Patent attributes
An apparatus for user plane function, UPF, allocation is described. The UPF is configured to provide a Protocol Data Unit, PDU, connectivity service between a terminal device and a data network on a user plane, and the allocation is based on control information associated with an individual logical PDU entity. The control information defines priority information indicative of a priority of the PDU entity relative to other PDU entities and pre-emption information indicative of at least one of whether the PDU entity is capable of being pre-emptively allocated to a UPF over other PDU entities served by that UPF, and whether the PDU entity when served by a UPF is vulnerable to being re-allocated for pre-emptively allocating other PDU entities to that UPF. The apparatus is configured to detect an event that requires UPF allocation to a first PDU entity, to select a first UPF, wherein the first UPF is serving one or more second PDU entities, and to determine, for the selected UPF, insufficient resources for serving the first PDU entity. The apparatus is also configured to perform, responsive to determining the insufficient resources of the selected UPF, an evaluation of first priority information associated with the first PDU entity relative to second priority information associated with the one or more second PDU entities and at least one of first pre-emption information associated with the first PDU entity and second pre-emption information associated with the one or more second PDU entities. The apparatus is further configured to trigger, dependent on the result of the evaluation, allocation of the first PDU entity to either the first UPF or a second UPF.
