Patent Application
20220312206
A user equipment (UE) may connect to an edge data network to access edge computing services. Edge computing refers to performing computing and data processing at the network where the data is generated. To establish a connection with the edge data network, the UE may have to perform an authentication procedure with an edge configuration server (ECS).
Some exemplary embodiments are related to a method performed by a network component. The method includes generating a first credential based on a second credential, the second credential generated for a procedure between a user equipment (UE) and a cellular network corresponding to the network component, receiving an identifier associated with the first credential from a further network component in response to the UE transmitting an application registration request to a server associated with an edge data network, retrieving the first credential based on the identifier, receiving a multi-access edge computing (MEC) authorization parameter, verifying the MEC authorization parameter and transmitting an authentication verification response to a second network component.
Other exemplary embodiments are related to a method performed by a network. The method includes generating a first credential based on a second credential, the second credential generated for a procedure between a user equipment (UE) and the cellular network, receiving an identifier associated with the first credential from a server associated with an edge data network in response to the UE transmitting an application registration request to the server associated with an edge data network, retrieving the first credential based on the identifier, receiving a multi-access edge computing (MEC) authorization parameter, verifying the MEC authorization parameter and transmitting an authentication verification response to a second network component.
Still further exemplary embodiments are related to a processor configured to perform operations. The operations include generating a first credential based on a second credential, the second credential generated for a procedure between a user equipment (UE) and a cellular network corresponding to the network component, receiving an identifier associated with the first credential from a further network component in response to the UE transmitting an application registration request to a server associated with an edge data network, retrieving the first credential based on the identifier, receiving a multi-access edge computing (MEC) authorization parameter, verifying the MEC authorization parameter and transmitting an authentication verification response to a second network component.
The exemplary embodiments may be further understood with reference to the following description and the related appended drawings, wherein like elements are provided with the same reference numerals. The exemplary embodiments relate to implementing an authentication and authentication procedure for access to an edge data network.
The exemplary embodiments are described with regard to a UE. However, reference to a UE is merely provided for illustrative purposes. The exemplary embodiments may be utilized with any electronic component that may establish a connection to a network and is configured with the hardware, software, and/or firmware to exchange information and data with the network. Therefore, the UE as described herein is used to represent any appropriate electronic component.
In addition, the exemplary embodiments are described with regard to a 5G New Radio (NR) network. However, reference to a 5G NR network is merely provided for illustrative purposes. The exemplary embodiments may be utilized with any network that implements the functionalities described herein for edge computing. Therefore, the 5G NR network as described herein may represent any network that includes the functionalities associated with edge computing.
The UE may access an edge data network via a 5G NR network. The edge data network may provide the UE with access to edge computing services. Edge computing refers to performing computing and data processing at the network where the data is generated. In contrast to legacy approaches that utilize a centralized architecture, edge computing is a distributed approach where data processing is localized towards the network edge, closer to the end user. This allows performance to be optimized and latency to be minimized.
The exemplary embodiments are further described with regard to an edge configuration server (ECS). The ECS may perform operations related to the authentication and authorization procedure for access to an edge data network. However, reference to an ECS is merely provided for illustrative purposes. The exemplary embodiments may be utilized with any electronic component that is configured with the hardware, software, firmware and/or cloud computing functionality to exchange information with the UE. Therefore, the ECS as described herein is used to represent any appropriate electronic component.
The UE 110 may be configured to communicate with one or more networks. In the example of the network configuration 100, the network with which the UE 110 may wirelessly communicate is a 5G NR radio access network (RAN) 120. However, the UE 110 may also communicate with other types of networks (e.g. 5G cloud RAN, an LTE RAN, a legacy cellular network, a WLAN, etc.) and the UE 110 may also communicate with networks over a wired connection. With regard to the exemplary embodiments, the UE 110 may establish a connection with the 5G NR RAN 120. Therefore, the UE 110 may have a 5G NR chipset to communicate with the NR RAN 120.
The 5G NR RAN 120 may be a portion of a cellular network that may be deployed by a network carrier (e.g., Verizon, AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, etc.). The 5G NR RAN 120 may include, for example, cells or base stations (Node Bs, eNodeBs, HeNBs, eNBS, gNBs, gNodeBs, macrocells, microcells, small cells, femtocells, etc.) that are configured to send and receive traffic from UEs that are equipped with the appropriate cellular chip set.
In network arrangement 100, the 5G NR RAN 120 includes a cell 120A that represents a gNB. However, an actual network arrangement may include any number of different types of cells being deployed by any number of RANs. Thus, the example of a single cell 120A is merely provided for illustrative purposes.
The UE 110 may connect to the 5G NR-RAN 120 via the cell 120A. Those skilled in the art will understand that any association procedure may be performed for the UE 110 to connect to the 5G NR-RAN 120. For example, as discussed above, the 5G NR-RAN 120 may be associated with a particular cellular provider where the UE 110 and/or the user thereof has a contract and credential information (e.g., stored on a SIM card). Upon detecting the presence of the 5G NR-RAN 120, the UE 110 may transmit the corresponding credential information to associate with the 5G NR-RAN 120. More specifically, the UE 110 may associate with a specific cell (e.g., the cells 120A). However, as mentioned above, reference to the 5G NR-RAN 120 is merely for illustrative purposes and any appropriate type of RAN may be used.
The network arrangement 100 also includes a cellular core network 130. The cellular core network 130 may be considered to be the interconnected set of components or functions that manage the operation and traffic of the cellular network. In this example, the components include an authentication server function (AUSF) 131, a unified data management (UDM) 132, a session management function (SMF) 133, a user plane function (UPF) 134 and network exposure function (NEF) 135. However, an actual cellular core network may include various other components performing any of a variety of different functions.
The AUSF 131 may store data for authentication of UEs and handle authentication-related functionality. The AUSF 131 may be equipped with one or more communication interfaces to communicate with other network components (e.g., network functions, RANs, UEs, etc.). The exemplary embodiments are not limited to a AUSF that performs the above reference operations. Those skilled in the art will understand the variety of different types of operations a AUSF may perform. Further, reference to a single AUSF 131 is merely for illustrative purposes, an actual network arrangement may include any appropriate number of AUSFs.
The UDM 132 may perform operations related to handling subscription-related information to support the network's handling of communication sessions. The UDM 132 may be equipped with one or more communication interfaces to communicate with other network components (e.g., network functions, RANs, UEs, etc.). The exemplary embodiments are not limited to an UDM that performs the above reference operations. Those skilled in the art will understand the variety of different types of operations a UDM may perform. Further, reference to a single UDM 132 is merely for illustrative purposes, an actual network arrangement may include any appropriate number of UDMs.
The SMF 133 performs operations related to session management such as, but not limited to, session establishment, session release, IP address allocation, policy and quality of service (QoS) enforcement, etc. The SMF 133 may be equipped with one or more communication interfaces to communicate with other network components (e.g., network functions, RANs, UEs, etc.). The exemplary embodiments are not limited to an SMF that performs the above reference operations. Those skilled in the art will understand the variety of different types of operations a SMF may perform. Further, reference to a single SMF 133 is merely for illustrative purposes, an actual network arrangement may include any appropriate number of SMFs.
The UPF 134 performs operations related packet data unit (PDU) session management. For example, the UPF 134 may facilitate a connection between the UE 110 and the edge data network 170. The UPF 134 may be equipped with one or more communication interfaces to communicate with other networks and/or network components (e.g., network functions, RANs, UEs, etc.). The exemplary embodiments are not limited to an UPF that performs the above reference operations. Those skilled in the art will understand the variety of different types of operations an UPF may perform. Further, reference to a single UPF 134 is merely for illustrative purposes, an actual network arrangement may include any appropriate number of UPFs.
The NEF 135 is generally responsible for securely exposing the services and capabilities provided by 5G NR-RAN 120 network functions. The NEF 135 may be equipped with one or more communication interfaces to communicate with other network components (e.g., network functions, RANs, UEs, etc.). The exemplary embodiments are not limited to a NEF that performs the above reference operations. Those skilled in the art will understand the variety of different types of operations a NEF may perform. Further, reference to a single NEF 135 is merely for illustrative purposes, an actual network arrangement may include any appropriate number of NEFs.
The network arrangement 100 also includes the Internet 140, an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) 150, and a network services backbone 160. The cellular core network 130 manages the traffic that flows between the cellular network and the Internet 140. The IMS 150 may be generally described as an architecture for delivering multimedia services to the UE 110 using the IP protocol. The IMS 150 may communicate with the cellular core network 130 and the Internet 140 to provide the multimedia services to the UE 110. The network services backbone 160 is in communication either directly or indirectly with the Internet 140 and the cellular core network 130. The network services backbone 160 may be generally described as a set of components (e.g., servers, network storage arrangements, etc.) that implement a suite of services that may be used to extend the functionalities of the UE 110 in communication with the various networks.
In addition, the network arrangement 100 includes an edge data network 170 and an edge configuration server (ECS) 180. The exemplary embodiments are described with regard to implementing an authentication and authorization procedure between the UE 110 and the ECS 180. The edge data network 170 and an ECS 180 will be described in more detail below with regard to
The processor 205 may be configured to execute various types of software. For example, the processor may execute an application client 235 and an edge enabler client (EEC) 240. The application client 235 may perform operations related to an application running on the UE 110 exchanging application data with a server via a network. The EEC 224 may perform operations related to establishing a connection to the edge data network 170. The application client 235 and the EEC 240 are discussed in more detail below with regard to
The above referenced software being executed by the processor 205 is only exemplary. The functionality associated with the software may also be represented as a separate incorporated component of the UE 110 or may be a modular component coupled to the UE 110, e.g., an integrated circuit with or without firmware. For example, the integrated circuit may include input circuitry to receive signals and processing circuitry to process the signals and other information. The engines may also be embodied as one application or separate applications. In addition, in some UEs, the functionality described for the processor 205 is split among two or more processors such as a baseband processor and an applications processor. The exemplary embodiments may be implemented in any of these or other configurations of a UE.
The memory arrangement 210 may be a hardware component configured to store data related to operations performed by the UE 110. The display device 215 may be a hardware component configured to show data to a user while the I/O device 220 may be a hardware component that enables the user to enter inputs. The display device 215 and the I/O device 220 may be separate components or integrated together such as a touchscreen. The transceiver 225 may be a hardware component configured to establish a connection with the 5G NR-RAN 120, an LTE-RAN (not pictured), a legacy RAN (not pictured), a WLAN (not pictured), etc. Accordingly, the transceiver 225 may operate on a variety of different frequencies or channels (e.g., set of consecutive frequencies).
The exemplary embodiments will be described with regard to an authentication and authorization procedure between the EEC 240 of the UE 110 and the ECS 180. Successful completion of the exemplary procedure may precede the flow of application data traffic between the edge data network 170 and the UE 110. The architecture 300 provides a general example of the type of components that may interact with one another when the UE 110 is configured to exchange application data traffic with the edge data network 170. A specific example of the exemplary authentication and authorization procedure will be provided below with regard to the signaling diagram 400 of
The architecture 300 includes the UE 110, the core network 130 and the edge data network 170. The UE 110 may establish a connection to the edge data network 170 via the core network 130 and various other components (e.g., cell 120A, the 5G NR RAN 120, network functions, etc.).
In the architecture 300, the various components are shown as being connected via reference points labeled edge-x (e.g., edge-1, edge-2, edge-3, edge-4, edge-5, edge-6, edge-7, edge-8, etc.). Those skilled in the art will understand that each of these reference points (e.g., connections, interfaces, etc.) are defined in the 3GPP Specifications. The exemplary architecture arrangement 300 is using these reference points in the manner in which they are defined in the 3GPP Specifications. Furthermore, while these interfaces are termed reference points throughout this description, it should be understood that these interfaces are not required to be direct wired or wireless connections, e.g., the interfaces may communicate via intervening hardware and/or software components. To provide an example, the UE 110 exchanges communications with the gNB 120A. However, in the architecture 300 the UE 110 is shown as having a connection to the ECS 180. However, this connection is not a direct communication link between the UE 110 and the ECS 180. Instead, this is a connection that is facilitated by intervening hardware and software components. Thus, throughout this description the terms “connection,” “reference point” and “interface” may be used interchangeably to describe the interfaces between the various components in the architecture 300 and the network arrangement 100.
During operation, application data traffic 305 may flow between the application client 235 running on the UE 110 and the edge application server (EAS) 172 of the edge data network 170. The EAS 172 may be accessed through the core network 130 via uplink classifiers (CL) and branching points (NP) or in any other appropriate manner. Those skilled in the art will understand the variety of different types of operations and configurations relevant to an application client and an EAS. The operations performed by these components are beyond the scope of the exemplary embodiments. Instead, these components are included in the description of the architecture 300 to demonstrate that the exemplary authentication and authorization procedure between the UE 110 and the ECS 180 may precede the flow of application data traffic 305 between the UE 110 and the edge data network 170.
The EEC 240 may be configured to provide supporting functions for the application client 235. For example, the EEC 240 may perform operations related to concepts such as, but not limited to, the discovery of EASs that are available in an edge data network (e.g., EAS 172) and the retrieval and provisioning of configuration information that may enable the exchange of the application data traffic 305 between the application client 235 and the EAS 172. To differentiate the EEC 240 from other EECs, the EEC 240 may be associated with a globally unique value (e.g., EEC ID) that identifies the EEC 240. Further, reference to a single application client 235 and EEC 240 is merely provided for illustrative purposes, the UE 110 may be equipped with any appropriate number of application clients and EECs.
The edge data network 170 may also include an edge enabler server (EES) 174. The EES 174 may be configured to provide supporting functions to the EAS 172 and the EEC 240 running on the UE 110. For example, the EES 174 may perform operations related to concepts such as, but not limited to, provisioning configuration to enable the exchange of the application data traffic 305 between the UE 110 and the EAS 172 and providing information related to the EAS 172 to the EEC 235 running on the UE 110. Those skilled in the art will understand the variety of different types of operations and configurations relevant to an EES. Further, reference to the edge data network 170 including a single EAS 172 and a single EES 174 is merely provided for illustrative purposes. In an actual deployment scenario, an edge data network may include any appropriate EASs and EESs interacting with any number of UEs.
The ECS 180 may be configured to provide supporting functions for the EEC 240 to connect the EES 174. For example, the ECS 180 may perform operations related to concepts such as, but not limited to, provisioning of edge configuration information to the EEC 240. The edge configuration information may include the information for the EEC 240 to connect to the EES 174 (e.g., service area information, etc.) and the information for establishing a connection with the EES 174 (e.g., uniform resource identifier (URI). Those skilled in the art will understand the variety of different types of operations and configurations relevant to an ECS.
In the network architecture 100 and the enabling architecture 300, the ECS 180 is shown as being outside of the edge data network 170 and the core network 130. However, this is merely provided for illustrative purposes. The ECS 180 may be deployed in any appropriate virtual and/or physical location (e.g., within the mobile network operator's domain or within a third party domain) and implemented via any appropriate combination of hardware, software and/or firmware.
As indicated above, the interaction between the ECS 180 and the EEC 240 running on the UE 110 may occur prior to the flow of the application data traffic 305. The exemplary embodiments relate to an authentication and authorization procedure between the UE 110 and the ECS 180.
The signaling diagram 400 includes the UE 110, the AUSF 131, the UDM 132, the NEF 135, and the ECS 180. As will be described in more detail below, the credentials generated by primary authentication procedure (e.g., KAUSF) may provide the basis for the for credentials of the exemplary authentication and authorization procedure described herein.
Those skilled in the art will understand that the primary authentication procedure (e.g., 5G AKA, EAP-AKA, etc.) generally refers to an authentication procedure between the UE 110 and the core network 130. During the procedure, the AUSF 131 may generate a credential KAUSF via authentication vector generation. The KAUSF may then be used for further operations of the primary authentication procedure. Some characteristics of the KAUSF include, i) the KAUSF may be shared between the UE 110 and AUSF of the home public land mobile network (HPLMN) (e.g., AUSF 131) and ii) the KAUSF may provide the basis of the subsequent 5G key hierarchy.
The signaling diagram 400 assumes that the UE 110 and the core network 130 have already successfully performed the primary authentication procedure and the credential (KAUSF) is available. However, reference to KAUSF is merely provided for illustrative purposes, the exemplary embodiments may apply to any similar type of 3GPP credential or information being used in in addition or instead of KAUSF.
In addition, for the purposes of the signaling diagram 400, it may be considered that the credentials generated by primary authentication cannot be sent outside of the carrier's network. Further, it may also be considered that the UE 110 has already discovered the edge data network 170 and is permitted to initiate this exemplary edge computing authentication and authorization procedure.
In 405, the UE 110 performs primary authentication with the network. As indicated above, the procedure may result in the credential (KAUSF) being shared between the UE 110 and the AUSF 131. However, the exemplary embodiments are not limited to the use of KAUSF, any other appropriate parameters may be utilized.
In 410, the UE 110 generates and stores one or more credentials. Throughout this description, these credentials may be referred to as “Kedge” and “KedgeID.” However, reference to “Kedge” and “KedgeID” is merely for illustrative purposes, any appropriate credentials or parameters may be utilized.
In this example, the credential Kedge may be generated using a key derivation function (KDF). Those skilled in the art will understand that the KDF may be, for example, the KDF defined in Annex B.2.0 of 3GPP Technical Specification (TS) 33.220 or any other similar type of function.
The credential Kedge may be derived from credential KAUSF. For example, the input key for the KDF may be the KAUSF. When deriving Kedge, the following parameters may also be used for the KDF: FC, P0, L0. Here, FC may represent a parameter used to distinguish between different instances of the KDF. The value for FC may be any appropriate value allocated by a 3GPP based entity. The Subscription permanent identifier (SUPI) or any other identifier associated with the UE 110 (e.g., generic public subscription identifier (GPSI), etc.) may be used for P0. The length of the P0 parameter (e.g., SUPI, GPSI, etc.) may be used for L0.
The KedgeID parameter may be used to uniquely identify a Kedge parameter. The KedgeID parameter may be generated in any appropriate manner. As described above, it may be considered that the credentials generated by primary authentication cannot be sent outside of the carrier's network. Thus, the Kedge may not be sent outside of the carrier network. However, the KedgeID parameter may be sent outside the network since it is not a credential but rather a parameter that uniquely identifies the KedgeID parameter. The use of the KedgeID parameter will be described in greater detail below.
In 415, the AUSF 131 generates and stores one or more credentials. Here, the AUSF 131 generates the same credentials generated by the UE 110 in 410. Thus, in this example, the AUSF 131 may also generate the credentials Kedge and KedgeID. Since the credential KAUSF is shared between the UE 110 and the AUSF 131, the UE 110 and the AUSF 131 may independently generate the same credentials. However, reference to KAUSF is merely provided for illustrative purposes, any appropriate type of information may be used to provide the basis for the one or more credentials generated in 410 and 415.
In 420, the EEC 240 receives the one or more credentials generated by the UE 110. For example, the EEC 240 may retrieve Kedge and KedgeID from the memory arrangement 210 of the UE 110 or these credentials may be provided to the EEC 240 by another process executed by the processor 205.
In 425, the EEC 240 may generate a multi-access edge computing (MEC) authorization parameter. Throughout this description, this parameter may be referred to as MECEEC. The authorization parameter may be generated using Kedge and the EEC ID associated with the EEC 240. For example, the MECEEC parameter may be generated using the SHA-256 hashing function. When deriving the MECEEC parameter, P0 and P1 may be used to form the input parameter S. Here, P0 represents Kedge and P1 represents the EEC ID. The input S may be equal to the concatenation P0∥P1. The MECEEC parameter is identified with the N least significant bits of the output of the SHA-246 function, e.g., 32 bits, 64 bits, etc.
In 430, the UE 110 sends an application registration request to the ECS 180. The application registration request may include information such as, but not limited to, EEC ID, MECEEC and the KedgeID. This message may be sent via non-access stratum (NAS), the user plane or in any other appropriate manner.
In 435, the ECS 180 sends authentication verification message to the NEF 135 for verification. The authentication verification message may include contents similar to the application registration request (e.g., EEC ID, MECEEC and the KedgeID)
In 440, the NEF 135 may send an authentication verification message to the UDM 132 for MECEEC verification. In 445, the UDM 132 (and/or the AUSF 131) may retrieve Kedge using the KedgeID and may verify the MECEEC using the Kedge and the EEC ID. In other words, the UDM 132 (and/or the AUSF 131) may verify the received MECEEC by retrieving the credential generated in 410 based on its stored association to KedgeID. The UDM 132 (and/or the AUSF 131) may then generate a second, independent and distinct, instance of MECEEC. If the second instance of MECEEC matches the MECEEC received in 435, the verification process is a success. In this example, the verification process is a success. However, in an actual operating scenario, if a stored instance of Kedge cannot be found or the second instance of MECEEC does not match the MECEEC received in 435 the verification process has failed and the UE 110 may be unable to successfully complete the exemplary authentication and authorization procedure.
In 450, the UDM 132 may send an authentication verification response to the NEF 135. In this example, the verification process was a success. Thus, the authentication verification response may indicate a successful verification process. In other embodiments, an indication that the verification process failed or the lack of authentication verification response may indicate to the NEF 135 that authentication verification was not successful.
The operations described above in 440-450 were described above as being performed by the UDM 132. However, in an actual operation scenario, these operations may be performed by the AUSF 131, a combination of the AUSF 131 and the UDM 132 or by any other appropriate one or more network components. Thus, in the signaling diagram 400 the retrieval and verification process in 445 are shown as being associated with both the AUSF 131 and the UDM 132.
In 455, the NEF 135 sends an indication of the authentication verification response (e.g., success/fail) provided by the UDM 132 to the ECS 180. Based on the verification result, the ECS 170 decides whether to accept or reject the authentication request.
In 460, the ECS 180 sends an authentication accept or authentication reject message to the UE 110 (e.g., the EEC 240). The authentication accept message may indicate that the UE 110 is permitted to attempt to access the edge data network 170 and/or the EAS 172. The authentication reject message may indicate that the UE 110 is not permitted to attempt to access the edge data network 170 and/or the EAS 172.
Subsequent to the authentication accept message, various signaling may be performed between the UE 110 (e.g., the application client 235, the EEC 240, etc.) and the edge data network 170 (e.g., the EAS 172, the EEC 174, etc.) to establish a connection that may be used to exchange application data traffic between the UE 110 and edge data network 170. To provide an example, a PDU session establishment procedure may be initiated.
Those skilled in the art will understand that the above-described exemplary embodiments may be implemented in any suitable software or hardware configuration or combination thereof. An exemplary hardware platform for implementing the exemplary embodiments may include, for example, an Intel x86 based platform with compatible operating system, a Windows OS, a Mac platform and MAC OS, a mobile device having an operating system such as iOS, Android, etc. The exemplary embodiments of the above described method may be embodied as a program containing lines of code stored on a non-transitory computer readable storage medium that, when compiled, may be executed on a processor or microprocessor.
Although this application described various embodiments each having different features in various combinations, those skilled in the art will understand that any of the features of one embodiment may be combined with the features of the other embodiments in any manner not specifically disclaimed or which is not functionally or logically inconsistent with the operation of the device or the stated functions of the disclosed embodiments.
It is well understood that the use of personally identifiable information should follow privacy policies and practices that are generally recognized as meeting or exceeding industry or governmental requirements for maintaining the privacy of users. In particular, personally identifiable information data should be managed and handled so as to minimize risks of unintentional or unauthorized access or use, and the nature of authorized use should be clearly indicated to users.
It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications may be made in the present disclosure, without departing from the spirit or the scope of the disclosure. Thus, it is intended that the present disclosure cover modifications and variations of this disclosure provided they come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalent.
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/CN2020/107571 | 8/6/2020 | WO |
