Virtual network element-based service configuration method and system, virtual network element and device

Abstract

The embodiment of the present application provides a kind of based on virtual network element's service configuration method, system, virtual network element and equipment, belong to communication technical field.The method comprises: control management server sends service configuration request to the virtual network element created in advance;The virtual network element parses service configuration message, obtains service information flow and service configuration command code;The virtual network element determines first target subrack according to the service information flow, and sends the service configuration command code to the first target subrack, and the first target subrack is the subrack in the POTN equipment station for processing the service corresponding to the service configuration command code;The first target subrack determines target single board according to the service configuration command code, and processes the service corresponding to the service configuration command code in the target single board.The technical scheme of the embodiment of the present application can alleviate the performance pressure of main control board, and then improve the stability and reliability of POTN equipment.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a service configuration method, system, virtual network element, and device based on virtual network elements. Background Technology

[0002] Packet-enhanced optical transport network (POTN) equipment, due to its hardware design, can manage up to 127 subracks per site, allowing its hardware resources to meet the needs of different operating environments. However, the service configuration and management of all subracks within the entire POTN site are implemented through the main control board of the main rack. With the continuous addition of new subracks, the processing performance of the main control board will face significant challenges. If the main control board's processing performance cannot meet the service configuration and management requirements of all subracks in the entire site, some subracks will be unable to be managed and process services normally, thus affecting the stability and reliability of the POTN equipment. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The main objective of this invention is to provide a service configuration method, system, virtual network element, and device based on virtual network elements, aiming to alleviate the performance pressure on the main control board and thereby improve the stability and reliability of POTN devices.

[0004] In a first aspect, embodiments of the present invention provide a service configuration method based on virtual network elements, applied to a POTN device, wherein a virtual network element is created on any subrack of the POTN device, and the method includes:

[0005] The virtual network element receives a service configuration request sent by the control and management server, and the service configuration request includes a service configuration message.

[0006] The virtual network element parses the service configuration message to obtain the service information flow and the service configuration command code.

[0007] The virtual network element determines the first target subrack based on the service information flow and sends the service configuration command code to the first target subrack. The first target subrack is a subrack within the POTN equipment site used to process the service corresponding to the service configuration command code.

[0008] The first target subrack determines the target board based on the service configuration command code, and processes the service corresponding to the service configuration command code on the target board.

[0009] Secondly, embodiments of the present invention also provide a service configuration system based on virtual network elements, including: a control management server, virtual network elements, and a first target subrack within a POTN equipment site;

[0010] The control and management server is used to send a service configuration request to the virtual network element, the service configuration request including a service configuration message;

[0011] The virtual network element is used to parse the service configuration message to obtain the service information flow and the service configuration command code; determine the first target subrack according to the service information flow, and send the service configuration command code to the first target subrack. The first target subrack is a subrack within the POTN equipment site used to process the service corresponding to the service configuration command code.

[0012] The first target subrack is used to determine the target board based on the service configuration command code, and to process the service corresponding to the service configuration command code in the target board.

[0013] Thirdly, embodiments of the present invention also provide a virtual network element, which is used to parse service configuration messages sent by a control and management server to obtain service information flow and service configuration command code; determine a first target subrack within the POTN equipment site for processing the service configuration command code based on the service information flow; send the service configuration command code to the first target subrack to instruct the first target subrack to determine a target board based on the service configuration command code; and process the service corresponding to the service configuration command code in the target board.

[0014] Fourthly, embodiments of the present invention also provide a POTN device, wherein a virtual network element is created on any subrack of the POTN device site. The virtual network element is used to parse service configuration messages sent by the control and management server to obtain service information flow and service configuration command code. Based on the service information flow, a first target subrack within the POTN device site is determined for processing the service configuration command code. The service configuration command code is sent to the first target subrack to instruct the first target subrack to determine a target board based on the service configuration command code, and to process the service corresponding to the service configuration command code in the target board.

[0015] This invention provides a service configuration method, system, virtual network element, and POTN device based on virtual network elements. In this invention, the virtual network element parses service configuration messages sent by the control management server to obtain service information flow and service configuration command codes. Based on the service information flow, the virtual network element determines a first target subrack and sends the service configuration command codes to the first target subrack, instructing it to determine a target board based on the service configuration command codes. The target board then processes the service corresponding to the service configuration command codes. This enables the configuration of subrack services within a POTN device site through virtual network elements, alleviating the performance pressure on the main control board within the POTN device site, thereby improving the stability and reliability of the POTN device. Attached Figure Description

[0016] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are some embodiments of this application. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0017] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a service configuration system based on virtual network elements provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0018] Figure 2 for Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the architecture of the POTN device 12;

[0019] Figure 3 for Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the architecture of the virtual network element 121;

[0020] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram illustrating an implementation process of a service configuration method based on virtual network elements provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0021] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of another implementation process of the service configuration method based on virtual network elements provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 6 for Figure 5 Detailed implementation flowchart of S501;

[0023] Figure 7 A schematic diagram of the structure of an embodiment of the virtual network element provided by the present invention;

[0024] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of another embodiment of the virtual network element provided by the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0025] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some, not all, of the embodiments of the present invention. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0026] The flowchart shown in the attached diagram is for illustrative purposes only and does not necessarily include all content and operations / steps, nor does it necessarily have to be performed in the order described. For example, some operations / steps can be broken down, combined, or partially merged, so the actual execution order may change depending on the actual situation.

[0027] It should be understood that the terminology used in this specification is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to limit the invention. As used in this specification and the appended claims, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

[0028] Before describing the service configuration method, system, virtual network element, and POTN device based on virtual network elements provided in the embodiments of the present invention, it should be noted that the Packet Enhanced Optical Transport Network (POTN) device is a unified cell cross-connect structure based on the functions of Optical Channel Data Unit (ODUk) cross-connect, Optical Path Data Unit (VC) cross-connect, and Packet switching cross-connect. In the prior art, in order to support the above-mentioned different services, POTN devices need to be configured with stacked multiple subracks at a single site. A single site may have various subrack configurations, such as transmission subracks for transmitting optoelectronic layer services, cross-connect subracks for switching and scheduling service packets, and even cluster expansion subracks. In terms of hardware design, a single POTN site can manage up to 127 subracks, with virtually no hardware limitations or constraints. However, the service configuration and scheduling of all subracks in a POTN site are controlled and managed by the main control board of the main rack (any subrack pre-configured by the network management system). As new subracks and line cards are continuously added, the demands on the main control board's management and service processing capabilities increase. First, adding support for packet functions requires running numerous processes of various network protocols; maintaining compatibility with older platform architecture single-board cards necessitates extensive interface adaptation on the main control board, adding many additional message processing and distribution modules. Second, all configuration data and function queries issued by the control management server run on the main control board of the main rack and subracks, resulting in high resource consumption (processor / memory) on the main control board, impacting its processing performance and consequently affecting the stability and reliability of the POTN device.

[0029] To address the aforementioned technical problems, this invention provides a service configuration method, system, virtual network element, and POTN device based on virtual network elements. The service configuration method based on virtual network elements can be applied to a service configuration system based on virtual network elements, which includes a control management server, virtual network elements, and a first target subrack within the POTN device site.

[0030] The implementation principles and processes of the service configuration method based on virtual network elements provided in some embodiments of the present invention will be described exemplarily below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Unless otherwise specified, the following embodiments and features can be combined with each other.

[0031] Please refer to Figure 1 As shown, Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a service configuration system based on virtual network elements provided in an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 1 As can be seen, the service configuration system 10 based on virtual network elements provided in this embodiment includes: a control management server 11 and a POTN device 12, wherein the POTN device 12 site includes at least one subrack; by Figure 2 As can be seen, in this embodiment, the POTN device 12 includes subrack 1, subrack 2, ..., subrack n, where n is an integer greater than 1. Exemplarily, each subrack consists of a group of sub-network elements with independent functions. Each sub-network element is managed by its own network management system or by a unified network management system. Each sub-network element must support the management plane (in this embodiment, either the network management system corresponding to each sub-network element or a unified network management system, specifically in...). Figure 1 The sub-network element (not shown) provides functions such as configuration and query of single-point services. For example, in this embodiment, the sub-network element distributes the configuration query operation of the network management system to the line card for execution through the internally integrated Unified Device Model (UEM). On the other hand, each sub-network element also receives service configuration command codes processed by the virtual network element 121 from the control plane (in this embodiment, the control management server 11), and breaks down these service configuration command codes to the board level (e.g., ...). Figure 2 The line card in the middle is sent to the target board (one of the line cards) for execution.

[0032] In addition, by Figure 2 It is known that a virtual network element 121 is provided on subrack 1 of the POTN device 12. It should be noted that the virtual network element 121 can be pre-configured on any subrack within the POTN device 12 site. Furthermore, each subrack within the POTN device 12 site contains a first target subrack 122. Correspondingly, the virtual network element 121 can be located on the first target subrack 122, or it can be located on other subracks within the POTN device 12 site besides the first target subrack 122. That is, the first target subrack 122 can be subrack 1 or any other subrack besides subrack 1. For example, as... Figure 2 As shown, in this embodiment, the first target subframe 122 is subframe 2.

[0033] like Figure 2As shown, each subrack of the POTN device 12 has the same logical modules. For example, each subrack includes a management plane adaptation agent, a storage management model (MIM), a unified device model (UEM), and line cards (also called boards). In this embodiment, each subrack of the POTN device 12 can be composed of, for example... Figure 2 The network management system shown can be unified by one network management unit (1, 2, and 3), or it can be managed by its respective network management unit (1, 2, and 3). Figure 2 (Not shown in the image) Each subrack and network management system 123 will have a QX channel and interface between the subrack and the network management system 123. The specific format of the QX is related to the subnet type and version in the corresponding subrack, which will not be described in detail here.

[0034] The control and management server 11 is used to send a service configuration request to the virtual network element 121, the service configuration request including a service configuration message; the virtual network element 121 is used to parse the service configuration message to obtain a service information flow and a service configuration command code; the virtual network element 121 further determines a first target subrack 122 according to the service information flow, and sends the service configuration command code to the first target subrack 122, the first target subrack 122 being a subrack within the POTN equipment 12 site used to process the service corresponding to the service configuration command code; the first target subrack 122 is used to determine a target board according to the service configuration command code, and process the service corresponding to the service configuration command code in the target board.

[0035] For example, the functions of the control and management server 11 can be implemented through software, specifically by the central processing unit on the control and management server 11 executing the corresponding operations; or, the functions of the control and management server 11 can be implemented by the SDN controller running on it. For example, the control and management server 11 can issue service configuration requests to the virtual network element 121 through the SDN controller. The SDN controller possesses good scalability, supports flexible scheduling functions across multiple vendors and regions, end-to-end service collaborative control, and intelligent network operation and maintenance capabilities.

[0036] Please see Figure 3 , Figure 3 for Figure 2 The diagram illustrates the architecture of the virtual network element 121. Since the virtual network element 121 is installed on any subrack within the POTN device 12 site, it replaces the main control board on the main subrack within the POTN device 12 site to send service configuration command codes to each subrack within the POTN device 12 site. Therefore, the virtual network element 121 and the various subracks within the POTN device 12 site together constitute the POTN device 12. See [link to documentation] for details. Figure 2 As shown.

[0037] Furthermore, the subracks within the POTN device 12 site are similar to server nodes, and the functions of the virtual network element 121 can be implemented by software on the subrack. Alternatively, the virtual network element 121 can be a software logical entity with independent processing capabilities, for example, Figure 3 The virtual network element 121 shown includes a management plane adaptation agent 1211 (agent), an optical network control module 1212 (WASON), and a unified device model 1213 (UEM). The management plane adaptation agent 1211 is used to complete the global configuration of the virtual network element 121 based on the network element attribute mode, IP address, and subnet mask configured by the user. Specifically, in this embodiment, the management plane adaptation agent 1211 completes the global configuration of the virtual network element 121 based on the host network element attribute mode, IP address, and subnet mask address configured by the user. The global configuration information of the virtual network element 121 includes the network element information of each subrack within the POTN equipment site and the master-slave relationship between the virtual network element and all subracks.

[0038] The optical network control module 1212 is a module for an automatic switching transmission network. It is used to automatically select routes based on service requests dynamically initiated by users or network management, and to establish, modify, and tear down service connections through signaling control. It is an optical transmission network that integrates switching and transmission.

[0039] The unified device model 1213 is the core of the virtual network element 121. It can provide a unified management data abstraction and access interface for all application layers within the virtual network element 121. It is the unified data management center for the virtual network element 121 during runtime. In this implementation, the unified device model 1213 is used to parse the service configuration message to obtain the service information flow and the service configuration command code. Further, it determines the first target subrack 122 based on the service information flow and sends the service configuration command code to the first target subrack 122 to instruct the first target subrack 122 to determine the target board based on the service configuration command code and process the service corresponding to the service configuration command code in the target board.

[0040] As can be seen from the above analysis, the service configuration system based on virtual network elements provided in this application embodiment parses the service configuration messages issued by the control management server 12 by a virtual network element 121 pre-set on any subrack within the POTN equipment 12 site, and then determines the first target subrack 122 based on the parsed service flow information and service configuration command code. This realizes the configuration of subrack services within the POTN equipment site through virtual network elements, so that the main control board of the main subrack within the POTN equipment site does not need to configure subrack services, which can alleviate the performance pressure on the main control board of the main subrack within the POTN equipment site, thereby improving the stability and reliability of the POTN equipment.

[0041] For example, such as Figure 4 As shown, Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram illustrating an implementation process of a service configuration method based on virtual network elements provided in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0042] like Figure 4 As shown, the service configuration method based on virtual network elements includes steps S401 to S404. Details are as follows:

[0043] S401. The virtual network element receives a service configuration request sent by the control and management server. The service configuration request includes a service configuration message.

[0044] In this embodiment, the control and management server serves as the management plane for the POTN device, enabling the operation, configuration, and maintenance of the POTN device. Through the network management of each subrack within the POTN device, the control and management server provides basic management of the POTN network system, including configuration, fault diagnosis, and performance. Furthermore, the control and management server can issue service configuration requests to the POTN device via internal software. For example, SDN controllers are commonly used in control and management servers to issue service configuration requests to the POTN device due to their excellent scalability, support for flexible scheduling across multiple vendors and regions, end-to-end service coordination control, and intelligent network operation and maintenance capabilities. Specifically, in this implementation, the control and management server sends service configuration requests to pre-created virtual network elements within the POTN device, which then distribute and configure services at each site within the POTN device.

[0045] S402. The virtual network element parses the service configuration message to obtain the service information flow and the service configuration command code.

[0046] For example, a virtual network element consists of a group of software logical entities with independent functions, which can be deployed on the main control board of any subrack of the POTN device. For example, in this example, it is deployed in subrack 1 of the POTN device. In addition to receiving global configuration of the virtual network element from the management plane (e.g., network management) of the subrack, the most important function of the virtual network element is to configure the electrical / optical layer services issued by the control plane (e.g., the control management server through the SDN controller) in different subracks of the POTN device, thereby reducing the utilization rate of basic resources of the main control board on the main and subracks of the POTN device.

[0047] In an optional implementation, the virtual network element receives global configuration from the management plane via a management plane adaptation agent. For example, the global configuration includes network element attribute configuration, IP address configuration, subnet mask configuration, and site configuration for communication between the virtual network element and sub-network elements. Furthermore, the virtual network element can be created based on the global configuration.

[0048] In one optional implementation, the virtual network element (VRElement) configures the electrical / optical layer service data sent from the control plane using a Unified Device Model (UEM). For example, the configuration data sent by the control management server includes end-to-end service configuration messages, which include service information flows and service configuration command codes. The VRElement parses these service configuration messages using the UEM to obtain the service information flows and the service configuration command codes. The service information flow refers to the port paths between line cards of sub-network elements (network elements included in a subrack), specifying the path from a line card port in one sub-network element to a line card port in another. The UEM identifies the line card port paths traversed by the configuration messages and sends service configuration command codes to the corresponding line cards. The corresponding line cards, based on the target board address contained in the service configuration command code, split the traffic to the sub-network element containing the target board for execution. This allows the sub-network elements to load-distribute the message flow for service operation, reducing the utilization rate of the main control board's basic resources.

[0049] S403. The virtual network element determines a first target subrack based on the service information flow and sends the service configuration command code to the first target subrack. The first target subrack is a subrack within the POTN equipment site used to process the service corresponding to the service configuration command code.

[0050] In this embodiment, the network element information includes subrack information; the service information flow includes subrack information on the service path; wherein, the subrack information includes subrack number, number of boards contained in the subrack, port number of the board, service type supported by the board port, and connection status between board ports, etc.

[0051] For example, the virtual network element determining the first target subrack based on the service information flow may include: the virtual network element matching the subrack information on the service path with the subrack information included in the summarized network element information to obtain the first target subrack.

[0052] Furthermore, in the embodiments of this application, the service configuration command code includes an optical layer service configuration command code and an electrical layer service configuration command code; wherein, if the service configuration command code is an optical layer service configuration command code, the virtual network element determines a first target subrack according to the service information flow and sends the service configuration command code to the first target subrack, which may include: the virtual network element determines the first target subrack according to the service information flow, extracts the target board address according to the optical layer service configuration command code, and sends the target board address to the first target subrack.

[0053] If the service configuration command code is an electrical layer service configuration command code, then the virtual network element determines the first target subrack according to the service information flow and sends the service configuration command code to the first target subrack, including: the virtual network element determines the first target subrack according to the service information flow and sends the electrical layer service configuration command code to the first target subrack.

[0054] Optionally, the optical layer command code is generally a service between large network elements under the management of virtual network elements (in this embodiment, between subracks). The virtual network element parses the optical layer service configuration command code from the end-to-end service configuration message, and splits the command code at the board level (line card) according to the optical layer service configuration command code, and assembles the command codes at the board level into a command list; wherein, the command code at the board level includes the target board address.

[0055] Optionally, the electrical layer command code is generally a service between single network elements (in this embodiment, within a subrack). The virtual network element will pass through the electrical layer service configuration command code parsed from the end-to-end service configuration message to the first target subrack.

[0056] S404. The first target subrack determines the target board based on the service configuration command code, and processes the service corresponding to the service configuration command code in the target board.

[0057] For example, the first target subrack receives an optical layer service configuration command code sent by a virtual network element, determines the target board based on the target board address included in the optical layer service configuration command code, and forwards the optical layer service configuration command code to the target board for processing.

[0058] Alternatively, the first target subrack receives the electrical layer service configuration command code transparently transmitted by the virtual network element, determines the target board based on the electrical layer service configuration command code, and forwards the electrical layer service configuration command code to the target board for processing.

[0059] In addition, the first target subrack determines the target board based on the electrical layer service configuration code, including: the first target subrack extracts a board-level command code from the electrical layer service configuration command code, the board-level command code including the target board address, and determines the target board based on the target board address.

[0060] As can be seen from the above analysis, the service configuration system based on virtual network elements provided in this application embodiment parses the service configuration messages issued by the control management server 12 through a virtual network element 121 pre-set on any subrack within the POTN equipment 12 site, and then determines the first target subrack 122 based on the parsed service flow information and service configuration command code. This realizes the configuration of subrack services within the POTN equipment site through virtual network elements, so that the main control board of the main subrack within the POTN equipment site does not need to configure subrack services, which can alleviate the performance pressure on the main control board within the POTN equipment site, thereby improving the stability and reliability of the POTN equipment.

[0061] Please refer to Figure 5 , Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram illustrating another implementation process of the service configuration method based on virtual network elements provided in an embodiment of the present invention. For example... Figure 5 As shown, this embodiment is similar to Figure 4 Compared to the illustrated embodiment, S502 to S505 are implemented in the same way as S401 to S404. The difference is that S501 is included before S502, which is described in detail below:

[0062] S501, in response to the user-configured host network element attribute mode, IP and mask, the second target subrack within the POTN equipment site creates a virtual network element in the second target subrack. The second target subrack is any subrack within the POTN equipment site. The virtual network element stores the network element information of each subrack within the POTN equipment site and the master-slave relationship between the virtual network element and all subracks.

[0063] In one embodiment, a user can pre-select to create a virtual network element within a subrack of a POTN device site. For example, the user can select the attribute mode of the subrack in the network management interface corresponding to that subrack, such as "host network element." This host network element can be located on the same subrack as the main control board or on a different subrack. The user then configures the IP address and subnet mask for communication between the host network element and the subrack through the network management interface. Upon receiving the host network element attribute mode, IP address, and subnet mask configured by the user based on the subrack's network management interface, the corresponding POTN device will create the virtual network element. Specifically, refer to... Figure 6 As shown, Figure 6 for Figure 5 A flowchart illustrating the specific implementation of S501. Figure 6 It can be seen that S501 includes sub-steps S5011 to S5013. Details are as follows:

[0064] S5011, The second target subrack within the POTN equipment site creates a new site in response to the user-configured host network element attribute mode, IP, and mask.

[0065] S5012. Each subrack within the POTN equipment site responds to the user-configured sub-network element attribute mode and reports its corresponding network element information to the new site.

[0066] For example, after each sub-rack within the POTN equipment site is started, its corresponding sub-network element creates an inter-layer communication IP. This inter-layer communication IP is used for communication between the sub-network element and the virtual network element. The sub-network element periodically sends sub-rack information, such as the current sub-rack number, the sub-network element's inter-layer communication IP, and the subnet mask, to establish a communication link with the virtual network element. The inter-layer communication IP allocation rules need to be agreed upon in advance with the virtual network element; for example, the first two digits of the inter-layer communication IP are fixed, and the last two digits use the sub-rack number and slot number of the sub-network element.

[0067] Furthermore, in this embodiment, after configuring the host network element mode of the virtual network element, the user sequentially selects the network element attribute mode of each subrack as the sub-network element mode (also known as the non-host network element mode or slave network element mode) in the network management of each other subrack. After the sub-network elements corresponding to each subrack in the POTN equipment site are started, each sub-network element calculates its network element information from the single-board fiber optic information configured by the user through the network management of its respective subrack, or from the service configuration data restored from the local database. The network element information includes the subrack number, the number of single boards contained in the subrack, the port number of the single board, the service types supported by the single board port, and the connection status between the single board ports, etc. After receiving the request to set the sub-network element from the network management, each subrack will automatically report its network element information to the newly built site. In the newly built site, the master-slave relationship of all network elements in each subrack is set to obtain the virtual network element.

[0068] For example, before each subrack in the POTN equipment site reports its corresponding network element information to the virtual network element in response to the user-configured sub-network element attribute mode, the method further includes: each subrack in the POTN equipment site establishing a communication link with the virtual network element; each subrack in the POTN equipment site receiving the user-configured network element attributes and obtaining the network element information corresponding to each subrack.

[0069] S5013. The second target subrack aggregates the network element information of all subracks in the POTN equipment site into the new site, stores the master-slave relationship between the user-configured virtual network element and all subracks in the new site, and obtains the information on the operation of the virtual network element.

[0070] For example, the second target subrack aggregates the network element information of all subracks into the newly built site. Optionally, the network element information of all subracks can be aggregated into the newly built site through the automatic discovery function of the newly built site. Further, within the newly built site, the network topology relationship of all subracks within the POTN equipment site can also be obtained based on the network element information of all subracks.

[0071] In addition, the information on the operation of the virtual network element includes the master-slave relationship between the virtual network element and all subracks, and the network element information of all subracks.

[0072] S502, the control management server sends a service configuration request to a pre-created virtual network element, the service configuration request including a service configuration message.

[0073] S503, the virtual network element parses the service configuration message to obtain the service information flow and the service configuration command code.

[0074] S504, the virtual network element determines the first target subrack according to the service information flow, and sends the service configuration command code to the first target subrack. The first target subrack is a subrack within the POTN equipment site used to process the service corresponding to the service configuration command code.

[0075] S505, the first target subrack determines the target board according to the service configuration command code, and processes the service corresponding to the service configuration command code in the target board.

[0076] The service configuration method based on virtual network elements provided in the above embodiments, and the service configuration system based on virtual network elements, parse the service configuration message issued by the control management server 12 through a virtual network element 121 pre-set on any subrack within the POTN equipment 12 site, and then determine the first target subrack 122 based on the parsed service flow information and service configuration command code. This realizes the configuration of subrack services within the POTN equipment site through virtual network elements, so that the main control board of the main subrack within the POTN equipment site does not need to configure subrack services, which can alleviate the performance pressure on the main control board within the POTN equipment site, thereby improving the stability and reliability of the POTN equipment.

[0077] Please see Figure 7 As shown, Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an embodiment of the virtual network element provided by the present invention. The included modules are used to execute the functions corresponding to the virtual network element. For details, please refer to the relevant descriptions of the virtual network element-related embodiments of the above-described service configuration method based on virtual network elements. For ease of explanation, only the parts relevant to this embodiment are shown. See also... Figure 7 The virtual network element 121 includes:

[0078] Parsing module 701 is used to parse the service configuration messages sent by the control and management server to obtain the service information flow and service configuration command code;

[0079] The determination module 702 is used to determine the first target subrack within the POTN equipment site for processing the service configuration command code based on the service information flow;

[0080] The sending module 703 is used to send the service configuration command code to the first target subrack, so as to instruct the first target subrack to determine the target board according to the service configuration command code and process the service corresponding to the service configuration command code in the target board.

[0081] It should be noted that the information interaction and execution process between the above modules are based on the same concept as the function of the virtual network element in the method embodiment shown in this application. For details on the specific functions and technical effects, please refer to the description of the virtual network element in the method embodiment, which will not be repeated here.

[0082] The virtual network element provided in this embodiment can parse the service configuration message sent by the control and management server to obtain the service information flow and service configuration command code. Based on the service information flow, it determines the first target subrack within the POTN equipment site for processing the service configuration command code and sends the service configuration command code to the first target subrack. This realizes the configuration of subrack services on behalf of the main control board on the main subrack within the POTN equipment site, which can alleviate the performance pressure on the main control board on the subrack within the POTN equipment site, thereby improving the stability and reliability of the POTN equipment.

[0083] Please see Figure 8 As shown, Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of another embodiment of the virtual network element provided by the present invention. (See diagram below.) Figure 8 As shown, in this embodiment, the virtual network element 121 includes a processor 801 and a memory 802. The processor 801 and the memory 802 are connected through a bus 803, such as an I2C (Inter-integrated Circuit) bus.

[0084] Specifically, processor 801 provides computing and control capabilities to support the operation of the entire virtual network element. Processor 801 can be a Central Processing Unit (CPU), but it can also be other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSPs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, etc. The general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor or any conventional processor.

[0085] Specifically, the memory 802 can be a Flash chip, a read-only memory (ROM) disk, an optical disk, a USB flash drive, or a portable hard drive, etc.

[0086] Those skilled in the art will understand that Figure 8 The structure shown is merely a block diagram of a portion of the structure related to the embodiments of the present invention, and does not constitute a limitation on the virtual network elements applied thereto by the embodiments of the present invention. A specific server may include more or fewer components than those shown in the figure, or combine certain components, or have different component arrangements.

[0087] The processor is used to run a computer program stored in a memory, and to implement the virtual network element function provided in the embodiments of the present invention when executing the computer program.

[0088] In one embodiment, the processor is configured to run a computer program stored in memory, and when executing the computer program, perform the following steps:

[0089] A1. Parse the service configuration message to obtain the service information flow and service configuration command code;

[0090] A2. Determine a first target subrack based on the service information flow, and send the service configuration command code to the first target subrack to instruct the first target subrack to determine a target board based on the service configuration command code, and process the service corresponding to the service configuration command code in the target board; wherein, the first target subrack is a subrack within the equipment site used to process the service corresponding to the service configuration command code.

[0091] It should be noted that those skilled in the art will understand that, for the sake of convenience and brevity, the specific working process of the virtual network element described above can be referred to the description process of the corresponding virtual network element function in the aforementioned embodiment of the service configuration method based on virtual network elements, and will not be repeated here.

[0092] This invention also provides a storage medium for computer-readable storage, wherein the storage medium stores one or more programs, which can be executed by one or more processors to implement the steps of the virtual network element functional description in any of the service configuration methods based on virtual network elements provided in this invention's embodiment specification.

[0093] The storage medium can be the internal storage unit of the virtual network element described in the foregoing embodiments, such as the hard drive or memory of the virtual network element device. Alternatively, the storage medium can be an external storage device of the virtual network element, such as a plug-in hard drive, Smart Media Card (SMC), Secure Digital (SD) card, or Flash Card equipped on the virtual network element.

[0094] It will be understood by those skilled in the art that all or some of the steps, systems, or apparatuses disclosed above, and their functional modules / units, can be implemented as software, firmware, hardware, or suitable combinations thereof. In hardware embodiments, the division between 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 collaboratively by several physical components. Some or all physical components may be implemented as software executed by a processor, such as a central processing unit, digital signal processor, or microprocessor, or as hardware, or as an integrated circuit, such as an application-specific integrated circuit. Such software may be distributed on a computer-readable medium, which may include computer storage media (or non-transitory media) and communication media (or transient media). As is known to those skilled in the art, the term computer storage media 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 technologies, CD-ROM, digital versatile disc (DVD) or other optical disc storage, magnetic cartridges, magnetic tape, disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that can be used to store desired information and can be accessed by a computer. Furthermore, it is well known to those skilled in the art that communication media typically contain computer-readable instructions, data structures, program modules, or other data in modulated data signals such as carrier waves or other transmission mechanisms, and may include any information delivery medium.

[0095] It should be understood that the term "and / or" as used in this specification and the appended claims refers to any combination and all possible combinations of one or more of the associated listed items, and includes such combinations. It should be noted that, herein, the terms "comprising," "including," or any other variations thereof are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or system that comprises a list of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed, or elements inherent to such a process, method, article, or system. Without further limitation, an element defined by the phrase "comprising one..." does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, article, or system that includes that element.

[0096] The sequence numbers of the above embodiments of the present invention are merely for descriptive purposes and do not represent the superiority or inferiority of the embodiments. The above descriptions are only specific embodiments of the present invention, but the scope of protection of the present invention is not limited thereto. Any person skilled in the art can easily conceive of various equivalent modifications or substitutions within the technical scope disclosed in the present invention, and these modifications or substitutions should all be covered within the scope of protection of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present invention should be determined by the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A service configuration method based on virtual network elements, characterized in that, Applied to POTN equipment, wherein a virtual network element is created on any subrack of the POTN equipment, the method includes: The virtual network element receives a service configuration request sent by the control and management server, and the service configuration request includes a service configuration message. The virtual network element parses the service configuration message to obtain the service information flow and the service configuration command code. The virtual network element determines the first target subrack based on the service information flow and sends the service configuration command code to the first target subrack. The first target subrack is a subrack within the POTN equipment site used to process the service corresponding to the service configuration command code. The first target subrack determines the target board based on the service configuration command code, and processes the service corresponding to the service configuration command code on the target board; The process includes, before the virtual network element receives the service configuration request sent by the control and management server, the following: In response to the user-configured host network element attribute mode, IP address, and subnet mask, the second target subrack within the POTN equipment site creates a virtual network element. The second target subrack is any subrack within the POTN equipment site. The virtual network element stores network element information of each subrack within the POTN equipment site, as well as the master-slave relationship between the virtual network element and all subracks.

2. The service configuration method based on virtual network elements according to claim 1, characterized in that, The second target subrack within the POTN equipment site, in response to the user-configured host network element attribute mode, IP address, and subnet mask, creates a virtual network element within the second target subrack, including: The second target subrack within the POTN equipment site responds to the user-configured host network element attribute mode, IP address, and subnet mask to create a new site in the second target subrack; Each subrack within the POTN equipment site responds to the user-configured sub-network element attribute mode and reports its corresponding network element information to the new site. The second target subrack aggregates the network element information of all subracks within the POTN equipment site into the new site, stores the master-slave relationship between the user-configured virtual network elements and all subracks in the new site, and obtains the information on the operation of the virtual network elements.

3. The service configuration method based on virtual network elements according to claim 2, characterized in that, Before each subrack within the POTN equipment site reports its corresponding network element information to the virtual network element in response to the user-configured sub-network element attribute mode, the process further includes: Each subrack within the POTN equipment site establishes a communication link with the virtual network element; Each subrack within the POTN equipment site obtains its corresponding network element information based on the network element attributes configured by its respective user.

4. The service configuration method based on virtual network elements according to claim 3, characterized in that, The network element information includes subrack information; the service information flow includes subrack information on the service path. The virtual network element determines the first target subframe based on the service information flow, including: The virtual network element matches the subrack information on the service path with the subrack information included in the summarized network element information to obtain the first target subrack.

5. The service configuration method based on virtual network elements according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that, The service configuration command code includes: optical layer service configuration command code; The virtual network element determines the first target subrack based on the service information flow and sends the service configuration command code to the first target subrack, including: The virtual network element determines the first target subrack based on the service information flow, and extracts the target board address based on the optical layer service configuration command code, and sends the target board address to the first target subrack. The first target subrack determines the target board based on the service configuration command code, including: The first target sub-rack determines the target board based on the target board address.

6. The service configuration method based on virtual network elements according to claim 5, characterized in that, The service configuration command code includes: electrical layer service configuration command code; The virtual network element determines the first target subrack based on the service information flow and sends the service configuration command code to the first target subrack, including: The virtual network element determines the first target subrack based on the service information flow and sends the electrical layer service configuration command code to the first target subrack. The first target subrack determines the target board based on the service configuration command code, including: The first target subrack determines the target board based on the electrical layer service configuration code.

7. A service configuration system based on virtual network elements, characterized in that, include: The first target subrack within the control and management server, virtual network elements, and POTN equipment site; The control and management server is used to send a service configuration request to the virtual network element, the service configuration request including a service configuration message; The virtual network element is used to parse the service configuration message to obtain the service information flow and the service configuration command code; determine the first target subrack according to the service information flow, and send the service configuration command code to the first target subrack. The first target subrack is a subrack within the POTN equipment site used to process the service corresponding to the service configuration command code. The first target subrack is used to determine the target board according to the service configuration command code, and process the service corresponding to the service configuration command code in the target board; This also includes a second target sub-rack within the POTN equipment site; The second target subrack is used to create a virtual network element in response to the host network element attribute mode, IP and mask configured by the user. The second target subrack is any subrack within the POTN equipment site. The virtual network element stores the network element information of each subrack within the POTN equipment site and the master-slave relationship between the virtual network element and all subracks.

8. A virtual network element, characterized in that, The virtual network element is used to parse the service configuration message sent by the control and management server to obtain the service information flow and the service configuration command code; based on the service information flow, it determines the first target subrack within the POTN equipment site for processing the service configuration command code, and sends the service configuration command code to the first target subrack to instruct the first target subrack to determine the target board based on the service configuration command code, and processes the service corresponding to the service configuration command code in the target board; In this process, the second target subrack within the POTN equipment site responds to the host network element attribute mode, IP address, and subnet mask configured by the user, and creates a virtual network element within the second target subrack. The second target subrack is any subrack within the POTN equipment site. The virtual network element stores network element information of each subrack within the POTN equipment site, as well as the master-slave relationship between the virtual network element and all subracks.

9. A POTN device, characterized in that, A virtual network element is created on any subrack of the POTN equipment site. The virtual network element is used to parse the service configuration message sent by the control and management server to obtain the service information flow and the service configuration command code. Based on the service information flow, a first target subrack within the POTN equipment site is determined for processing the service configuration command code. The service configuration command code is sent to the first target subrack to instruct the first target subrack to determine the target board based on the service configuration command code. The service corresponding to the service configuration command code is processed in the target board. In this process, the second target subrack within the POTN equipment site responds to the host network element attribute mode, IP address, and subnet mask configured by the user, and creates a virtual network element within the second target subrack. The second target subrack is any subrack within the POTN equipment site. The virtual network element stores network element information of each subrack within the POTN equipment site, as well as the master-slave relationship between the virtual network element and all subracks.

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