Communication method, apparatus, and storage medium

Abstract

The application provides a communication method, device and storage medium, relates to the technical field of mobile communication, is applied to a tunnel gateway connected with a core network device in a mobile communication system, and the mobile communication system further includes multi-stage base stations connected through wireless relay devices. The tunnel gateway acquires an uplink IP message from the core network device, identifies an IP header protocol field of an encapsulation layer of the uplink IP message, peels off a target encapsulation layer encapsulated by the IP header protocol field, extracts an uplink layer 2 message, and sends the uplink layer 2 message to an L2Switch. The L2Switch decides a layer 2 route, and distributes the uplink layer 2 message to an access network. The mobile communication system uses the wireless relay device, installation of the wireless relay device does not need to lay a wired backhaul, and the wireless relay device is more flexible, and the time and cost of network construction are reduced. The tunnel gateway connected with the core network device is used to disassemble and forward data routed and forwarded by the wireless relay device, and flat access of the wireless relay device to the core network is realized.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of mobile communication technology, and in particular to a communication method, apparatus and storage medium. Background Technology

[0002] A relay device is a device added between base stations when homogeneous network segments with the same interface and the same media access control protocol are interconnected. It can amplify and forward transmitted signals. Among them, relay devices include wireless relay devices.

[0003] When using wireless relay equipment, existing mobile communication network systems require prior software upgrades to both base stations and core network equipment to enable base stations with wireless relay equipment to access the core network equipment via the bearer network.

[0004] However, the above methods have the problems of high deployment costs and high deployment difficulty. Summary of the Invention

[0005] This application provides a communication method, device, and storage medium to solve the problems of high deployment costs and difficulties.

[0006] In a first aspect, this application provides a communication method applied to a tunnel gateway in a mobile communication system. The mobile communication system also includes multi-level base stations and core network equipment. The multi-level base stations are connected through wireless relay equipment, and the tunnel gateway is connected to the core network equipment. The communication method includes: acquiring uplink Internet Protocol (IP) packets from the core network equipment, wherein the uplink IP packets include IP header protocol fields corresponding to multiple encapsulation layers; detecting the encapsulation layers of the uplink IP packets and identifying the IP header protocol fields of the encapsulation layers; stripping the target encapsulation layer whose IP header protocol fields are Ethernet encapsulations to extract uplink Layer 2 packets; sending the uplink Layer 2 packets to a Layer 2 switch (L2 Switch), whereby the L2 Switch decides the Layer 2 routing and distributes the uplink Layer 2 packets to the access network.

[0007] Optionally, the tunnel gateway includes logical components based on the GPRS tunneling protocol.

[0008] Optionally, stripping is performed on the target encapsulation layer whose IP header protocol field is Ethernet encapsulated to extract the uplink Layer 2 packet, including: if the uplink IP packet includes only one target encapsulation layer, then strip one target encapsulation layer to extract the uplink Layer 2 packet; if the uplink IP packet includes multiple target encapsulation layers, then strip multiple target encapsulation layers one by one to extract the uplink Layer 2 packet in each target encapsulation layer.

[0009] Optionally, sending uplink Layer 2 packets to the L2 Switch includes: during the extraction of uplink Layer 2 packets, recording the mapping relationship between the tunnel endpoint identifier TeId, the UDP port, and the IP address contained in the target encapsulation layer; recording the stripping order of the target encapsulation layer and generating the hierarchical relationship of the uplink IP packet stripping process; and sending the uplink Layer 2 packets, the mapping relationship, and the hierarchical relationship to the L2 Switch.

[0010] Optionally, the communication method further includes: receiving downlink Layer 2 packets from an L2 switch; parsing the address information of the downlink Layer 2 packets; retrieving the mapping relationship containing the address information and obtaining the hierarchical relationship of the uplink IP packet stripping process; reversing the encapsulation of downlink Layer 2 packets according to the hierarchical relationship and mapping relationship to obtain downlink IP packets; and sending downlink IP packets to the core network device.

[0011] Optionally, the communication method also includes: if the hierarchical relationship cannot be obtained, then discard the downlink Layer 2 message.

[0012] Optionally, core network equipment may include User Plane Function (UPF) network elements or Public Data Network Gateway (PGW) network elements.

[0013] Optionally, the communication method also includes: if the IP header protocol fields of the encapsulation layer contained in the uplink IP packet are all non-Ethernet encapsulation, then send the uplink IP packet to the L2 Switch.

[0014] Secondly, this application provides a communication device applied to a tunnel gateway in a mobile communication system. The mobile communication system further includes multi-level base stations and core network equipment. The multi-level base stations are connected through wireless relay equipment, and the tunnel gateway is connected to the core network equipment. The communication device includes: an acquisition module for acquiring uplink Internet Protocol (IP) packets from the core network equipment, wherein the uplink IP packets include IP header protocol fields corresponding to multiple encapsulation layers; an identification module for detecting the encapsulation layers of the uplink IP packets and identifying the IP header protocol fields of the encapsulation layers; an extraction module for stripping the target encapsulation layer whose IP header protocol fields are Ethernet encapsulations and extracting uplink Layer 2 packets; and a sending module for sending the uplink Layer 2 packets to a Layer 2 switch (L2Switch), whereby the L2 Switch decides the Layer 2 routing and distributes the uplink Layer 2 packets to the access network.

[0015] Optionally, the tunnel gateway includes logical components based on the GPRS tunneling protocol.

[0016] Thirdly, this application provides an electronic device, including: a memory and a processor; the memory for storing program instructions; and the processor for calling the program instructions to perform a communication method as provided in any of the first aspects above.

[0017] Fourthly, this application provides a computer-readable storage medium storing computer-executable instructions, which, when executed by a processor, are used to implement a communication method as provided in any of the first aspects above.

[0018] Fifthly, this application provides a computer program product, including a computer program; when the computer program is executed, it implements a communication method as provided in any of the first aspects above.

[0019] The communication method, apparatus, and storage medium provided in this application are applied to a tunnel gateway in a mobile communication system. The mobile communication system also includes multi-level base stations and core network equipment. The multi-level base stations are connected via wireless relay equipment, and the tunnel gateway is connected to the core network equipment. The tunnel gateway obtains uplink IP packets from the core network equipment. These uplink IP packets include IP header protocol fields corresponding to multiple encapsulation layers. The tunnel gateway detects the encapsulation layers of the uplink IP packets, identifies the IP header protocol fields of each layer, and strips the target encapsulation layer whose IP header protocol field is Ethernet encapsulation. It then extracts the uplink Layer 2 packets and sends them to a Layer 2 switch (L2 Switch). The L2 Switch determines the Layer 2 route and distributes the uplink Layer 2 packets to the access network. Using wireless relay equipment in mobile communication systems eliminates the need for wired backhaul installations, offering greater flexibility and reducing network construction time and costs. By utilizing tunnel gateways connected to core network equipment to process and forward data routed and forwarded by wireless relay equipment, a flattened access model for wireless relay equipment to the core network is achieved. In other words, from the core network's perspective, all base stations are of the same type and level, eliminating the need for software upgrades to donor base stations and core network equipment. This results in fewer network elements involved and lower costs. Attached Figure Description

[0020] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and form part of this specification, illustrate embodiments consistent with this application and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of this application.

[0021] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a mobile communication system provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0022] Figure 2 Flowchart of the communication method provided in the embodiments of this application Figure 1 ;

[0023] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the 5G communication system architecture and data structure provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0024] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the 4G communication system architecture and data structure provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0025] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a tunnel gateway in a 5G communication system provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0026] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a tunnel gateway in a 4G communication system provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0027] Figure 7 Flowchart of the communication method provided in the embodiments of this application Figure 2 ;

[0028] Figure 8 A schematic diagram of the structure of the derivative tunnel provided in the embodiments of this application. Figure 1 ;

[0029] Figure 9 A schematic diagram of the structure of the derivative tunnel provided in the embodiments of this application. Figure 2 ;

[0030] Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the communication device provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0031] Figure 11 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an electronic device provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0032] The accompanying drawings illustrate specific embodiments of this application, which will be described in more detail below. These drawings and descriptions are not intended to limit the scope of the concept in any way, but rather to illustrate the concept of this application to those skilled in the art through reference to particular embodiments. Detailed Implementation

[0033] Exemplary embodiments will now be described in detail, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. When the following description relates to the drawings, unless otherwise indicated, the same numbers in different drawings denote the same or similar elements. The embodiments described in the following exemplary embodiments do not represent all embodiments consistent with this application. Rather, they are merely examples of apparatuses and methods consistent with some aspects of this application as detailed in the appended claims.

[0034] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a mobile communication system provided in an embodiment of this application. Figure 1 As shown, the mobile communication system involves user equipment 101, base station (donor) 102, wireless relay equipment 103, access network, core network and Internet.

[0035] User equipment (UE), also known as terminal equipment, can be either wireless or wired. UE can be a mobile phone, tablet, computer with wireless transceiver capabilities, virtual reality (VR) terminal, augmented reality (AR) terminal, wireless terminal in industrial control, wireless terminal in self-driving vehicles, etc., and is not limited to any particular type.

[0036] Base station (donor) 102 refers to a public mobile communication base station, which is the interface device for connecting user equipment 101 to the Internet. The main function of base station (donor) 102 is to provide wireless coverage and forward and route uplink data from user equipment 101 and downlink data destined for user equipment 101. In this embodiment, "donor" is a relative concept, referring to a base station that transmits data outwards. If the base station is in the state of receiving data, it can be called a base station (receiver).

[0037] Wireless relay device 103 refers to a data relay device installed between adjacent base stations (donors) 102. When uplink data from user equipment 101 and downlink data from the core network are transmitted from one base station (donor) 102 to the next, they are first relayed through wireless relay device 103. Multiple wireless relay devices 103 can be set up between multiple base stations (donors) 102 for data relay.

[0038] Each group of base stations (donors) 102 and wireless relay devices 103 constitutes a wireless relay base station, which can be regarded as a base station product that connects to the core network based on mobile communication air interface wireless backhaul. The mobile communication air interface can be, for example, the air interface of the 4th generation mobile communication technology (4G) or the 5th generation mobile communication technology (5G). In a wireless relay base station, the base station (donor) 102 is responsible for providing mobile communication wireless signals to provide services to the UE, and the wireless backhaul unit (i.e., wireless relay device 103) is responsible for converting the mobile communication wireless signals of the donor base station into a wired interface to provide backhaul for the base station (donor) 102.

[0039] Uplink data is sent from user equipment 101, forwarded and routed by wireless relay base stations (i.e., multi-level base station (donor) 102 and wireless relay device 103), and then arrives at the access network, core network and Internet in sequence; downlink data is sent from the Internet, forwarded and routed by wireless relay base stations (i.e., multi-level base station (donor) 102 and wireless relay device 103) through the core network and access network, and finally arrives at user equipment 101.

[0040] Figure 2 Flowchart of the communication method provided in the embodiments of this application Figure 1 This application provides a communication method applied to a tunnel gateway in a mobile communication system. The mobile communication system also includes multi-level base stations and core network equipment. The multi-level base stations are connected via wireless relay equipment, and the tunnel gateway is connected to the core network equipment. Optionally, the tunnel gateway may include a logical component based on the General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) tunneling protocol. Figure 2 As shown, the communication method includes:

[0041] S201: Obtain uplink IP packets from core network devices. Uplink IP packets include IP header protocol fields corresponding to multiple encapsulation layers.

[0042] The data originates from core network equipment, which can be either User Plane Function (UPF) network elements or Packet Data Network Gateway (PGW) network elements. Specifically, data in the 5G core network comes from its UPF network elements, while data in the 4G core network comes from its PGW network elements. Although they belong to different core networks, their data is in GPRS Tunneling Protocol (GTP) format and is suitable for processing by GTP logical components.

[0043] Optionally, in this embodiment, a Customer Premise Equipment (CPE) is selected as the wireless relay device, and a wireless relay base station is formed by a base station (donor) and the CPE. A CPE, also known as a user front-end device, is a mobile signal access device that receives mobile signals and forwards them as wireless WiFi signals. It is also a device that converts high-speed 4G or 5G signals into WiFi signals and is located on the user side of the network. On the one hand, the CPE can connect downlink to various terminal devices and uplink to the base station to provide mobile signal services to users. On the other hand, the CPE can also connect uplink and downlink to different base stations, serving as a relay device for signal transmission between different base stations.

[0044] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the 5G communication system architecture and data structure provided in the embodiments of this application, such as... Figure 3 As shown, from left to right, the uplink IP packet passes through: base station (donor) IPb2 → CPE (IPa2.0) → base station (donor) IPb1 → CPE (IPa1.0) → donor base station IPb0 → (access network) → tunnel gateway → access network. Each time the uplink IP packet passes through a base station or wireless relay device node, it is encapsulated with a layer of encapsulation. For example, in this embodiment, when the uplink IP packet passes through a CPE node, it is encapsulated with an Ethernet layer (also called an Ethernet frame) with the header protocol field "Ether in IP" (97). After passing through multiple base stations and multiple CPE nodes, the uplink IP packet will include the IP header protocol fields corresponding to multiple encapsulation layers. Until the uplink IP packet reaches the edge of the access network, the tunnel gateway (GTP component) obtains the uplink IP packet and performs processing operations S202 to S204, then sends the processed data to the UPF network element node.

[0045] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the 4G communication system architecture and data structure provided in an embodiment of this application. Figure 4 As shown, similarly, after being forwarded and routed by multiple base stations and multiple CPE nodes, the uplink IP packet is encapsulated multiple times with an Ethernet layer header protocol field of Ether in IP (97). Until the uplink IP packet reaches the edge of the access network, the tunnel gateway (GTP component) obtains the uplink IP packet and performs processing operations from S202 to S204, and then sends the processed data to the PGW network element node. Among them, the core network in the 4G communication system architecture is exemplarily the Evolved Packet Core (EPC).

[0046] S202: Inspect the encapsulation layer of the uplink IP packet and identify the IP header protocol field of the encapsulation layer.

[0047] The IP header protocol field is a common and important field in the IP packet header. In the IP header, it is used to indicate what type of protocol follows the IP header. In this step, the main focus is to identify the IP header protocol field as an Ethernet encapsulated field, specifically Protocol:Ether in IP (97).

[0048] S203: Strip the target encapsulation layer whose IP header protocol field is Ethernet encapsulated, and extract the uplink Layer 2 packet.

[0049] After identifying the target encapsulation layer with the IP header protocol field set to Ether in IP, the encapsulation layer is stripped to extract the uplink Layer 2 packets contained within it.

[0050] In some embodiments, an uplink IP packet may include only one target encapsulation layer, while in other embodiments, an uplink IP packet may include multiple target encapsulation layers.

[0051] Optionally, stripping is performed on the target encapsulation layer whose IP header protocol field is Ethernet encapsulated to extract the uplink Layer 2 packet, including: if the uplink IP packet includes only one target encapsulation layer, then strip one target encapsulation layer to extract the uplink Layer 2 packet; if the uplink IP packet includes multiple target encapsulation layers, then strip multiple target encapsulation layers one by one to extract the uplink Layer 2 packet in each target encapsulation layer.

[0052] After stripping multiple target encapsulation layers one by one, all extracted uplink Layer 2 packets can be packaged together and processed together using S204.

[0053] S204: Send an uplink Layer 2 packet to the L2 Switch. The L2 Switch will decide the Layer 2 route and distribute the uplink Layer 2 packet to the access network.

[0054] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a tunnel gateway in a 5G communication system provided in an embodiment of this application. Figure 5 As shown, the L2 Switch undertakes data forwarding between the core network and the tunnel gateway (GTP component) layer, and redistributes the data processed by the tunnel gateway (GTP component) from the core network to the access network, thus completing the link connection between the wireless relay base station and the access network (also known as the bearer network).

[0055] like Figure 5 As shown, the internal logical structure of the tunnel gateway includes multiple logical entities of wireless relay base stations, which are not physical entities. Through message processing of the GTP component, it presents the data plane and signaling plane data of the wireless relay base stations in the access network. From the perspective of the core network, the data uploaded by multiple wireless relay base stations all come from the tunnel gateway. Therefore, it can be regarded as a collection of logical entities of wireless relay base stations.

[0056] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a tunnel gateway in a 4G communication system provided in an embodiment of this application. Figure 6 As shown, the processing flow of the tunnel gateway (GTP component) is the same. Since the example 4G and 5G communication systems both use the GTP protocol to transmit CPE data plane, the processing steps for uplink Layer 2 messages are basically the same, and will not be repeated here.

[0057] The uplink Layer 2 packets are routed and distributed to the access network by the L2 switch. The core network will obtain these uplink Layer 2 packets from the access network and, based on the packet content, hand them over to the corresponding network elements for further processing, forwarding, and routing.

[0058] This application embodiment applies to a tunnel gateway in a mobile communication system. The mobile communication system also includes multi-level base stations and core network equipment. The multi-level base stations are connected through wireless relay equipment, and the tunnel gateway is connected to the core network equipment. The tunnel gateway obtains uplink IP packets from the core network equipment. The uplink IP packets include IP header protocol fields corresponding to multiple encapsulation layers. The tunnel gateway detects the encapsulation layers of the uplink IP packets, identifies the IP header protocol fields of the encapsulation layers, strips the target encapsulation layer whose IP header protocol fields are Ethernet encapsulation, extracts the uplink Layer 2 packets, and sends the uplink Layer 2 packets to the Layer 2 switch. The L2 switch determines the Layer 2 routing and distributes the uplink Layer 2 packets to the access network. Using wireless relay equipment in mobile communication systems eliminates the need for wired backhaul installations, offering greater flexibility and reducing network construction time and costs. By utilizing tunnel gateways connected to core network equipment to process and forward data routed and forwarded by wireless relay equipment, a flattened access model for wireless relay equipment to the core network is achieved. In other words, from the core network's perspective, all base stations are of the same type and level, eliminating the need for software upgrades to donor base stations and core network equipment. This results in fewer network elements involved and lower costs.

[0059] Based on the above embodiments, optionally, sending uplink Layer 2 packets to the L2 Switch includes: during the extraction of uplink Layer 2 packets, recording the mapping relationship between the Tunnel End Pointidentifier (TeId), User Datagram Protocol (UDP) port, and IP address contained in the target encapsulation layer; recording the stripping order of the target encapsulation layer, generating the hierarchical relationship of the uplink IP packet stripping process; and sending the uplink Layer 2 packets, mapping relationship, and hierarchical relationship to the L2 Switch.

[0060] In GTP tunnels used between two nodes based on GTP communication, each GTP tunnel uses an IP address, UDP port, and TEID as identifiers for a single node. Once the GTP tunnel is established, when the sending node sends a GTP message to the receiving node, the GTP message header carries the TEID value assigned by the receiving node. In this embodiment, when stripping uplink IP packets and extracting uplink Layer 2 packets, the mapping relationship between the IP address, UDP port, and TEID contained in the uplink Layer 2 packets is recorded to ensure that the feedback data corresponding to the uplink Layer 2 packets is accurately sent back to the user equipment. Recording the stripping order of the target encapsulation layer is for accurate reverse encapsulation of the feedback data corresponding to the uplink Layer 2 packets later. The following embodiments will specifically describe how to process the feedback data corresponding to the uplink Layer 2 packets.

[0061] Figure 7 Flowchart of the communication method provided in the embodiments of this application Figure 2 .like Figure 7 As shown, this communication method, based on the above embodiments, includes:

[0062] S701: Receives downlink Layer 2 packets from L2 Switch;

[0063] S702: Parse the address information of the downlink Layer 2 message;

[0064] S703: Retrieve the mapping relationship containing address information and obtain the hierarchical relationship of the uplink IP packet stripping process;

[0065] S704: Based on the hierarchical and mapping relationships, reverse encapsulate the downlink Layer 2 packets to obtain the downlink IP packets;

[0066] S705: Sends downlink IP packets to core network equipment.

[0067] Downlink Layer 2 packets from an L2 switch refer to data originating from the access network and destined for a wireless relay base station. Before being sent to the wireless relay base station, they need to undergo reverse encapsulation / reverse encapsulation, and then be transmitted back to the user equipment via a CPE (including multi-level CPEs). In this embodiment, reverse encapsulation of downlink Layer 2 packets is achieved by executing S701 to S705 through a tunnel gateway.

[0068] You can refer to this. Figure 3 and Figure 4 From right to left, downlink Layer 2 packets arrive at the access network from the Internet and are forwarded by the L2 Switch. The tunnel gateway (GTP component) acquires the downlink Layer 2 packets forwarded by the L2 Switch and, based on the hierarchical relationship and mapping relationship of the corresponding uplink data stripping process, reverse-encapsulates them to obtain downlink IP packets. The downlink IP packets are then sent to the core network, which, based on the packet content, forwards them to the corresponding wireless relay base station for routing and forwarding, ultimately reaching the user equipment.

[0069] Optionally, based on the above embodiments, if the hierarchical relationship cannot be obtained, the downlink Layer 2 message is discarded. In step S703, if the hierarchical relationship cannot be obtained, the downlink Layer 2 message cannot be accurately reverse-encapsulated, and these data are discarded.

[0070] Optionally, core network equipment includes UPF (User Platform Filter) elements or PGW (Programmable Gate Wire). The UPF element is a crucial component of the 5G core network system architecture within the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), primarily responsible for routing and forwarding user plane data packets within the 5G core network. The PGW element is an important element in 4G mobile communication networks, responsible for managing data routing between 3GPP and non-3GPP networks, managing mobility between 3GPP and non-3GPP access, and handling Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP), policy enforcement, and billing functions.

[0071] In this embodiment, uplink IP packets are obtained from either the UPF or PGW network element. During downlink processing, the 5G core network sends downlink IP packets to the core network equipment primarily through the UPF, while the 4G core network uses the PGW. This is symmetrical to step S201, meaning the directions are different. For data from the same wireless relay base station, the two are also symmetrical: one direction involves disassembly and distribution (to the L2Switch, i.e., the access network), while the other direction involves assembly and distribution (to the core network, i.e., the UPF or PGW).

[0072] Optionally, if the IP header protocol fields of the encapsulation layer contained in the uplink IP packet are all non-Ether in IP, then the uplink IP packet is sent to the L2 Switch. This embodiment is a processing method for uplink IP packets whose IP header protocol fields do not contain the target encapsulation layer. If the target encapsulation layer is not contained, there is no need to strip the encapsulation layer, and it can be sent directly to the L2 Switch.

[0073] Figure 8 A schematic diagram of the structure of the derivative tunnel provided in the embodiments of this application. Figure 1 This is a derived description of the messages that the communication method provided in this application can support when applied to a 5G communication system, compared to... Figure 3 The example message structure adds a structural layer (encapsulation layer) to the tunnel bearer of Point-to-Point Protocol over Ethernet (PPPoE) or Layer 2 Tunneling Protocol (L2TP). This is combined with... Figure 3 and Figure 8 Please explain the unexplained message protocol content shown in the attached diagram:

[0074] The Stream Control Transmission Protocol (SCTP) provides services including: ensuring error-free and copy-free transmission of user data; data segmentation to conform to the maximum transmission unit size of the discovery path; ordered transmission of user information in multiple data streams, with an option to send user information in the order of arrival; selectively binding multiple user information packets to a single SCTP packet; and providing tolerance for network failures through multi-homing support for one or two associated endpoints.

[0075] The Next Generation Application Protocol (NGAP) is an application layer protocol, TS 38.413, that exists between the 5G Access Network (5G-AN) and the Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF).

[0076] Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP) provides a standard method for transmitting multi-protocol data packets over point-to-point connections.

[0077] Figure 9 A schematic diagram of the structure of the derivative tunnel provided in the embodiments of this application. Figure 2 This is a derived description of the messages that the communication method provided in this application can support when applied to a 4G communication system, compared to... Figure 4 The example message structure adds a structural layer (encapsulation layer) to the PPPoE or L2TP tunnel bearer. Combined with this... Figure 4 and Figure 9 Please explain the unexplained message protocol content shown in the attached diagram:

[0078] S1 Application Protocol (S1-AP): Corresponding to the main functions of the S1 interface, it is the most important protocol in the S1 Mobile Management Entity (S1-MME) interface protocol stack.

[0079] The embodiments in this application exemplify the message formats applicable to this communication method and do not constitute a limitation on this application.

[0080] In summary, this application provides an implementation scheme for wireless relay equipment to access the core network, which includes a tunnel gateway and a two-layer encapsulation of the wireless relay equipment, supports wireless cascading, and provides flat access to the core network. That is, from the perspective of the core network, all base stations are base stations of the same type and level. By leveraging the two-layer encapsulation of the wireless relay equipment and the disassembly and assembly of the tunnel gateway, the deep integration of the two can innovatively realize the wireless cascading extension of the donor base station coverage, significantly expanding the radiation range of the base station.

[0081] The above embodiments provide a detailed description of the communication method provided in this application. The communication device, electronic device, storage medium, and program product provided in the embodiments of this application will be explained in detail below.

[0082] Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application. The communication device is applied to a tunnel gateway in a mobile communication system. The mobile communication system also includes multi-level base stations and core network equipment. The multi-level base stations are connected through wireless relay equipment, and the tunnel gateway is connected to the core network equipment. Figure 10 As shown, the communication device 1000 includes:

[0083] The acquisition module 1001 is used to acquire uplink Internet Protocol (IP) packets from core network devices. The uplink IP packets include IP header protocol fields corresponding to multiple encapsulation layers.

[0084] The identification module 1002 is used to detect the encapsulation layer of uplink IP packets and identify the IP header protocol field of the encapsulation layer.

[0085] Extraction module 1003 is used to strip the target encapsulation layer whose IP header protocol field is Ethernet encapsulation and extract the uplink Layer 2 packets.

[0086] The sending module 1004 is used to send uplink Layer 2 messages to the L2 Switch, and the L2 Switch decides the Layer 2 route to distribute the uplink Layer 2 messages to the access network.

[0087] Optionally, the tunnel gateway includes logical components based on the GPRS tunneling protocol.

[0088] Optionally, the extraction module 1003 can be used to: if the uplink IP packet includes only one target encapsulation layer, then strip one target encapsulation layer to extract the uplink Layer 2 packet; if the uplink IP packet includes multiple target encapsulation layers, then strip multiple target encapsulation layers one by one to extract the uplink Layer 2 packet in each target encapsulation layer.

[0089] Optionally, the sending module 1004 can be used to: record the mapping relationship between TeId, UDP port and IP address contained in the target encapsulation layer during the process of extracting uplink Layer 2 packets; record the stripping order of the target encapsulation layer and generate the hierarchical relationship of the uplink IP packet stripping process; and send the uplink Layer 2 packets, mapping relationship and hierarchical relationship to the L2 Switch.

[0090] Optionally, the communication device 1000 also includes a parsing module, which can be used to: receive downlink Layer 2 packets from the L2Switch; parse the address information of the downlink Layer 2 packets; retrieve the mapping relationship containing the address information and obtain the hierarchical relationship of the uplink IP packet stripping process; reverse encapsulate the downlink Layer 2 packets according to the hierarchical relationship and mapping relationship to obtain downlink IP packets; and send the downlink IP packets to the core network equipment.

[0091] Optionally, the communication device 1000 further includes a first determining module, which can be used to: discard downlink Layer 2 messages if the hierarchical relationship cannot be obtained.

[0092] Optionally, core network equipment may include User Plane Function (UPF) network elements or Public Data Network Gateway (PGW) network elements.

[0093] Optionally, the communication device 1000 further includes a second determining module, which can be used to: send an uplink IP packet to the L2Switch if the IP header protocol fields of the encapsulation layer contained in the uplink IP packet are all non-Ethernet encapsulation.

[0094] The apparatus provided in this application embodiment can be used to execute the above-described communication method, and its implementation and technical effects are similar, so they will not be described again here.

[0095] Figure 11 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an electronic device provided in an embodiment of this application. Figure 11 As shown, the electronic device 1100 includes:

[0096] Processor 1101, memory 1102, communication interface 1103 and system bus 1104.

[0097] The memory 1102 and the communication interface 1103 are connected to the processor 1101 via the system bus 1104 and communicate with each other. The memory 1102 is used to store computer execution instructions, the communication interface 1103 is used to communicate with other devices, and the processor 1101 is used to execute computer execution instructions to perform the communication method scheme as described in the above method embodiment.

[0098] Specifically, processor 1101 may include one or more processing units. For example, processor 1101 may be a CPU, a Digital Signal Processing (DSP), an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), etc. A general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor or any conventional processor. The steps of the method disclosed in the application can be directly manifested as being executed by a hardware processor, or being executed by a combination of hardware and software modules within the processor.

[0099] Memory 1102 can be used to store program instructions. Memory 1102 may include a program storage area and a data storage area. The program storage area may store the operating system, application programs required for at least one function (such as sound playback function), etc. The data storage area may store data created during the use of electronic device 1100 (such as audio data), etc. In addition, memory 1102 may include high-speed random access memory, and may also include non-volatile memory, such as at least one disk storage device, flash memory device, universal flash storage (UFS), etc. Processor 1101 executes various functional applications and data processing of electronic device 1100 by running program instructions stored in memory 1102.

[0100] Communication interface 1103 can provide solutions for wireless communication, including 2G / 3G / 4G / 111G, applied to electronic device 1100. Communication interface 1103 can receive electromagnetic waves via an antenna, and perform filtering, amplification, and other processing on the received electromagnetic waves before transmitting them to a modem processor for demodulation. Communication interface 1103 can also amplify the signal modulated by the modem processor and convert it into electromagnetic waves for radiation via the antenna. In some embodiments, at least some functional modules of communication interface 1103 can be housed in processor 1101. In some embodiments, at least some functional modules of communication interface 1103 and at least some modules of processor 1101 can be housed in the same device.

[0101] System bus 1104 can be a Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) bus or an Extended Industry Standard Architecture (EISA) bus, etc. This system bus 1104 can be divided into address bus, data bus, control bus, etc. For ease of representation, only one thick line is used in the diagram, but this does not indicate that there is only one bus or one type of bus.

[0102] It should be noted that the number of memory units 1102 and processor units 1101 is not limited in this embodiment; each can be one or more. Figure 11 The illustration shows an example; the memory 1102 and the processor 1101 can be connected via wired or wireless means in various ways, such as through a bus connection. In practical applications, the electronic device 1100 can be various forms of computers or mobile terminals. Computers include, for example, laptops, desktop computers, workbenches, servers, blade servers, mainframe computers, etc.; mobile terminals include, for example, personal digital processors, cellular phones, smartphones, wearable devices, and other similar computing devices.

[0103] The electronic device in this embodiment can be used to execute the technical solutions in the above method embodiments. Its implementation principle and technical effect are similar, and will not be repeated here.

[0104] This application also provides a computer-readable storage medium storing computer-executable instructions, which, when executed by a processor, are used to implement the communication method in the above-described method embodiments.

[0105] This application also provides a computer program product, including a computer program; when the computer program is executed, it implements the communication method as described in the above method embodiments.

[0106] Other embodiments of this application will readily occur to those skilled in the art upon consideration of the specification and practice of the invention disclosed herein. This application is intended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptations of this application that follow the general principles of this application and include common knowledge or customary techniques in the art not disclosed herein. The specification and examples are to be considered exemplary only, and the true scope and spirit of this application are indicated by the following claims.

[0107] It should be understood that this application is not limited to the precise structure described above and shown in the accompanying drawings, and various modifications and changes can be made without departing from its scope. The scope of this application is limited only by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that, A tunnel gateway is used in a mobile communication system, which also includes multi-level base stations and core network equipment. The multi-level base stations are connected to each other through wireless relay equipment, and the tunnel gateway is connected to the core network equipment. The multi-level base station is connected to the access network; the access network is connected to the L2 switch; and the L2 switch is connected to the tunnel gateway. The communication method includes: The system acquires uplink Internet Protocol (IP) packets from the core network device, wherein the uplink IP packets include IP header protocol fields corresponding to multiple encapsulation layers; and wherein the uplink IP packets are user data from the access network received and forwarded by the core network device. The encapsulation layer of the uplink IP packet is inspected, and the IP header protocol field of the encapsulation layer is identified; For targets whose IP header protocol fields are encapsulated in Ethernet, strip the target encapsulation layer to extract the uplink Layer 2 packets; The uplink Layer 2 packet is sent to the L2 Switch, which then decides the Layer 2 route and distributes the uplink Layer 2 packet to the access network. The process of stripping the target encapsulation layer whose IP header protocol fields are encapsulated in Ethernet and extracting the uplink Layer 2 packets includes: If the uplink IP packet includes only one target encapsulation layer, then strip the target encapsulation layer and extract the uplink Layer 2 packet; If the uplink IP packet includes multiple target encapsulation layers, then the multiple target encapsulation layers are stripped layer by layer, and the uplink Layer 2 packet in each target encapsulation layer is extracted.

2. The communication method according to claim 1, characterized in that, Sending the uplink Layer 2 message to the L2 Switch includes: During the extraction of uplink Layer 2 packets, the mapping relationship between the tunnel endpoint identifier TeId, the User Datagram Protocol (UDP) port, and the IP address contained in the target encapsulation layer is recorded; Record the stripping order of the target encapsulation layer to generate the hierarchical relationship of the uplink IP packet stripping process; Send the uplink Layer 2 message, the mapping relationship, and the hierarchical relationship to the L2 Switch.

3. The communication method according to claim 2, characterized in that, Also includes: Receive downlink Layer 2 packets from the L2 Switch; Parse the address information of the downlink Layer 2 message; The mapping relationship containing the address information is retrieved, and the hierarchical relationship of the uplink IP packet stripping process is obtained; Based on the hierarchical relationship and the mapping relationship, the downlink Layer 2 packet is reverse-encapsulated to obtain the downlink IP packet; Send the downlink IP packet to the core network device.

4. The communication method according to claim 3, characterized in that, Also includes: If the hierarchical relationship cannot be obtained, the downlink Layer 2 message is discarded.

5. The communication method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that, The core network equipment includes User Plane Function (UPF) network elements or Public Data Network Gateway (PGW) network elements.

6. The communication method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that, Also includes: If the IP header protocol fields of the encapsulation layer contained in the uplink IP packet are all non-Ethernet encapsulation, then the uplink IP packet is sent to the L2Switch.

7. A communication device, characterized in that, A tunnel gateway is used in a mobile communication system, which also includes multi-level base stations and core network equipment. The multi-level base stations are connected to each other through wireless relay equipment, and the tunnel gateway is connected to the core network equipment. The multi-level base station is connected to the access network; the access network is connected to the Layer 2 switch (L2Switch); the L2 Switch is connected to the tunnel gateway; the communication device includes: The acquisition module is used to acquire uplink Internet Protocol (IP) packets from the core network device. The uplink IP packets include IP header protocol fields corresponding to multiple encapsulation layers. The uplink IP packets are user data from the access network received and forwarded by the core network device. The identification module is used to detect the encapsulation layer of the uplink IP packet and identify the IP header protocol field of the encapsulation layer; The extraction module is used to strip the target encapsulation layer whose IP header protocol field is Ethernet encapsulated, and extract the uplink Layer 2 packets; The sending module is used to send the uplink Layer 2 message to the L2 Switch, and the L2 Switch decides the Layer 2 route to distribute the uplink Layer 2 message to the access network; The extraction module is specifically used for: If the uplink IP packet includes only one target encapsulation layer, then the target encapsulation layer is stripped to extract the uplink Layer 2 packet; if the uplink IP packet includes multiple target encapsulation layers, then the multiple target encapsulation layers are stripped layer by layer to extract the uplink Layer 2 packet from each target encapsulation layer.

8. An electronic device, characterized in that, include: Memory, processor; The memory is used to store program instructions; The processor is configured to invoke the program instructions to execute the communication method as described in any one of claims 1 to 6.

9. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer-readable storage medium stores computer-executable instructions, which, when executed by a processor, are used to implement the communication method as described in any one of claims 1 to 6.

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