Multicast program receiving method, management method, set-top box, management device and medium

Abstract

The embodiment of the present invention provides a multicast program receiving method, management method, set-top box, management equipment and medium, belonging to the field of communication technology. The method comprises: after connecting to the port of a router, establishing a tunnel with a broadband access server; based on the tunnel, joining the multicast group corresponding to the broadband access server to obtain the multicast program sent by the broadband access server. The technical solution of the embodiment of the present invention solves the problem that the set-top box cannot receive multicast programs when it is not connected to the ITV interface, and improves the convenience of receiving multicast programs by establishing a tunnel between the set-top box and the broadband access server after the set-top box is connected to the port of the router, so as to join the multicast group where the broadband access server is located through the tunnel and receive multicast programs.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a multicast program receiving method, a management method, a set-top box, a management device and a medium. Background Art

[0002] The set-top box used in the existing home IPTV (Internet Protocol Television) service is connected to a specific interface in the ONU (Optical Network Unit), such as the ITV interface of the optical modem. If the user does not connect the set-top box to the specified ITV interface as required or does not purchase equipment with an ITV interface, the set-top box cannot play TV programs through multicast and can only watch some programs through unicast; at the same time, the set-top box cannot use the IPTV dedicated line bandwidth, occupying the network bandwidth of the home broadband, thereby affecting the network speed of other networked devices.

[0003] Therefore, how to conveniently receive multicast programs through a set-top box when the set-top box is not connected to an ITV interface has become an urgent problem to be solved. Summary of the invention

[0004] The main purpose of the embodiments of the present invention is to provide a multicast program receiving method, management method, set-top box, management equipment and medium. After the set-top box is connected to the port of the router, the set-top box establishes a tunnel with the broadband access server, so as to join the multicast group where the broadband access server is located and receive multicast programs through the tunnel, thereby solving the problem that the set-top box cannot receive multicast programs when it is not connected to the ITV interface, and improving the convenience of receiving multicast programs.

[0005] In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present invention provides a multicast program receiving method, which is applied to a set-top box, comprising:

[0006] After being connected to the port of the router, a tunnel is established with the broadband access server; and the multicast group corresponding to the broadband access server is joined to obtain the multicast program sent by the broadband access server.

[0007] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present invention provides a multicast program receiving method, which is applied to a management device, including:

[0008] Acquire device parameters corresponding to the set-top box; authenticate the set-top box according to the device parameters to obtain an authentication result; send tunnel dialing parameters to the set-top box according to the authentication result, so that the set-top box establishes a tunnel with the broadband access server according to the tunnel dialing parameters, and obtains the multicast program sent by the broadband access server based on the tunnel.

[0009] In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present invention further provides a set-top box, comprising a processor, a memory, a computer program stored in the memory and executable by the processor, and a data bus for realizing connection and communication between the processor and the memory, wherein the computer program, when executed by the processor, implements the multicast program receiving method as described above.

[0010] In a fourth aspect, an embodiment of the present invention further provides a management device, comprising a processor, a memory, a computer program stored in the memory and executable by the processor, and a data bus for realizing connection and communication between the processor and the memory, wherein the computer program, when executed by the processor, implements the multicast program management method as described above.

[0011] In a fifth aspect, an embodiment of the present invention further provides a storage medium for computer-readable storage, characterized in that the storage medium stores one or more programs, and the one or more programs can be executed by one or more processors to implement the steps of any multicast program receiving method or multicast program management method provided in the specification of the present invention.

[0012] The embodiment of the present invention provides a multicast program receiving method, a management method, a set-top box, a management device and a medium. After being connected to a port of a router, a tunnel is established with a broadband access server to achieve a tunnel between the set-top box and the broadband access server. Based on the tunnel, joining the multicast group where the broadband access server is located and receiving the multicast program are achieved through the tunnel, thereby solving the problem that the set-top box cannot receive the multicast program when the ITV interface is not connected, and improving the convenience of receiving the multicast program.

[0013] It is to be understood that the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only and are not restrictive of the invention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0014] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, the drawings required for use in the description of the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are some embodiments of the present application. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying any creative work.

[0015] Figure 1 It is a structural diagram of a multicast program receiving system provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0016] Figure 2 is a structural diagram of a management device provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0017] Figure 3is a schematic block diagram of the structure of a set-top box provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0018] Figure 4 is a schematic block diagram of the structure of a management device provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0019] Figure 5 is a schematic flow chart of a multicast program receiving method provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0020] Figure 6 is a schematic flow chart of sub-steps of dialing a broadband access server provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0021] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of tunnel establishment and session establishment provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 8 is a schematic flow chart of sub-steps of obtaining a multicast program provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0023] Fig. 9 is a schematic flow chart of sub-steps of transmitting a user data message in a tunnel provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0024] Fig.10 is a schematic diagram of transmitting a user data message in a tunnel provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0025] Fig.11 is a schematic flow chart of sub-steps of transmitting a multicast data message in a tunnel provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0026] Fig.12 is a schematic diagram of transmitting a multicast data message in a tunnel provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0027] Fig.13 It is a flowchart of a multicast program management method provided by an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0028] 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 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.

[0029] The flowcharts shown in the accompanying drawings are only examples and do not necessarily include all the contents and operations / steps, nor must they be executed in the order described. For example, some operations / steps may be decomposed, combined or partially merged, so the actual execution order may change according to actual conditions.

[0030] It should be understood that the terms used in this specification of the present invention are only for the purpose of describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the present invention. As used in the specification of the present invention and the appended claims, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the singular forms "a", "an" and "the" are intended to include plural forms.

[0031] The embodiment of the present invention provides a multicast program receiving method, a set-top box, a management device, a system and a storage medium. The multicast program receiving method can be applied to a set-top box, and after the set-top box is connected to a port of a router, the set-top box establishes a tunnel with a broadband access server, so as to join the multicast group where the broadband access server is located and receive multicast programs through the tunnel, thereby solving the problem that the set-top box cannot receive multicast programs when it is not connected to an ITV interface, and improving the convenience of receiving multicast programs.

[0032] See also Figure 1 , Figure 1 1 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a multicast program receiving system provided by an embodiment of the present invention. The system includes a set-top box 10, a router 20, a management device 30, a broadband access server 40 and a service authentication platform 50.

[0033] Among them, the set-top box 10 can establish a communication connection with the management device 30 through the router 20; the set-top box 10 can also establish a tunnel with the broadband access server 40 through the router 20, and obtain the multicast program issued by the broadband access server 40 through the tunnel; the broadband access server 40 can establish a communication connection with the business authentication platform 50 and receive the multicast program issued by the business authentication platform 50.

[0034] Exemplarily, in addition to delivering multicast programs and / or unicast programs, the service authentication platform 50 can also perform service authentication on the set-top box 10 according to the control routing information. It should be noted that the service authentication platform 50 is a platform for realizing unified operation and management of IPTV services, and has the unified management capability of set-top boxes of multiple manufacturers, realizing unified management of content, users, authentication, etc.

[0035] In some embodiments, after the set-top box 10 is connected to the port of the router 20 , it establishes a tunnel with the broadband access server 40 ; then the set-top box 10 can obtain the multicast program sent by the broadband access server 40 through the tunnel.

[0036] See also Figure 2 , Figure 23 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the management device 30 provided in an embodiment of the present invention. The management device 30 may include a service management client 301 and a service management server 302; wherein the service management client 301 is used to obtain the device parameters corresponding to the set-top box 10 after the set-top box 10 is connected to the network, and send the obtained device parameters to the service management server 302. The service management server 302 authenticates the set-top box 10 according to the device parameters, and sends the tunnel dialing parameters to the set-top box 10 according to the authentication result, so that the set-top box 10 establishes a tunnel with the broadband access server 40 according to the tunnel dialing parameters.

[0037] See also Figure 3 The set-top box 10 may include a processor 11 and a memory 12, wherein the processor 11 and the memory 12 may be connected via a bus, such as an I2C (Inter-integrated Circuit) bus or any other applicable bus.

[0038] The memory 12 may include a non-volatile storage medium and an internal memory. The non-volatile storage medium may store an operating system and a computer program. The computer program includes program instructions, which, when executed, may enable the processor to execute any multicast program receiving method.

[0039] The processor 11 is used to provide computing and control capabilities to support the operation of the entire set-top box 10 .

[0040] In one embodiment, the processor 11 is used to run a computer program stored in the memory 12, and implements the following steps when executing the computer program:

[0041] After connecting to the port of the router, a tunnel is established with the broadband access server; based on the tunnel, the multicast group corresponding to the broadband access server is joined to obtain the multicast program sent by the broadband access server.

[0042] The processor 11 may be a central processing unit (CPU), or other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSP), application specific integrated circuits (ASIC), field programmable gate arrays (FPGA) or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, etc. A general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor or the processor may be any conventional processor, etc.

[0043] See also Figure 4 , Figure 4 1 is a schematic block diagram of the structure of a management device 30 provided by an embodiment of the present invention. The management device 30 includes a processor 31 and a memory 32 connected via a system bus, wherein the memory 32 may include a non-volatile storage medium and an internal memory.

[0044] The internal memory provides an environment for the operation of the program in the non-volatile storage medium. When the program is executed by the processor 31, the processor 31 can execute any multicast program management method.

[0045] The processor 31 is used to provide computing and control capabilities and support the operation of the entire management device 30 .

[0046] In one embodiment, the processor 31 is used to run a computer program stored in the memory 32, and implements the following steps when executing the computer program:

[0047] Acquire device parameters corresponding to the set-top box; authenticate the set-top box according to the device parameters to obtain an authentication result; send tunnel dialing parameters to the set-top box according to the authentication result, so that the set-top box establishes a tunnel with the broadband access server according to the tunnel dialing parameters, and obtains the multicast program sent by the broadband access server based on the tunnel.

[0048] It should be understood that the processor 31 may be a central processing unit (CPU), and the processor may also be other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSP), application-specific integrated circuits (ASIC), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGA) or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, etc. Among them, the general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor or the processor may also be any conventional processor, etc.

[0049] Some embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. In the absence of conflict, the following embodiments and features in the embodiments can be combined with each other.

[0050] Please refer to Figure 5 , Figure 5A schematic flow chart of a multicast program receiving method provided by an embodiment of the present invention. The multicast program receiving method can be applied to a set-top box. After the set-top box is connected to the port of the router, the set-top box establishes a tunnel with the broadband access server, and joins the multicast group where the broadband access server is located and receives multicast programs through the tunnel, thereby solving the problem that the set-top box cannot receive multicast programs when it is not connected to the ITV interface, and improving the convenience of receiving multicast programs. The multicast program receiving method includes steps S101 and S102.

[0051] Step S101: After connecting to the port of the router, a tunnel is established with the broadband access server.

[0052] It should be noted that, in the embodiment of the present invention, when the set-top box is not connected to the designated ITV interface or the device with the ITV interface is not purchased, after the set-top box is connected to the port of the router, a tunnel can be established between the set-top box and the broadband access server; thereby, the set-top box can join the multicast group where the broadband access server is located through the tunnel, thereby obtaining the multicast programs sent by the broadband access server.

[0053] The ITV interface is an interface connected to a set-top box used for IPTV services, and is used for the set-top box to join and leave a multicast group through the ITV interface to receive multicast television programs. The port of the router may include a LAN (Local Area Network) interface.

[0054] It is understandable that a multicast group is identified by an IP multicast address; any user host (or other receiving device) that joins a multicast group becomes a member of the multicast group and can identify and receive IP packets with the IP multicast address as the destination address. The members of a multicast group are dynamic, and user hosts in the network can join and leave the multicast group at any time. In an embodiment of the present invention, the set-top box can join the multicast group corresponding to the broadband access server through the tunnel by establishing a tunnel with the broadband access server, so that the multicast program can be obtained through the broadband access server.

[0055] It should be noted that, in the embodiment of the present invention, the tunnel refers to an L2TP tunnel established based on the L2TP protocol (Layer 2 Tunneling Protocol); wherein the L2TP protocol is a type of VPDN (Virtual Private Dial-up Network) tunnel protocol.

[0056] In some embodiments, before establishing a tunnel with the broadband access server, the method may include: establishing a communication connection with a management device through a router; and obtaining tunnel dialing parameters issued by the management device.

[0057] For example, a communication connection can be established with the management device based on the PPP protocol (Point-to-Point Protocol) or the SLIP protocol (Serial Line Internet Protocol) according to the IP address assigned by the router. Thus, the management device can detect the network status of the set-top box and collect the device parameters of the set-top box; the set-top box can receive the tunnel dialing parameters issued by the management device.

[0058] Exemplarily, the tunnel dialing parameters may include but are not limited to a dialing tag, a broadband access IP address, a dialing account, a password, and control routing information, etc. The dialing tag is used to determine whether it is necessary to dial the broadband access server to establish a tunnel; the broadband access IP address refers to the IP address corresponding to the broadband access server as the LNS end; the dialing account and password are used to establish a point-to-point communication connection with the broadband access server; and the control routing information is used to perform service authentication on the set-top box in the service authentication platform.

[0059] By establishing a communication connection between the router and the management device, the tunnel dialing parameters issued by the management device can be obtained, so that a tunnel can be established with the broadband access server according to the tunnel dialing parameters.

[0060] In some embodiments, after obtaining the tunnel dialing parameters sent by the management device, a tunnel can be established with the broadband access server according to the tunnel dialing parameters. By establishing a tunnel between the set-top box and the broadband access server, data messages between the set-top box and the broadband access server are transmitted in the tunnel; the set-top box can join or leave the multicast group corresponding to the broadband access server through data message packets, and then obtain the multicast program forwarded by the broadband access server.

[0061] In some embodiments, establishing a tunnel with a broadband access server according to tunnel dialing parameters may include: when the tag value corresponding to the dialing tag is a preset tag value, based on the point-to-point protocol, establishing a point-to-point communication connection with the broadband access server according to the dial-up account and password; based on the point-to-point communication connection, dialing the broadband access server according to the broadband access IP address to establish a tunnel between the set-top box and the broadband access server.

[0062] Exemplarily, the dialing mark can be represented by Flag. In the embodiment of the present invention, the preset mark value is Flag=1. The mark value corresponding to the dialing mark Flag may include Flag=1 and Flag=0. When the mark value is Flag=1, it indicates dialing; when the mark value is Flag=0, it indicates not dialing.

[0063] By judging the dialing mark, it can be determined whether dialing is required according to the mark value corresponding to the dialing mark.

[0064] Exemplarily, when the flag value corresponding to the dialing flag is a preset flag value Flag=1, it is determined that the broadband access server needs to be dialed to establish a tunnel.

[0065] It is understandable that the dialing process is the process of tunnel establishment. Before establishing a tunnel with the broadband access server, it is necessary to establish a point-to-point communication connection with the broadband access server, so that a message can be sent to the broadband access server through the point-to-point communication connection.

[0066] Exemplarily, based on the point-to-point protocol, a point-to-point communication connection is established with the broadband access server according to the dial-up account and password.

[0067] Among them, the PPP protocol is a point-to-point serial communication protocol, including the Link Control Protocol LCP (Link Control Protocol), the Network Control Protocol NCP (Network Control Protocol), the Password Authentication Protocol PAP (Password Authentication Protocol) and the Challenge-Handshake Authentication Protocol. The PPP protocol has the functions of handling error detection, supporting multiple protocols, allowing IP address negotiation at the time of connection, and allowing identity authentication.

[0068] Exemplarily, based on the PPP protocol, a PPP data frame is generated according to the dial-up account and password, and the PPP data frame is sent to the broadband access server through a router. After receiving the PPP data frame, the broadband access server authenticates the set-top box according to the dial-up account and password in the PPP data frame; after completing the authentication, it allows the establishment of a point-to-point communication connection with the set-top box.

[0069] By establishing a point-to-point communication connection with a broadband access server based on a point-to-point protocol, the broadband access server can be dialed after the point-to-point communication connection is established to establish a tunnel between the set-top box and the broadband access server.

[0070] In some implementations, after establishing a point-to-point communication connection with the broadband access server, the broadband access server may be dialed based on the point-to-point communication connection and the broadband access IP address. Figure 6 As shown, Figure 6 It is a schematic flow chart of sub-steps of dialing a broadband access server provided by an embodiment of the present invention, which may specifically include the following steps S1011 to S1013.

[0071] Step S1011: Determine the target IP address of the broadband access server according to the broadband access IP address.

[0072] Step S1012: Send a tunnel establishment request message to the broadband access server according to the target IP address, so that the broadband access server returns a response message according to the tunnel establishment request message.

[0073] Step S1013: Receive the response message returned by the broadband access server, and send a confirmation message to the broadband access server according to the response message.

[0074] It should be noted that in the process of establishing the tunnel, the set-top box acts as the LAC (L2TP Access Concentrator) end, and the broadband access server acts as the LNS (L2TP Network Server) end. Among them, the LAC end is the endpoint on one side of the L2TP tunnel; the LNS end is the endpoint on the other side of the L2TP tunnel and is the peer device of the LAC end.

[0075] For example, the broadband access IP address in the tunnel dialing parameter can be used as the target IP address corresponding to the LNS end, so that the destination of the message can be determined according to the target IP address.

[0076] See also Figure 7 , Figure 7 The diagram is a schematic diagram of tunnel establishment and session establishment provided by an embodiment of the present invention. The L2TP tunnel establishment process may include but is not limited to a tunnel establishment request message, a response message, and a confirmation message.

[0077] It should be noted that the tunnel establishment request message can be expressed as a SCCRQ (Start Control Connection Request) message, which is used by the set-top box to request the broadband access server to establish a control connection. The reply message can be expressed as an SCCRP (Start Control Connection Reply) message, which is used by the broadband access server to tell the set-top box that the broadband access server has received the SCCRQ message from the set-top box and allows the control connection to be established. SCCCN can be expressed as an SCCCN (Start Control Connection Connected) message, which is used by the set-top box to tell the broadband access server that the set-top box has received the SCCRP message from the broadband access server, thereby realizing the establishment of the tunnel.

[0078] By sending a tunnel establishment request message to the broadband access server, a tunnel can be established with the broadband access server; thus, based on the tunnel, the multicast group where the broadband access server is located can be joined and multicast programs can be received, which solves the problem that the set-top box cannot receive multicast programs when it is not connected to the ITV interface, and improves the convenience of receiving multicast programs.

[0079] Step S102: Based on the tunnel, join the multicast group corresponding to the broadband access server to obtain the multicast program sent by the broadband access server.

[0080] See also Figure 8 , Figure 8 It is a schematic flow chart of the sub-steps of joining the multicast group corresponding to the broadband access server based on the tunnel in step S102 to obtain the multicast program sent by the broadband access server, which may specifically include the following steps S1021 to S1023.

[0081] Step S1021: Establish a point-to-point session with the broadband access server based on the tunnel.

[0082] It should be noted that each tunnel can carry multiple point-to-point sessions. In the embodiment of the present invention, after establishing a tunnel with a broadband access server, a point-to-point session needs to be established with the broadband access server, thereby realizing transmission of user data packets and / or multicast data packets in the tunnel.

[0083] See also Figure 7 The process of establishing a session is similar to that of establishing a tunnel. First, the set-top box initiates an ICRQ (Incoming Call Request) message to the broadband access server; after receiving the ICRQ message, the broadband access server returns an ICRP (Incoming Call Reply) message; after receiving the ICRP message, the set-top box returns an ICCN (Incoming Call Connected) message, thereby establishing a session in the tunnel.

[0084] Among them, the ICRQ message indicates a session establishment request message; the ICRP (Incoming Call Reply) message indicates a session establishment response message; and the ICCN (Incoming Call Connected) message indicates a session establishment confirmation message.

[0085] For example, Figure 7As shown, after establishing a tunnel with the broadband access server, the tunnel needs to be maintained. For example, a HELLO message can be sent to the broadband access server at regular intervals, or a ZLB (Zero Length Body) returned by the broadband access server can be received for confirmation. Among them, the ZLB message is a message header with only L2TP bytes.

[0086] By establishing a point-to-point session with a broadband access server based on a tunnel, control routing information can be sent to the broadband access server for service authentication.

[0087] Step S1022: After the point-to-point session is successfully established, the control routing information is sent to the broadband access server, so that the broadband access server performs service authentication on a service authentication platform according to the control routing information, and adds the set-top box to the multicast group after completing the service authentication.

[0088] Exemplarily, the control routing information may include an IP address corresponding to the set-top box.

[0089] Exemplarily, the control routing information may be sent to a broadband access server; the broadband access server may send the control routing information to a service authentication platform for service authentication. After the service authentication is passed, the broadband access server may mark the IP address in the control routing information as an IP multicast address. Thus, the set-top box may join the multicast group where the broadband access server is located through the IP multicast address.

[0090] It is understandable that only devices with IP multicast addresses can join the multicast group where the broadband access server is located; thus, they can receive multicast data packets sent by the broadband access server and receive multicast programs.

[0091] It should be noted that, in the embodiment of the present invention, by performing service authentication on the control routing information on the service authentication platform, the IP address of the set-top box is marked with an IP multicast address, so that the set-top box can join the multicast group where the broadband access server is located. The multicast program of the service authentication platform can be pushed to the set-top box via the broadband access server in a multicast manner; the set-top box can receive the multicast by dynamically joining and leaving the multicast group, which solves the problem of video freeze caused by a large number of network connections occupying server resources and network bandwidth.

[0092] Step S1023: receiving a multicast program sent by the broadband access server, wherein the multicast program is sent to the broadband access server by the service authentication platform after completing service authentication.

[0093] Exemplarily, after the broadband access server completes service authentication on the service authentication platform according to the control routing information, the IP address corresponding to the set-top box becomes an IP multicast address, and the set-top box can receive multicast programs sent by the broadband access server through multicast data packets.

[0094] It should be noted that after receiving the multicast program sent by the service authentication platform, the broadband access server can forward the multicast program to all multicast users in the multicast group.

[0095] For example, if the broadband access server receives the multicast program A sent by the service authentication platform, it can forward the multicast program A to all multicast users in the multicast group. The set-top box can receive the multicast program A sent by the broadband access server based on the tunnel.

[0096] In an embodiment of the present invention, after joining the multicast group corresponding to the broadband access server based on the tunnel, it can also include: based on the tunnel, transmitting multicast data packets with the broadband access server to obtain the multicast program; or based on the tunnel, transmitting user data packets with the broadband access server to obtain the unicast program sent by the broadband access server.

[0097] Among them, user data packets are used for data transmission between the set-top box and the broadband access server when playing unicast programs; multicast data packets are used for data transmission between the set-top box and the broadband access server when playing multicast programs. The following will explain the transmission of user data packets and the transmission of multicast data packets in the tunnel respectively.

[0098] See also Fig. 9 , Fig. 9 It is a schematic flow chart of sub-steps of transmitting user data messages with a broadband access server provided by an embodiment of the present invention, which may specifically include the following steps S1031 to S1034.

[0099] See also Fig.10 , Fig.10 It is a schematic diagram of transmitting user data messages in a tunnel provided by an embodiment of the present invention.

[0100] Step S1031: Generate a user data message.

[0101] Exemplarily, the user data to be sent is used to generate a user data message. For example, the user data message can be represented as IP1 bytes.

[0102] Step S1032: encapsulate the user data message to obtain an encapsulated user data message.

[0103] Exemplarily, the user data message is encapsulated based on the PPP protocol, the L2TP protocol and the UDP protocol (User Datagram Protocol), respectively, and the encapsulated user data message carries PPP bytes, L2TP bytes and UDP bytes.

[0104] Step S1033: Based on the tunnel, the encapsulated user data message is sent to the broadband access server, so that the broadband access server decapsulates the encapsulated user data message, processes the decapsulated user data message, obtains a response data message, and encapsulates the response data message.

[0105] For example, before the encapsulated user data message is sent to the broadband access server, the encapsulated user data message can be encapsulated into an IP message transmitted on the Internet through a router. At this time, the IP message also carries an IP2 address and a MAC address, and can be transmitted through the public network IP2 address on the tunnel. Among them, the MAC byte is used to represent the MAC (Media Access Control) address.

[0106] Exemplarily, after receiving the IP message, the broadband access server decapsulates the IP message. For example, the L2TP bytes and PPP bytes in the IP message are stripped to obtain the decapsulated user data message. The broadband access server can perform data processing on the decapsulated user data message to generate a response data message; then the response data message is sent to the set-top box through a tunnel. Before sending, the response data message needs to be encapsulated; for example, the response data message is encapsulated based on the PPP protocol, the L2TP protocol, and the UDP protocol, respectively, and the encapsulated response data message carries the PPP byte, the L2TP byte, and the UDP byte. The broadband access server sends the encapsulated response data message to the set-top box through a tunnel.

[0107] Step S1034: receiving the encapsulated response data message returned by the broadband access server, and decapsulating the encapsulated response data message to complete the transmission of the user data message.

[0108] Exemplarily, the set-top box may receive the encapsulated response data message returned by the broadband access server through the tunnel, and strip the PPP bytes, L2TP bytes, and UDP bytes carried by the encapsulated response data message to obtain the response data message.

[0109] By generating a user data message, encapsulating the user data message and sending it to the broadband access server through a tunnel, and receiving a response data message returned by the broadband access server, the transmission of the user data message with the broadband access server through the tunnel is realized.

[0110] See also Fig.11 , Fig.11 It is a schematic flow chart of sub-steps of transmitting multicast data packets with a broadband access server provided by an embodiment of the present invention, which may specifically include the following steps S1041 to S1044.

[0111] See also Fig.12 , Fig.12 It is a schematic diagram of transmitting multicast data messages in a tunnel provided by an embodiment of the present invention.

[0112] Step S1041: Generate a multicast data message, and add a multicast header byte to the multicast data message to obtain a multicast data message carrying a multicast header.

[0113] Exemplarily, the multicast data to be sent is used to generate a multicast data message. For example, the multicast data message can be represented as IP1 bytes.

[0114] After the multicast data message is generated, a multicast header byte may be added to the multicast data message based on the IGMP protocol, wherein the multicast header byte may be represented by IGMP.

[0115] It should be noted that when transmitting multicast data, all receiving hosts participating in multicast transmission must apply the IGMP protocol. The IGMP protocol (Internet Group Management Protocol) is a protocol in the TCP / IP protocol suite responsible for IPv4 multicast member management, used to establish and maintain multicast group membership between IP hosts and multicast routers directly adjacent to them.

[0116] Step S1042: encapsulate the multicast data message carrying the multicast header to obtain an encapsulated multicast data message.

[0117] Exemplarily, the multicast data message carrying the multicast header is encapsulated based on the PPP protocol, the L2TP protocol and the UDP protocol (User Datagram Protocol), respectively, and the encapsulated multicast data message carries IGMP bytes, PPP bytes, L2TP bytes and UDP bytes.

[0118] Exemplarily, before sending the encapsulated multicast data packet to the broadband access server, the encapsulated user data packet can be encapsulated into an IP packet transmitted on the Internet through a router. At this time, the IP packet also carries an IP2 address and a MAC address, and can be transmitted on the tunnel by a public network IP2 address.

[0119] Step S1043: Based on the tunnel, the encapsulated multicast data message is sent to the broadband access server, so that the broadband access server decapsulates the encapsulated multicast data message, processes the decapsulated multicast data message, obtains a response data message, and encapsulates the response data message.

[0120] Exemplarily, before the encapsulated multicast data message is sent to the broadband access server, the encapsulated multicast data message can be encapsulated into an IP message transmitted on the Internet through a router. At this time, the IP message can be transmitted through the public network IP2 address on the tunnel.

[0121] Exemplarily, after receiving the IP message, the broadband access server decapsulates the IP message. For example, the IGMP bytes, L2TP bytes and PPP bytes in the IP message are stripped to obtain the decapsulated multicast data message. The broadband access server can perform data processing on the decapsulated multicast data message to generate a response data message; then the response data message is sent to the set-top box through a tunnel. Before sending, the response data message needs to be encapsulated; for example, the response data message is encapsulated based on the IGMP protocol, the PPP protocol, the L2TP protocol and the UDP protocol respectively, and the encapsulated response data message carries the IGMP bytes, the PPP bytes, the L2TP bytes and the UDP bytes. The broadband access server sends the encapsulated response data message to the set-top box through a tunnel.

[0122] Step S1044: receiving the encapsulated response data message returned by the broadband access server, and decapsulating the encapsulated response data message to complete the transmission of the multicast data message.

[0123] Exemplarily, the set-top box may receive the encapsulated response data message returned by the broadband access server through the tunnel, and strip off the IGMP bytes, PPP bytes, L2TP bytes and UDP bytes carried by the encapsulated response data message to obtain the response data message.

[0124] By generating a multicast data message, encapsulating the multicast data message and sending it to the broadband access server through a tunnel, receiving a response data message returned by the broadband access server, and transmitting the multicast data message with the broadband access server through the tunnel, the user can normally receive and watch multicast programs even when the set-top box is not connected to the ITV interface.

[0125] The multicast program receiving method, set-top box, management device, system and storage medium provided in the above embodiments can establish a communication connection with the management device through a router, and can obtain the tunnel dialing parameters issued by the management device, so that a tunnel can be established with the broadband access server according to the tunnel dialing parameters; by judging the dialing mark, it can be determined whether dialing is required according to the mark value corresponding to the dialing mark; by establishing a point-to-point communication connection with the broadband access server based on the point-to-point protocol, the broadband access server can be dialed after the point-to-point communication connection is established to establish a tunnel between the set-top box and the broadband access server; by sending a tunnel establishment request message to the broadband access server The invention discloses a set-top box which is provided with a wireless broadband access server and a wireless broadband access server. The invention discloses a set-top box which is provided with a wireless broadband access server and a wireless broadband access server. The invention discloses a set-top box which is provided with a wireless broadband access server and a wireless broadband access server. The invention discloses a set-top box which is provided with a wireless broadband access server and a wireless broadband access server. The invention discloses a set-top box which is provided with a wireless broadband access server and a wireless broadband access server. The invention discloses a set-top box which is provided with a wireless broadband access server and a wireless broadband access server. The invention discloses a set-top box which is provided with a wireless broadband access server and a wireless broadband access server. The invention discloses a set-top box which is provided with a wireless broadband access server and a wireless broadband access server. The multicast programs of the business authentication platform can be pushed to the set-top box through the broadband access server in a multicast manner; the set-top box can receive multicast programs by dynamically joining and leaving the multicast group, which solves the problem of video freeze caused by a large number of network connections occupying server resources and network bandwidth; by generating multicast data packets, encapsulating the multicast data packets and sending them to the broadband access server through a tunnel, and receiving the response data packets returned by the broadband access server, the multicast data packets are transmitted with the broadband access server through the tunnel, so that the user can normally receive and watch multicast programs even if the set-top box is not connected to the ITV interface.

[0126] Please refer to Fig.13 , Fig.13A schematic flow chart of another multicast program management method provided by an embodiment of the present invention. The multicast program receiving method can be applied to a management device, and after the set-top box is connected to the port of the router, the tunnel dialing parameters are sent to the set-top box, so that the set-top box establishes a tunnel with the broadband access server according to the tunnel dialing parameters, and joins the multicast group where the broadband access server is located through the tunnel and receives the multicast program, which solves the problem that the set-top box cannot receive the multicast program when it is not connected to the ITV interface, and improves the convenience of receiving the multicast program.

[0127] like Fig.13 As shown, the multicast program management method includes steps S201 to S203.

[0128] Step S201: Obtain device parameters corresponding to the set-top box.

[0129] Exemplarily, the device parameters corresponding to the set-top box may include account information of the set-top box.

[0130] In some embodiments, obtaining device parameters corresponding to a set-top box may include: when detecting that the set-top box is turned on, obtaining the network status of the set-top box to determine whether the set-top box is connected to the network; when determining that the set-top box is connected to the network, obtaining device parameters corresponding to the set-top box.

[0131] By acquiring the network status of the set-top box, it can be determined whether the set-top box is connected to the network according to the network status.

[0132] It should be noted that, in the embodiment of the present invention, the management device may include a service management client and a service management server.

[0133] For example, since the service management client is connected to the set-top box via a router, the service management client can detect whether the set-top box is turned on. After detecting whether the set-top box is turned on, the network status of the set-top box can be obtained; when it is determined that the set-top box is connected to the network, the device parameters in the set-top box are obtained.

[0134] Exemplarily, if the service management client does not detect that the set-top box is connected to the network, it continues to wait until the set-top box is successfully connected to the network.

[0135] Step S202: Authenticate the set-top box according to the device parameters to obtain an authentication result.

[0136] Exemplarily, the service management client sends the acquired device parameters to the service management server. The service management server can authenticate the set-top box according to the device parameters, and send tunnel dialing parameters to the set-top box according to the authentication result, so that the set-top box can establish a tunnel with the broadband access server according to the tunnel dialing parameters.

[0137] In some embodiments, authenticating the set-top box according to the device parameters may include: when the device parameters contain account information, authenticating the set-top box according to the account information.

[0138] Exemplarily, the service management server may send the account information to the AAA server, so that the AAA server performs authentication according to the account information and returns the authentication result to the service management server, wherein the authentication result includes the IP address corresponding to the set-top box.

[0139] It should be noted that an AAA (Authentication, Authorization, Accounting) server is a server program that can process user access requests, provide authentication authorization and account services, and its main purpose is to manage user access to network servers and provide services to users with access rights.

[0140] In other embodiments, authenticating the set-top box according to device parameters may include: when the device parameters do not contain account information, obtaining initial account information corresponding to the set-top box, and authenticating the set-top box according to the initial account information.

[0141] It should be noted that when the set-top box is used for the first time, there is no account information in the device parameters of the set-top box, so it is necessary to obtain the initial account information in the set-top box. It is understandable that each set-top box corresponds to an account information when it leaves the factory.

[0142] Exemplarily, after completing the authentication, the AAA server may allocate a legal IP address as the authentication result.

[0143] By authenticating the set-top box according to the device parameters, an authentication result can be obtained; thus, it can be determined whether to send the tunnel dialing parameters to the set-top box according to the authentication result.

[0144] Step S203: Sending tunnel dialing parameters to the set-top box according to the authentication result, so that the set-top box establishes a tunnel with the broadband access server according to the tunnel dialing parameters, and obtains the multicast program sent by the broadband access server based on the tunnel.

[0145] Exemplarily, the service management server may determine whether to send the tunnel dialing parameters to the set-top box according to the authentication result.

[0146] In some embodiments, sending the tunnel dialing parameters to the set-top box according to the authentication result may include: when the IP address is a non-IP multicast address, generating the tunnel dialing parameters, and sending the tunnel dialing parameters to the set-top box.

[0147] Exemplarily, when it is determined that the IP address corresponding to the set-top box is a non-IP multicast address, the service management server generates a tunnel dialing parameter and sends the tunnel dialing parameter to the set-top box, so that the set-top box establishes a tunnel with the broadband access server according to the tunnel dialing parameter and joins the multicast group corresponding to the broadband access server. After joining the multicast group corresponding to the broadband access server, the set-top box can obtain the multicast program sent by the broadband access server based on the tunnel.

[0148] Exemplarily, the tunnel dialing parameters may include, but are not limited to, a dialing tag, a broadband access IP address, a dialing account, a password, and control routing information, etc.

[0149] When the IP address corresponding to the set-top box is a non-IP multicast address, the tunnel dialing parameters are sent to the set-top box, so that the set-top box establishes a tunnel with the broadband access server according to the tunnel dialing parameters, joins the multicast group where the broadband access server is located and receives multicast programs through the tunnel, solves the problem that the set-top box cannot receive multicast programs when it is not connected to the ITV interface, and improves the convenience of receiving multicast programs.

[0150] In other embodiments, when the IP address is an IP multicast address, the IP address is sent to the broadband access server, so that the broadband access server performs service authentication on the service authentication platform according to the IP address.

[0151] Exemplarily, the broadband access server can send the IP address corresponding to the set-top box to the service authentication platform for service authentication. After the service authentication, the broadband access server can determine that the IP address corresponding to the set-top box is an IP multicast address. The set-top box can join the multicast group where the broadband access server is located through the IP address.

[0152] The above-mentioned embodiments provide a multicast program management method, a set-top box, a management device, a system and a storage medium. By acquiring the network status of the set-top box, it is possible to determine whether the set-top box is connected to the network according to the network status; by authenticating the set-top box according to the device parameters, an authentication result can be obtained, so that it can be determined whether to send tunnel dialing parameters to the set-top box according to the authentication result; by sending the tunnel dialing parameters to the set-top box when the IP address corresponding to the set-top box is a non-IP multicast address, the set-top box establishes a tunnel with the broadband access server according to the tunnel dialing parameters, and joins the multicast group where the broadband access server is located and receives multicast programs through the tunnel, thereby solving the problem that the set-top box cannot receive multicast programs when it is not connected to the ITV interface, and improving the convenience of receiving multicast programs.

[0153] An embodiment of the present invention further provides a storage medium for computer-readable storage, wherein the storage medium stores one or more programs, and the one or more programs can be executed by one or more processors to implement the steps of any multicast program receiving method or multicast program management method provided in the description of the embodiment of the present invention.

[0154] For example, the program is loaded by the processor and may execute the following steps:

[0155] After being connected to the port of the router, a tunnel is established with the broadband access server; based on the tunnel, the multicast program sent by the broadband access server is obtained.

[0156] For another example, when the program is loaded by the processor, the following steps may be executed:

[0157] Acquire device parameters corresponding to the set-top box; authenticate the set-top box according to the device parameters to obtain an authentication result; send tunnel dialing parameters to the set-top box according to the authentication result, so that the set-top box establishes a tunnel with the broadband access server according to the tunnel dialing parameters, and obtains the multicast program sent by the broadband access server based on the tunnel.

[0158] Wherein, the storage medium may be an internal storage unit of the set-top box or management device described in the foregoing embodiments, such as a hard disk or memory of the set-top box or management device. The storage medium may also be an external storage device of the set-top box or management device, such as a plug-in hard disk, a smart memory card (Smart Media Card, SMC), a secure digital (Secure Digital, SD) card, a flash card (Flash Card), etc., provided on the set-top box or management device.

[0159] It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that all or some of the steps, systems, and functional modules / units in the methods disclosed above may be implemented as software, firmware, hardware, and appropriate combinations thereof. In a hardware embodiment, the division between the functional modules / units mentioned in the above description does not necessarily correspond to the division of physical components; for example, a physical component may have multiple functions, or a function or step may be performed by several physical components in cooperation. Some or all physical components may be implemented as software executed by a processor, such as a central processing unit, a digital signal processor, or a microprocessor, or implemented as hardware, or implemented as an integrated circuit, such as an application-specific integrated circuit. Such software may be distributed on a computer-readable medium, which may include a computer storage medium (or non-transitory medium) and a communication medium (or temporary medium). As known to those skilled in the art, the term computer storage medium includes volatile and non-volatile, removable and non-removable media implemented in any method or technology for storing information (such as computer-readable instructions, data structures, program modules, or other data). Computer storage media include, but are not limited to, RAM, ROM, EEPROM, flash memory or other memory technology, CD-ROM, digital versatile disks (DVD) or other optical disk storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tapes, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that can be used to store the desired information and can be accessed by a computer. In addition, it is well known to those of ordinary skill in the art that communication media typically contain computer-readable instructions, data structures, program modules, or other data in a modulated data signal such as a carrier wave or other transport mechanism, and may include any information delivery media.

[0160] It should be understood that the term "and / or" used in the present specification and the appended claims refers to any combination of one or more of the associated listed items and all possible combinations, including these combinations. It should be noted that, in this article, the terms "include", "comprise" or any other variants thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, so that a process, method, article or system including a series of elements includes not only those elements, but also includes other elements not explicitly listed, or also includes elements inherent to such process, method, article or system. In the absence of further restrictions, an element defined by the sentence "including a..." does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, article or system including the element.

[0161] The serial numbers of the embodiments of the present invention are only for description and do not represent the advantages and disadvantages of the embodiments. The above description is only a specific embodiment of the present invention, but the protection scope of the present invention is not limited thereto. Any technician familiar with the technical field can easily think of various equivalent modifications or replacements within the technical scope disclosed by the present invention, and these modifications or replacements should be included in the protection scope of the present invention. Therefore, the protection scope of the present invention shall be based on the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A method for receiving a multicast program, applied to a set-top box, the method comprising: Establishing a communication connection with a management device through a router, and obtaining tunnel dialing parameters issued by the management device when the IP address corresponding to the set-top box is a non-IP multicast address; After connecting to the port of the router, establishing a tunnel with the broadband access server according to the tunnel dialing parameters; Based on the tunnel, join the multicast group corresponding to the broadband access server to obtain the multicast program sent by the broadband access server.

2. The method for receiving a multicast program according to claim 1, characterized in that: The tunnel dialing parameters include dialing mark, broadband access IP address, dialing account, password and control routing information; The step of establishing a tunnel with the broadband access server according to the tunnel dialing parameter comprises: When the tag value corresponding to the dial-up tag is a preset tag value, based on the point-to-point protocol, according to the dial-up account and the password, a point-to-point communication connection is established with the broadband access server; Based on the point-to-point communication connection, the broadband access server is dialed according to the broadband access IP address to establish a tunnel between the set-top box and the broadband access server.

3. The method for receiving a multicast program according to claim 2, characterized in that: The step of dialing the broadband access server according to the broadband access IP address comprises: Determining a target IP address of the broadband access server according to the broadband access IP address; Sending a tunnel establishment request message to the broadband access server according to the target IP address, so that the broadband access server returns a response message according to the tunnel establishment request message; The response message returned by the broadband access server is received, and a confirmation message is sent to the broadband access server according to the response message.

4. The method for receiving a multicast program according to claim 2, characterized in that: The step of joining the multicast group corresponding to the broadband access server based on the tunnel to obtain the multicast program sent by the broadband access server includes: Based on the tunnel, establishing a point-to-point session with the broadband access server; After the point-to-point session is successfully established, the control routing information is sent to the broadband access server, so that the broadband access server performs service authentication on a service authentication platform according to the control routing information, and adds the set-top box to the multicast group after completing the service authentication; The multicast program sent by the broadband access server is received, wherein the multicast program is sent to the broadband access server by the service authentication platform after completing the service authentication.

5. The method for receiving a multicast program according to claim 1, characterized in that: After joining the multicast group corresponding to the broadband access server, the method further includes: Based on the tunnel, transmitting a multicast data message with the broadband access server to obtain the multicast program; or Based on the tunnel, user data messages are transmitted with the broadband access server to obtain unicast programs sent by the broadband access server.

6. The method for receiving a multicast program according to claim 5, characterized in that: The transmitting of multicast data message with the broadband access server comprises: Generate a multicast data message, and add a multicast header byte to the multicast data message to obtain a multicast data message carrying a multicast header; encapsulating the multicast data message carrying the multicast header to obtain an encapsulated multicast data message; Based on the tunnel, the encapsulated multicast data message is sent to the broadband access server, so that the broadband access server decapsulates the encapsulated multicast data message, processes the decapsulated multicast data message, obtains a response data message, and encapsulates the response data message; The encapsulated response data message returned by the broadband access server is received, and the encapsulated response data message is decapsulated to complete the transmission of the multicast data message.

7. A multicast program management method, applied to a management device, the method comprising: Get the device parameters corresponding to the set-top box; Authenticating the set-top box according to the device parameters to obtain an authentication result, wherein the authentication result includes an IP address corresponding to the set-top box; When the IP address is a non-IP multicast address, a tunnel dialing parameter is generated and sent to the set-top box, so that the set-top box establishes a tunnel with the broadband access server according to the tunnel dialing parameter and obtains the multicast program sent by the broadband access server based on the tunnel.

8. The multicast program management method according to claim 7, characterized in that: The obtaining device parameters corresponding to the set-top box includes: When detecting that the set-top box is turned on, obtaining the network status of the set-top box to determine whether the set-top box is connected to the network; After determining that the set-top box is connected to the network, device parameters corresponding to the set-top box are obtained.

9. The multicast program management method according to claim 7, characterized in that: The authenticating the set-top box according to the device parameters includes: When the device parameters contain account information, authenticating the set-top box according to the account information; When the device parameters do not contain account information, initial account information corresponding to the set-top box is obtained, and the set-top box is authenticated according to the initial account information.

10. A set-top box, characterized in that: The set-top box includes a processor, a memory, a computer program stored in the memory and executable by the processor, and a data bus for realizing connection and communication between the processor and the memory, wherein the computer program, when executed by the processor, realizes the multicast program receiving method as described in any one of claims 1 to 6.

11. A management device, characterized in that: The management device includes a processor, a memory, a computer program stored in the memory and executable by the processor, and a data bus for realizing connection and communication between the processor and the memory, wherein the computer program, when executed by the processor, implements the multicast program management method as described in any one of claims 7 to 9.

12. A storage medium for readable storage, characterized in that: The storage medium stores one or more programs, and the one or more programs can be executed by one or more processors to implement: The method for receiving a multicast program according to any one of claims 1 to 6; or, A method for managing multicast programs as claimed in any one of claims 7 to 9.

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