Introduction to 5GC NRF
5GC NRF (Network Repository Function) supports the resource registration and management functions. It serves as a centralized repository for all resources on a 5G network and enables efficient network resource access. 5GC NRF is the main component to realize different kinds of control interactions including dynamic allocation of resources, scheduling, triggering and other communications defined in 5G standards. The 5GC NRF (Network Repository Function) is a new functional entity introduced in the 5G network architecture to handle the key components of control plane, user plane, and control/user plane separation in an end-to-end fashion. The network repository function (NRF) is a key part of the 5G System architecture. It stores information regarding the cells on the network, including agreements for network resources between different users and network infrastructures. The NRF also provides actions that are made possible by this information storage capability. These actions include mobility management, load balancing and handover optimization, resource allocation, paging area pooling, dynamic networks and inter-operator mobility scenarios. The 5GC Network Repository Function (NRF) is a new concept for the management of all network resources and information needed to support mobility. The NRF supports capacity allocation, mobility management, and protocol gateway management, as well as measurement collection and reporting. A 5GC Network Repository Function (NRF) is a new resource that can be made available by a network function entity (NFE) or an application. The NRF allows the network to get information about how the network should behave, at various timescales, based on running data traffic. The 5G NRF is a repository that offers all network-related functionalities required to support the 5G Connectivity Service Task Space (CSTS). It provides access to those functionalities from all kinds of applications, whether they are running on user equipment or in the cloud. This creates a central place for application developers to find and use all relevant information (e.g. IP addresses and Relay Nodes (RN) IDs) in order to facilitate communication between UEs and RAN as well as vertical services, such as Multi-Access Edge Computing (MEC) or Cloud Robotics.
This document describes the 5G NRF (Network Repository Function), including its architecture and function. The 5GC NRF provides network repository functions, including mobility-related use cases and other use cases. The Network Repository Function (NRF) is a key enabler to support the signaling flexibility and support multiple protocol stacks imposed by 5G network. It provides an interface between radio and core network. The Network Repository Function (NRF) is a key enabler to support the signaling flexibility and support multiple protocol stacks imposed by 5G network. It provides an interface between radio and core network. The Network Repository Function (NRF) is designed to provision and release the radio resources related to all 5G NR networks, and to provide all-in-one information about 5G NR networks. The NRF will perform configuration management and maintenance of network resources, including RF resource allocation, UE configuration management, CRF encryption key conveyance and storage, etc. 5G NRF provides a new function to support network operator functions, including interface for the core network and function access control. This function is responsible for establishing an interface with the Core Network for NRF services such as user authentication, NFV services registration protection and tracing. It contains two layers: the upper layer is used in emergencies to check whether it has been tampered with, while the lower layer manages user authentication requests from other authentication methods over the IP network.
