A path determination method, device and system

Abstract

The embodiments of the present invention disclose a path determination method, device and system. In a hybrid network including the same controller to implement control functions, the controller can respectively obtain network topology information of a first network and a second network belonging to different network types through the same channel control protocol. When the controller obtains the path determination requirement for the data transmission path, since the controller already has the network topology information of the first network and the second network, when calculating the data transmission path, the controller does not need to perform additional information interaction with other devices to determine the path calculation result including the transmission path part in the first network and the second network, and sends the path calculation result to the first network device, thereby improving the planning efficiency of the data transmission path.

Description

[0001] This application is a divisional application of an application filed with the China Intellectual Property Office with an application date of June 16, 2016, application number 201610430019.9, and invention name “A path determination method, device and system”. Technical Field

[0002] The present invention relates to the field of communications, and in particular to a path determination method, device and system. Background Art

[0003] With the development of network technology, there are more and more types of networks, such as optical networks that mainly use optical fiber transmission, traditional Internet Protocol (IP) networks, etc. When deploying a network, a hybrid network may appear, which may include different types of networks, such as a hybrid network including an IP network and an optical network. In a hybrid network, the network topologies of different types of networks are interconnected, so the data transmission path between two network nodes in the hybrid network may span different types of networks. For example, in a hybrid network including an optical network and an IP network, part of the data transmission path between network node a and network node b needs to use the topology of the IP network, and the other part needs to use the topology of the optical network.

[0004] When planning a data transmission path between network nodes in a hybrid network, if the data transmission path has to pass through multiple different types of networks, it is necessary to comprehensively consider the network topology information of these multiple networks in order to complete the planning of the entire data transmission path. The controller of a network manages the network topology information of the network, and the network topology information of different types of networks is managed by different controllers, so that for a controller, the network topology information of its own network can be obtained, but the network topology information of other networks cannot be obtained. Therefore, in the process of planning a data transmission path across networks in a hybrid network, it is necessary to calculate the partial paths of the data transmission path in their respective networks through the controllers of multiple networks, and then the complete planning of the data transmission path can be realized after multiple data interactions between these multiple controllers. In this path determination method, a large amount of data interaction will be required between controllers, and the planning efficiency of the data transmission path is not high. Summary of the invention

[0005] In order to solve the above technical problems, the embodiments of the present invention provide a path determination method, device and system, which improve the planning efficiency of the data transmission path.

[0006] In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present invention provides a path determination method, which is applied to a hybrid network including a same controller to implement a control function, the hybrid network including a first network and a second network, the method comprising:

[0007] The controller obtains a path determination requirement, where the path determination requirement is used to request determination of a data transmission path that starts at a first network device and ends at a second network device and is composed of a transmission path portion of the first network and a transmission path portion of the second network, where the path determination requirement includes an identifier of the first network device and an identifier of the second network device, where both the first network device and the second network device are network devices of the first network;

[0008] According to the control channel protocol, the controller obtains network topology information of the first network from the network device in the first network, and obtains network topology information of the second network from the network device in the second network;

[0009] The controller calculates a path calculation result according to the identifier of the first network device, the identifier of the second network device, the network topology information of the first network, and the network topology information of the second network, wherein the path calculation result includes a calculation result of a transmission path portion of the data transmission path in the first network and a calculation result of a transmission path portion of the data transmission path in the second network;

[0010] The controller sends the path calculation result to the first network device.

[0011] It can be seen that in a hybrid network, the controller can respectively obtain the network topology information of the first network and the second network belonging to different network types through the same channel control protocol. When the controller obtains the path determination requirement for the data transmission path, since the controller already has the network topology information of the first network and the second network, when calculating the data transmission path, the controller does not need to perform additional information interaction with other devices to determine the path calculation result including the transmission path part in the first network and the second network, and send the path calculation result to the first network device, thereby improving the planning efficiency of the data transmission path.

[0012] In a first possible implementation manner of the first aspect, the controller sends a path calculation result to the first network device, including:

[0013] The controller sends a PCEP message carrying a path calculation result to the first network device. The PCEP message includes a path information field. The path information field is used to carry interface information of network devices that pass through the data transmission path in sequence. The interface information includes the outgoing interface information or the incoming interface information of the network device. For a link in the data transmission path, the PCEP message carries the interface information of at least one of the outgoing interface and the incoming interface of the link on the network device through the path information field.

[0014] It can be seen that, through the path information field in the PCEP message, the interface information in the path calculation result can be carried in sequence, so that the first network device receiving the PCEP message can clearly establish the interface information required for the data transmission path through the path information field. In combination with the first possible implementation of the first aspect, in a second possible implementation, the PCEP message includes a PCEP-Reply message or a PCEP-Update message.

[0015] Using the existing message type as the PCEP message can ensure that the PCEP message can be recognized by the first network device in different application scenarios. There is no need to define a new PCEP message type, which reduces the complexity of the solution implementation.

[0016] In combination with the first aspect or the first or second possible implementation manner of the first aspect, in a third possible implementation manner, the control channel protocol is PCEP, and the controller performs a step of acquiring network topology information of the second network from a network device in the second network, which may include:

[0017] The controller obtains network topology information of the second network according to a PCEP-LS message sent by a network device in the second network, wherein the second network is identified by a numerical value in a general routing field of the PCEP-LS message.

[0018] It can be seen that, through the identification function of the general routing field in the PCEP-LS message, the controller can distinguish which PCEP-LS messages carry the network topology information of the second network from the received PCEP-LS messages.

[0019] In combination with the third possible implementation of the first aspect, in a fourth possible implementation, the PCEP-LS message also includes a node object for identifying a network device in the second network, the node object includes a description item of the network device in the second network, and the description item of the network device in the second network is used to carry an identifier and attributes of the network device in the second network.

[0020] It can be seen that the controller can clearly identify the network devices in the second network through the content carried in the description item of the node object in the PCEP-LS message.

[0021] In combination with the third possible implementation manner of the first aspect, in a fifth possible implementation manner, the PCEP-LS message further includes a link object for identifying a network device in the second network;

[0022] The link object includes a link description item, which is used to carry link information of a link between a network device in the second network and an adjacent network device;

[0023] The link description item includes a description item of the network device in the second network, a description item of the adjacent network device and a link identification field. The link identification field is used to carry the interface information of the network device in the second network and the interface information of the adjacent network device on the link between the network device in the second network and the adjacent network device.

[0024] It can be seen that the content carried by the link description item of the link object in the PCEP-LS message can enable the controller to clearly understand the link information of the link between the network device in the second network and the adjacent network device.

[0025] In combination with the fifth possible implementation manner of the first aspect, in a sixth possible implementation manner, the first network is an IP network, and in the link object of the PCEP-LS message sent by the network device in the second network, the link description item also includes an IP neighbor address field, which is used to carry the IP address of the network device in the first network adjacent to the network device in the second network.

[0026] It can be seen that, through the IP neighbor address field included in the link description item, the controller can further clarify the link information of the link between the network device in the second network and the network device in the first network when the adjacent network device is a network device in the first network.

[0027] In a seventh possible implementation manner of the first aspect, the first network is an IP network, and the method further includes:

[0028] The controller receives a PCEP-LS message sent by a first network device. The first network is identified by a numerical value in a general routing field in the PCEP-LS message. A link description item is included in a link object. The link description item includes a local node description item, a remote node description item, a link identification field, and an opaque link attribute field. The local node description item and the remote node description item of the link description item are used to carry local node information and remote node information of a VTE link. The link identification field of the link description item is used to carry a virtual local identification and a virtual remote identification of the VTE link. The opaque link attribute field of the link description item is used to carry a local identification and a remote identification of the VTE link. The VTE link is a virtual link between a first network device and a second network device in an IP network for a data transmission link.

[0029] It can be seen that the first network device can also report the information of the established VTE link to the controller through the PCEP-LS message, so that the controller can quickly obtain relevant information that the VTE link has been established, so that the controller can accurately regulate and manage the hybrid network.

[0030] In combination with the seventh possible implementation method of the first aspect, in an eighth possible implementation method, the link description item also includes a local IP address field and a remote IP address field, the local IP address field of the link description item is used to carry the local interface information of the VTE link on the first network device, and the remote IP address field of the link description item is used to carry the remote interface information of the VTE link on the second network device.

[0031] It can be seen that since the first network device and the second network device are both network devices under the IP network, the link description item of the PCEP-LS message can carry the interface information of the VTE link under the IP network to further improve the relevant information of the VTE link for the controller.

[0032] In a ninth possible implementation manner of the first aspect, before the controller acquires the path determination requirement, the method further includes:

[0033] The controller obtains planning data for the virtual path, the planning data including an identifier of a first network device as a starting end of the virtual path, an identifier of a second network device as an ending end of the virtual path, an identifier of the virtual path, path information of the virtual path in the first network, and path information of the virtual path in the second network; the path determination requirement obtained by the controller also includes the identifier of the virtual path;

[0034] The controller calculates a path calculation result according to the identifier of the first network device, the identifier of the second network device, the topology information of the first network, and the topology information of the second network, including:

[0035] The controller matches the planning data according to the identifier of the first network device, the identifier of the second network device and the identifier of the virtual path;

[0036] The controller calculates a data transmission path for the virtual link according to the planning data, the network topology information of the first network and the network topology information of the second network, and determines a path calculation result.

[0037] It can be seen that the planning data of the data transmission path across the network in the hybrid network can be pre-determined through manual planning, so that the controller can determine the path calculation result based on the planning data through the topology information of the first network and the topology information of the second network, thereby improving the efficiency of determining the path calculation result.

[0038] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present invention provides a path determination device, which is applied to a hybrid network including a same controller to implement a control function, the hybrid network including a first network and a second network, and the device includes an acquisition unit, a calculation unit and a sending unit:

[0039] an acquisition unit, configured to acquire a path determination requirement, the path determination requirement being used to request determination of a data transmission path having a starting point at a first network device and an end point at a second network device and being composed of a transmission path portion of the first network and a transmission path portion of the second network, the path determination requirement including an identifier of the first network device and an identifier of the second network device, the first network device and the second network device being both network devices of the first network;

[0040] The acquisition unit is further used to acquire the network topology information of the first network from the network device in the first network according to the control channel protocol, and acquire the network topology information of the second network from the network device in the second network;

[0041] a calculation unit, configured to calculate a path calculation result according to an identifier of the first network device, an identifier of the second network device, network topology information of the first network, and network topology information of the second network, wherein the path calculation result includes a calculation result of a transmission path portion of the data transmission path in the first network and a calculation result of a transmission path portion of the data transmission path in the second network;

[0042] The sending unit is used to send the path calculation result to the first network device.

[0043] It can be seen that in a hybrid network, the controller can respectively obtain the network topology information of the first network and the second network belonging to different network types through the same channel control protocol. When the controller obtains the path determination requirement for the data transmission path, since the controller already has the network topology information of the first network and the second network, when calculating the data transmission path, the controller does not need to perform additional information interaction with other devices to determine the path calculation result including the transmission path part in the first network and the second network, and send the path calculation result to the first network device, thereby improving the planning efficiency of the data transmission path.

[0044] In a first possible implementation manner of the second aspect, the sending unit is specifically used to send a PCEP message carrying a path calculation result to the first network device, the PCEP message includes a path information field, the path information field is used to carry interface information of network devices passing through in sequence on the data transmission path, the interface information includes outgoing interface information or incoming interface information of the network device, and for a link in the data transmission path, the PCEP message carries the interface information of at least one of the outgoing interface and the incoming interface of the link on the network device through the path information field.

[0045] It can be seen that the path information field in the PCEP message can carry the interface information in the path calculation result in sequence, so that the first network device receiving the PCEP message can clearly establish the interface information required for the data transmission path through the path information field.

[0046] In combination with the first possible implementation manner of the second aspect, in a second possible implementation manner, the PCEP message includes a PCEP-Reply message or a PCEP-Update message.

[0047] Using the existing message type as the PCEP message can ensure that the PCEP message can be recognized by the first network device in different application scenarios. There is no need to define a new PCEP message type, which reduces the complexity of the solution implementation.

[0048] In combination with the second aspect or the first or second possible implementation of the second aspect, in a third possible implementation, the control channel protocol is PCEP, and the acquisition unit is specifically used to obtain network topology information of the second network according to a PCEP-LS message sent by a network device in the second network, and the second network is identified by a numerical value in the general routing field of the PCEP-LS message.

[0049] It can be seen that, through the identification function of the general routing field in the PCEP-LS message, it is possible to distinguish from the received PCEP-LS messages which ones are PCEP-LS messages carrying the network topology information of the second network.

[0050] In combination with the third possible implementation of the second aspect, in a fourth possible implementation, the PCEP-LS message also includes a node object for identifying a network device in the second network, the node object includes a description item of the network device in the second network, and the description item of the network device in the second network is used to carry an identification and attributes of the network device in the second network.

[0051] It can be seen that the network devices in the second network can be clearly identified through the content carried in the description item of the node object in the PCEP-LS message.

[0052] In combination with the third possible implementation manner of the second aspect, in a fifth possible implementation manner, the PCEP-LS message further includes a link object for identifying a network device in the second network;

[0053] The link object includes a link description item, which is used to carry link information of a link between a network device in the second network and an adjacent network device;

[0054] The link description item includes a description item of the network device in the second network, a description item of the adjacent network device and a link identification field. The link identification field is used to carry the interface information of the network device in the second network and the interface information of the adjacent network device on the link between the network device in the second network and the adjacent network device.

[0055] It can be seen that the link information of the link between the network device in the second network and the adjacent network device can be clarified through the content carried by the link description item of the link object in the PCEP-LS message.

[0056] In combination with the fifth possible implementation manner of the second aspect, in a sixth possible implementation manner, the first network is an IP network, and in the link object of the PCEP-LS message sent by the network device in the second network, the link description item also includes an IP neighbor address field, which is used to carry the IP address of the network device in the first network adjacent to the network device in the second network.

[0057] It can be seen that, through the IP neighbor address field included in the link description item, when the adjacent network device is a network device in the first network, the link information of the link between the network device in the second network and the network device in the first network can be further clarified.

[0058] In a seventh possible implementation manner of the second aspect, the first network is an IP network, and the acquisition unit is also used to receive a PCEP-LS message sent by the first network device. The first network is identified by a numerical value in the general routing field in the PCEP-LS message, and a link description item is included in the link object. The link description item includes a local node description item, a remote node description item, a link identification field, and an opaque link attribute field; the local node description item and the remote node description item of the link description item are used to carry local node information and remote node information of the VTE link; the link identification field of the link description item is used to carry a virtual local identifier and a virtual remote identifier of the VTE link, and the opaque link attribute field of the link description item is used to carry a local identifier and a remote identifier of the VTE link. The VTE link is a data transmission link and is a virtual link between the first network device and the second network device under the IP network.

[0059] It can be seen that the first network device can also report the information of the established VTE link through the PCEP-LS message, and can quickly obtain relevant information that the VTE link has been established, which is convenient for accurate regulation and management of the hybrid network.

[0060] In combination with the seventh possible implementation method of the second aspect, in an eighth possible implementation method, the link description item also includes a local IP address field and a remote IP address field, the local IP address field of the link description item is used to carry the local interface information of the VTE link on the first network device, and the remote IP address field of the link description item is used to carry the remote interface information of the VTE link on the second network device.

[0061] It can be seen that since the first network device and the second network device are both network devices under the IP network, the link description item of the PCEP-LS message can carry the interface information of the VTE link under the IP network to further improve the relevant information of the VTE link for the controller.

[0062] In a ninth possible implementation of the second aspect, the acquisition unit is further used to acquire planning data for the virtual path, the planning data including an identifier of a first network device as a starting end of the virtual path, an identifier of a second network device as an ending end of the virtual path, an identifier of the virtual path, path information of the virtual path in the first network, and path information of the virtual path in the second network; the path determination requirement acquired by the controller also includes the identifier of the virtual path;

[0063] The calculation unit is further used to match the planning data according to the identifier of the first network device, the identifier of the second network device and the identifier of the virtual path;

[0064] A data transmission path for the virtual link is calculated according to the planning data, the network topology information of the first network, and the network topology information of the second network, and a path calculation result is determined.

[0065] It can be seen that the planning data of the data transmission path across the network in the hybrid network can be pre-determined through manual planning, so that the controller can determine the path calculation result based on the planning data through the topology information of the first network and the topology information of the second network, thereby improving the efficiency of determining the path calculation result.

[0066] In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present invention provides a path determination method, which is applied to a hybrid network including a same controller to implement a control function, wherein the hybrid network includes a first network and a second network, and the first network device and the second network device are both network devices of the first network, and the method includes:

[0067] The first network device obtains a path calculation result sent by the controller, where the path calculation result is calculated by the controller according to an identifier of the first network device, an identifier of the second network device, network topology information of the first network, and network topology information of the second network; the path calculation result includes a calculation result of a transmission path portion of the data transmission path in the first network and a calculation result of a transmission path portion of the data transmission path in the second network; the data transmission path is a data transmission path that starts at the first network device and ends at the second network device and is composed of a transmission path portion of the first network and a transmission path portion of the second network;

[0068] The first network device establishes a data transmission path according to the path calculation result.

[0069] It can be seen that in a hybrid network where the same controller implements the control function, the network device in the first network can obtain the path calculation result from the controller, and the path calculation result includes the calculation result of the transmission path part of the data transmission path in the first network and the calculation result of the transmission path part of the data transmission path in the second network. The calculation result of the transmission path part of the data transmission path in the second network obtained by the first network device is in an unencrypted form. When the data transmission path is established from the first network device, the additional information interaction between the network device in the second network and other controllers in the traditional practice can be avoided, thereby achieving the effect of improving the efficiency of establishing the data transmission path. In the first possible implementation of the third aspect, the first network device obtains the path calculation result sent by the controller, including:

[0070] The first network device obtains a PCEP message sent by the controller, the PCEP message carries a path calculation result, the PCEP message includes multiple path information fields arranged in sequence according to the transmission order of the data transmission path, the path information field is used to carry interface information of the link in the data transmission path on the network device, the interface information includes the outgoing interface information or incoming interface information of the link in the data transmission path on the network device. For a link in the data transmission path, the PCEP message carries at least the interface information of at least one of the outgoing interface and the incoming interface of the link on the network device through the path information field.

[0071] It can be seen that the interface information in the path calculation result can be carried in sequence through the path information field in the PCEP message, so that the first network device can clearly establish the interface information required for the data transmission path through the path information field.

[0072] In combination with the first possible implementation manner of the third aspect, in a second possible implementation manner, the PCEP message includes a PCEP-Reply message or a PCEP-Update message.

[0073] Using the existing message type as the PCEP message can ensure that the PCEP message can be recognized by the first network device in different application scenarios. There is no need to define a new PCEP message type, which reduces the complexity of the solution implementation.

[0074] In a fourth aspect, an embodiment of the present invention provides a path determination device, which is applied to a hybrid network including a same controller to implement a control function, wherein the hybrid network includes a first network and a second network, and the first network device and the second network device are both network devices of the first network, and the device includes an acquisition unit and an establishment unit:

[0075] an acquisition unit, configured to acquire a path calculation result sent by the controller, the path calculation result being calculated by the controller according to an identifier of the first network device, an identifier of the second network device, network topology information of the first network, and network topology information of the second network; the path calculation result comprises a calculation result of a transmission path portion of the data transmission path in the first network and a calculation result of a transmission path portion of the data transmission path in the second network; the data transmission path is a data transmission path having a starting point at the first network device and an end point at the second network device, and being composed of a transmission path portion of the first network and a transmission path portion of the second network;

[0076] The establishing unit is used to establish a data transmission path according to the path calculation result.

[0077] It can be seen that in a hybrid network in which the control function is implemented by the same controller, the acquisition unit can obtain the path calculation result from the controller, and the path calculation result includes the calculation result of the transmission path part of the data transmission path in the first network and the calculation result of the transmission path part of the data transmission path in the second network, wherein the calculation result of the transmission path part of the data transmission path in the second network is in an unencrypted form. When establishing the data transmission path from the establishment unit, the additional information interaction between the network equipment in the second network and other controllers in the traditional practice can be avoided, thereby achieving the effect of improving the efficiency of establishing the data transmission path.

[0078] In a first possible implementation of the fourth aspect, the acquisition unit is specifically used to obtain a PCEP message sent by the controller, the PCEP message carries a path calculation result, the PCEP message includes multiple path information fields arranged in sequence according to the transmission order of the data transmission path, the path information field is used to carry interface information of the link in the data transmission path on the network device, the interface information includes the outgoing interface information or the incoming interface information of the link in the data transmission path on the network device, for a link in the data transmission path, the PCEP message carries at least the interface information of at least one of the outgoing interface and the incoming interface of the link on the network device through the path information field.

[0079] It can be seen that the path information field in the PCEP message can carry the interface information in the path calculation result in sequence, and the interface information required to clearly establish the data transmission path can be used.

[0080] In combination with the first possible implementation manner of the fourth aspect, in a second possible implementation manner, the PCEP message includes a PCEP-Reply message or a PCEP-Update message.

[0081] Using the existing message type as the PCEP message can ensure that the PCEP message can be identified in different application scenarios. There is no need to define a new PCEP message type, which reduces the complexity of the solution implementation.

[0082] In a fifth aspect, an embodiment of the present invention provides a path determination method, which is applied to a hybrid network including a same controller to implement a control function, the hybrid network including a first network and a second network, the second network is an optical network, and the target network device is a network device in the second network, the method comprising:

[0083] The target network device sends the network topology information of the second network to the controller according to a control channel protocol, and the control channel protocol is the same as the control channel protocol according to which the network device in the first network sends the network topology information of the first network to the controller.

[0084] It can be seen that in a hybrid network, the target network device in the optical network can send the network topology information of the second network to the controller according to the control channel protocol based on which the network device in the first network sends the network topology information of the first network to the controller. In this way, the same controller can obtain the network topology information of the first network and the second network belonging to different network types respectively through the same channel control protocol, thereby realizing the control function of the same controller in the hybrid network.

[0085] In a first possible implementation manner of the fifth aspect, the control channel protocol is PCEP, and the target network device sends network topology information of the second network to the controller, including:

[0086] The target network device sends a PCEP-LS message carrying network topology information of the second network to the controller, and the second network is identified by a numerical value in the general routing field of the PCEP-LS message.

[0087] It can be seen that, through the identification function of the general routing field in the PCEP-LS message, the controller can distinguish which PCEP-LS messages carry the network topology information of the second network from the received PCEP-LS messages.

[0088] In combination with the first possible implementation manner of the fifth aspect, in a second possible implementation manner, the PCEP-LS message also includes a node object for identifying a network device in the second network, the node object includes a description item of the network device in the second network, and the description item of the network device in the second network is used to carry an identifier and attributes of the network device in the second network.

[0089] It can be seen that the controller can clearly identify the network devices in the second network through the content carried in the description item of the node object in the PCEP-LS message.

[0090] In combination with the first possible implementation manner of the fifth aspect, in a third possible implementation manner, the PCEP-LS message also includes a link object for identifying a network device in the second network, the link object includes a link description item, the link description item is used to carry link information of the link between the network device in the second network and the adjacent network device, the link description item includes a description item of the network device in the second network, a description item of the adjacent network device and a link identification field, and the link identification field is used to carry interface information of the network device in the second network and interface information of the adjacent network device on the link between the network device in the second network and the adjacent network device.

[0091] It can be seen that the content carried by the link description item of the link object in the PCEP-LS message can enable the controller to clearly understand the link information of the link between the network device in the second network and the adjacent network device.

[0092] In a fourth possible implementation manner of the fifth aspect, the target network device is a network device in a data transmission path; according to a transmission order of the data transmission path, a previous network device of the target network device in the data transmission path is a network device in a first network; the data transmission path is a data transmission path having a starting point of the first network device and an end point of the second network device, and consisting of a transmission path portion of the first network and a transmission path portion of the second network; the first network device and the second network device are both network devices of the first network; and the method further includes:

[0093] The target network device obtains the calculation result of the transmission path portion of the data transmission path in the second network from the previous network device;

[0094] The target network device establishes the data transmission path according to the calculation result of the transmission path portion of the data transmission path in the second network.

[0095] It can be seen that the calculation result of the transmission path portion of the data transmission path obtained by the target network device in the second network can be directly identified and is not encrypted. Therefore, the target network device can directly continue to establish the data transmission path based on the calculation result of the transmission path portion of the data transmission path in the second network. This eliminates the need for additional information interaction with the optical controller in the traditional approach, thereby achieving the effect of improving the efficiency of establishing the data transmission path.

[0096] In a sixth aspect, an embodiment of the present invention provides a path determination device, which is applied to a hybrid network including a same controller to implement a control function, the hybrid network including a first network and a second network, the second network is an optical network, and the device includes a sending unit:

[0097] The sending unit is used to send the network topology information of the second network to the controller according to the control channel protocol, and the control channel protocol is the same as the control channel protocol used by the network device in the first network to send the network topology information of the first network to the controller.

[0098] It can be seen that in a hybrid network, the generating unit in the optical network can send the network topology information of the second network to the controller according to the control channel protocol based on which the network device in the first network sends the network topology information of the first network to the controller, thereby enabling the same controller to obtain the network topology information of the first network and the second network belonging to different network types respectively through the same channel control protocol, thereby realizing the control function of the same controller in the hybrid network.

[0099] In a first possible implementation manner of the sixth aspect, the control channel protocol is PCEP, and the sending unit is specifically used to send a PCEP-LS message carrying network topology information of the second network to the controller, and the second network is identified by a numerical value in the general routing field of the PCEP-LS message.

[0100] It can be seen that, through the identification function of the general routing field in the PCEP-LS message, the controller can distinguish which PCEP-LS messages carry the network topology information of the second network from the received PCEP-LS messages.

[0101] In combination with the first possible implementation manner of the sixth aspect, in a second possible implementation manner, the PCEP-LS message also includes a node object for identifying a network device in the second network, the node object includes a description item of the network device in the second network, and the description item of the network device in the second network is used to carry an identifier and attributes of the network device in the second network.

[0102] It can be seen that the controller can clearly identify the network devices in the second network through the content carried in the description item of the node object in the PCEP-LS message.

[0103] In combination with the first possible implementation method of the sixth aspect, in a third possible implementation method, the PCEP-LS message also includes a link object for identifying a network device in the second network, the link object includes a link description item, the link description item is used to carry link information of the link between the network device in the second network and the adjacent network device, the link description item includes a description item of the network device in the second network, a description item of the adjacent network device and a link identification field, and the link identification field is used to carry interface information of the network device in the second network and interface information of the adjacent network device on the link between the network device in the second network and the adjacent network device.

[0104] It can be seen that the content carried by the link description item of the link object in the PCEP-LS message can enable the controller to clearly understand the link information of the link between the network device in the second network and the adjacent network device.

[0105] In a fourth possible implementation manner of the sixth aspect, the target network device is a network device in a data transmission path; according to a transmission order of the data transmission path, a previous network device of the target network device in the data transmission path is a network device in a first network; the data transmission path is a data transmission path having a starting point of the first network device and an end point of the second network device, and consisting of a transmission path portion of the first network and a transmission path portion of the second network; the first network device and the second network device are both network devices of the first network; and the apparatus further includes a receiving unit:

[0106] A receiving unit, used for acquiring a calculation result of a transmission path portion of a data transmission path in a second network from a previous network device;

[0107] The establishing unit is further used to establish the data transmission path according to the calculation result of the transmission path part of the data transmission path in the second network.

[0108] It can be seen that the calculation result of the transmission path portion of the data transmission path obtained by the receiving unit in the second network can be directly identified and is not encrypted. Therefore, the establishment unit can directly continue to establish the data transmission path according to the calculation result of the transmission path portion of the data transmission path in the second network. This eliminates the need for additional information interaction with the optical controller in the traditional approach, thereby achieving the effect of improving the efficiency of establishing the data transmission path.

[0109] In a seventh aspect, an embodiment of the present invention provides a path determination system, which is applied to a hybrid network including a same controller to implement a control function, the hybrid network including a first network and a second network, the system including a controller, a first network device:

[0110] The controller obtains a path determination requirement, the path determination requirement is used to request to determine a data transmission path with a starting point of the first network device and an end point of the second network device, and is composed of a transmission path portion of the first network and a transmission path portion of the second network, the path determination requirement includes an identifier of the first network device and an identifier of the second network device, and the first network device and the second network device are both network devices of the first network; according to the control channel protocol, the network topology information of the first network is obtained from the network devices in the first network, and the network topology information of the second network is obtained from the network devices in the second network; the path calculation result is calculated according to the identifier of the first network device, the identifier of the second network device, the network topology information of the first network, and the network topology information of the second network, the path calculation result includes a calculation result of the transmission path portion of the data transmission path in the first network and a calculation result of the transmission path portion of the data transmission path in the second network; the path calculation result is sent to the first network device;

[0111] The first network device obtains a path calculation result sent by the controller; and establishes a data transmission path according to the path calculation result.

[0112] It can be seen that in a hybrid network in which the control function is implemented by the same controller, the controller can respectively obtain the network topology information of the first network and the second network belonging to different network types through the same channel control protocol. When the controller obtains the path determination requirement for the data transmission path, since the controller already has the network topology information of the first network and the second network, when calculating the data transmission path, the controller does not need to perform additional information interaction with other devices to determine the path calculation result including the transmission path part in the first network and the second network, and send the path calculation result to the first network device, thereby improving the planning efficiency of the data transmission path.

[0113] The calculation result of the transmission path portion of the data transmission path obtained by the first network device in the second network is in unencrypted form. When establishing the data transmission path from the first network device, additional information interaction between the network device and other controllers in the second network as in traditional practices can be avoided, thereby achieving the effect of improving the efficiency of establishing the data transmission path.

[0114] In an eighth aspect, an embodiment of the present invention provides a path determination system, which is applied to a hybrid network including the same controller to implement a control function, the hybrid network includes a first network and a second network, the second network is an optical network, and the target network device is a network device in the second network, and the system includes a controller and a target network device:

[0115] The controller is used to obtain a path determination requirement, the path determination requirement is used to request to determine a data transmission path with a starting point of the first network device and an end point of the second network device, and composed of a transmission path portion of the first network and a transmission path portion of the second network, the path determination requirement includes an identifier of the first network device and an identifier of the second network device, and the first network device and the second network device are both network devices of the first network; according to a control channel protocol, network topology information of the first network is obtained from a network device in the first network, and network topology information of the second network is obtained from a network device in the second network; a path calculation result is calculated according to the identifier of the first network device, the identifier of the second network device, the network topology information of the first network, and the network topology information of the second network, the path calculation result includes a calculation result of a transmission path portion of the data transmission path in the first network and a calculation result of a transmission path portion of the data transmission path in the second network; and the path calculation result is sent to the first network device;

[0116] The target network device is used to send the network topology information of the second network to the controller according to the control channel protocol, and the control channel protocol is the same as the control channel protocol according to which the network device in the first network sends the network topology information of the first network to the controller.

[0117] It can be seen that in a hybrid network, the target network device in the optical network can send the network topology information of the second network to the controller according to the control channel protocol based on which the network device in the first network sends the network topology information of the first network to the controller. This allows the same controller to obtain the network topology information of the first network and the second network belonging to different network types respectively through the same channel control protocol, thereby realizing the control function of the same controller in the hybrid network.

[0118] When the controller obtains the path determination requirement for the data transmission path, since the controller already has the network topology information of the first network and the second network, when calculating the data transmission path, the controller does not need to perform additional information exchange with other devices to determine the path calculation result including the transmission path part in the first network and the second network, and sends the path calculation result to the first network device, thereby improving the planning efficiency of the data transmission path. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0119] In order to illustrate the embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art are briefly introduced below.

[0120] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a process for determining a path in a hybrid network provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0121] Figure 2 A method flow chart of a path determination method provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0122] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of a PCEP message format provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0123] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of a message format for carrying node information in a PCEP-LS message provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0124] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of a message format for carrying link information in a PCEP-LS message provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0125] Figure 6 A schematic diagram of a message format for carrying link information in a PCEP-LS message provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0126] Figure 7 A schematic diagram of a message format for carrying a VTE link part in a PCEP-LS message provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0127] Figure 8 A device structure diagram of a path determination device provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0128] Fig. 9 A device structure diagram of a path determination device provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0129] Fig.10 A device structure diagram of a path determination device provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0130] Fig.11 A system structure diagram of a path determination system provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0131] Fig.12 A system structure diagram of a path determination system provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0132] Fig.13 A schematic diagram of the hardware structure of a controller provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0133] Fig.14 A schematic diagram of the hardware structure of a first network device provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0134] Fig.15 A schematic diagram of the hardware structure of a target network device provided by an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0135] The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0136] In a hybrid network, network topologies of different types of networks are interconnected, so the data transmission path between two network nodes may cross different types of networks.

[0137] When determining the data transmission path between network nodes in a hybrid network, if the data transmission path needs to pass through multiple different types of networks, the network topology information of these multiple networks needs to be comprehensively considered to complete the determination of the entire data transmission path. Since the network topology information of different types of networks is independent and invisible to each other, in the process of planning the data transmission path, the controllers of these multiple networks need to calculate the partial paths of the data transmission path in their respective networks, and a large amount of data interaction is required between these multiple controllers before the data transmission path can be fully determined.

[0138] For example, in a hybrid network including an IP network and an optical network, a data transmission path between two network devices may be partially in the IP network and partially in the optical network. When calculating the data transmission path, the transmission path portions of the data transmission path in different networks need to be calculated separately by the controllers of the two networks. For example, the transmission path portion of the data transmission path in the IP network needs to be calculated by the controller of the IP network, and the transmission path portion of the data transmission path in the optical network needs to be calculated by the controller of the optical network. Through the interaction between the controller of the IP network and the controller of the optical network, and the encryption of the transmission path portions in the respective networks, the two path transmission portions (at least one of the path transmission portions is encrypted) are combined into a path calculation result, and then the path calculation result is sent to one of the two network devices to achieve subsequent path establishment.

[0139] To this end, an embodiment of the present invention provides a path determination method, device and system. In a hybrid network, a controller can respectively obtain network topology information of a first network and a second network belonging to different network types through the same channel control protocol. When the controller obtains the path determination requirement for the data transmission path, since the controller already has the network topology information of the first network and the second network, when calculating the data transmission path, the controller does not need to perform additional information exchange with other devices to determine the path calculation result including the transmission path part in the first network and the second network, and sends the path calculation result to the first network device, thereby improving the planning efficiency of the data transmission path.

[0140] The network architecture of the present invention

[0141] The embodiment of the present invention can be applied to a hybrid network that includes the same controller to implement control functions. The hybrid network in the embodiment of the present invention may include two networks of different network types. In the hybrid network, the controller is respectively connected to the network devices in the first network and the network devices in the second network, and implements control functions for the network devices in the two networks. The controller may be a path computation element (PCE). The first network and the second network are networks of two different network types in the hybrid network. Specifically, the first network and the second network may include: an IP network, an Ethernet, a Synchronous Digital Hierarchy (SDH) network, an Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) network, an Automatically Switched Optical Network (ASON), etc. When the first network is an IP network, an Interior Gateway Protocol (IGP) may be deployed in the first network, the network device in the first network may be a router, and the controller may be an IP PCE. When the second network is an optical network, the network device in the second network may be a wavelength division device. In some optional application scenarios of the present invention, the first network may be an IP network, and the second network may be an optical network, for example Figure 1 The application scenario shown in Figure 1 In the example of the scenario shown, R1 to R4 can be network devices (such as routers) in an IP network (first network), T1 to T5 in the dotted box can be network devices (such as wavelength division devices) in an optical network (second network), and the PCE (controller) can be the same controller for the IP network and the optical network. The PCE can also be connected to a network collaborative management system such as NetMatrix.

[0142] Method Embodiments of the Invention

[0143] Figure 2 A method flow chart of a path determination method provided by an embodiment of the present invention, the method comprising:

[0144] 201: The controller obtains a path determination requirement, the path determination requirement is used to request to determine a data transmission path starting from a first network device and ending at a second network device, and consisting of a transmission path portion of the first network and a transmission path portion of the second network. The path determination requirement includes an identifier of the first network device and an identifier of the second network device. The first network device and the second network device are both network devices of the first network. For example Figure 1 In the illustrated scenario, R1 may be the first network device, and R4 may be the second network device.

[0145] For example, the present invention does not limit how the controller obtains the path determination requirement. For example, the path determination requirement may be sent by any network device in the first network or the second network, such as the first network device; the path determination requirement may also be sent to the controller by a third-party application server; the path determination requirement may also be generated by directly configuring the input requirement on the controller. The type of network device is related to the network type of the network in which the network device is located. If the network type of the first network is an IP network, then the first network device may be a router related to the IP network. Among them, the path determination requirement may include a first network device identifier for identifying the first network device, and the first network device identifier may be the ID of the first network device. The path determination requirement may also include a second network device identifier for identifying the second network device, and the second network device identifier may be the ID of the second network device.

[0146] The order of establishing the path or the direction of data transmission in the path can be used as the basis for clarifying the path starting point and path end point of a data transmission path. In an embodiment of the present invention, for example, after the path calculation result is determined according to the path determination requirement calculation, the data transmission path will be established from the first network device to the second network device according to the path calculation result, thereby completing the establishment of the data transmission path.

[0147] Since the first network device and the second network device are both network devices in the first network, and a part of the data transmission path is in the second network, and the data transmission path is composed of the transmission path part of the first network and the transmission path part of the second network, then the data transmission process in the data transmission path can be understood as a process starting from the first network, then entering the second network, and then returning from the second network to the first network.

[0148] 201a: According to the control channel protocol, the controller obtains network topology information of the first network from the network device in the first network, and obtains network topology information of the second network from the network device in the second network.

[0149] It should be noted that the present invention does not use the numerical numbering of the steps as a basis for limiting the order in which the steps are executed. In the process of this method, the execution order between 201 and 201a is not limited. The controller may start to obtain the network topology information of the first network and the network topology information of the second network after obtaining the path determination requirement. The controller may also pre-acquire the network topology information of the first network and the network topology information of the second network before obtaining the path determination requirement. The network topology information here may include relevant information of the network devices in the first network and link information between the network devices in the first network and adjacent network devices.

[0150] In order to enable the same controller to obtain network topology information of at least two networks of different network types, it is necessary to deploy the same control channel protocol between the controller and the network devices of the first network and between the controller and the network devices of the second network. The present invention does not limit which network devices in the first network the controller needs to deploy the control channel protocol between. The controller can deploy the channel control protocol between the network devices in the first network that need to upload the network topology information of the first network. The controller can deploy the channel control protocol between the network devices in the second network that need to upload the network topology information of the second network. By deploying the control channel protocol, the controller can use the control channel protocol to obtain both the network topology information of the first network and the network topology information of the second network.

[0151] 202: The controller calculates a path calculation result according to the identifier of the first network device, the identifier of the second network device, the network topology information of the first network, and the network topology information of the second network, wherein the path calculation result includes a calculation result of a transmission path portion of the data transmission path in the first network and a calculation result of a transmission path portion of the data transmission path in the second network.

[0152] For example, since the controller has obtained the network topology information of the first network and the second network, the controller can determine the specific location of the first network device in the first network according to the identifier of the first network device, and determine the specific location of the second network device in the second network according to the identifier of the second network device. In addition, the controller can also determine the network topology information between the first network device and the second network device. Based on the above-determined information, it is sufficient for the controller to independently calculate the path calculation results including the transmission path part in the first network and the transmission path part in the second network without the need to interact with other controllers for additional information. In the process of calculating the path calculation results, the controller can plan a feasible path by itself based on the obtained network topology information of the first network and the second network, or it can calculate the path based on pre-planned data.

[0153] 203: The controller sends the path calculation result to the first network device.

[0154] Since the first network device is a network device serving as a starting point of the data transmission path, the controller may send the path calculation result to the first network device, and the first network device may start to establish the data transmission path according to the path calculation result.

[0155] Next, we will use specific application scenarios to Figure 2 The corresponding embodiment is further described. Optionally, Figure 1 The specific application scenario shown is a scenario in which a path is determined by manual pre-planning. Figure 1 Numbers in square brackets can be used to identify the sequence of steps in the execution path determination process.

[0156] In step 0, the network topology information of the IP network and the optical network is obtained through the same controller: PCE.

[0157] In step 1, the user performs network planning and design manually or through an offline planning tool, and the planning data is imported into NetMatrix after verification and conversion. The planned data includes a virtual traffic engineering link 14 (Virtual TELink, VTE Link) from R1 to R4. In other words, through pre-planning, the possible virtual data transmission path between R1 and R4 is determined.

[0158] In step 2, NetMatrix sends the planning data to PCE, including the identifier of R1 as the starting end of VTE Link 14, the identifier of R4 as the ending end of VTE Link 14, the identifier of VTE Link 14, the path information of VTE Link 14 in the IP network, and the path information of VTE Link 14 in the optical network.

[0159] In step 3, R1 may send a path determination requirement to PCE through a PCEP protocol message, and the path determination requirement may include, in addition to the identifiers of R1 and R4, the identifier of VTE Link 14. Furthermore, the control of the tunnel between PCE and T2 is delegated to PCE to provide PCE with the freedom to plan and determine the specific direction of the data transmission path.

[0160] After the PCE obtains the path determination requirement sent by R1 , the PCE matches the planning data according to the identifier of R1 , the identifier of R4 , and the identifier of VTE Link 14 .

[0161] The PCE calculates the data transmission path for VTELink 14 based on the planning data, the network topology information of the IP network, and the network topology information of the optical network. Since the PCE has the network topology information of the IP network and the optical network, it can complete the partial topology of the data transmission path in the IP network and the optical network by itself. Figure 1 In the data transmission path, the partial topology in the IP network and the optical network can be understood as the complete data transmission path, and the format is<R1→T2,T2→T3,T3→T5,T5→R4> .

[0162] In step 4, the PCE sends the path calculation result including the partial topology of the data transmission path in the IP network and the optical network to R1.

[0163] In the traditional way, since the PCE does not have the network topology information of the optical network, it can only obtain the calculation results of the transmission path of the data transmission path in the optical network from the controller of the optical network through multiple data exchanges, resulting in low efficiency in planning the data transmission path. In addition, since the PCE itself cannot identify the topology in the optical network, the format of the data transmission path finally obtained by the PCE is<R1→T2,PATH-KEY,T5→R4> , the calculation result of the transmission path in the optical network is encrypted and hidden by means of PATH-KEY. It should also be noted that since the path calculation result received by R1 includes the encrypted and hidden PATH-KEY part, in the process of establishing a data transmission path according to the path calculation result, the network equipment in the optical network (such as T2) also needs to request the optical PCE to parse the encrypted and hidden content of the PATH-KEY part. This additional information interaction is equivalent to further affecting the efficiency of establishing the data transmission path by the previous data transmission path determination result.

[0164] And in Figure 1In the scenario shown, the data transmission path calculated by the PCE is a complete data transmission path, and does not have the hidden encryption part in the traditional method. During the calculation process, the PCE does not need to interact with other controllers for data. In addition, since the calculation results of the transmission path part in the optical network are directly displayed, in the process of establishing the data transmission path, T2 eliminates the traditional practice of additional information interaction with the optical controller, achieving the effect of improving the efficiency of establishing the data transmission path.

[0165] It can be seen that in a hybrid network, the controller can respectively obtain the network topology information of the first network and the second network belonging to different network types through the same channel control protocol. When the controller obtains the path determination requirement for the data transmission path, since the controller already has the network topology information of the first network and the second network, when calculating the data transmission path, the controller does not need to perform additional information interaction with other devices to determine the path calculation result including the transmission path part in the first network and the second network, and send the path calculation result to the first network device, thereby improving the planning efficiency of the data transmission path.

[0166] Next, in the optional case where the control channel protocol is the Path Computation Element Communication Protocol (PCEP), how the controller sends the path calculation result to the first network device will be described. At present, the traditional PCEP can basically only allow the controller to send the calculation result of the transmission path part of the network (such as the IP network) where the network device is located in the path calculation result to a network device, but cannot allow the controller to send the calculation result of the transmission path part of other networks in the path calculation result to this network device. In order to enable the controller to send the path calculation result to the first network device under PCEP, it is necessary to improve or expand the original PCEP so that the path calculation result can be carried by the PCEP message. In an embodiment of the present invention, the PCEP message may include a PCEP-Reply message or a PCEP-Update message. The type value of the message type (Message Type) of the PCEP-Reply message can be set to 4, and the message name (Message Name) can be a path calculation reply (Path Computation Reply). The type value of the message type of the PCEP-Update message can be set to 11, and the message name can be Update.

[0167] In the PCEP message carrying the path calculation result sent by the controller to the first network device, the PCEP message includes a path information field, and the path information field is used to carry the interface information of the network devices that pass through in sequence on the data transmission path, and the interface information includes the outgoing interface information or the incoming interface information of the network device. The arrangement order of the interface information carried by the path information field is consistent with the transmission order of the data transmission path. The outgoing interface information or the incoming interface information of the network device can be understood as the outgoing interface information or the incoming interface information of the link in the data transmission path on the network device. One interface information can be carried by one path information field.

[0168] The format of the path information field is related to the type of network device where the interface is located. If a path information field carries the interface information of a link on a network device in an IP network, then the path information field may include the IP address of the network device, which may be an IPv4 address or an IPv6 address. If a path information field carries the interface information of a link on a network device in an optical network, then the path information field may include the device identifier of the network device and the interface identifier of the network device related to the link.

[0169] by Figure 1 Taking the scenario shown as an example, the path calculation result includes four links that make up the data transmission path. According to the transmission order of the data transmission path, these four links are R1→T2, T2→T3, T3→T5, and T5→R4. Correspondingly, the interface information carried by the multiple path information fields in the PCEP message is also based on the transmission order. In the process of establishing a data transmission path, the interface information carried allows the first network device to clearly know how to start establishing the data transmission path when receiving the PCEP message, and other network devices on the data transmission path clearly know how to continue and complete the establishment of the data transmission path.

[0170] In the embodiment of the present invention, the number or type of interface information carried in the PCEP message (for example, the outgoing interface or incoming interface on the network device) is not limited, and the function of instructing the network device to complete the establishment of the data transmission path can be realized. In order to realize the above function, optionally, for a link in the data transmission path, the PCEP message carries at least the interface information of at least one of the outgoing interface and the incoming interface of the link on the network device through the path information field.

[0171] by Figure 1Taking the scenario shown as an example, the four links of the data transmission path are R1→T2, T2→T3, T3→T5, and T5→R4 in the order of transmission. Taking the link R1→T2 as an example, R1→T2 has two interfaces. According to the transmission direction of the link, the interface of R1→T2 on R1 is the outgoing interface, and the interface of R1→T2 on T2 is the incoming interface. The PCEP message can carry the interface information of one of the two interfaces of R1→T2, or the interface information of both interfaces of R1→T2 can be carried in the PCEP message. In the message structure of the PCEP message, the order of the interface information carried by the path information field is arranged in accordance with the transmission order of the data transmission path, and the interface information closer to the starting point (R1) of the data transmission path is carried in the path information field closer to the message header.

[0172] For example, to ensure integrity, the PCEP message sent to the first network device may carry the interface information of eight interfaces of four links. The message structure of the PCEP message includes eight path information fields. In the order of reading, the first path information field, which is closest to the message header, carries the interface information of the outgoing interface of R1→T2 on R1. Since R1 is a network device in the IP network, the first path information field includes the IP address of R1. The second path information field carries the interface information of the incoming interface of R1→T2 on T2. Since T2 is a network device in the optical network, the second path information field includes the device identifier of T2 and the interface identifier of the interface (incoming interface) used by T2 to establish R1→T2; the third path information field carries the interface information of the outgoing interface of T2→T3 on T2. ​​Since T2 is a network device in the optical network, the third path information field includes the device identifier of T2 and the interface identifier of the interface (outgoing interface) used by T2 to establish T2→T3. The contents carried by the fourth to eighth path information fields can be deduced by analogy and will not be described one by one.

[0173] For example, the PCEP message may also carry only the interface information of the outgoing interfaces of the above four links on the network device, or only the interface information of the incoming interfaces of the above four links on the network device, or other possible combinations of interface information, which will not be described one by one.

[0174] Here is an example Figure 1 A possible combination of interface information in the scenario shown, see Figure 3 , Figure 3The one shown in the figure is a possible message structure of the PCEP message. The object body has six path information fields. The arrangement order of the interface information carried in these six path information fields is consistent with the transmission order of the data in the data transmission path. The interface information carried is (R1, R1→T2), (T2, R1→T2), (T3, T2→T3), (T5, T3→T5), (T5, T5→R4) and (R4, T5→R4). It can be seen that Figure 3 In the corresponding embodiment, for the link R1→T2, the PCEP message carries both the interface information of the outgoing interface of the link on R1 and the interface information of the incoming interface of the link on T2. ​​For the links T2→T3 and T3→T5, the PCEP message only carries the interface information of the incoming interfaces on T3 and T5 respectively. For the link T5→R4, the PCEP message carries both the interface information of the outgoing interface of the link on T5 and the interface information of the incoming interface of the link on R4.

[0175] For the interface information (R1, R1→T2), since R1 is a network device in an IP network, the path information field carrying (R1, R1→T2) includes the IPv4 address of R1. The length of this IPv4 address can be 4 bytes (unit: byte), and it can also be used to identify the interface identifier used by R1 to establish the interface (outgoing interface) of R1→T2. Figure 3 As shown in , it is carried in the upper right part and the lower left part of this path information field. It should be noted that, depending on the type of the first network, that is, the IP network, the IPv4 address of R1 can also be replaced by the IPv6 address of R1.

[0176] For the interface information (T2, R1→T2), since T2 is a network device in the optical network, the path information field carrying (T2, R1→T2) includes the device identifier (Router ID) of T2 and the interface identifier (Interface ID) used by T2 to establish the interface (input interface) of R1→T2. The number of bytes occupied by this interface identifier can be 32 bits (unit: bits).

[0177] For the interface information (T3, T2→T3), since T3 is a network device in the optical network, the path information field carrying (T3, T2→T3) includes the device identifier of T3 and the interface identifier used by T3 to establish the interface (input interface) of T2→T3. The number of bytes occupied by this interface identifier can be 32 bits.

[0178] For the interface information (T5, T3→T5), since T5 is a network device in the optical network, the path information field carrying (T5, T3→T5) includes the device identifier of T5 and the interface identifier of T5 used to establish the interface (input interface) of T3→T5. The number of bytes occupied by this interface identifier can be 32 bits.

[0179] For the interface information (T5, T5→R4), since T5 is a network device in the optical network, the path information field carrying (T5, T5→R4) includes the device identifier of T5 and the interface identifier used by T5 to establish the interface (outgoing interface) of T5→R4. The number of bytes occupied by this interface identifier can be 32 bits.

[0180] For the interface information (R4, T5→R4), since R4 is a network device in the IP network, the path information field carrying (R4, T5→R4) includes the IPv4 address of R4. The length of this IPv4 address can be 4 bytes, and it can also be used to identify the interface identifier used by R4 to establish the interface (inbound interface) of T5→R4. Figure 3 As shown in , it is carried in the upper right part and the lower left part of this path information field. It should be noted that, according to the type of the first network, that is, the IP network, the IPv4 address of R4 can also be replaced by the IPv6 address of R4.

[0181] It can be seen that through the above improvements, the controller can not only carry the calculation results of the transmission path part in the first network (IP network) in the path calculation result through the PCEP message, but also carry the content that cannot be carried originally, that is, the calculation results of the transmission path part in the second network (optical network) in the path calculation result through the PCEP message. Thus, it is realized that the path calculation results of the transmission path part including two different types of networks (IP network and optical network) are carried by PCEP messages, so that the path calculation results can be uniformly sent to one network device, which improves the planning efficiency of the data transmission path.

[0182] Next, in the optional case where the control channel protocol is PCEP, how a controller can achieve the acquisition of network topology information of at least two types of networks will be described. At present, the traditional PCEP can basically only enable a controller to obtain the network topology information of the same network type network (such as an IP network), and cannot enable the controller to achieve the function of obtaining the network topology information of at least two types of networks. Therefore, in an embodiment of the present invention, the traditional PCEP is improved or extended so that network devices in networks of different network types (such as optical networks) can use the path calculation communication protocol link state (Path Computation Element Communication Protocol Link-State, PCEP-LS) message to carry the network topology information of the network in which they are located. For example, in a hybrid network scenario where the first network is an IP network and the second network is an optical network, the controller obtains the network topology information of the second network, that is, the optical network, according to the PCEP-LS message sent by the network device in the second network, thereby realizing the function of a controller obtaining the network topology information of two types of networks (IP network and optical network) under PCEP.

[0183] Next, it is described in detail how to implement carrying the network topology information of the second network through the PCEP-LS message.

[0184] On the one hand, in order to enable the controller to distinguish that the received network topology information is the network topology information of the second network, it is necessary to add a corresponding identifier in the PCEP-LS message. Optionally, the controller obtains the network topology information of the second network according to the PCEP-LS message sent by the network device in the second network, and identifies the second network by a numerical value in the universal routing field (Routing Universe TLV) of the PCEP-LS message. Here, the numerical value can be carried in the flag bit (Identifier) ​​field in the universal routing field, and the numerical value can be specifically set to "1" to identify the second network, that is, the optical layer topology (layer 0Routing topology). In the traditional way, in the PCEP-LS message sent by the network device in the first network to the controller, the first network can be identified by the numerical value "0" in the flag bit field of the universal routing field. Therefore, when the controller receives the PCEP-LS message, it can distinguish whether the network topology information carried by the PCEP-LS message is of the first network or the second network by the numerical value of the flag bit field in the universal routing field (for example, 0 or 1). For the usage of the universal routing field, please refer to Figure 4 As shown, the second network is identified by "Identifier=1".

[0185] On the other hand, the network topology information of the second network may include node information of network devices in the second network and link information of network devices in the second network. When the network devices in the second network upload the network topology information to the controller via a PCEP-LS message, the node information and link information need to be carried via corresponding description items.

[0186] First, let's explain how to carry the node information of the network device in the second network through the PCEP-LS message. Before explaining, it is necessary to clarify the relationship between the two characteristics of network devices and nodes. A node can be a definition at the logical level and can be used to refer to a network device. For example, from a logical level, a network device can be regarded as a node or a network node. In other words, a node can be understood as a name or expression form of a network device at the logical level.

[0187] Optionally, in order to be able to carry node information of the network device in the second network through the PCEP-LS message, it is characterized in that the PCEP-LS message also includes a node object (Node Object) for identifying the network device in the second network, and the node object includes a description item (Local Node Descriptor TLV) of the network device in the second network, and the description item of the network device in the second network is used to carry the identification and attributes of the network device in the second network. The message format of the PCEP-LS message carrying the node information of the network device in the second network can be found in Figure 4 As shown, the node object is one of the object types (Object Type, OT), and the type value of the corresponding object type can be 1, for example Figure 4 As shown, "OT=1". For a network device in the second network, the device identification of the network device may be carried in the optical node identification field (Optical Node-ID sub-TLV) in the local node description item.

[0188] When the second network is an optical network, when uploading node information, in some scenarios, it may be necessary to upload some properties of network devices in the optical network, such as some specific information. Figure 4In addition to the message structure shown, in order to carry specific information of network devices in the optical network, some fields may be added to the local node description item, such as: Resource Block Information field, Resource Accessibility field, Resource Wavelength Constraints field, Resource Block Pool State field, Resource Block Shared Access Wavelength Availability field, etc. The format of these fields may be sub-TLV format.

[0189] For the resource block information field, due to the wavelength switching optical network (WSON), in which hardware components such as regenerators and wavelength converters are called resources, a resource block is a collection of resources on the same wavelength switching optical network node. The resource block information field can be used to carry the attribute information of this resource block.

[0190] The resource access capability field may be used to carry capability information describing a certain ingress port accessing a resource block and capability information describing a resource block accessing a certain egress port.

[0191] The resource wavelength constraint field may be used to carry information about the range of wavelengths that a resource can accept.

[0192] The resource block pool status field may carry status information of the resource block.

[0193] For the resource block shared access wavelength availability field, it can be used to carry the availability information of the resource block when accessing the resource block through the shared optical fiber.

[0194] Next, it is described how to carry the link information between the network devices in the second network through the PCEP-LS message. Optionally, the PCEP-LS message also includes a link object (Link Object) for identifying the network device in the second network. The link object is one of the object types, and the type value of the corresponding object type can be 2, for example Figure 5 and Figure 6"OT=2" is shown. The link object includes a link description item (Link Descriptor TLV), which is used to carry the link information of the link between the network device in the second network and the adjacent network device. The link description item includes a description item of the network device in the second network (Local Node Descriptor TLV), a description item of the adjacent network device (Remote Node Descriptor TLV) and a link identification field (Link Local / Remote ID sub-TLV). The link identification field is used to carry the interface information of the network device in the second network and the interface information of the adjacent network device on the link between the network device in the second network and the adjacent network device.

[0195] For a network device, the adjacent network devices of the network device can be understood as other network devices having links with the network device. For a network device in the second network, the adjacent network devices of the network device can include network devices in the second network or network devices in the first network.

[0196] For the link information of a link between the network device and the adjacent network device in the second network, the local node description item and the remote node description item are used to carry the local node information and remote node information of the link respectively, and the link identifier field is used to carry the local identifier (Link Local Identifier) ​​and remote identifier (Link Remote Identifier) ​​of the link. Since data transmission in the link is directional, for example Figure 1 In the scenario shown, the data transmission direction of the link R1→T2 is from R1 to T2. Therefore, for a link connecting network device a and network device b, if the data transmission direction is from network device a to network device b, the local node of this link can be network device a, and the remote node can be network device b. The local identifier of this link can be used to identify the interface on network device a used to establish this link, and the remote identifier can be used to identify the interface on network device b used to establish this link. Since the link information between network devices in the second network is carried by PCEP-LS messages, the local node is the network device in the second network, and the remote node is the adjacent network device.

[0197] Since a network device in the second network can have a link with another network device in the second network, or can have a link with a network device in the first network, when the link information of these two different links is carried in the PCEP-LS message, the message format of the PCEP-LS message may be different. Figure 1The scenario shown illustrates the message format that may be included in the PCEP-LS message carrying link information.

[0198] For the case where the adjacent network device is a network device in the second network, taking the link information of link T2→T3 as an example, the message format of the PCEP-LS message carrying the link information can be found in Figure 5 The message formats in the local node description item and the remote node description item can be found in Figure 4 As shown, no further description is given here.

[0199] exist Figure 5 In the link identification field, the local node description item can carry the node information of T2, the remote node description item can carry the node information of T3, the local identification field of the link identification field can carry the relevant information of T2 used to establish the interface of T2→T3, and the remote identification field of the link identification field can carry the relevant information of T3 used to establish the interface of T2→T3. Figure 5 The "Any Sub-TLV" field shown in can be other TLV fields that can be defined in the link description item. If other relevant information needs to be carried for T2→T3, the corresponding field can be selected from the above other TLV fields and replaced to the position of the "Any Sub-TLV" field. For example, the Interface Switching Capability Descriptor sub-TLV is another TLV field that can be replaced to the "Any Sub-TLV" field. The Interface Switching Capability Descriptor sub-TLV can be used to carry the relevant information of the switching capabilities of different interfaces.

[0200] In the case where the adjacent network device is a network device in the first network, taking the link information of link T5→R4 as an example, the message format of the PCEP-LS message carrying the link information can be found in Figure 6 The message formats in the local node description item and the remote node description item can be found in Figure 4 As shown, no further description is given here.

[0201] exist Figure 6In the local node description item, the node information of T5 can be carried, the remote node description item can carry the node information of T3, the local identification field of the link identification field can carry the relevant information of T5 used to establish the interface of T5→R4, and the remote identification field of the link identification field can carry the relevant information of R4 used to establish the interface of T5→R4. Since one end of the link T5→R4 is connected to the network device (R4) in the first network (IP network), the IPv4 address of R4 can also be carried through the IP neighbor address field (IPv4 neighbor address sub-TLV). It should be noted that, according to the type of the first network, that is, the IP network, the above-mentioned IPv4 address of R4 can also be replaced with the IPv6 address of R4 and carried through another IP neighbor address field (IPv6 neighbor address sub-TLV). The length (Length) of this IP neighbor address field can be 16 characters.

[0202] Next, from the perspective of network devices, how to upload network topology information to the controller through PCEP-LS messages will be described. In the embodiments of the present invention, at least two methods of using PCEP-LS messages to carry network topology information are provided. Next, the two main methods of carrying network topology information will be described in combination with specific scenarios. In the specific scenario, the first network is an IP network and the second network is an optical network. Since in the process of uploading network topology information, the present invention does not limit how network devices in an IP network send network topology information of an IP network to a controller through PCEP-LS messages, the following mainly describes the network devices in the second network.

[0203] In the first method, PCEP can be deployed between the network devices in the second network and the controller, and each network device can send its own sub-topology information to the controller, which is part of the network topology information of the second network. The controller can combine the received sub-topology information to form the network topology information of the second network. Generally, the first method is implemented when the protocol for spreading network topology information (such as the traditional IGP protocol) is not deployed between the network devices in the second network. Because in this case, each network device in the second network will not know the network topology information of the entire second network separately, but can only determine its own sub-topology information based on the adjacency relationship.

[0204] The sub-topology information of a network device may include the node information of the network device and the link information of the link between the network device and the adjacent network device. Taking the target network device as any network device in the second network as an example, the sub-topology information of the target network device includes the node information of the target network device and the link information of the link between the target network device and the adjacent network device. Then when the target network device implements sending a PCEP-LS message carrying the network topology information of the second network to the controller, the PCEP-LS message will carry the sub-topology information of the target network device. Correspondingly, other network devices in the second network that have PCEP deployed with the controller can also send their own sub-topology information to the controller through PCEP-LS messages. Figure 1 In the scenario shown, if the target network device is T2, the sub-topology information of T2 in the second network may include node information of T2, link information of T2→R1, link information of T2→T1, and link information of T2→T3.

[0205] When the target network device sends the sub-topology information of the target network device to the controller, the node information in the sub-topology information can be used as follows: Figure 4 The local node description item is carried in the message format shown in ; when there are multiple links between the target network device and the adjacent network device, the link information of any link can be used Figure 5 or Figure 6 The message format of the link description item shown is carried. Multiple link description items carrying multiple link information can be set in one PCEP-LS message or in multiple PCEP-LS messages (for example, when the amount of link information is too much or the amount of data is too large).

[0206] In the second method, a protocol for spreading network topology information is deployed between each network device in the second network. In this case, the network topology information of the second network can be spread between network devices in the second network, so that the target network device has collected the network topology information of the second network during the diffusion process. Then, when the target network device sends a PCEP-LS message carrying the network topology information of the second network to the controller, the target network device can directly send the network topology information of the second network to the controller. In other words, in the second method, the controller can only deploy PCEP with the target network device to obtain the network topology information of the second network. Figure 1 In the illustrated scenario, the network topology information of the second network may include node information of T1 to T5, and link information of links between T1 to T5 and adjacent network devices.

[0207] When the target network device sends the network topology information of the second network to the controller, the node information of any node in the network topology information can be obtained by using the following method: Figure 4 The local node description item is carried in the message format shown in ; the link information of any link can be carried in Figure 5 or Figure 6 The message format of the link description item shown is carried. Multiple local node description items carrying multiple node information can be set in one PCEP-LS message or in multiple PCEP-LS messages. Multiple link description items carrying multiple link information can be set in one PCEP-LS message or in multiple PCEP-LS messages.

[0208] Therefore, the network topology information can be uploaded to the controller through PCEP-LS messages in the required manner according to different needs or different application scenarios, thereby improving the flexibility and scope of use of uploading network topology information.

[0209] After the controller sends the path calculation result to the first network device, the first network device may start to establish a data transmission path.

[0210] It should be noted that, in an embodiment of the present invention, the path calculation result that can be determined by the controller includes the calculation result of the transmission path portion of the data transmission path in the second network. That is to say, compared with the traditional method, the transmission path portion of the data transmission path in the second network has been clearly stated in the path calculation result. Then, in the process of the network device establishing the data transmission path according to the path calculation result, the network device in the second network will no longer need to request other controllers to obtain the calculation result of the transmission path portion of the data transmission path in the second network, and can directly establish the path according to the information in the path calculation result.

[0211] In the process of establishing a data transmission path in a traditional way, when a network device at a specific location in the second network receives a path calculation result, the transmission path portion of the data transmission path in the second network in the path calculation result is in an encrypted state and cannot be directly identified. The network device at this specific location needs to request decryption from other controllers (such as the controller of the second network). Only after receiving the decryption result can the process of establishing the data transmission path in the second network continue.

[0212] The network device at the specific location is located adjacent to the first network and the second network. According to the transmission sequence of the data transmission path, the previous network device of the network device at the specific location on the data transmission path is a network device in the first network. Figure 1For example, in the transmission order of the data transmission path, the previous network device of T2 on the data transmission path is the network device R1 in the first network, so the network device at this specific position may be T2.

[0213] If the target network device is the network device at this specific location, in the embodiment of the present invention, when the target network device obtains the calculation result of the transmission path portion of the data transmission path in the second network from the previous network device, this part of the calculation result can be directly identified and is not encrypted. Therefore, the target network device can directly continue to establish the data transmission path based on the calculation result of the transmission path portion of the data transmission path in the second network. This eliminates the need for additional information interaction with the optical controller in the traditional approach, and achieves the effect of improving the efficiency of establishing the data transmission path. Figure 1 For example, when T2 receives the calculation result of the transmission path portion of the data transmission path in the second network from R1, T2 can directly determine the need to establish a path from T2 to T3 based on this calculation result.

[0214] In a scenario where the first network is an IP network and the second network is an optical network, if the data transmission path is successfully established, a virtual link (that is, a VTE link) between the first network device and the second network device under the IP network can also be generated during the establishment process. According to the virtual link, the controller can regard the data transmission path as an IP link under the IP network, which can be identified by the destination IP and the source IP. The first network device can report the relevant information of the established virtual link to the controller. In an embodiment of the present invention, the relevant information of the virtual link can be carried by a -PCEP-LS message.

[0215] Optional, see Figure 7 As shown, the controller receives a PCEP-LS message sent by the first network device. The first network is identified by a numerical value in the general routing field in the PCEP-LS message, and a link description item is included in the link object. The link description item includes a local node description item, a remote node description item, a link identification field, and an opaque link attribute field. The local node description item is used to carry the local node information of the VTE link, that is, the identification of the first network device. The remote node description item is used to carry the remote node information of the VTE link, that is, the identification of the second network device. The message structure of the local node description item and the remote node description item has been explained in the previous text and will not be repeated here.

[0216] The link identification field (Link Local / Remote ID sub-TLV) of the link description item is used to carry the virtual local identifier (VLink Local Identifier) ​​and virtual remote identifier (VLink RemoteIdentifier) ​​of the VTE link, and the opaque link attribute field (Opaque Link Attribute Sub-TLV) of the link description item is used to carry the local identifier and remote identifier of the VTE link.

[0217] Since the first network device and the second network device are both network devices under the IP network, in order to further identify the VTE link, the IP addresses of the first network device and the second network device can also be carried in the PCEP-LS message. Figure 7 As shown, the link description item also includes a local IP address field and a remote IP address field. The local IP address field of the link description item is used to carry the local interface information of the VTE link on the first network device (e.g., the IP address of the first network device), and the remote IP address field of the link description item is used to carry the remote interface information of the VTE link on the second network device (e.g., the IP address of the second network device). It should be noted that, depending on the type of the first network, that is, the IP network, the IPv4 addresses of the first network device and the second network device mentioned above can also be replaced by the IPv6 addresses of the first network device and the second network device.

[0218] Therefore, in an embodiment of the present invention, the first network device can also report the information of the established VTE link to the controller through the PCEP-LS message, so that the controller can quickly obtain relevant information that the VTE link has been established, thereby facilitating the controller to accurately regulate and manage the hybrid network.

[0219] Device Embodiments of the Invention

[0220] Figure 8 A device structure diagram of a path determination device provided in an embodiment of the present invention, wherein the path determination device 800 is applied to a hybrid network including the same controller to implement a control function, the hybrid network includes a first network and a second network, and the path determination device 800 includes an acquisition unit 801, a calculation unit 802, and a sending unit 803:

[0221] An acquisition unit 801 is used to acquire a path determination requirement, where the path determination requirement is used to request the determination of a data transmission path that starts at a first network device and ends at a second network device and is composed of a transmission path portion of the first network and a transmission path portion of the second network. The path determination requirement includes an identifier of the first network device and an identifier of the second network device, and both the first network device and the second network device are network devices of the first network.

[0222] The acquisition unit 801 is further configured to acquire network topology information of the first network from network devices in the first network according to the control channel protocol, and acquire network topology information of the second network from network devices in the second network.

[0223] The calculation unit 802 is used to calculate the path calculation result according to the identifier of the first network device, the identifier of the second network device, the network topology information of the first network and the network topology information of the second network, wherein the path calculation result includes the calculation result of the transmission path portion of the data transmission path in the first network and the calculation result of the transmission path portion of the data transmission path in the second network.

[0224] The sending unit 803 is configured to send the path calculation result to the first network device.

[0225] Optionally, the acquisition unit is further used to acquire planning data for the virtual path, the planning data including an identifier of a first network device as a starting end of the virtual path, an identifier of a second network device as an ending end of the virtual path, an identifier of the virtual path, path information of the virtual path in the first network, and path information of the virtual path in the second network; then the path determination requirement acquired by the controller also includes the identifier of the virtual path;

[0226] The calculation unit is further used to match the planning data according to the identifier of the first network device, the identifier of the second network device and the identifier of the virtual path;

[0227] A data transmission path for the virtual link is calculated according to the planning data, the network topology information of the first network, and the network topology information of the second network, and a path calculation result is determined.

[0228] Figure 8 To describe the device embodiment of the technical solution of the present invention from the controller side, Figure 8 The description of the features in the corresponding embodiments can be found in Figure 2 The relevant descriptions of the corresponding embodiments will not be repeated here one by one.

[0229] Optionally, the sending unit is specifically used to send a PCEP message carrying a path calculation result to the first network device, the PCEP message includes a path information field, the path information field is used to carry interface information of network devices passing through in sequence on the data transmission path, the interface information includes outgoing interface information or incoming interface information of the network device.

[0230] Optionally, for a link in a data transmission path, the PCEP message carries, through a path information field, interface information of at least one of an outbound interface and an inbound interface of the link on a network device.

[0231] Optionally, the PCEP message includes a PCEP-Reply message or a PCEP-Update message.

[0232] For the above description of PCEP messages and related message formats in PCEP messages, please refer to Figure 3 The relevant descriptions of the corresponding embodiments will not be repeated here one by one.

[0233] Optionally, the control channel protocol is PCEP, and the acquisition unit is specifically used to obtain network topology information of the second network according to a PCEP-LS message sent by a network device in the second network, and the second network is identified by a numerical value in the general routing field of the PCEP-LS message.

[0234] Optionally, the PCEP-LS message also includes a node object for identifying a network device in the second network, the node object includes a description item of the network device in the second network, and the description item of the network device in the second network is used to carry an identifier and attributes of the network device in the second network.

[0235] Optionally, the PCEP-LS message further includes a link object for identifying a network device in the second network;

[0236] The link object includes a link description item, and the link description item is used to carry link information of a link between a network device in the second network and an adjacent network device;

[0237] The link description item includes a description item of the network device in the second network, a description item of the adjacent network device and a link identification field. The link identification field is used to carry the interface information of the network device in the second network and the interface information of the adjacent network device on the link between the network device in the second network and the adjacent network device.

[0238] Optionally, the first network is an Internet Protocol IP network, and in the link object of the PCEP-LS message sent by the network device in the second network, the link description item also includes an IP neighbor address field, which is used to carry the IP address of the network device in the first network adjacent to the network device in the second network.

[0239] For the above description of PCEP-LS message and the relevant message format in PCEP-LS message, please refer to Figure 4 , Figure 5 and Figure 6 The relevant descriptions of the corresponding embodiments will not be repeated here one by one.

[0240] Optionally, the first network is an IP network, and the acquisition unit is also used to receive a PCEP-LS message sent by the first network device. The first network is identified by a numerical value in the general routing field in the PCEP-LS message. The link object includes a link description item, and the link description item includes a local node description item, a remote node description item, a link identification field, and an opaque link attribute field; the local node description item and the remote node description item of the link description item are used to carry local node information and remote node information of the VTE link; the link identification field of the link description item is used to carry a virtual local identifier and a virtual remote identifier of the VTE link, and the opaque link attribute field of the link description item is used to carry a local identifier and a remote identifier of the VTE link. The VTE link is a virtual link that is a data transmission link and is located between the first network device and the second network device in the IP network.

[0241] Optionally, the link description item also includes a local IP address field and a remote IP address field. The local IP address field of the link description item is used to carry the local interface information of the VTE link on the first network device, and the remote IP address field of the link description item is used to carry the remote interface information of the VTE link on the second network device.

[0242] For the above description of carrying VTE link related information through PCEP-LS messages and the relevant message format in PCEP-LS messages, please refer to Figure 7 The relevant descriptions of the corresponding embodiments will not be repeated here one by one.

[0243] It can be seen that in a hybrid network, the controller can respectively obtain the network topology information of the first network and the second network belonging to different network types through the same channel control protocol. When the controller obtains the path determination requirement for the data transmission path, since the controller already has the network topology information of the first network and the second network, when calculating the data transmission path, the controller does not need to perform additional information interaction with other devices to determine the path calculation result including the transmission path part in the first network and the second network, and send the path calculation result to the first network device, thereby improving the planning efficiency of the data transmission path.

[0244] Fig. 9 A device structure diagram of a path determination device provided by an embodiment of the present invention, wherein the path determination device 900 is applied to a hybrid network including the same controller to implement a control function, wherein the hybrid network includes a first network and a second network, wherein the first network device and the second network device are both network devices of the first network, and the path determination device 900 includes an acquisition unit 901 and an establishment unit 902:

[0245] An acquisition unit 901 is used to acquire a path calculation result sent by a controller, where the path calculation result is calculated by the controller based on an identifier of a first network device, an identifier of a second network device, network topology information of the first network, and network topology information of the second network; the path calculation result includes a calculation result of a transmission path portion of the data transmission path in the first network and a calculation result of a transmission path portion of the data transmission path in the second network; the data transmission path is a data transmission path that starts at the first network device and ends at the second network device and is composed of a transmission path portion of the first network and a transmission path portion of the second network.

[0246] The establishing unit 902 is used to establish a data transmission path according to the path calculation result.

[0247] Optionally, the acquisition unit is specifically used to obtain a PCEP message sent by the controller, the PCEP message carries a path calculation result, the PCEP message includes multiple path information fields arranged in sequence according to the transmission order of the data transmission path, the path information field is used to carry interface information of the link in the data transmission path on the network device, the interface information includes the outgoing interface information or the incoming interface information of the link in the data transmission path on the network device.

[0248] Optionally, for a link in a data transmission path, the PCEP message carries, through a path information field, interface information of at least one of an outbound interface and an inbound interface of the link on a network device.

[0249] Optionally, the PCEP message includes a PCEP-Reply message or a PCEP-Update message.

[0250] Fig. 9 To describe the device embodiment of the technical solution of the present invention from the network device side, Fig. 9 The description of the features in the corresponding embodiments can be found in Figure 2 The relevant descriptions of the corresponding embodiments will not be repeated here one by one.

[0251] Fig.10 A device structure diagram of a path determination device provided in an embodiment of the present invention, wherein the path determination device 1000 is applied to a hybrid network including the same controller to implement a control function, wherein the hybrid network includes a first network and a second network, wherein the second network is an optical network, and the path determination device 1000 includes a sending unit 1001:

[0252] The sending unit 1001 is used to send the network topology information of the second network to the controller according to the control channel protocol. The control channel protocol is the same as the control channel protocol used by the network device in the first network to send the network topology information of the first network to the controller.

[0253] Optionally, the control channel protocol is PCEP, and the sending unit is specifically used to send a PCEP-LS message carrying network topology information of the second network to the controller, and the second network is identified by a numerical value in the general routing field of the PCEP-LS message.

[0254] Optionally, the PCEP-LS message also includes a node object for identifying the network device in the second network, the node object includes a description item of the network device in the second network, and the description item of the network device in the second network is used to carry the identification and attributes of the network device in the second network.

[0255] Optionally, the PCEP-LS message also includes a link object for identifying the network device in the second network, the link object includes a link description item, the link description item is used to carry link information of the link between the network device in the second network and the adjacent network device, the link description item includes a description item of the network device in the second network, a description item of the adjacent network device and a link identification field, and the link identification field is used to carry interface information of the network device in the second network and interface information of the adjacent network device on the link between the network device in the second network and the adjacent network device.

[0256] Optionally, the target network device is a network device in a data transmission path; according to the transmission order of the data transmission path, the previous network device of the target network device in the data transmission path is a network device in the first network; the data transmission path is a data transmission path that starts at the first network device and ends at the second network device and is composed of a transmission path portion of the first network and a transmission path portion of the second network; the first network device and the second network device are both network devices of the first network; and the apparatus further includes a receiving unit:

[0257] A receiving unit, used for acquiring a calculation result of a transmission path portion of a data transmission path in a second network from a previous network device;

[0258] The establishing unit is further used to establish the data transmission path according to the calculation result of the transmission path part of the data transmission path in the second network.

[0259] Fig.10 To describe an embodiment of a device for sending network topology information to a controller in the technical solution of the present invention from the network device side, Fig.10 The description of the features in the corresponding embodiments can be found in Figure 4 , Figure 5 and Figure 6 The relevant descriptions of the corresponding embodiments will not be repeated here one by one.

[0260] Next, the technical solution of the present invention is further explained from a system perspective.

[0261] Fig.11 A system structure diagram of a path determination system is provided for an embodiment of the present invention. The path determination system 1100 is applied to a hybrid network including a same controller to implement a control function. The hybrid network includes a first network and a second network. The path determination system 1100 includes a controller 1101 and a first network device 1102:

[0262] Controller 1101 obtains a path determination requirement, where the path determination requirement is used to request the determination of a data transmission path that starts at a first network device and ends at a second network device and is composed of a transmission path portion of the first network and a transmission path portion of the second network, where the path determination requirement includes an identifier of the first network device and an identifier of the second network device, where both the first network device and the second network device are network devices of the first network; according to a control channel protocol, network topology information of the first network is obtained from network devices in the first network, and network topology information of the second network is obtained from network devices in the second network; a path calculation result is calculated based on the identifier of the first network device, the identifier of the second network device, the network topology information of the first network, and the network topology information of the second network, where the path calculation result includes a calculation result of a transmission path portion of the data transmission path in the first network and a calculation result of a transmission path portion of the data transmission path in the second network; and the path calculation result is sent to the first network device.

[0263] The first network device 1102 obtains the path calculation result sent by the controller; and establishes a data transmission path according to the path calculation result.

[0264] Fig.12 A system structure diagram of a path determination system is provided for an embodiment of the present invention. The path determination system 1200 is applied to a hybrid network including the same controller 1201 to implement a control function. The hybrid network includes a first network and a second network. The second network is an optical network. The target network device 1202 is a network device in the second network. The path determination system 1200 includes the controller 1201 and the target network device 1202:

[0265] Controller 1201 is used to obtain a path determination requirement, and the path determination requirement is used to request to determine a data transmission path that starts at a first network device and ends at a second network device, and is composed of a transmission path portion of the first network and a transmission path portion of the second network. The path determination requirement includes an identifier of the first network device and an identifier of the second network device, and the first network device and the second network device are both network devices of the first network; according to a control channel protocol, network topology information of the first network is obtained from a network device in the first network, and network topology information of the second network is obtained from a network device in the second network; a path calculation result is calculated based on the identifier of the first network device, the identifier of the second network device, the network topology information of the first network, and the network topology information of the second network, and the path calculation result includes a calculation result of a transmission path portion of the data transmission path in the first network and a calculation result of a transmission path portion of the data transmission path in the second network; and the path calculation result is sent to the first network device.

[0266] The target network device 1202 is used to send the network topology information of the second network to the controller according to the control channel protocol, and the control channel protocol is the same as the control channel protocol used by the network device in the first network to send the network topology information of the first network to the controller.

[0267] Fig.13 A schematic diagram of the hardware structure of a controller provided in an embodiment of the present invention, wherein the controller 1300 is the same controller that implements the control function in the hybrid network, the hybrid network includes the first network and the second network, the controller 1300 includes a memory 1301, a receiver 1302 and a transmitter 1303, and a processor 1304 connected to the memory 1301, the receiver 1302 and the transmitter 1303, respectively, the memory 1301 is used to store a set of program instructions, and the processor 1304 is used to call the program instructions stored in the memory 1301 to perform the following operations:

[0268] The trigger receiver 1302 obtains a path determination requirement, where the path determination requirement is used to request determination of a data transmission path that starts at the first network device and ends at the second network device and is composed of a transmission path portion of the first network and a transmission path portion of the second network, and the path determination requirement includes an identifier of the first network device and an identifier of the second network device, and both the first network device and the second network device are network devices of the first network;

[0269] The trigger receiver 1302 obtains the network topology information of the first network from the network device in the first network according to the control channel protocol, and obtains the network topology information of the second network from the network device in the second network;

[0270] Calculate a path calculation result according to the identifier of the first network device, the identifier of the second network device, the network topology information of the first network, and the network topology information of the second network, wherein the path calculation result includes a calculation result of a transmission path portion of the data transmission path in the first network and a calculation result of a transmission path portion of the data transmission path in the second network;

[0271] The trigger transmitter 1303 sends the path calculation result to the first network device.

[0272] Optionally, the processor 1304 may be a central processing unit (CPU), the memory 1301 may be an internal memory of a random access memory (RAM), the receiver 1302 and the transmitter 1303 may include a common physical interface, and the physical interface may be an Ethernet interface or an asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) interface. The processor 1304, the transmitter 1303, the receiver 1302 and the memory 1301 may be integrated into one or more independent circuits or hardware, such as an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC).

[0273] Fig.14 A hardware structure diagram of a first network device provided in an embodiment of the present invention is applied to a hybrid network including the same controller to realize a control function, the hybrid network includes a first network and a second network, the first network device 1400 and the second network device are both network devices of the first network, the first network device 1400 includes a memory 1401 and a receiver 1402, and a processor 1403 connected to the memory 1401 and the receiver 1402 respectively, the memory 1401 is used to store a set of program instructions, and the processor 1403 is used to call the program instructions stored in the memory 1401 to perform the following operations:

[0274] The trigger receiver 1402 obtains the path calculation result sent by the controller, where the path calculation result is calculated by the controller according to the identifier of the first network device, the identifier of the second network device, the network topology information of the first network, and the network topology information of the second network; the path calculation result includes the calculation result of the transmission path portion of the data transmission path in the first network and the calculation result of the transmission path portion of the data transmission path in the second network; the data transmission path is a data transmission path starting from the first network device and ending at the second network device, and consisting of the transmission path portion of the first network and the transmission path portion of the second network;

[0275] A data transmission path is established based on the path calculation result.

[0276] Optionally, the processor 1403 may be a CPU, the memory 1401 may be an internal memory of the RAM type, the receiver 1402 may include a common physical interface, and the physical interface may be an Ethernet interface or an ATM interface. The processor 1403, the receiver 1402 and the memory 1401 may be integrated into one or more independent circuits or hardware, such as ASIC.

[0277] Fig.15 A schematic diagram of the hardware structure of a target network device provided in an embodiment of the present invention is applied to a hybrid network including the same controller to realize a control function, the hybrid network includes a first network and a second network, the second network is an optical network, the target network device 1500 is a network device in the second network, the target network device 1500 includes a memory 1501 and a transmitter 1502, and a processor 1503 connected to the memory 1501 and the transmitter 1502 respectively, the memory 1501 is used to store a set of program instructions, and the processor 1503 is used to call the program instructions stored in the memory 1501 to perform the following operations:

[0278] The trigger transmitter 1502 sends the network topology information of the second network to the controller according to the control channel protocol, and the control channel protocol is the same as the control channel protocol used by the network device in the first network to send the network topology information of the first network to the controller.

[0279] The processor 1503 may be a CPU, the memory 1501 may be an internal memory of the RAM type, the transmitter 1502 may include a common physical interface, and the physical interface may be an Ethernet interface or an ATM interface. The processor 1503, the transmitter 1502 and the memory 1501 may be integrated into one or more independent circuits or hardware, such as ASIC.

[0280] The "first" in the first network and the first network device mentioned in the embodiment of the present invention is only used as a name identification and does not mean the first in order. The same rule applies to "second".

[0281] A person of ordinary skill in the art can understand that all or part of the steps of implementing the above-mentioned method embodiment can be completed by hardware related to program instructions, and the above-mentioned program can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. When the program is executed, it executes the steps of the above-mentioned method embodiment; and the above-mentioned storage medium can be at least one of the following media: read-only memory (ROM), RAM, magnetic disk or optical disk, etc., various media that can store program codes.

[0282] It should be noted that each embodiment in this specification is described in a progressive manner, and the same and similar parts between the embodiments can refer to each other, and each embodiment focuses on the differences from other embodiments. In particular, for the device and system embodiments, since they are basically similar to the method embodiments, the description is relatively simple, and the relevant parts can refer to the partial description of the method embodiments. The device and system embodiments described above are merely schematic, in which the units described as separate components may or may not be physically separated, and the components displayed as units may or may not be physical units, that is, they may be located in one place, or they may be distributed on multiple network units. Some or all of the modules can be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purpose of the scheme of this embodiment. Ordinary technicians in this field can understand and implement it without paying creative work.

[0283] The above is only a preferred specific embodiment of the present invention, but the protection scope of the present invention is not limited thereto. Any changes or substitutions that can be easily thought of by a person skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed by the present invention should be included in the protection scope of the present invention. Therefore, the protection scope of the present invention should be based on the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A path determination method, characterized in that: Applied to a hybrid network including a same controller to realize a control function, the hybrid network includes a first network and a second network, the method includes: The controller obtains a path determination requirement, where the path determination requirement is used to request determination of a data transmission path that starts at a first network device and ends at a second network device and is composed of a transmission path portion of the first network and a transmission path portion of the second network, and the path determination requirement includes an identifier of the first network device and an identifier of the second network device, and both the first network device and the second network device are network devices of the first network; According to the control channel protocol, the controller obtains the network topology information of the first network from the network equipment in the first network, and obtains the network topology information of the second network from the network equipment in the second network; The controller calculates a path calculation result according to the identifier of the first network device, the identifier of the second network device, the network topology information of the first network, and the network topology information of the second network, wherein the path calculation result includes a calculation result of a transmission path portion of the data transmission path in the first network and a calculation result of a transmission path portion of the data transmission path in the second network; The controller sends the path calculation result to the first network device.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The controller sends the path calculation result to the first network device, including: The controller sends a path computation communication protocol PCEP message carrying the path computation result to the first network device, the PCEP message including a path information field, the path information field being used to carry interface information of network devices passing sequentially on the data transmission path, the interface information including outgoing interface information or incoming interface information of the network device, and for a link in the data transmission path, the PCEP message carries interface information of at least one of the outgoing interface and the incoming interface of the link on the network device through the path information field.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that The PCEP message includes a Path Computation Communication Protocol reply PCEP-Reply message or a Path Computation Communication Protocol update PCEP-Update message.

4. A path determination device, characterized in that: Applicable to a hybrid network including a same controller to realize a control function, the hybrid network includes a first network and a second network, and the device includes an acquisition unit, a calculation unit and a sending unit: The acquisition unit is used to acquire a path determination requirement, wherein the path determination requirement is used to request determination of a data transmission path having a starting point as a first network device and an end point as a second network device, and being composed of a transmission path portion of the first network and a transmission path portion of the second network, wherein the path determination requirement includes an identifier of the first network device and an identifier of the second network device, and both the first network device and the second network device are network devices of the first network; The acquisition unit is further configured to acquire the network topology information of the first network from the network equipment in the first network according to the control channel protocol, and acquire the network topology information of the second network from the network equipment in the second network; The calculation unit is used to calculate a path calculation result according to the identifier of the first network device, the identifier of the second network device, the network topology information of the first network, and the network topology information of the second network, wherein the path calculation result includes a calculation result of a transmission path portion of the data transmission path in the first network and a calculation result of a transmission path portion of the data transmission path in the second network; The sending unit is used to send the path calculation result to the first network device.

5. The device according to claim 4, characterized in that The sending unit is specifically used to send a path calculation communication protocol PCEP message carrying the path calculation result to the first network device, the PCEP message includes a path information field, the path information field is used to carry interface information of network devices that pass through the data transmission path in sequence, the interface information includes outgoing interface information or incoming interface information of the network device, and for a link in the data transmission path, the PCEP message carries the interface information of at least one of the outgoing interface and the incoming interface of the link on the network device through the path information field.

6. A path determination method, characterized in that: Applied to a hybrid network including a same controller to realize control functions, the hybrid network includes a first network and a second network, the first network device and the second network device are both network devices of the first network, the method includes: The first network device obtains a path calculation result sent by the controller, wherein the path calculation result is calculated by the controller according to an identifier of the first network device, an identifier of the second network device, network topology information of the first network, and network topology information of the second network; the path calculation result includes a calculation result of a transmission path portion of a data transmission path in the first network and a calculation result of a transmission path portion of the data transmission path in the second network; the data transmission path is a data transmission path having a starting point at the first network device and an end point at the second network device, and being composed of a transmission path portion of the first network and a transmission path portion of the second network; The first network device establishes the data transmission path according to the path calculation result.

7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that The first network device obtains the path calculation result sent by the controller, including: The first network device obtains a path calculation communication protocol PCEP message sent by the controller, the PCEP message carries the path calculation result, the PCEP message includes a plurality of path information fields arranged in sequence according to the transmission order of the data transmission path, the path information field is used to carry interface information of the link in the data transmission path on the network device, the interface information includes outgoing interface information or incoming interface information of the link in the data transmission path on the network device, and for a link in the data transmission path, the PCEP message carries interface information of at least one of the outgoing interface and the incoming interface of the link on the network device through the path information field.

8. A path determination device, characterized in that: Applicable to a hybrid network including a same controller to realize control functions, the hybrid network includes a first network and a second network, the first network device and the second network device are both network devices of the first network, the apparatus includes an acquisition unit and an establishment unit: The acquisition unit is used to acquire a path calculation result sent by the controller, the path calculation result is calculated by the controller according to the identifier of the first network device, the identifier of the second network device, the network topology information of the first network, and the network topology information of the second network; the path calculation result includes a calculation result of a transmission path portion of the data transmission path in the first network and a calculation result of a transmission path portion of the data transmission path in the second network; the data transmission path is a data transmission path having a starting point at the first network device and an end point at the second network device, and being composed of a transmission path portion of the first network and a transmission path portion of the second network; The establishing unit is used to establish the data transmission path according to the path calculation result.

9. The device according to claim 8, characterized in that The acquisition unit is specifically used to acquire a path computation communication protocol PCEP message sent by the controller, the PCEP message carries the path computation result, the PCEP message includes a plurality of path information fields arranged in sequence according to the transmission order of the data transmission path, the path information field is used to carry interface information of the link in the data transmission path on the network device, the interface information includes outgoing interface information or incoming interface information of the link in the data transmission path on the network device, and for a link in the data transmission path, the PCEP message carries interface information of at least one of the outgoing interface and the incoming interface of the link on the network device through the path information field.

10. A path determination method, characterized in that: Applied to a hybrid network including a same controller to realize control functions, the hybrid network includes a first network and a second network, the second network is an optical network, and the target network device is a network device in the second network, the method includes: The target network device sends the network topology information of the second network to the controller according to a control channel protocol, and the control channel protocol is the same as the control channel protocol according to which the network device in the first network sends the network topology information of the first network to the controller.

11. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that The target network device is a network device in a data transmission path; according to the transmission order of the data transmission path, the previous network device of the target network device on the data transmission path is a network device in the first network; the data transmission path is a data transmission path starting from the first network device and ending at the second network device, and consisting of a transmission path portion of the first network and a transmission path portion of the second network; the first network device and the second network device are both network devices of the first network; the method further comprises: The target network device obtains, from the previous network device, a calculation result of the transmission path portion of the data transmission path in the second network; The target network device establishes the data transmission path according to a calculation result of the transmission path portion of the data transmission path in the second network.

12. A path determination device, characterized in that: Applicable to a hybrid network including a same controller to realize control functions, the hybrid network includes a first network and a second network, the second network is an optical network, and the device includes a sending unit: The sending unit is used to send the network topology information of the second network to the controller according to a control channel protocol, and the control channel protocol is the same as the control channel protocol used by the network device in the first network to send the network topology information of the first network to the controller.

13. The device according to claim 12, characterized in that The target network device is a network device in a data transmission path. According to the transmission order of the data transmission path, the previous network device of the target network device on the data transmission path is a network device in the first network. The data transmission path is a data transmission path with the first network device as the starting point and the second network device as the end point, and is composed of a transmission path part of the first network and a transmission path part of the second network. The first network device and the second network device are both network devices of the first network. The apparatus further includes a receiving unit and an establishing unit: The receiving unit is used to obtain the calculation result of the transmission path part of the data transmission path in the second network from the previous network device; The establishing unit is further configured to establish the data transmission path according to a calculation result of the transmission path portion of the data transmission path in the second network.

14. A path determination system, characterized in that: Applicable to a hybrid network including a same controller to realize control functions, the hybrid network includes a first network and a second network, the system includes the controller and a first network device: The controller obtains a path determination requirement, the path determination requirement is used to request to determine a data transmission path whose starting point is the first network device and whose end point is the second network device, and which is composed of a transmission path portion of the first network and a transmission path portion of the second network, the path determination requirement includes an identifier of the first network device and an identifier of the second network device, and the first network device and the second network device are both network devices of the first network; according to a control channel protocol, obtains network topology information of the first network from a network device in the first network, and obtains network topology information of the second network from a network device in the second network; calculates a path calculation result according to the identifier of the first network device, the identifier of the second network device, the network topology information of the first network, and the network topology information of the second network, the path calculation result includes a calculation result of the transmission path portion of the data transmission path in the first network and a calculation result of the transmission path portion of the data transmission path in the second network; Sending the path calculation result to the first network device; The first network device obtains the path calculation result sent by the controller; The data transmission path is established according to the path calculation result.

15. A path determination system, characterized in that: Applied to a hybrid network including a same controller to realize control functions, the hybrid network includes a first network and a second network, the second network is an optical network, the target network device is a network device in the second network, and the system includes the controller and the target network device: The controller is used to obtain a path determination requirement, the path determination requirement is used to request to determine a data transmission path whose starting point is the first network device and whose end point is the second network device, and which is composed of a transmission path portion of the first network and a transmission path portion of the second network, the path determination requirement includes an identifier of the first network device and an identifier of the second network device, and the first network device and the second network device are both network devices of the first network; according to a control channel protocol, obtain network topology information of the first network from a network device in the first network, and obtain network topology information of the second network from a network device in the second network; calculate a path calculation result according to the identifier of the first network device, the identifier of the second network device, the network topology information of the first network, and the network topology information of the second network, the path calculation result includes a calculation result of the transmission path portion of the data transmission path in the first network and a calculation result of the transmission path portion of the data transmission path in the second network; send the path calculation result to the first network device; The target network device is used to send the network topology information of the second network to the controller according to a control channel protocol, and the control channel protocol is the same as the control channel protocol used by the network device in the first network to send the network topology information of the first network to the controller.

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