Communication method, apparatus, device, system, and computer-readable storage medium

A network device, comprising:

• at least one processor;
• one or more memories coupled to the at least one processor and storing programming instructions, wherein the programming instructions are executable by the at least one processor, and when executed, cause the network device to act as a user plane steering function fUSF) device, wherein the programming instructions include instructions to:
• receive user online information of first user equipment sent by a control plane f CP) device, wherein the user online information comprises a traffic quality requirement, a virtual local area network identifier, and a first location identifier, and the first location identifier comprises an identifier of a steering function (SF) device and an identifier of a first physical port on the SF device;
• determine, based on the user online information, a second UP device meeting the traffic quality requirement, and return an identifier of the second UP device to the CP device;
• and
• send the identifier of the second UP device to a software-defined networking f SDN) controller.

A communication system comprising:

• a virtual broadband network gateway (vBNG) connprising at least one processor and one or more memories coupled to the at least one processor and storing programming instructions, wherein the programming instructions are executable by the at least one processor, and wherein the vBNG comprises a virtual broadband network gateway control plane (vBNG -CP) device and at least one virtual broadband network gateway user plane (vBNG-UP) device;
• wherein the vBNG-CP is configured to:
• receive a third packet sent by a first user plane (UP) device, wherein the third packet comprises a first location identifier, the first location identifier comprises an identifier of a steering function (SF) device and an identifier of a first physical port, and the first physical port is a port, on the SF device, that receives a first packet sent by first user equipment;
• obtain user online information of the first user equipment, wherein the user online information comprises a traffic quality requirement and the first location identifier;
• obtain an identifier of a second virtual broadband network gateway user plane (vBNG -UP) device in the vBNG that meets the traffic quality requirement and that is determined based on the user online information;
• and
• deliver a user entry corresponding to the first user equipment to the second vBNG -UP device.