Group communications method and system, and device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11653180-B2
Application number	US-202117324928-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 19, 2021
Priority date	Nov 19, 2018
Publication date	May 16, 2023
Grant date	May 16, 2023

Abstract

A group communications method and system, and a device are provided. The method includes: when a first terminal initiates access to a local area network group, obtaining, by a group management function network element, an identifier of a first user plane network element to be accessed by the first terminal, context information of the local area network group, and a first session port identifier; creating, for the local area network group, a rule group applied to a first session port, and creating or updating, for the local area network group based on the context information, a local area network group forwarding action rule (FAR) applied to the first user plane network element; and sending a first message to a session management network element, for configuring the rule group on the first session port, and configuring the local area network group FAR on the first user plane network element.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A group communications method comprising:
in response to a first terminal initiating access to a local area network group, obtaining, by a group management function network element, an identifier of a first user plane network element to be accessed by the first terminal, context information of the local area network group, and a first session port identifier, wherein the context information comprises an identifier list of user plane network elements accessed by a terminal that has currently accessed the local area network group in a terminal member list corresponding to the local area network group, and the first session port identifier is an identifier of a first session port that is on the first user plane network element and that is used by the first terminal for access;
creating, by the group management function network element for the local area network group, a rule group applied to the first session port, and creating or updating, by the group management function network element for the local area network group based on the context information, a local area network group forwarding action rule (FAR) applied to the first user plane network element, wherein the rule group comprises an ingress packet detection rule (PDR), an egress PDR, and an egress FAR; the egress PDR comprises an identifier of the egress FAR, and the ingress PDR comprises an identifier of the local area network group FAR; the ingress PDR is used to identify a broadcast packet belonging to the local area network group, and the local area network group FAR is used to duplicate the broadcast packet and then forward the broadcast packet to a specified egress; and the egress PDR is used to identify a type of the broadcast packet, and the egress FAR is used to perform outer header creation and transport level marking on the broadcast packet and then send the broadcast packet through a corresponding port; and
sending, by the group management function network element, a first message to a session management network element, wherein the first message is used to configure the rule group on the first session port, and configure or update the local area network group FAR on the first user plane network element.

2. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising:
in response to the identifier list comprising an identifier of a second user plane network element, and the identifier of the first user plane network element is-being not in the identifier list, obtaining, by the group management function network element, a first tunnel endpoint identifier and a second tunnel endpoint identifier, wherein the first tunnel endpoint identifier is an identifier of a first tunnel endpoint of a first tunnel on the first user plane network element, the second tunnel endpoint identifier is an identifier of a second tunnel endpoint of the first tunnel on the second user plane network element, and the first tunnel is a tunnel between the first user plane network element and the second user plane network element; and
creating, by the group management function network element for the local area network group, a rule group applied to the first tunnel endpoint, creating, by the group management function network element for the local area network group, a rule group applied to the second tunnel endpoint, and updating, by the group management function network element, a local area network group FAR applied to the second user plane network element, wherein
correspondingly, the first message is further used to configure the rule group on the first tunnel endpoint, configure the rule group on the second tunnel endpoint, and update the local area network group FAR on the second user plane network element.

3. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising
in response to the first terminal being updated from accessing the first user plane network element to accessing a third user plane network element in the local area network group, obtaining, by the group management function network element, a third session port identifier, wherein the third session port identifier is an identifier of a third session port that is on the third user plane network element and that is used by the first terminal for access;
creating, by the group management function network element for the local area network group, a rule group applied to the third session port, and creating or updating, by the group management function network element based on the context information, a local area network group FAR applied to the third user plane network element; and
sending, by the group management function network element, a third message to the session management network element, wherein the third message is used to configure the rule group on the third session port, configure or update the local area network group FAR on the third user plane network element, delete the rule group on the first session port, and delete or update the local area network group FAR applied to the first user plane network element; and an updated local area network group FAR applied to the first user plane network element is obtained by the group management function network element by updating, based on the context information, the local area network group FAR applied to the first user plane network element.

4. The method according to claim 3 , further comprising:
in response to the identifier list comprising an identifier of a fourth user plane network element, and no terminal other than the first terminal in the terminal member list corresponding to the local area network group accessing the first user plane network element, updating, by the group management function network element, a local area network group FAR applied to the fourth user plane network element, wherein
correspondingly, the third message is further used to delete a second tunnel between the first user plane network element and the fourth user plane network element, delete a rule group on a third tunnel endpoint on the first user plane network element, delete the rule group on a fourth tunnel endpoint on the fourth user plane network element, and update the local area network group FAR applied to the fourth user plane network element; and the third tunnel endpoint is a tunnel endpoint of the second tunnel on the first user plane network element, and the fourth tunnel endpoint is a tunnel endpoint of the second tunnel on the fourth user plane network element.

5. The method according to claim 3 , further comprising:
in response to the identifier list comprising the identifier of the fourth user plane network element, and an identifier of the third user plane network element being not in the identifier list, obtaining, by the group management function network element, a fifth tunnel endpoint identifier and a sixth tunnel endpoint identifier, wherein the fifth tunnel endpoint identifier is an identifier of a fifth tunnel endpoint of a third tunnel on the third user plane network element, the sixth tunnel endpoint identifier is an identifier of a sixth tunnel endpoint of the third tunnel on the fourth user plane network element, and the third tunnel is a tunnel between the third user plane network element and the fourth user plane network element; and
creating, by the group management function network element for the local area network group, a rule group applied to the fifth tunnel endpoint, creating, by the group management function network element for the local area network group, a rule group applied to the sixth tunnel endpoint, and updating, by the group management function network element, the local area network group FAR applied to the fourth user plane network element, wherein
correspondingly, the third message is further used to configure the rule group on the fifth tunnel endpoint, configure the rule group on the sixth tunnel endpoint, a

Assignees

• Huawei Tech Co Ltd

Inventors

• Xu Changchun
• Chen Zhongping
• Zhou Runze
• Wang Yan

Classifications

• H04W4/08 Primary

  User group management · CPC title

• H04W76/40

  for selective distribution or broadcast · CPC title

• H04W76/11

  Allocation or use of connection identifiers · CPC title

• H04W76/12

  Setup of transport tunnels · CPC title

• H04W40/246

  Connectivity information discovery · CPC title