Data packet forwarding method and device

Abstract

The present invention relates to the field of communications, and in particular to a data packet forwarding method and device, the method is applied to a network address translation NAT device, the NAT device includes an Internet Protocol packet hardware accelerator IPA and an application processor AP, the IPA executes the method, including: receiving a data packet; updating the IP address of the data packet according to the mapping relationship between a local area network IP address and a wide area network IP address; sending the data packet with the updated IP address to the AP, so that the software fast forwarding path SFP module in the AP sends the data packet to the corresponding network card according to the IP address of the data packet. The data packet forwarding method and device provided in the embodiment of the present invention allocates the tasks of updating the IP address of the data packet and verifying the data calculation to the hardware accelerator of the Internet Protocol packet, thereby reducing the CPU load of the AP.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] This invention relates to the field of communications, and more particularly to a data packet forwarding method and apparatus. [Background Technology]

[0002] When a local area network (LAN) device needs to communicate with a wide area network (WAN) device, the source device first sends the data packet to the NAT (Network Address Translation) device. The NAT device, based on the mapping relationship between WAN and LAN IP addresses, updates the IP address of the data packet and calculates the checksum. Then, it sends the IP-updated data packet and checksum to the destination device. Specifically, currently, the tasks of updating the IP address and calculating the checksum are performed by the application processor (AP) in the NAT device, increasing the load on the AP's central processing unit (CPU). [Summary of the Invention]

[0003] In view of this, embodiments of the present invention provide a data packet forwarding method and device that assign the tasks of updating IP addresses and calculating verification data for data packets to the hardware accelerator of Internet Protocol packets, thereby reducing the CPU load of the AP.

[0004] In a first aspect, embodiments of the present invention provide a data packet forwarding method, characterized in that the method is applied to a Network Address Translation (NAT) device, the NAT device including an Internet Protocol (IPA) hardware accelerator and an application processor (AP), the IPA executing the method, including:

[0005] Receive data packets;

[0006] The IP address of the data packet is updated according to the mapping relationship between local area network IP address and wide area network IP address;

[0007] The data packet with the updated IP address is sent to the AP, so that the Software Fast Forwarding Path (SFP) module in the AP can send the data packet to the corresponding network card according to the IP address of the data packet.

[0008] In one possible implementation, before updating the IP address of the data packet, the method further includes:

[0009] Receive at least one mapping relationship between the local area network IP address and the wide area network IP address sent by the SFP module.

[0010] In one possible implementation, each mapping relationship includes a local area network (LAN) IP address and a wide area network (WAN) IP address;

[0011] Updating the IP address of the data packet includes:

[0012] Based on the IP address of the data packet, determine the target mapping relationship from at least one mapping relationship between the local area network IP address and the wide area network IP address;

[0013] Based on the target mapping relationship, the source address of the data packet is updated from a local area network (LAN) IP address to a wide area network (WAN) IP address, or the destination address of the data packet is updated from a WAN IP address to a LAN IP address.

[0014] In one possible implementation, when the data packet is sent from a local area network (LAN) device to a wide area network (WAN) device, the source address of the data packet is updated from the LAN IP address to the WAN IP address.

[0015] When the data packet is sent from a WAN device to a LAN device, the destination address of the data packet is updated from the WAN IP address to the LAN IP address.

[0016] In one possible implementation, each LAN IP address in the mapping relationship corresponds to a LAN port, and each WAN IP address in the mapping relationship corresponds to a WAN port. The method further includes:

[0017] When the data packet is sent from a local area network (LAN) device to a wide area network (WAN) device, the source port of the data packet is updated from the LAN port to the WAN port;

[0018] When the data packet is sent from a WAN device to a LAN device, the destination port of the data packet is updated from the WAN port to the LAN port.

[0019] In one possible implementation, before sending the data packet with the updated IP address to the AP, the method further includes:

[0020] Calculate the checksum of the data packet.

[0021] In one possible implementation, the data packet with the updated IP address is sent to the AP, so that the SFP module in the AP sends the data packet to the corresponding network interface card according to the IP address of the data packet, including:

[0022] The data packet with the updated IP address and the verification data are sent to the AP, so that the SFP module in the AP can send the data packet and the verification data to the corresponding network card according to the IP address of the data packet.

[0023] Secondly, an embodiment of the present invention provides a Network Address Translation (NAT) device, comprising:

[0024] The Internet Protocol (IP) hardware accelerator (IPA) is used to receive data packets; update the IP address of the data packets according to the mapping relationship between LAN IP addresses and WAN IP addresses; and send the data packets with updated IP addresses to the application processor (AP), so that the SFP module in the AP can send the data packets to the corresponding network interface card (NIC) according to the IP address of the data packets.

[0025] The application processor (AP) is used to receive data packets with updated IP addresses and send the data packets to the corresponding network interface cards (NICs) according to the IP address of the data packets.

[0026] Thirdly, embodiments of the present invention provide an electronic device, comprising:

[0027] At least one processor; and

[0028] At least one memory communicatively connected to the processor, wherein:

[0029] The memory stores program instructions that can be executed by the processor, and the processor can execute the method provided in the first aspect by calling the program instructions.

[0030] Fourthly, embodiments of the present invention provide a computer-readable storage medium comprising a stored program, wherein the program, when executed, controls the device containing the computer-readable storage medium to perform the method described in the first aspect.

[0031] It should be understood that the second to fourth aspects of the embodiments of the present invention are consistent with the technical solutions of the first aspect of the embodiments of the present invention, and the beneficial effects achieved by each aspect and the corresponding feasible implementation are similar, and will not be described again.

[0032] The packet forwarding method and apparatus provided in the embodiments of the invention assign the tasks of updating IP addresses and calculating verification data for data packets to the hardware accelerator of Internet Protocol packets, thereby reducing the CPU load of the AP. [Attached Image Description]

[0033] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention, the drawings used in the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0034] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a NAT device provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0035] Figure 2A flowchart of a data packet forwarding method provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0036] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram illustrating an embodiment of the present invention for updating the IP address of a data packet;

[0037] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of the structure of an electronic device provided for the implementation of the present invention.

Detailed Implementation Methods

[0038] To better understand the technical solution of the present invention, the embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0039] It should be understood that the described embodiments are merely some, not all, of the embodiments of the present invention. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of the present invention without inventive effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0040] The terminology used in the embodiments of this invention is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to limit the invention. The singular forms “a,” “the,” and “the” as used in the embodiments of this invention and the appended claims are also intended to include the plural forms unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

[0041] In related technologies, NAT devices include Access Points (APs). When forwarding data packets, the NAT device first updates the IP address of the data packet and calculates checksums based on the mapping relationship between WAN IP addresses and LAN IP addresses, and then sends the IP address-updated data packet and checksums to the destination device. However, the processing power of the AP in current NAT devices is limited, and the above-mentioned scheme of updating the IP address and calculating checksums by the AP increases the CPU load of the AP. This invention proposes a data packet forwarding method and device, in which the Internet Protocol Packet Accelerator (IPA) in the NAT device performs IP address updates and checksum calculations on the data packets, greatly reducing the CPU load of the AP.

[0042] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a NAT device provided in an embodiment of the present invention, as shown below. Figure 1 As shown, the aforementioned NAT devices include: AP11, IPA12, and network interface card 13. The AP further includes a Software Fast Path Progress (SFP) module 14.

[0043] Specifically, when a data packet is sent from a LAN device to a WAN device, the IPA receives the data packet sent by the LAN device, updates the source address of the data packet from the LAN IP address to the WAN IP address, and calculates the checksum of the data packet; then, it sends the data packet with the updated IP address and the checksum to the AP; the SFP module in the AP sends the data packet and checksum to the network card, so that the network card can send the data packet and checksum to the WAN device.

[0044] Similarly, when a data packet is sent from a WAN device to a LAN device, the IPA receives the data packet sent by the WAN device, updates the destination address of the data packet from the WAN IP address to the LAN IP address, and calculates the checksum of the data packet; then, it sends the data packet with the updated IP address and the checksum to the AP; the SFP module in the AP sends the data packet and checksum to the network card, so that the network card can send the data packet and checksum to the LAN device.

[0045] Figure 2 This invention provides a packet forwarding method applied to a NAT device, which includes an IPA and an AP, wherein the IPA executes the method. Figure 2 As shown, the above method includes:

[0046] Step 101: Receive data packets.

[0047] Step 102: Update the IP address of the data packet according to the mapping relationship between LAN IP address and WAN IP address.

[0048] Specifically, before performing this step, the SFP module in the AP first writes the mapping relationship between LAN IP addresses and WAN IP addresses into the IPA as a forwarding rule. Each forwarding rule contains at least one mapping relationship, where each mapping relationship contains one LAN IP address and one WAN IP address.

[0049] It should be noted that the header of a data packet contains the source and destination addresses, indicating the source and destination devices, respectively. When the source device is a local area network (LAN) device and the destination device is a wide area network (WAN) device (i.e., the data packet is sent from a LAN device to a WAN device), the source address is the LAN IP address. After receiving the data packet, IPA iterates through each mapping relationship in the forwarding rules, determines the destination mapping relationship based on the data packet's source address, updates the source address of the data packet from the LAN IP address to the WAN IP address, and re-encapsulates the header of the data packet with the updated IP address.

[0050] Similarly, when the source device of a data packet is a WAN device and the destination device is a LAN device (i.e., the data packet is sent from a WAN device to a LAN device), the destination address of the data packet is the WAN IP address. After receiving the data packet, IPA traverses each mapping relationship in the forwarding rules, determines the target mapping relationship based on the destination address of the data packet, updates the destination address of the data packet from the WAN IP address to the LAN IP address according to the target mapping relationship, and re-encapsulates the header of the data packet with the updated IP address.

[0051] In a specific example, each LAN IP address in the mapping relationship corresponds to a LAN port, and each WAN IP address in the mapping relationship corresponds to a WAN port. After the IPA determines the target mapping relationship, in addition to updating the IP addresses, it also needs to update the ports.

[0052] Specifically, the source address in the packet header corresponds to a source port, and the destination address in the packet header corresponds to a destination port. When a packet is sent from a local area network (LAN) device to a wide area network (WAN) device, the source port of the packet is updated from the LAN port to the WAN port; when a packet is sent from a WAN device to a LAN device, the destination port of the packet is updated from the WAN port to the LAN port.

[0053] For example, such as Figure 3 As shown, LAN devices A and B communicate with WAN device C through a NAT device. The forwarding relationship includes the four mapping relationships in Table 1 below.

[0054]

[0055] Table 1 Example of forwarding relationships

[0056] When A sends a data packet to C, the source address and source port number of the data packet received by the NAT device are 10.1.100:1025, where 10.1.100 is the local area network IP address and 1025 is the local area network port number. The IPA in the NAT device determines that the target mapping relationship is mapping relationship 1 by looking up the forwarding relationship. According to the target mapping relationship, the source address and source port number of the data packet are updated from 10.1.100:1025 to 162.105.178.65:16384. When C sends a data packet to A, the target mapping relationship is mapping relationship 2. According to the target mapping relationship, the destination address and destination port number of the data packet are updated from 162.105.178.65:16384 to 10.1.100:1025. When B sends a data packet to C, the target mapping relationship is mapping relationship 3. According to the target mapping relationship, the source address and source port number of the data packet are updated from 10.1.200:1028 to 162.105.178.65:16400. When C sends a data packet to B, the target mapping relationship is mapping relationship 4. According to the target mapping relationship, the destination address and destination port number of the data packet are updated from 162.105.178.65:16400 to 10.1.200:1028.

[0057] In addition, IPA can also calculate the checksum of data packets. The checksum is the sum of the transmitted bits, which the destination device can use to determine whether it has received a complete data packet.

[0058] Step 103: Send the data packet with the updated IP address to the AP so that the SFP module in the AP can send the data packet to the corresponding network card according to the IP address of the data packet.

[0059] It's important to note that a NAT device may contain multiple network interface cards (NICs), each used to send data packets to different IP addresses. Data packets with the same source and destination addresses can be sent through the same NIC, and NIC information can be recorded in the forwarding rules. When the access point (AP) receives a data packet from the inter-aperture device (IPA), the SFP module in the AP can determine the target NIC based on the packet's IP address and send the packet to the target NIC, which then forwards it to the target device. Alternatively, the IPA can also send the packet's checksum along with the data packet to the AP. The AP's SFP module then sends the checksum along with the data packet to the target NIC, which in turn forwards both the data packet and checksum to the target device.

[0060] It should be noted that IPA has poor compatibility with network cards from different manufacturers, while AP has better compatibility with network cards from different manufacturers. Therefore, in this step, instead of IPA directly identifying the target network card and sending the updated IP data packet and checksum data to the target network card, IPA first sends the data packet and checksum data to AP, and then AP sends the data packet and checksum data to the target network card.

[0061] In related technologies, to save resources in NAT devices, the Access Points (APs) within NAT devices are typically pruned, resulting in limited processing capabilities. Therefore, this invention assigns resource-intensive and repetitive tasks such as updating packet IP addresses and calculating checksums to the Integrated Processing Unit (IPA), significantly reducing the CPU load on the AP. Furthermore, the IPA sends the processed packets and checksums to the AP, which then forwards them to the corresponding network interface card (NIC), resolving the issue of poor compatibility between the IPA and NICs from different manufacturers.

[0062] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of the structure of an electronic device provided for the implementation of the present invention. Figure 4 The electronic device shown is merely an example and should not impose any limitation on the functionality and scope of use of the embodiments of the present invention.

[0063] like Figure 4 As shown, the electronic device may include at least one processor; and at least one memory communicatively connected to the processor, wherein the memory stores program instructions executable by the processor, and the processor can execute the present invention by calling the program instructions. Figure 2 The illustrated embodiment provides a packet forwarding method. The electronic device is manifested as a general-purpose computing device. The components of the electronic device may include, but are not limited to: one or more processors 410, a communication interface 420, a memory 430, and a communication bus 440 connecting different system components (including the memory 430 and the processor 410).

[0064] Communication bus 440 represents one or more of several bus architectures, including a memory bus or memory controller, a peripheral bus, a graphics acceleration port, a processor, or a local bus using any of the various bus architectures. For example, these architectures include, but are not limited to, Industry Standard Architecture (ISA) buses, Micro Channel Architecture (MAC) buses, Enhanced ISA buses, Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA) local buses, and Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) buses.

[0065] Electronic devices typically include a variety of computer-readable media. These media can be any available media that can be accessed by the electronic device, including volatile and non-volatile media, and removable and non-removable media.

[0066] Memory 430 may include computer system readable media in the form of volatile memory, such as random access memory (RAM) and / or cache memory. The electronic device may further include other removable / non-removable, volatile / non-volatile computer system storage media. Memory 430 may include at least one program product having a set (e.g., at least one) of program modules configured to perform the functions of the embodiments of the present invention.

[0067] A program / utility having a set (at least one) of program modules can be stored in memory 430. Such program modules include—but are not limited to—an operating system, one or more application programs, other program modules, and program data. Each or some combination of these examples may include an implementation of a network environment. The program modules typically perform the functions and / or methods described in the embodiments of the present invention.

[0068] Processor 410 executes various functional applications and data processing by running programs stored in memory 430, such as implementing the present invention. Figure 2 The packet forwarding method provided in the illustrated embodiment.

[0069] This invention provides a computer-readable storage medium comprising a stored program, wherein the program, when executed, controls the device containing the computer-readable storage medium to perform the invention. Figure 2 The packet forwarding method provided in the illustrated embodiment.

[0070] Computer-readable signal media may include data signals propagated in baseband or as part of a carrier wave, carrying computer-readable program code. Such propagated data signals may take various forms, including—but not limited to—electromagnetic signals, optical signals, or any suitable combination thereof. Computer-readable signal media may also be any computer-readable medium other than computer-readable storage media, capable of transmitting, propagating, or transmitting programs for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device.

[0071] The program code contained on a computer-readable medium may be transmitted using any suitable medium, including—but not limited to—wireless, wire, optical fiber, RF, etc., or any suitable combination thereof.

[0072] Computer program code for performing the operations of this invention can be written in one or more programming languages ​​or a combination thereof, including object-oriented programming languages ​​such as Java, Smalltalk, and C++, as well as conventional procedural programming languages ​​such as C or similar languages. The program code can be executed entirely on the user's computer, partially on the user's computer, as a standalone software package, partially on the user's computer and partially on a remote computer, or entirely on a remote computer or server. In cases involving remote computers, the remote computer can be connected to the user's computer via any type of network—including a Local Area Network (LAN) or a Wide Area Network (WAN), or it can be connected to an external computer (e.g., via the Internet using an Internet service provider).

[0073] The foregoing has described specific embodiments of the invention. Other embodiments are within the scope of the appended claims. In some cases, the actions or steps described in the claims may be performed in a different order than that shown in the embodiments and may still achieve the desired results. Furthermore, the processes depicted in the drawings do not necessarily require the specific or sequential order shown to achieve the desired results. In some embodiments, multitasking and parallel processing are also possible or may be advantageous.

[0074] In the description of this invention, the terms "one embodiment," "some embodiments," "example," "specific example," or "some examples," etc., refer to specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described in connection with that embodiment or example, which are included in at least one embodiment or example of the invention. In this invention, the illustrative expressions of the above terms do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Furthermore, the specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described may be combined in a suitable manner in any one or more embodiments or examples. Moreover, those skilled in the art can combine and integrate the different embodiments or examples described in this invention, as well as the features of different embodiments or examples, without contradiction.

[0075] Furthermore, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of technical features indicated. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of that feature. In the description of this invention, "a plurality of" means at least two, such as two, three, etc., unless otherwise explicitly specified.

[0076] Any process or method description in the flowchart or otherwise herein can be understood as representing a module, segment, or portion of code comprising one or more executable instructions for implementing custom logic functions or processes, and the scope of preferred embodiments of the invention includes additional implementations in which functions may be performed not in the order shown or discussed, including substantially simultaneously or in reverse order depending on the functions involved, as should be understood by those skilled in the art to which embodiments of the invention pertain.

[0077] Depending on the context, the word "if" as used here can be interpreted as "when," "when," "in response to determination," or "in response to detection." Similarly, depending on the context, the phrase "if determination" or "if detection (of the stated condition or event)" can be interpreted as "when determination," "in response to determination," "when detection (of the stated condition or event)," or "in response to detection (of the stated condition or event)."

[0078] In the embodiments provided by this invention, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, apparatuses, and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the apparatus embodiments described above are merely illustrative; for instance, the division of units is only a logical functional division, and in actual implementation, there may be other division methods. For example, multiple units or components may be combined or integrated into another system, or some features may be ignored or not executed. Furthermore, the coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed may be through some interfaces; the indirect coupling or communication connection between apparatuses or units may be electrical, mechanical, or other forms.

[0079] Furthermore, the functional units in the various embodiments of the present invention can be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit can exist physically separately, or two or more units can be integrated into one unit. The integrated unit can be implemented in hardware or in the form of hardware plus software functional units.

[0080] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A data packet forwarding method, characterized in that: The method is applied to a network address translation NAT device, wherein the NAT device includes a hardware accelerator IPA of an Internet protocol packet and an application processor AP, and the IPA executes the method, including: Receive data packets; Update the IP address of the data packet according to the mapping relationship between the local area network IP address and the wide area network IP address; Sending the data packet with the updated IP address to the AP, so that the software fast forwarding path SFP module in the AP sends the data packet to the corresponding network card according to the IP address of the data packet; Before updating the IP address of the data packet, the method further includes: Receive at least one mapping relationship between the local area network IP address and the wide area network IP address sent by the SFP module.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that Each mapping relationship includes a LAN IP address and a WAN IP address; The IP address of the data packet is updated, including: Determining a target mapping relationship from at least one mapping relationship between the local area network IP address and the wide area network IP address according to the IP address of the data packet; According to the target mapping relationship, the source address of the data packet is updated from the LAN IP address to the WAN IP address, or the destination address of the data packet is updated from the WAN IP address to the LAN IP address.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that When the data packet is sent from the LAN device to the WAN device, the source address of the data packet is updated from the LAN IP address to the WAN IP address; When the data packet is sent from the WAN device to the LAN device, the destination address of the data packet is updated from the WAN IP address to the LAN IP address.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that: The LAN IP address in each mapping relationship corresponds to a LAN port, and the WAN IP address in each mapping relationship corresponds to a WAN port, and the method further includes: When the data packet is sent from the LAN device to the WAN device, the source port of the data packet is updated from the LAN port to the WAN port; When the data packet is sent from the WAN device to the LAN device, the destination port of the data packet is updated from the WAN port to the LAN port.

5. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that Before sending the data packet with the updated IP address to the AP, the method further includes: Calculate the check data of the data packet.

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that Sending a data packet with an updated IP address to the AP, so that the SFP module in the AP sends the data packet to a corresponding network card according to the IP address of the data packet, including: The data packet with the updated IP address and the verification data are sent to the AP, so that the SFP module in the AP sends the data packet and the verification data to the corresponding network card according to the IP address of the data packet.

7. A network address translation NAT device, characterized in that: include: Internet Protocol Packet Hardware Accelerator IPA, used to receive data packets; Update the IP address of the data packet according to the mapping relationship between the local area network IP address and the wide area network IP address; Sending the data packet with the updated IP address to the application processor AP, so that the SFP module in the AP sends the data packet to the corresponding network card according to the IP address of the data packet; The application processor AP is used to receive the data packet with the updated IP address, and send the data packet to the corresponding network card according to the IP address of the data packet; Before updating the IP address of the data packet, the method further includes: Receive at least one mapping relationship between the local area network IP address and the wide area network IP address sent by the SFP module.

8. An electronic device, characterized in that: include: at least one processor; as well as at least one memory in communication with the processor, wherein: The memory stores program instructions executable by the processor, and the processor can execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 6 by calling the program instructions.

9. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that: The computer-readable storage medium includes a stored program, wherein when the program is executed, the device where the computer-readable storage medium is located is controlled to execute any one of the methods of claims 1 to 6.

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