Application instance address translation method and apparatus

1. An application instance address translation method, wherein the method comprises:

sending, by a control plane device, a collaboration request to a mobile edge cloud (MEC) control device, wherein the collaboration request comprises location information of a terminal and information about an application service, and the application service is an application service accessed by the terminal;

receiving, by the control plane device, response information from the MEC control device, wherein the response information comprises an address of a target application instance, and the address of the target application instance is associated with the location information of the terminal and the information about the application service; and

sending, by the control plane device, the address of the target application instance to a first user plane device, and instructing the first user plane device to set, as the address of the target application instance, a destination address of an uplink packet that is of the terminal and that is associated with the application service.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises:

obtaining, by the control plane device, an address of an initial application instance used when the terminal accesses the application service; and

instructing, by the control plane device, the first user plane device to set, as the address of the initial application instance, a source address of a downlink packet that is of the terminal and that is associated with the application service.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises:

receiving, by the control plane device, a handover request, wherein the handover request is used to request to hand over the terminal from an original access network (AN) to a target AN;

selecting, by the control plane device based on the target AN, at least one user plane device corresponding to the target AN, wherein the collaboration request comprises information about the at least one user plane device, and the response information comprises information about the first user plane device; and

creating, by the control plane device, a session between the terminal and the first user plane device.

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises:

receiving, by the MEC control device, the collaboration request from the control plane device;

determining, by the MEC control device based on the collaboration request, the target application instance of the application service, and obtaining the address of the target application instance, wherein the target application instance is an application instance that provides the application service and whose service location range comprises a location of the terminal; and

sending, by the MEC control device, the response information to the control plane device, wherein the address of the target application instance is used for packet address translation.

5. The method according to claim 4 , wherein the location information of the terminal comprises information about the target AN accessed by the terminal; and

the determining, by the MEC control device based on the collaboration request, the target application instance of the application service comprises:

determining, by the MEC control device based on the information about the target AN, at least one MEC platform corresponding to the target AN; and

determining, by the MEC control device based on the information about the application service, a first MEC platform from the at least one MEC platform, and determining the application instance of the application service deployed on the first MEC platform, wherein the first MEC platform is a MEC platform that provides the application service.

6. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising:

receiving, by the control plane device from the MEC control device, an address of a source application instance for the application service; and

instructing the first user plane device to set, as the address of the source application instance, a source address of a downlink packet that is of the terminal and that is associated with the application service.

7. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising:

sending, by the control plane device to the MEC control device, at least one user plane information;

receiving, by the control plane device to the MEC control device, information for a first user plane; and

determining, by the control plane device based on the information for the first user plane, the first user plane device.

8. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the target application instance provides the application service, and a service area of the target application instance covers a location of the terminal.

9. An application instance address translation apparatus, wherein the apparatus comprises:

a transmitter, configured to send a collaboration request to a mobile edge cloud (MEC) control device, wherein the collaboration request comprises location information of a terminal and information about an application service, and the application service is an application service accessed by the terminal;

a receiver, configured to receive response information from the MEC control device, wherein the response information comprises an address of a target application instance, and the address of the target application instance is associated with the location information of the terminal and the information about the application service, wherein

the transmitter is further configured to send the address of the target application instance to a first user plane device; and

a processor, configured to instruct, via the transmitter, the first user plane device to set, as the address of the target application instance, a destination address of an uplink packet that is of the terminal and that is associated with the application service.

10. The apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein the processor is configured to obtain an address of an initial application instance used when the terminal accesses the application service; and instruct, via the transmitter, the first user plane device to set, as the address of the initial application instance, a source address of a downlink packet that is of the terminal and that is associated with the application service.

11. The apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein the receiver is further configured to receive a handover request, wherein the handover request is used to request to hand over the terminal from an original access network (AN) to a target AN; and

the processor is further configured to select, based on the target AN, at least one user plane device corresponding to the target AN, wherein the collaboration request comprises information about the at least one user plane device, and the response information comprises information about the first user plane device; and create a session between the terminal and the first user plane device.

12. The apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein the receiver is further configured to receive an address of a source application instance for the application service, and the processor is further configured to instruct the first user plane device to set, as the address of the source application instance, a source address of a downlink packet that is of the terminal and that is associated with the application service.

13. The apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein the transmitter is further configured to send at least one user plane information, the receiver is further configured to receive information for a first user plane, and the processor is further configured to determine the first user plane device.

14. The apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein the target application instance provides the application service, and a service area of the target application instance covers a location of the terminal.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a program causing a processor to execute:

sending a collaboration request to a mobile edge cloud (MEC) control device, wherein the collaboration request comprises location information of a terminal and information about an application service, and the application service is an application service accessed by the terminal;

receiving response information from the MEC control device, wherein the response information comprises an address of a target application instance, and the address of the target application instance is associated with the location information of the terminal and the information about the application service; and

sending the address of the target application instance to a first user plane device, and instructing the first user plane device to set, as the address of the target application instance, a destination address of an uplink packet that is of the terminal and that is associated with the application service.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 15 , wherein the program further causing the processor to execute:

receiving an address of a source application instance for the application service; and

instructing the first user plane device to set, as the address of the source application instance, a source address of a downlink packet that is of the terminal and that is associated with the application service.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 15 , wherein the program further causing the processor to execute:

sending at least one user plane information;

receiving information for a first user plane; and

determining the first user plane device.