A networking method based on vCPE and related components

Abstract

The present application relates to the field of networking technologies, and discloses a networking method and related components based on vCPE. The method is applied to a two-layer network networking system based on vCPE including a user side and an edge cloud side, and includes: obtaining user-related information on the user side to determine the vCPE resources corresponding to the user side, and allocating a target network address to the user side according to a preset network address allocation principle, and forming a target local area network based on the corresponding vCPE resources and the target network address, so as to access the Internet based on the target local area network after receiving a DHCP request. Thus, the user is identified based on the MAC address of the device, that is, the vCPE resources are allocated based on the device MAC address, and an address is allocated to the user side according to the preset network address allocation principle, so as to dynamically allocate vCPE resources and network addresses to dynamically form a local area network to meet different needs of users and improve the user experience.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of networking technologies, and in particular, to a networking method based on vCPE and related components. Background Art

[0002] Customer Premise Equipment (CPE) can be a firewall, a border gateway, a router, a Network Address Translation (NAT), or a Virtual Private Network (VPN), etc. All traditional CPEs installed at the customer site require a specific dedicated hardware to run. It can be seen that installing traditional CPEs at the user's location will occupy a large amount of space and consume a large amount of energy. In addition, when users need to add new services, they need to pay extra fees, and the maintenance cost of traditional CPEs is also very high, thus reducing the user experience.

[0003] With the development of Network Function Virtualization (NFV) technology, home network devices are also developing towards virtualization. Virtualized Customer Premise Equipment (vCPE) is a method of providing virtual hosting services such as routing, security, and SD-WAN to branch offices or edge networks through software rather than hardware. vCPE can implement all hardware operations based on software virtual functions, so vCPE is also called cloud CPE.

[0004] vCPE can utilize the characteristics of new metropolitan area networks and edge clouds, extend to the cloud through the home local area network, and move the computing power, storage, security, etc. required in the customer's digital transformation to the cloud. All software-based functions are borne by a remote service operator or management platform, thus saving space at the user's location, reducing costs, and enhancing the user experience.

[0005] However, currently, vCPE resource allocation is carried out on a household basis, and such a home networking usage scenario cannot support the needs of different services such as user roaming and BYOD like mobile communication, thus bringing a bad experience to users.

[0006] Therefore, it can be seen that how to make home networking support the needs of different services such as user roaming and BYOD and enhance the user experience is an urgent problem to be solved by those skilled in the art. Summary of the Invention

[0007] The purpose of this application is to provide a networking method and related components based on vCPE, dynamically form a local area network, so as to enable home networking to support the needs of different services such as user roaming and BYOD, and thus improve the user experience.

[0008] To solve the above technical problems, this application provides a networking method based on vCPE, which is applied to a vCPE-based networking system including a user side and an edge cloud side. The method includes:

[0009] After receiving the access request sent by the user side, obtain the user-related information of the user side;

[0010] Determine the vCPE resources corresponding to the user side according to the user-related information, where the user-related information at least includes the device MAC address;

[0011] Allocate a target network address for the user side through a preset network address allocation principle;

[0012] Form a target local area network based on the vCPE resources corresponding to the user side and the target network address, so as to access the Internet based on the target local area network after receiving the DHCP request from the user side.

[0013] Preferably, the determining the vCPE resources corresponding to the user side according to the user-related information includes:

[0014] Analyze the user-related information to determine the device MAC address corresponding to the target device that sends the access request;

[0015] Judge whether the device MAC address of the target device exists in the MAC address information library;

[0016] If it exists, query the vCPE resources corresponding to the target device in the MAC address information library.

[0017] Preferably, the edge cloud side includes BNG and UDM, and the preset network address allocation principle is to be directly allocated by vCPE, or the UDM pre-allocates an address pool for each vCPE and vCPE allocates it indirectly.

[0018] Preferably, the user-related information further includes the device type and custom policy of the target device. When it is determined that the device MAC address of the target device does not exist in the MAC address information library, it further includes:

[0019] Determine the vCPE resources corresponding to the target device according to the device type and / or the custom policy.

[0020] Preferably, after allocating the target network address to the user side according to the preset network address allocation principle, the following steps are further included:

[0021] Authenticate the user side to determine whether the user side has the right to access the network;

[0022] After determining that the user side has the right to access the network, enter the step of forming a target local area network based on the vCPE resources corresponding to the user side and the target network address.

[0023] To solve the above technical problems, the present application also provides a networking system based on vCPE, including: a user side and an edge cloud side;

[0024] The user side and the edge cloud side are connected through optical fiber or tunnel to form a two-layer network structure, and the user side is used to send an access request to the edge cloud side;

[0025] The edge cloud side is used to obtain user-related information of the user side after receiving the access request, determine the vCPE resources corresponding to the user side according to the user-related information, where the user-related information at least includes the device MAC address, and allocate a target network address to the user side according to the preset network address allocation principle, and form a target local area network based on the vCPE resources corresponding to the user side and the target network address, so as to access the Internet based on the target local area network after receiving the DHCP request of the user side.

[0026] Preferably, the edge cloud side includes a BNG and a UDM;

[0027] The BNG is used to determine the vCPE resources corresponding to the user side according to the user-related information, and allocate a target network address to the user side according to the preset network address allocation principle;

[0028] The UDM is used to store the user-related information of the user side.

[0029] To solve the above technical problems, the present application also provides a networking device based on vCPE, which is applied to a networking system based on vCPE including a user side and an edge cloud side. The device includes:

[0030] An acquisition module, configured to acquire user-related information of the user side after receiving the access request sent by the user side;

[0031] A determination module, configured to determine the vCPE resources corresponding to the user side according to the user-related information, where the user-related information at least includes the device MAC address;

[0032] An allocation module, configured to allocate a target network address to the user side according to a preset network address allocation principle;

[0033] A network formation module, configured to form a target local area network based on the vCPE resources corresponding to the user side and the target network address, so as to access the Internet based on the target local area network after receiving a DHCP request from the user side.

[0034] To solve the above technical problems, the present application also provides a networking device based on vCPE, including a memory for storing a computer program;

[0035] A processor, configured to implement the steps of the above-mentioned vCPE-based networking method when executing the computer program.

[0036] To solve the above technical problems, the present application also provides a computer-readable storage medium, on which a computer program is stored, and when the computer program is executed by a processor, the steps of the above-mentioned vCPE-based networking method are implemented.

[0037] A vCPE-based networking method provided by the present invention is applied to a vCPE-based two-layer network networking system including a user side and an edge cloud side. The method includes: obtaining user-related information of the user side after receiving an access request sent by the user side, and determining the vCPE resources corresponding to the user side according to the user-related information, where the user-related information at least includes the device MAC address. Then, allocate a target network address to the user side according to a preset network address allocation principle, and form a target local area network based on the vCPE resources corresponding to the user side and the target network address, so as to access the Internet based on the target local area network after receiving a DHCP request from the user side. It can be seen that the technical solution provided by the present application identifies the user based on the MAC address of the device, that is, allocates vCPE resources based on the device MAC address, and allocates an address to the user side according to a preset network address allocation principle, thereby dynamically allocating vCPE resources and network addresses to realize the dynamic formation of a local area network, and thus can support different service requirements such as user roaming and BYOD according to the user, improving the user experience.

[0038] In addition, the present application also provides a vCPE-based networking system, device and medium, corresponding to the above-mentioned vCPE-based networking method, with the same effect. Description of the Drawings

[0039] To more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present application, the following will briefly introduce the accompanying drawings required for the embodiments. Obviously, the accompanying drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the present application. For those of ordinary skill in the art, without creative efforts, other accompanying drawings can also be obtained based on these drawings.

[0040] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the basic architecture of an edge cloud network provided by the present application;

[0041] Figure 2 It is a flowchart of a networking method based on vCPE provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0042] Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of a networking system based on vCPE provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0043] Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram of another networking system based on vCPE provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0044] Figure 5 It is a structural diagram of a networking device based on vCPE provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0045] Figure 6 It is a structural diagram of a networking device based on vCPE provided by another embodiment of the present application;

[0046] The reference numerals are as follows: 1 is the user side, 2 is the edge cloud side, 3 is the UDM, 4 is the BNG, and 5 is the ubox device. Detailed implementation manners

[0047] The following will clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application with reference to the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present application, rather than all embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative efforts belong to the protection scope of the present application.

[0048] The core of the present application is to provide a networking method and related components based on vCPE, which marks the user identity based on the device MAC address of the user on the user side, combines with the address allocation for the user side according to the preset network address allocation principle to form a local area network, so as to access the Internet after receiving the DHCP request of the user. Thus, a local area network can be formed according to the actual needs of the user, improving the user experience.

[0049] To enable those skilled in the art to better understand the solution of the present application, the following will further elaborate on the present application in combination with the accompanying drawings and specific implementation manners.

[0050] The CPE can be a firewall, a border gateway, a router, a NAT, or a VPN, etc. All traditional CPEs installed at the customer site require a specific dedicated hardware to run. It can be seen that installing traditional CPEs at the user's location will occupy a large amount of space and consume a large amount of energy. In addition, when the user needs to add new services, additional fees need to be paid, and the maintenance cost of traditional CPEs is also very high, thus reducing the user experience.

[0051] With the development of NFV technology, home network devices are also developing towards virtualization. vCPE is a method of providing virtual hosting services such as routing, security, and SD-WAN to branch offices or edge networks through software rather than hardware. vCPE can implement all the operations of hardware based on software-based virtual functions. Therefore, vCPE is also called cloud CPE.

[0052] vCPE can utilize the characteristics of the new metropolitan area network and edge cloud, extend to the cloud through the home local area network, and move the computing power, storage, security, etc. required in the customer's digital transformation to the cloud. All software-based functions are borne by a remote service operator or management platform, thus saving space at the user's location, reducing costs, and enhancing the user experience.

[0053] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the basic architecture of an edge cloud network provided by this application. As Figure 1 shown, currently, the new metropolitan area network and edge cloud are utilized to extend the home local area network to the cloud, and move the computing power, storage, security, vCPE resources, and applications required in the customer's digital specialization to the cloud. The operator provides standardized edge cloud network products for customers. Based on the cloud network capabilities of the local area network, users can implement any basic private applications.

[0054] However, currently, vCPE resource allocation is carried out on a household basis, and the usage scenarios of such home networking cannot support the needs of different services such as user roaming and BYOD like mobile communication, thus bringing a bad experience to users.

[0055] To solve the above technical problems, enable home networking to support the needs of different services such as user roaming and BYOD, and enhance the user experience, the embodiment of this application provides a networking method based on vCPE. This method allocates vCPE resources based on the device MAC address on the user side, and performs address allocation according to the preset network address allocation principle, and then dynamically forms a local area network based on the dynamically allocated vCPE resources and network addresses, thereby realizing the needs of different services such as user roaming and BYOD.

[0056] Figure 2The flowchart of a networking method based on vCPE provided by an embodiment of the present application. This method is applied to a vCPE-based networking system including a user side and an edge cloud side, such as Figure 2 shown. The method includes:

[0057] S10: After receiving an access request sent by the user side, obtain user-related information of the user side;

[0058] Figure 3 The schematic diagram of a vCPE-based networking system provided by an embodiment of the present application. As Figure 3 shown, the networking method provided by the present application is applied to a networking system including a user side 1 and an edge cloud side 2. The ubox device 5 (Home switch) of the user side 1 is responsible for the home exit. The edge cloud side 2 consists of a Broadband Network Gateway (abbreviated as BNG) control device and a Unified Data Management (abbreviated as UDM) module. Among them, the user side 1 and the edge cloud side 2 are connected through optical fibers or tunnels.

[0059] In implementation, when the ubox device 5 of the user side 1 is powered on and a terminal device (UE) sends an access request to the edge cloud side 2 through the ubox device 5, the BNG 4 of the edge cloud side 2 obtains user-related information, that is, obtains the relevant information of the access device. Among them, the user-related information includes at least the MAC address.

[0060] S11: Determine the vCPE resources corresponding to the user side according to the user-related information, where the user-related information includes at least the device MAC address;

[0061] It can be understood that each terminal device has one and only one MAC address. Therefore, the device MAC address can be used as the unique identifier of the user, similar to using SIM card information as the unique identifier of the user in mobile communication. After obtaining the user-related information through step S10, the device MAC address is parsed from the user-related information, and the vCPE resources corresponding to the user side 1 are determined according to the device MAC address.

[0062] The vCPE resources are pre-allocated according to the user identity information. It can be that each family has a dedicated vCPE resource, or multiple families can share a vCPE resource based on business needs, that is, multiple bandwidths for one account. Thus, it can avoid the need to install corresponding physical device resources such as routers and optical modems in each family in the traditional way of building a local area network. After the vCPE resources are pre-allocated, when the user uses the device to access the Internet, the corresponding vCPE resources can be directly called.

[0063] Based on the pre-allocated vCPE resources, in a roaming scenario, the user can use the ubox device 5 at the current place of residence to initiate an access request to the edge cloud side 2. At this time, the edge cloud side 2 determines the user identity according to the MAC address of the device currently accessed by the user, and then allocates the corresponding vCPE resources for the user to use.

[0064] S12: Allocate a target network address for the user side according to a preset network address allocation principle;

[0065] Furthermore, the edge cloud side 2 allocates a target network address for the user side 1 according to a preset network address allocation principle, where the preset network address allocation principle is to be directly allocated by the vCPE, or the UDM 3 pre-allocates an address pool for each vCPE, and the vCPE indirectly allocates it.

[0066] Directly allocated by the vCPE, that is, both the UE of the user side 1 and the ubox device 5 are allocated by the vCPE. After each vCPE completes routing and Network Address Translation (NAT) processing, it further accesses the Internet with the address after the vCPE performs NAT processing. In implementation, if it is necessary to trace the UE accessing the network or perform a reverse access to the UE, only the vCPE needs to perform reverse NAT.

[0067] In the way that the UDM 3 first pre-allocates an address pool for each vCPE and the vCPE indirectly allocates it, since all addresses are uniformly managed and allocated by the UDM 3, the addresses finally allocated to the UE are different even across households. When the vCPE directly allocates network addresses, the addresses allocated to the UE may be the same among different vCPEs. It can be seen that by using the UDM 3 for address management and allocation, the UE can be allocated different subnets and enjoy different services and network permissions.

[0068] S13: Build a target local area network based on the vCPE resources corresponding to the user side and the target network address, so as to access the Internet based on the target local area network after receiving the DHCP request from the user side.

[0069] After determining the vCPE resources corresponding to the user side 1 and the target network address of the device sending the access request, build a target local area network based on the vCPE resources and the target network address. After building the target local area network, when the edge cloud side 2 receives the DHCP request sent by the user side 1, it accesses the Internet based on the target local area network, thereby realizing the user's access to the Internet, such as Figure 3As shown, in addition to connecting to the Internet, the established local area network can also implement Other Domains, such as integrating with 4G or 5G networks, etc. This application does not limit Other Domains.

[0070] The networking method based on vCPE provided by the embodiments of this application is applied to a two-layer network networking system based on vCPE including a user side and an edge cloud side. The method includes: obtaining user-related information of the user side after receiving an access request sent by the user side, and determining the vCPE resources corresponding to the user side according to the user-related information, where the user-related information at least includes the device MAC address. Then, a target network address is assigned to the user side according to a preset network address allocation principle, and a target local area network is formed based on the vCPE resources corresponding to the user side and the target network address, so as to access the Internet based on the target local area network after receiving a DHCP request from the user side. It can be seen that the technical solution provided by this application identifies users based on the MAC address of the device, that is, allocates vCPE resources based on the device MAC address, and assigns an address to the user side according to the preset network address allocation principle, thereby dynamically allocating vCPE resources and network addresses to realize the dynamic formation of a local area network, and thus can support different service requirements such as user roaming and BYOD according to users, improving the user experience.

[0071] In a specific embodiment, in order to ensure that home networking can implement services such as roaming, when identifying the user identity, each UE has a unique MAC address. Therefore, as a preferred embodiment, determining the vCPE resources corresponding to the user side according to the user-related information includes:

[0072] Parsing the user-related information to determine the device MAC address corresponding to the target device that sends the access request;

[0073] Judging whether the device MAC address of the target device exists in the MAC address information library;

[0074] If it exists, query the vCPE resources corresponding to the target device in the MAC address information library.

[0075] When the user uses the UE to request access to the Internet, after the edge cloud side obtains the user-related information of the user side, it parses the user-related information, and then determines the device MAC address corresponding to the target device that sends the access request based on the parsing result, and judges whether the device MAC address of the target device exists in the MAC address information library. If it exists, look up the vCPE resources corresponding to the target device in the MAC address information library.

[0076] It should be noted that in the MAC address information library, when the user installs the network, the operator stores the MAC address information corresponding to the user and the corresponding vCPE resources on the UDM on the edge cloud side. After receiving a request, the UDM can retrieve each address information in the MAC address information library for comparison and search. For the sake of easy understanding, the following will be described in detail in combination with the roaming scenario.

[0077] As Figure 3 shown, in the roaming scenario, the device MAC address in Home 1 corresponds to the vCPE1 resource, and the MAC address in Home 2 corresponds to the vCPE2 resource. When user A in Home 1 wants to access the Internet through a mobile device (UE) in Home 2, it can connect to the BNG in the edge cloud through the ubox device in Home 2. At this time, the BNG identifies and determines that the resource corresponding to the MAC address of user A's mobile phone is vCPE1. After allocating the target network address for user A's mobile phone, a local area network is formed based on vCPE1 and the target network address, and the Internet is accessed based on this local area network. At this time, the local area network formed by user A uses the resource vCPE1, and the resources and services enjoyed are the same as when accessing the network at home. That is, the roaming of home networking is realized.

[0078] The networking method based on vCPE provided by the embodiments of the present application identifies users based on the MAC address of the terminal device, can achieve the same function as the SIM card in mobile communication, and based on the fact that the functions of physical devices such as optical modems and routers are moved up to the cloud, it makes it possible for home networking to realize different services such as roaming and BYOD, thereby improving the user experience of using home networking.

[0079] In implementation, as Figure 3 shown, the networking method provided by the present application is applied to a two-layer network system including a user side and an edge cloud side. Among them, the edge cloud side includes a BNG responsible for accessing the ubox device on the user side, determining the vCPE resources corresponding to the user side devices, and network address allocation, and a UDM for managing user-related information on the user side.

[0080] When performing address allocation, the network addresses of the UE and the ubox device on the user side can be directly allocated by each vCPE under the jurisdiction of the BNG. Obviously, different vCPEs may allocate the same network address to the corresponding UE and ubox devices, and the services and network permissions enjoyed by devices with the same network address are the same. For example, both vCPE1 and vCPE2 can allocate the network address 192.168.1.0 / 24. When performing network address allocation, different UEs correspond to vCPE1 and vCPE2 respectively, and both are allocated the network address 192.168.1.0.

[0081] It should be noted that when the preset network address allocation principle is directly allocated by the vCPE, after each vCPE completes routing and NAT processing, the address after NAT processing by the vCPE is used to access the Internet. When it is necessary to trace the source of each UE or perform reverse access, only the vCPE needs to perform directional NAT processing.

[0082] Of course, in order to enable different services and network permissions to be enjoyed between all UEs and ubox devices, the UDM can be used to allocate address pools to each vCPE, and then the vCPE indirectly allocates specific addresses to the UEs and ubox devices. In this way, all network addresses are uniformly managed by the UDM, and the address pools allocated to each vCPE are different, so as to ensure that the addresses allocated between the UEs and ubox devices are also different. It should be noted that the preset network address allocation principle can be selected and set according to actual business needs, and this application does not make specific limitations on this.

[0083] In the networking method based on vCPE provided in the embodiments of this application, the preset network address allocation principle is to be directly allocated by the vCPE, or the UDM pre-allocates an address pool for each vCPE and the vCPE indirectly allocates it, which can enable different devices to enjoy the same or different services and network permissions, improve the diversity of home networking, and enhance the user experience.

[0084] Based on the above embodiments, when determining whether the device MAC address of the target device exists in the MAC address information library, in order to avoid incorrect acquisition of the device MAC address resulting in the inability to find the corresponding information in the MAC address information library, when it is determined that the device MAC address of the target device does not exist in the MAC address information library, the vCPE resources corresponding to the target device can be determined according to the device type and / or custom policy of the target device in the user-related information.

[0085] In a specific application scenario, for example, in the network management of a company, when all the computers of a user use the same vCPE resource and all the smart phones use the same vCPE resource, if the user identity cannot be confirmed using the MAC address, the corresponding vCPE resource can be determined according to the device type. Thus, within the company, based on the company's ubox device connecting to the BNG on the edge cloud side and using the corresponding vCPE resource according to the device's MAC address or device type, after the BNG allocates network addresses, a target local area network is formed, and the same type of devices of the company's employees can share the same resources stored on the edge cloud side.

[0086] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of another networking system based on vCPE provided in the embodiments of this application, as Figure 4As shown in the figure, the mobile devices in Family 1 and Family 2 share vCPE1, and thus can jointly use and enjoy the services and network permissions of Subnet 1. The computer devices share vCPE2, so the computers can jointly use and enjoy the services and network permissions of Subnet 2. Accordingly, resources such as albums and videos stored in the cloud can be shared among mobile phones. Similarly, computers using the same subnet can share resources.

[0087] Of course, the vCPE resources corresponding to the target device can also be determined based on a custom policy, where the custom policy includes different package types selected by the user. It should be noted that the relevant information corresponding to the user's selected package will be stored in the UDM. When accessing the network, the UDM determines the package selected by the user based on the stored information to facilitate the determination of the corresponding vCPE resources.

[0088] It is worth noting that when the package registered for use by the UE is a 5G package, this registration information will be stored in the UDM. When the UE requests to access the network, after the UDM identifies the vCPE resources corresponding to the UE for the 5G network, the corresponding vCPE resources can directly enter the 5G core network so that the UE can enjoy 5G network services.

[0089] Finally, it should be noted that when the vCPE resources corresponding to the target device cannot be determined based on the device MAC address, in addition to determining the vCPE resources corresponding to the target device based on the device type and / or custom policy in the user-related information, it can also be determined based on other information in the user-related information. For example, it can be determined based on DHCP option82 sent from the user side. That is, when the UE sends a DHCP request through the ubox device, the ubox device adds an option82 field to the DHCP request. Thus, the edge cloud side can identify the vCPE resources corresponding to the current user side based on the DHCP option82 identifier. This application does not specifically limit the determination of the vCPE resources corresponding to the target device based on the user-related information.

[0090] In the networking method based on vCPE provided by the embodiments of this application, the user-related information further includes the device type of the target device. When it is determined that the device MAC address of the target device does not exist in the MAC address information library, the vCPE resources corresponding to the target device are determined based on the device type. Accordingly, when the MAC address cannot confirm the vCPE resources corresponding to the current device, the corresponding vCPE resources can be further determined based on the device type, improving the accuracy of confirming the vCPE resources.

[0091] As a preferred embodiment, after allocating the target network address to the user side according to the preset network address allocation principle, it further includes:

[0092] Authenticating the user side to determine whether the user side has the right to access the network;

[0093] After determining that the user side has the right to access the network, enter the step of forming a target local area network based on the vCPE resources corresponding to the user side and the target network address.

[0094] In implementation, when the user accesses the network, based on the ubox device on the user side connecting to the BNG on the edge cloud side, after the BNG assigns a target network address to the user side, the BNG needs to authenticate the user side to determine whether the user side has the right to access the network. The authentication method is not limited in this application.

[0095] After determining that the device on the user side has the right to access the network, based on the vCPE resources assigned by the BNG and the target network address assigned to the user side, form a target local area network so that the edge cloud side can access the Internet based on the target local area network after receiving the DHCP request sent by the user.

[0096] The networking method based on vCPE provided by the embodiments of this application authenticates the device on the user side that requests to access the network after assigning a network address to the user side. When it is determined that the device has the right to access the network, a target local area network is formed based on the vCPE resources corresponding to the user side and the target network address. Thus, when the device on the user side has the right to access the network, a local area network is dynamically formed to meet the different service requirements of the user and improve the user experience.

[0097] In the above embodiments, the networking method based on vCPE is described in detail. This application also provides an embodiment corresponding to a networking system based on vCPE. As Figure 3 shown, the system includes a user side and an edge cloud side. The user side and the edge cloud side are connected through optical fibers or tunnels to form a two-layer network structure. The user side is used to send an access request to the edge cloud side.

[0098] It should be noted that in the application scenario of an enterprise, when the distance between the edge cloud side and the user side is relatively close, the user side and the edge cloud side are connected through optical fibers. In the scenario where the distance is relatively far, it is preferred to connect through tunnels.

[0099] In implementation, when a device on the user side requests to access the network, it connects to the edge cloud side through the ubox device on the user side. After the edge cloud side receives the access request, it obtains user-related information and determines the vCPE resources corresponding to the user side according to the user-related information. Among them, the user-related information includes at least the device MAC address. After determining the vCPE resources corresponding to the user side, a target network address is assigned to the user side according to the preset network address allocation principle, and a target local area network is formed based on the vCPE resources corresponding to the user side and the target network address so that it can access the Internet based on the target local area network after receiving the DHCP request from the user side.

[0100] The networking system based on vCPE provided in this application corresponds to the networking method based on vCPE in the above embodiments, and will not be elaborated here for the time being.

[0101] The networking system based on vCPE provided in the embodiments of this application uses the MAC address of the user-side device to identify the user identity, and determines the corresponding vCPE resources on the user side according to the device MAC address, so as to dynamically form a target local area network based on the corresponding vCPE resources on the user side and allocate a target network address for the user side through a preset network address allocation principle, so as to meet different service requirements of users.

[0102] In a specific embodiment, as Figure 3 shown, the edge cloud side includes BNG and UDM. BNG is responsible for the allocation of vCPE resources, the admission of ubox devices, and the allocation of network addresses, while UDM is used to store user-related information on the user side.

[0103] In implementation, the user-side ubox device must support the switching function, and can support functions such as video acceleration and optical modem according to requirements. In addition, at the software level, it includes an IO management unit, switch flow table management, a plug-in function for receiving BNG policies, and supports Video and Modem of the virtualization platform, etc.

[0104] BNG is divided into functional units including a device fingerprint feature management unit, a vCPE resource management unit, a user device management service interface, and a vCPE resource instance storage unit. It should be noted that BNG can be deployed physically or virtualized, and this application does not make any limitations in this regard.

[0105] Among them, the device fingerprint feature management unit is used to identify information such as the type, MAC address, and OS of each UE, and allocate a corresponding vCPE for the user side in combination with the UDE. The vCPE resource management unit is responsible for functions such as the loading, deactivation, maintenance, and monitoring of vCPE. The user device management service interface is used to complete the interaction with the UDM.

[0106] UDM includes a policy management module, an address pool management module, a user device management module, an account management module, an external interface module, a statistics module, an operation and maintenance module, and a BNG interface module, etc.

[0107] The networking system based on vCPE provided in the embodiments of this application has BNG and UDM on the edge cloud side, and moves functions such as optical modem and router to the cloud, so as to dynamically allocate vCPE resources and network addresses based on BNG and UDM, and then dynamically form a local area network, so as to construct a home networking scenario that meets different user needs.

[0108] In the above embodiments, the networking method based on vCPE is described in detail. The present application also provides corresponding embodiments of a networking device based on vCPE. It should be noted that the embodiments of the device part of the present application are described from two perspectives, one is from the perspective of functional modules, and the other is from the perspective of hardware structure.

[0109] Figure 5 The figure is a structural diagram of a networking device based on vCPE provided by an embodiment of the present application. This device is applied to a vCPE-based networking system including a user side and an edge cloud side. As Figure 5 shown, the device includes:

[0110] An acquisition module 10, configured to acquire user-related information of the user side after receiving an access request sent by the user side;

[0111] A determination module 11, configured to determine the vCPE resources corresponding to the user side according to the user-related information, where the user-related information at least includes the device MAC address;

[0112] An allocation module 12, configured to allocate a target network address to the user side according to a preset network address allocation principle;

[0113] A formation module 13, configured to form a target local area network based on the vCPE resources corresponding to the user side and the target network address, so as to access the Internet based on the target local area network after receiving a DHCP request from the user side.

[0114] Since the embodiments of the device part correspond to the embodiments of the method part, for the embodiments of the device part, please refer to the description of the embodiments of the method part, which will not be elaborated here for the time being.

[0115] The networking device based on vCPE provided by the embodiments of the present application is applied to a vCPE-based two-layer network networking system including a user side and an edge cloud side. After receiving an access request sent by the user side, it acquires user-related information and determines the vCPE resources corresponding to the user side according to the user-related information, where the user-related information at least includes the device MAC address. Then, it allocates a target network address to the user side according to a preset network address allocation principle, and forms a target local area network based on the vCPE resources corresponding to the user side and the target network address, so as to access the Internet based on the target local area network after receiving a DHCP request from the user side. It can be seen that the technical solution provided by the present application identifies users based on the MAC address of the device, that is, allocates vCPE resources based on the device MAC address, and allocates an address to the user side according to a preset network address allocation principle, so as to dynamically allocate vCPE resources and network addresses to realize the dynamic formation of a local area network, and thus can support different service requirements such as user roaming and BYOD according to users, improving the user experience.

[0116] Figure 6 The structural diagram of a networking device based on vCPE provided by another embodiment of the present application is as follows Figure 6 As shown, the networking device based on vCPE includes: a memory 20 for storing computer programs;

[0117] a processor 21 for implementing the steps of the vCPE-based networking method mentioned in the above embodiments when executing the computer programs.

[0118] The networking device based on vCPE provided in this embodiment may include, but is not limited to, smart phones, tablet computers, laptop computers, desktop computers, etc.

[0119] Among them, the processor 21 may include one or more processing cores, such as a 4-core processor, an 8-core processor, etc. The processor 21 may be implemented in at least one hardware form of a digital signal processor (DSP for short), a field programmable gate array (FPGA for short), and a programmable logic array (PLA for short). The processor 21 may also include a main processor and a coprocessor. The main processor is a processor for processing data in the wake state, also known as the central processing unit (CPU for short); the coprocessor is a low-power processor for processing data in the standby state. In some embodiments, the processor 21 may be integrated with a graphics processing unit (GPU for short), and the GPU is responsible for rendering and drawing the content to be displayed on the display screen. In some embodiments, the processor 21 may also include an artificial intelligence (AI for short) processor, and the AI processor is used to process computational operations related to machine learning.

[0120] The memory 20 may include one or more computer-readable storage media, which may be non-transitory. The memory 20 may also include high-speed random access memory and non-volatile memory, such as one or more disk storage devices and flash storage devices. In this embodiment, the memory 20 is at least used to store the following computer program 201. After the computer program is loaded and executed by the processor 21, the relevant steps of the vCPE-based networking method disclosed in any of the foregoing embodiments can be implemented. In addition, the resources stored in the memory 20 may also include an operating system 202, data 203, etc., and the storage method may be temporary storage or permanent storage. Among them, the operating system 202 may include Windows, Unix, Linux, etc. The data 203 may include, but is not limited to, relevant data involved in the vCPE-based networking method, etc.

[0121] In some embodiments, the vCPE-based networking device may further include a display screen 22, an input / output interface 23, a communication interface 24, a power supply 25, and a communication bus 26.

[0122] Those skilled in the art can understand that Figure 6 the structure shown in does not constitute a limitation on the vCPE-based networking device, and it may include more or fewer components than those shown in the figure.

[0123] The vCPE-based networking device provided by the embodiment of the present application includes a memory and a processor. When the processor executes the program stored in the memory, the following method can be implemented: the vCPE-based networking method.

[0124] The vCPE-based networking device provided by the embodiment of the present application identifies users based on the MAC address of the device, that is, allocates vCPE resources based on the device MAC address, and allocates addresses for the user side according to the preset network address allocation principle, so as to dynamically allocate vCPE resources and network addresses to realize the dynamic construction of a local area network. Therefore, different service requirements such as user roaming and BYOD can be supported according to users, and the user experience can be improved.

[0125] Finally, the present application also provides an embodiment corresponding to a computer-readable storage medium. A computer program is stored on the computer-readable storage medium, and when the computer program is executed by a processor, the steps recorded in the foregoing method embodiments are implemented.

[0126] It can be understood that if the methods in the above embodiments are implemented in the form of software functional units and sold or used as independent products, they can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of the present application, in essence, or the part that contributes to the prior art, or all or part of this technical solution, can be embodied in the form of a software product. This computer software product is stored in a storage medium and executes all or part of the steps of the methods described in the various embodiments of the present application. The aforementioned storage medium includes: various media such as USB flash drives, mobile hard disks, read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), magnetic disks, or optical discs that can store program codes.

[0127] The above has introduced in detail a networking method based on vCPE and related components provided by the present application. The various embodiments in the specification are described in a progressive manner. Each embodiment focuses on the differences from other embodiments. For the same or similar parts among the various embodiments, reference can be made to each other. For the devices disclosed in the embodiments, since they correspond to the methods disclosed in the embodiments, the description is relatively simple. For the relevant parts, reference can be made to the description in the method section. It should be noted that for those of ordinary skill in the art in this technical field, without departing from the principle of the present application, several improvements and modifications can still be made to the present application, and these improvements and modifications also fall within the protection scope of the claims of the present application.

[0128] It should also be noted that in this specification, relational terms such as first and second are only used to distinguish one entity or operation from another entity or operation, and do not necessarily require or imply any actual relationship or order between these entities or operations. Moreover, the term "comprising", "including" or any other variant thereof is intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, so that a process, method, article or device comprising a series of elements not only includes those elements, but also includes other elements not expressly listed, or also includes elements inherent to such process, method, article or device. Without further limitation, an element defined by the statement "comprising a..." does not exclude the existence of another identical element in the process, method, article or device comprising the said element.

Claims

1. A networking method based on vCPE, characterized in that, applied to a vCPE-based networking system including a user side and an edge cloud side, the method includes: After receiving the access request sent by the user side, obtain the user-related information of the user side; Determine the vCPE resources corresponding to the user side according to the user-related information, wherein the user-related information at least includes the device MAC address; Allocate a target network address to the user side according to a preset network address allocation principle; Based on the vCPE resources corresponding to the user side and the target network address, form a target local area network, so as to access the Internet based on the target local area network after receiving the DHCP request of the user side.

2. The vCPE-based networking method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The determining the vCPE resources corresponding to the user side according to the user-related information includes: Analyze the user-related information to determine the device MAC address corresponding to the target device that sends the access request; Judge whether the device MAC address of the target device exists in the MAC address information library; If it exists, query the vCPE resources corresponding to the target device in the MAC address information library.

3. The vCPE-based networking method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The edge cloud side includes BNG and UDM, and the preset network address allocation principle is to be directly allocated by vCPE, or the UDM pre-allocates an address pool for each vCPE, and the vCPE indirectly allocates it.

4. The vCPE-based networking method according to claim 2, characterized in that, The user-related information further includes the device type and custom policy of the target device. When it is determined that the device MAC address of the target device does not exist in the MAC address information library, it further includes: Determine the vCPE resources corresponding to the target device according to the device type and / or the custom policy.

5. The vCPE-based networking method according to claim 1, characterized in that, After allocating the target network address to the user side according to the preset network address allocation principle, it further includes: Authenticate the user side to determine whether the user side has the right to access the network; After determining that the user side has the right to access the network, enter the step of forming a target local area network based on the vCPE resources corresponding to the user side and the target network address.

6. A vCPE-based networking system, characterized in that, includes: User side and edge cloud side; The user side is connected to the edge cloud side through optical fiber or tunnel to form a two-layer network structure, and the user side is used to send an access request to the edge cloud side; The edge cloud side is used to obtain user-related information of the user side after receiving the access request, determine the vCPE resources corresponding to the user side according to the user-related information, where the user-related information at least includes the device MAC address, and allocate a target network address to the user side through a preset network address allocation principle, and form a target local area network based on the vCPE resources corresponding to the user side and the target network address, so as to access the Internet based on the target local area network after receiving the DHCP request of the user side.

7. The vCPE-based networking system according to claim 6, wherein, the edge cloud side includes a BNG and a UDM; the BNG is used to determine the vCPE resources corresponding to the user side according to the user-related information, and allocate a target network address to the user side through a preset network address allocation principle; the UDM is used to store the user-related information of the user side.

8. A vCPE-based networking device, wherein, applied to a vCPE-based networking system including a user side and an edge cloud side, the device includes: an acquisition module, configured to obtain user-related information of the user side after receiving an access request sent by the user side; a determination module, configured to determine the vCPE resources corresponding to the user side according to the user-related information, where the user-related information at least includes the device MAC address; an allocation module, configured to allocate a target network address to the user side through a preset network address allocation principle; a formation module, configured to form a target local area network based on the vCPE resources corresponding to the user side and the target network address, so as to access the Internet based on the target local area network after receiving the DHCP request of the user side.

9. A vCPE-based networking device, wherein, including a memory for storing a computer program; a processor, configured to implement the steps of the vCPE-based networking method according to any one of claims 1 to 5 when executing the computer program.

10. A computer-readable storage medium, wherein, a computer program is stored on the computer-readable storage medium, and when the computer program is executed by a processor, the steps of the vCPE-based networking method according to any one of claims 1 to 5 are implemented.

Images