice service may include two parts: an identifier and an index (index) number of a network slice, or may include only the index number. This is not limited. For example, when a network slice A carries a network slice service <NUM>, the identifier of the management information of the network slice service may be network slice A + network slice service <NUM>, or may be the network slice service <NUM>.

Step <NUM>: The network slice management unit associates the network slice with the management information of the network slice service, and returns the identifier of the management information of the network slice service.

The network slice management unit may further return the identifier of the management information of the network slice to the service management unit, so that the service management unit is clear about the network slice service carried in the network slice.

That the network slice management unit associates the network slice with the management information of the network slice service may include: configuring, by the network slice management unit, an association relationship between the identifier of the management information of the network slice service and the identifier of the network slice, or configuring, by the network slice management unit, the identifier of the management information of the network slice service in management information of the network, or configuring, by the network slice management unit, the identifier of the management information of the network slice service and the requirement information of the target network service in the management information of the network.

Step <NUM>: The network slice management unit splits the requirement information of the network slice service into requirement information of a network slice subnet service.

When the network slice service is carried in one network slice subnet, the network management unit uses the requirement information of the network slice service as the requirement information of the network slice subnet service. When the network slice service is carried in at least two network slice subnets, the network management unit splits the requirement information of the network slice service into requirement information of at least two network slice subnet services.

Step <NUM>: The network slice management unit sends the requirement information of the network slice subnet service to a domain management unit.

Step <NUM>: The domain management unit creates management information of the at least one network slice subnet service, allocates an identifier to the management information of the network slice subnet service, and configures the requirement information of the network slice subnet service in the management information of the network slice subnet service.

Step <NUM>: The domain management unit associates a network slice subnet with the management information of the network slice subnet service, and returns the identifier of the management information of the network slice subnet service.

That the domain management unit associates a network slice subnet with the management information of the network slice subnet service may include: configuring, by the domain management unit, an association relationship between the identifier of the management information of the network slice subnet service and an identifier of the network slice subnet, or configuring, by the domain management unit, the identifier of the management information of the network slice subnet service in management information of the network slice subnet, or configuring, by the domain management unit, the identifier of the management information of the network slice subnet service and the requirement information of the network slice subnet in the management information of the network slice subnet, or the like.

Step <NUM>: The network slice management unit manages the network slice subnet service and the network slice service.

That the network slice management unit manages the network slice subnet service and the network slice service may mean that the network slice management unit correspondingly stores the network slice subnet service and the network slice service.

The solutions provided in the embodiments of this application are mainly described above from a perspective of interaction between nodes. It can be understood that to implement the foregoing functions, each node such as the network management unit includes a corresponding hardware structure and/or software module for implementing each function. A person skilled in the art should easily be aware that, in combination with the examples described in the embodiments disclosed in this specification, algorithm steps can be implemented in a form of hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software in this application. Whether a function is performed by hardware or hardware driven by computer software depends on particular applications and design constraints of the technical solutions.

In the embodiments of this application, the network management unit may be divided into function modules based on the foregoing method examples. For example, the function modules may be obtained through division based on corresponding functions, or two or more functions may be integrated into one processing module. The integrated module may be implemented in a form of hardware, or may be implemented in a form of a software function module. It should be noted that, in the embodiments of this application, the module division is an example, and is merely logical function division. In actual implementation, there may be another division manner.

When the function modules are obtained through division based on corresponding functions, <FIG> is another possible schematic composition diagram of a network management unit. The network management unit may be configured to perform a function of the network management unit in the foregoing embodiments. As shown in <FIG>, the network management unit may include an obtaining module <NUM>, an association module <NUM>, a determining module <NUM>, and an allocation module <NUM>.

The obtaining module <NUM> is configured to support the network management unit in performing step <NUM>, step <NUM>, step <NUM>, step <NUM>, and step <NUM>.

The association module <NUM> is configured to support the network management unit in performing step <NUM>, step <NUM>, and step <NUM>.

The determining module <NUM> is configured to support the network management unit in performing step <NUM> and step <NUM>.

The allocation module <NUM> is configured to support the network management unit in performing step <NUM>, step <NUM>, and step <NUM>.

It should be noted that all related content of the steps in the foregoing method embodiments can be incorporated into function descriptions of corresponding function modules by reference. The network management unit provided in this embodiment of this application is configured to perform the foregoing network service management method, and therefore can achieve a same effect as the foregoing network service management method.

When an integrated unit is used, <FIG> shows an apparatus. The apparatus exists in a product form of a chip and is configured to perform a function of the network management unit in the foregoing embodiments. As shown in <FIG>, the apparatus may include a processing module <NUM> and a communications module <NUM>.

The processing module <NUM> is configured to control and manage an action of the apparatus. For example, the processing module <NUM> is configured to support the apparatus in performing step <NUM>, step <NUM>, step <NUM>, step <NUM>, step <NUM>, step <NUM>, step <NUM>, and step <NUM>, and/or is configured to perform another process of the technology described in this specification. The communications module <NUM> is configured to support communication between the apparatus and another network entity, for example, communication with the service management unit or a network entity shown in <FIG>. The apparatus may further include a storage module <NUM>, configured to store program code and data of the apparatus.

The processing module <NUM> may be a processor or a controller. The processing module <NUM> may implement or execute various example logical blocks, modules, and circuits described with reference to content disclosed in this application. Alternatively, the processor may be a combination implementing a computing function, for example, a combination including one or more microprocessors, or a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor. The communications module <NUM> may be a communications interface, a transceiver circuit, or the like. The storage module <NUM> may be a memory.

When the processing module <NUM> is a processor, the communications module <NUM> is a communications interface, and the storage module <NUM> is a memory, the apparatus in this embodiment of this application may be the apparatus shown in <FIG>.

The foregoing descriptions of the implementations allow a person skilled in the art to understand that, for the purpose of convenient and brief description, division of the foregoing function modules is used as an example for illustration. In actual application, the foregoing functions can be allocated to different function modules for implementation based on a requirement, that is, an inner structure of an apparatus is divided into different function modules to implement all or some of the functions described above.

In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed apparatus and method may be implemented in other manners. For example, the described apparatus embodiments are merely examples. For example, the module or unit division is merely logical function division. In actual implementation, there may be another division manner. For example, a plurality of units or components may be combined or integrated into another apparatus, or some features may be ignored or not performed. The indirect couplings or communication connections between the apparatuses or units may be implemented in electrical, mechanical, or other forms.

The units described as separate parts may or may not be physically separate, and parts displayed as units may be one or more physical units, that is, may be located in one place, or may be distributed in a plurality of different places. Some or all of the units may be selected based on actual requirements to achieve the objectives of the solutions in the embodiments.

When the integrated unit is implemented in the form of a software function unit and sold or used as an independent product, the integrated unit may be stored in a readable storage medium. Based on such an understanding, the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application essentially, or the part contributing to the prior art, or all or some of the technical solutions may be implemented in a form of a software product. The software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions for instructing a device (which may be a single-chip microcomputer, a chip, or the like) or a processor (processor) to perform all or some of the steps of the methods described in the embodiments of this application. The foregoing storage medium includes any medium that can store program code, such as a USB flash drive, a removable hard disk, a ROM, a RAM, a magnetic disk, or an optical disc.

Claim 1:
A network service management method, wherein the method comprises:
obtaining (<NUM>), by a network management unit, information of a target network service, wherein the information of the target network service comprises an identifier of the target network service and requirement information of the target network service, wherein the requirement information of the target network service comprises at least one of the following information: a quantity of users, a coverage area of the service or a network, a movement status of the user and a latency of the network;
obtaining (<NUM>), by the network management unit, an identifier of a network based on the requirement information of the target network service, wherein the network meets the requirement information of the target network service; and
configuring (<NUM>), by the network management unit, the identifier of the target network service in management information of the network.