SYSTEM AND METHODS FOR SESSION MANAGEMENT

• US 20200029388A1
• Filed: 09/27/2019
• Published: 01/23/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 01/09/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: DAO, Ngoc Dung, ZHANG, Hang, LI, Xu
• Granted Patent: US 10,813,165 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0806 for initial configuration or provisioning, e.g. plug-and-play
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0894 Policy-based network configuration management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0895 Configuration of virtualised networks or elements, e.g. virtualised network function or OpenFlow elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/342 between virtual entities, e.g. orchestrators, SDN or NFV entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/40 using virtualisation of network functions or resources, e.g. SDN or NFV entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5019 Ensuring fulfilment of SLA
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5041 characterised by the time relationship between creation and deployment of a service
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1089 by adding media; by removing media
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/142 Managing session states for stateless protocols; Signalling session states; State transitions; Keeping-state mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/143 Termination or inactivation of sessions, e.g. event-controlled end of session
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/148 Migration or transfer of sessions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/327 in the session layer [OSI layer 5]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/10 Scheduling measurement reports ; Arrangements for measurement reports
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/24 Negotiating SLA [Service Level Agreement]; Negotiating QoS [Quality of Service]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0011 for data sessions of end-to-end connection
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0016 Hand-off preparation specially adapted for end-to-end data sessions
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0033 : with transfer of context information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 : Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/27 : Transitions between radio resource control [RRC] states
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/30 : Connection release
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/34 : Selective release of ongoing connections
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/10 : adapted for application session management, e.g. SIP [Session Initiation Protocol] connection management H04W76/00; arrangements for session management H04L67/14
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/14 : Backbone network devices

Abstract

A network architecture and methods of managing packet data unit (PDU) sessions in a network are provided. The methods include PDU session establishment procedures, PDU session modification procedures, PDU session state transfer procedures, PDU session release procedures, and user equipment (UE) handover procedures.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

sending a request, by a session management function (SMF) to an access and mobility management function (AMF), wherein the request includes a N1 session management (SM) information requesting a user equipment (UE) to release a PDU session and a skip indication indicating the AMF to skip transferring the N1 SM information to the UE; and

if the UE is in a connection management idle (CM-IDLE) state and the skip indication is received by the AMF, sending, by the AMF to the SMF, a response indicating that the N1 SM information is not transferred.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the method further comprises:

determining, by the AMF, whether the UE is in the CM-IDLE state.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the SMF requests the UE to release the PDU session by invoking an Nsmf_Communication_N1MessageTrasfer operation having an input which includes the N1 SM information and the indicator.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the N1 SM information includes a PDU session release command.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the SMF sends the N1 SM information if a user plane (UP) connection of the PDU session is deactivated.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein before sending the request, the method further comprises:

deciding, by the SMF, to release the PDU session based on at least one of a request from a data network (DN), a request from a unified data management (UDM) function, and a locally configured policy.

8. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein before sending the request, the method further comprises:

receiving, by the SMF, a trigger to release the PDU session from at least one of the UE and the AMF.

9. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein according to the skip indication, the AMF drops the N1 SM information and refrains from transferring the N1 SM information to the UE.

10. The method as claimed in claim 9, wherein the AMF refrains from initiating a service request procedure to transmit the N1 SM information to the UE.

11. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the response further indicates a cause code.

12. A communication system comprising a session management function (SMF) and an access and mobility management function (AMF), wherein:

the SMF is configured to;

send a request to the AMF, wherein the request includes a N1 session management (SM) information requesting a user equipment (UE) to release a PDU session and a skip indication indicating the AMF to skip transferring the N1 SM information to the UE;

the AMF is configured to;

send a response to the SMF if the UE is in a connection management idle (CM-IDLE) state and the skip indication is received by the AMF, the response indicating that the N1 SM information is not transferred.

13. The communication system as claimed in claim 12, wherein the AMF is further configured to determine whether the UE is in the CM-IDLE state.

14. The communication system as claimed in claim 12, wherein the SMF is configured to request the UE to release the PDU session by invoking an Nsmf_Communication_N1MessageTrasfer operation having an input which includes the N1 SM information and the indicator.

15. The communication system as claimed in claim 12, wherein the N1 SM information includes a PDU session release command.

16. The communication system as claimed in claim 12, wherein the SMF is further configured to send the N1 SM information if a user plane (UP) connection of the PDU session is deactivated.

17. The communication system as claimed in claim 12, wherein the SMF is further configured to decide to release the PDU session based on at least one of a request from a data network (DN), a request from a unified data management (UDM) function, and a locally configured policy.

18. The communication system as claimed in claim 12, wherein the SMF is further configured to receive a trigger to release the PDU session from at least one of the UE and the AMF wherein the request is sent based on the trigger.

19. The communication system as claimed in claim 12, wherein the AMF is further configured to, according to the skip indication, drop the N1 SM information and refrains from transferring the N1 SM information to the UE.

20. The communication system as claimed in claim 12, wherein the response further indicates a cause code.