Satellite communication method and satellite communication system

Abstract

The application provides a satellite communication method and a satellite communication system. The satellite communication system comprises a control management module, a certain number of low-orbit access nodes and a certain number of high-orbit forwarding nodes. The method comprises the following steps: a first message is sent to the control management module by a source low-orbit access node; the control management module selects a target high-orbit forwarding node according to the first message and returns a second message to the source low-orbit access node; the source low-orbit access node obtains a new data packet according to the second message and sends the new data packet to the target high-orbit forwarding node, so that the target high-orbit forwarding node obtains a target data packet according to the new data packet and sends the target data packet to a destination low-orbit access node. In this way, the differentiated services of the satellite network slice are realized, the resource requirements of different types of slices are met, and the network data carrying capacity in the satellite network is maximized.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of communication, in particular to a satellite communication method and a satellite communication system. BACKGROUND

[0002] With the development of satellite networks, the network service types carried by satellite networks are also increasing. Different service scenarios have large differences in network service quality and resource requirements. To solve the above problems, network slicing technology can be used. However, due to the more limited bandwidth resources in satellite networks and the strong heterogeneity of satellite network devices, the traditional network slicing technology cannot be applied to satellite network scenarios. SUMMARY

[0003] Therefore, the purpose of the present application is to provide a satellite communication method and a satellite communication system.

[0004] To achieve the above purpose, the present application provides a satellite communication method applied to a satellite communication system, wherein the satellite communication system comprises a control management module, a certain number of low-orbit access nodes, and a certain number of high-orbit forwarding nodes.

[0005] The method comprises the following steps:

[0006] The source low-orbit access node sends a first message to the control management module;

[0007] The control management module selects a target high-orbit forwarding node according to the first message and returns a second message to the source low-orbit access node; wherein the second message comprises the address of the target high-orbit forwarding node.

[0008] The source low-orbit access node obtains a new data packet according to the second message and sends the new data packet to the target high-orbit forwarding node, so that the target high-orbit forwarding node obtains a target data packet according to the new data packet and sends the target data packet to a destination low-orbit access node.

[0009] Optionally, the satellite communication system further comprises a first ground device and a second ground device, and the first ground device is in communication connection with the source low-orbit access node.

[0010] The source low-orbit access node sends a first message to the control management module, which specifically comprises the following steps:

[0011] The source low-orbit access node receives an original data packet sent by the first ground device, obtains the address of the first ground device and the address of the second ground device according to the original data packet, and generates the first message according to the address of the source low-orbit access node, the address of the first ground device, and the address of the second ground device.

[0012] Optionally, the control management module selects a target high-orbit forwarding node according to the first message, comprising:

[0013] The control management module queries a link state of each link between the source low-orbit access node and the certain number of high-orbit forwarding nodes, and between the certain number of high-orbit forwarding nodes and the destination low-orbit access node according to the first message;

[0014] The control management module obtains preset slice parameter coefficients, and obtains load states and port performances of the certain number of low-orbit access nodes and the certain number of high-orbit forwarding nodes;

[0015] The control management module selects the target high-orbit forwarding node according to the link state, the slice parameter coefficients, the load states and the port performances.

[0016] Optionally, the second ground equipment is in communication connection with the destination low-orbit access node;

[0017] The control management module selects a target high-orbit forwarding node according to the first message, and returns a second message to the source low-orbit access node, comprising:

[0018] The control management module obtains an address of the second ground equipment according to the first message, and obtains an address of the target high-orbit forwarding node according to the selected target high-orbit forwarding node, determines an address of the destination low-orbit access node according to the address of the second ground equipment, and generates the second message according to the address of the target high-orbit forwarding node and the address of the destination low-orbit access node.

[0019] Optionally, the source low-orbit access node obtains a new data packet according to the second message, comprising:

[0020] The source low-orbit access node obtains the address of the target high-orbit forwarding node and the address of the destination low-orbit access node according to the second message, and obtains the new data packet according to the address of the target high-orbit forwarding node, the address of the destination low-orbit access node and the original data packet; wherein the original data packet is stored in a data part of the new data packet, and the address of the destination low-orbit access node is stored in an optional field part of the new data packet.

[0021] Optionally, the target high-orbit forwarding node obtains a target data packet according to the new data packet, comprising:

[0022] The target high-orbit forwarding node obtains the address of the destination low-orbit access node according to the new data packet, and obtains the target data packet according to the address of the destination low-orbit access node and the original data packet.

[0023] Optionally, after the target data packet is sent to the destination LEO access node, the method further comprises:

[0024] The destination LEO access node obtains the original data packet according to the target data packet, and sends the original data packet to the second ground device.

[0025] Optionally, the control management module selects the target HEO forwarding node according to the link state, the slice parameter coefficient, the load state and the port performance, comprising:

[0026] The control management module calculates the link priority of each link according to the link state, the slice parameter coefficient, the load state and the port performance, and selects the target HEO forwarding node according to the link priority.

[0027] Optionally, the control management module selects the target HEO forwarding node according to the first message, comprising:

[0028] In response to the data information of the HEO forwarding node matched with the first message existing in the data cache of the control management module and the data information not being expired, the control management module takes the HEO forwarding node corresponding to the data information as the target HEO forwarding node.

[0029] Based on the above purposes, the application further provides a satellite communication system, which comprises a control management module, a certain number of LEO access nodes and a certain number of HEO forwarding nodes.

[0030] The source LEO access node sends a first message to the control management module.

[0031] The control management module selects a target HEO forwarding node according to the first message, and returns a second message to the source LEO access node; wherein the second message comprises the address of the target HEO forwarding node.

[0032] The source LEO access node obtains a new data packet according to the second message, and sends the new data packet to the target HEO forwarding node, so that the target HEO forwarding node obtains a target data packet according to the new data packet, and sends the target data packet to a destination LEO access node.

[0033] From the above, it can be seen that the satellite communication method and satellite communication system provided by the application, the method sends a first message to the control management module through a source low-orbit access node, so that the control management module selects a suitable target high-orbit forwarding node according to the first message, and returns the selection result to the source low-orbit access node. The source low-orbit access node obtains a new data packet according to the returned selection result, and sends the new data packet to the target high-orbit forwarding node, so that the target high-orbit forwarding node obtains a target data packet according to the new data packet, and sends the target data packet to a destination low-orbit access node. The method of the application faces the satellite network, optimizes the scheduling of network link resources, realizes the differentiated services of network slices according to the different requirements of different types of slices for network link resources, meets the resource requirements of different types of slices, and maximizes the network data carrying capacity in the satellite network. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0034] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the application or the related art, the drawings needed to be used in the embodiments or the related art description will be briefly introduced. Obviously, the drawings in the following description are only embodiments of the application, and other drawings can be obtained by those skilled in the art without creative labor.

[0035] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of an exemplary satellite communication system according to an embodiment of the application is shown.

[0036] Figure 2 A flowchart of an exemplary satellite communication method according to an embodiment of the application is shown.

[0037] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of an exemplary satellite communication method according to an embodiment of the application is shown.

[0038] Figure 4 A flowchart of an exemplary satellite communication method according to an embodiment of the application is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0039] In order to make the purpose, technical solutions and advantages of the application more clear, the application will be further described in detail below in combination with specific embodiments and with reference to the drawings.

[0040] It should be noted that, unless otherwise defined, technical terms or scientific terms used in the embodiments of the present application shall have the common meaning understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which the present application pertains. The terms "first", "second", and similar terms used in the embodiments of the present application do not denote any order, quantity, or importance, but are merely used to distinguish different components. The terms "include", "contain", and similar terms mean that the elements or objects before the terms encompass the elements or objects listed after the terms and their equivalents, and do not exclude other elements or objects. The terms "connect" or "connected" and similar terms do not mean physical or mechanical connection, but can include electrical connection, whether direct or indirect. The terms "upper", "lower", "left", "right", and the like are merely used to represent relative positional relationships, and when the absolute positions of the described objects change, the relative positional relationships can also change accordingly.

[0041] As described in the background, the conventional network slicing technology cannot well adapt to the scene characteristics of satellite network device heterogeneity and relatively limited bandwidth resources.

[0042] Specifically, in a conventional VxLAN (Virtual eXtensible Local Area Network) network, a flooding learning method is generally used to determine the IP (Internet Protocol) address and MAC (Media Access Control Address) address of the opposite end device accessing the switch. In this process, multicast data packets need to be sent to the entire network, and then the routing information is learned according to the source address of the received multicast data packet and is stored in the forwarding table of the switch. The multicast flooding process needs to send a large number of data packets, which in turn occupies a large amount of network resources. Compared with ground networks, the bandwidth resources in satellite networks are more limited, and therefore the conventional VxLAN network cannot be directly applied to satellite network scenarios.

[0043] In addition, due to the heterogeneous characteristics of satellite networks, regardless of which network slicing technology is used, the corresponding slicing protocol needs to be supported by the device. However, satellite network devices are highly heterogeneous, and it is difficult to deploy a unified slicing protocol, especially a customized and improved slicing protocol, on heterogeneous devices.

[0044] Therefore, it is very important to design a slicing method that can adapt to the satellite network environment. This is the main design intention of the present application, that is, to integrate the characteristics of software and hardware decoupling, software containerization, and database introduction in the SONiC (Software for Open Networking in the Cloud) network operating system into the satellite network, and to combine the improved VxLAN technology to flexibly respond to the network environment in the satellite network, thereby realizing satellite network slicing.

[0045] To solve the above problems, the present application provides a satellite communication method and a satellite communication system. The satellite communication system includes a control management module, a certain number of low-orbit access nodes, and a certain number of high-orbit forwarding nodes. The method sends a first message from a source low-orbit access node to the control management module, the control management module selects a target high-orbit forwarding node according to the first message, and returns a second message to the source low-orbit access node, the source low-orbit access node obtains a new data packet according to the second message, and sends the new data packet to the target high-orbit forwarding node, so that the target high-orbit forwarding node obtains a target data packet according to the new data packet, and sends the target data packet to a destination low-orbit access node. The method of the present application faces the satellite network, optimizes the scheduling of network link resources, realizes differentiated services of network slicing according to the different requirements of different types of slicing for network link resources, meets the resource requirements of different types of slicing, and maximizes the network data carrying capacity in the satellite network.

[0046] The embodiment of the present application faces the satellite network scenario and is realized based on the SONiC network operating system and the improved VxLAN technology. Under the premise of meeting the demand of satellite network characteristics, the satellite network Overlay (a network construction technology) logical slicing and transmission logical isolation are realized, and the differentiated service quality guarantee of network slicing can be realized based on different application scenarios and different business types in the satellite network.

[0047] Due to the strong heterogeneity of satellite network devices, it is difficult to deploy a unified slicing protocol on heterogeneous devices, especially a customized and improved slicing protocol. Moreover, compared with ground networks, the bandwidth and computing resources of satellite networks are relatively limited, so the relatively mature slicing method in ground networks cannot be directly applied in satellite networks. To solve this problem, the SONiC network operating system used in the embodiment of the present application has the characteristics of complete decoupling of software and hardware, containerization of software modules, loose coupling of protocol logic and data, high reliability, and easy expansion, supports the rapid development, deployment, modification, testing and maintenance of network application programs on heterogeneous devices, saves device computing resources, and supports more flexible scheduling of network resources.

[0048] In addition, the embodiment of the present application also improves the VxLAN slicing technology according to the characteristics of limited bandwidth resources of the satellite network, realizes the division of slices and the isolation of data transmission and saves bandwidth resources through the identification and processing of slice ID (Identity document) information. The present application realizes the construction, identification and forwarding of slice data packets through SONiC, simultaneously provides the monitoring of network traffic and link state, realizes the centralized control of the network through the centralized controller, monitors and aggregates the performance data of the entire network, elects the forwarding nodes according to the slice parameter setting, enables the traffic in different slices to select different forwarding paths, and thus realizes the differentiated service support of the slices.

[0049] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of an exemplary satellite communication system according to an embodiment of the present application is shown.

[0050] As shown in Figure 1 , the satellite communication system can include three modules: a low-orbit access module (LAEP), a high-orbit forwarding module (HFN) and a control management module. A certain number of low-orbit access nodes are included in the low-orbit access module, and a certain number of high-orbit forwarding nodes are included in the high-orbit forwarding module. The data packet processing and forwarding of the ground equipment sent in the slice are completed by setting the low-orbit access module in the low-orbit satellite and setting the high-orbit forwarding module in the high-orbit satellite. The control and management of the data packets sent by the ground equipment in the entire satellite network slice are realized by setting the control management module in the high-orbit satellite.

[0051] As shown in Figure 1 , the control management module can realize the functions of forwarding control, slice management and data storage. The control function refers to monitoring and collecting the running state (such as memory, CPU load, etc.) of the forwarding node equipment in the high-orbit forwarding module, monitoring and collecting the link state (such as delay, jitter, etc.) between the high-orbit forwarding module and the low-orbit access module, analyzing these data collected in real time, and allocating different forwarding nodes for different slices according to the different slice categories. The slice management and data storage functions include slice information management, user equipment information management, and user permission management functions, etc., which can conveniently and quickly create and delete slices and deploy slice network data.

[0052] The low-orbit access module is used to deploy the SONiC slice access function container, connects the high-orbit forwarding module and the ground equipment, is responsible for the encapsulation of the improved VxLAN data packet for the data packet sent by the ground equipment and the decapsulation of the data packet sent by the high-orbit forwarding module, simultaneously performs certain processing on the data packet according to the different slice attribute categories, such as authentication, encryption, speed limiting, etc., and then sends the processed data packet to the high-orbit forwarding module or the ground equipment.

[0053] The high-orbit forwarding module is used for deploying a SONiC slice forwarding function container, and is responsible for forwarding data packets sent by the low-orbit access module. The data packets are processed by decapsulation, modified according to target node information stored in the data packets, and then sent to the target node.

[0054] In the low-orbit access module, different slice ID identifiers are assigned to data packets from different ground devices and different slices when encapsulating improved VxLAN data packets, and the inner Overlay data packets are sent to different user devices according to the slice ID identifiers when decapsulating. Therefore, the user devices in the slice are not aware of the encapsulation operation of the upper-layer improved VxLAN data packets, and the user devices can only access data in the slice to which the user devices belong, so that the network isolation function in the slice can be realized.

[0055] The centralized controller in the control management module can perceive the global network link state, so that different high-orbit forwarding nodes and different network links can be selected for different types of network slices according to the slice attributes of the slice to which the data packets belong.

[0056] SONiC can solve the problem of global deployment of functions of heterogeneous devices in a satellite network. In the implementation of the slice function, a slice module adapted to a dedicated interface of different satellite hardware platforms does not need to be developed and deployed separately, but only a slice software container for SONiC needs to be developed, so that large-scale global deployment can be quickly realized. In the present application, a flexible, dynamic and fine-grained satellite network slice resource allocation function is designed and implemented based on SONiC.

[0057] In the process of forwarding data packets in the slice, data packets between different slices should be invisible to each other to realize data transmission isolation due to different user identity categories and security levels in the communication scenario of the satellite network. In the traditional slice transmission isolation method based on VxLAN, a flooding learning method is generally used to determine the IP address and MAC address of the access switch of the opposite end device. In this process, multicast data packets need to be sent to the entire network, and then the source address of the received multicast data packets is learned and stored in the forwarding table of the switch. The multicast flooding process needs to send a large number of data packets, which occupies a large amount of network resources. Compared with the ground network, the bandwidth resource in the satellite network is more limited. Therefore, the traditional VxLAN method cannot well adapt to the communication demand of the satellite network.

[0058] To solve the above problems, embodiments of the present application improve the VxLAN method to adapt to the communication requirements of satellite network slices, and use a centralized control management module to uniformly store the IP / MAC address mapping relationship of devices in a slice and low-orbit access nodes. When a user device accesses a slice, the device information stored in the SONiC database and the access slice information are sent to the control management module, and the control management module uniformly controls the mapping relationship of devices in the slice in the entire satellite network. When the low-orbit access node receives a new slice data packet, it sends a slice information query request to the control management module, and the control management module returns the forwarding node information and the destination node information to the low-orbit access node according to the real-time link state changes. The low-orbit access node updates the forwarding table of the switch device according to the return result issued by the control management module, and constructs a new improved VxLAN data packet. In the embodiments of the present application, the idea of source routing is used to realize the forwarding of the improved VxLAN data packet. When constructing the improved VxLAN data packet in the low-orbit access node, the selected high-orbit forwarding node information is written into the outer IP / MAC, and the real destination node information is written into the data packet in the form of an optional field. When the data packet is forwarded to the high-orbit forwarding node, the destination node information is parsed from the optional field, the data packet is rewritten, and then the forwarding is continued.

[0059] In the process of designing and implementing the slice-in data packet forwarding and data transmission isolation function, the advantages of SONiC are fully embodied. In the traditional slice scheme, most of the slice schemes need to customize the access endpoint device to support the operations of writing slice identification, protocol nesting or address translation. By using the SONiC network operating system, the network function is containerized, and fast deployment and non-sensing upgrade are realized.

[0060] Figure 2 A flowchart of an example satellite communication method according to embodiments of the present application is shown. The method can include the following steps.

[0061] In step S202, the source low-orbit access node sends a first message to the control management module.

[0062] As Figure 3As shown, a first ground device (e.g., ground device A) within the slice wants to send an original data packet to a second ground device (e.g., ground device B), which includes the address of ground device A (e.g., scr mac: 00:00:00:00:00:0a, src ip: 192.168.1.11 / 24), the address of ground device B (e.g., dst mac: 00:00:00:00:00:0b, dst ip: 192.168.1.22 / 24), and other data information (data…). In some embodiments, the original data packet is first forwarded to the low earth orbit access node A that is communicatively connected with ground device A before the source low earth orbit access node (e.g., low earth orbit access node A) sends the first message, see step ①.

[0063] As shown, the low earth orbit access node A sends a first message to the control management module through the SONiC slice access function container to query the information of the high orbit forwarding node and the device information of the destination low earth orbit access node (e.g., low earth orbit access node B) that is communicatively connected with ground device B, see step ②. If there is slice forwarding cache data information in the data storage of the control management module that matches the first message sent by the low earth orbit access node A, and the cache data information has not expired, the data information is directly read from the data storage. Figure 3

[0064] It can be understood that the first message for querying the information of the high orbit forwarding node and the access node is generated according to the original data packet sent by ground device A and received by the low earth orbit access node A, and includes information and a slice category. The information can include the IP address (e.g., 10.0.1.1 / 24) and the MAC address (e.g., 11:00:00:00:00:0a) of the low earth orbit access node A, the IP address (e.g., 192.168.1.11 / 24) of ground device A, and the IP address (e.g., 192.168.1.22 / 24) of ground device B. The slice category can be set in advance in the slice management system (i.e., the slice management module in the control management module) according to the different requirements of different slices for network resources (e.g., some slices require high bandwidth, and some slices require low delay), and each slice has a unique slice ID. The slice category transmitted here is the slice ID.

[0065] In step S204, the control management module selects a target high orbit forwarding node according to the first message, and returns a second message to the source low earth orbit access node; wherein the second message includes the address of the target high orbit forwarding node.

[0066] As shown, the low earth orbit access node A sends a first message to the control management module through the SONiC slice access function container to query the information of the high orbit forwarding node and the device information of the destination low earth orbit access node (e.g., low earth orbit access node B) that is communicatively connected with ground device B, see step ②. If there is slice forwarding cache data information in the data storage of the control management module that matches the first message sent by the low earth orbit access node A, and the cache data information has not expired, the data information is directly read from the data storage. Figure 3 ​In some embodiments, the control management module enters the slice resource allocation process according to the first message (e.g., the address of the low-orbit access node A, the address of the ground device A, and the address of the ground device B) from the low-orbit access node A, selects a suitable target high-orbit forwarding node, and returns a second message (e.g., the address of the target high-orbit forwarding node and the address of the low-orbit access node B) to the low-orbit access node A.

[0067] Figure 4 A flowchart of an exemplary satellite communication method according to an embodiment of the present application is shown. The slice resource allocation process can include the following steps.

[0068] At step S402, the control management module queries the link state of each link between the source low-orbit access node and the plurality of high-orbit forwarding nodes and between the plurality of high-orbit forwarding nodes and the destination low-orbit access node according to the first message.

[0069] In some embodiments, the control management module receives a first message for slice forwarding request from a low-orbit access node A in a low-orbit access module, queries the link state of each link between the low-orbit access node A and each high-orbit forwarding node in a high-orbit forwarding module, and queries the link state of each link between each high-orbit forwarding node and a low-orbit access node B in a low-orbit access module, and stores the results in a data storage for caching.

[0070] At step S404, the control management module obtains preset slice parameter coefficients, and obtains the load state and port performance of the plurality of low-orbit access nodes and the plurality of high-orbit forwarding nodes.

[0071] In the satellite communication system according to an embodiment of the present application, each node in the low-orbit access module and the high-orbit forwarding module can obtain the current load state and port performance through a SONiC system monitoring component. Meanwhile, the control management module can monitor and aggregate the performance data of the entire network system at regular intervals. The control management module has preset parameter coefficients of different slices stored in a data storage.

[0072] At step S406, the control management module selects the target high-orbit forwarding node according to the link state, the slice parameter coefficients, the load state, and the port performance.

[0073] In some embodiments, the control management module obtains preset slice parameter coefficients corresponding to the slice from the data storage, combines the slice parameter coefficients and data such as the load state, port performance and link state of the SONiC node, and calculates the link priority of each forwarding link by weighting, and elects the optimal high-orbit forwarding node for the slice under the current network state. The link priority can be calculated by weighting according to the following formula:

[0074] w = c1 x a1 + c2 x a2 + … + c n x a n

[0075] wherein c1, c2, …, c n are slice parameter coefficients, a1, a2, …, a n are data such as the load state, port performance and link state of the node obtained in real time.

[0076] The control management module returns the election result of the high-orbit forwarding node to the low-orbit access node A and stores the election result in the cache.

[0077] When the control management module queries the link state and selects a suitable target high-orbit forwarding node, if there is cache data in the system and the cache data has not expired, the data can be directly read from the cache. If there is no cache, each received data packet needs to query the link state, which will waste a lot of time and computing resources. The link state will not change in a short time, so it is stored in the cache, and the subsequent data packets can directly call it. In this way, the result is directly returned through the cache, which can reduce the data transmission time, and also reduces the number of operation executions in the control management module through the cache, saving the precious computing resources in the satellite.

[0078] In step S206, the source low-orbit access node obtains a new data packet according to the second message, and sends the new data packet to the target high-orbit forwarding node, so that the target high-orbit forwarding node obtains a target data packet according to the new data packet, and sends the target data packet to a destination low-orbit access node.

[0079] For example, the control management module can be implemented by using a software program, and the software program can be stored in a memory of the satellite and executed by a processor of the satellite. Figure 3As shown, in some embodiments, the low-orbit access node A, according to the second message returned by the control management module (see step ④), accesses the SONiC slice function container in the form of an Underlay (a network construction technology) to construct a new data packet. Among them, the source address of the new data packet is the address of the low-orbit access node A (for example, src_mac: 11:00:00:00:00:0a, src_ip: 10.0.1.1 / 24), and the destination address is the address of the selected target high-orbit forwarding node in the second message (for example, dst_mac: 22:00:00:00:00:0a, dst_ip: 10.1.1.1 / 24), while the real destination address of the new data packet, that is, the address of the low-orbit access node B, is stored in the optional field of the data packet (for example, Option: fdst_ip: 10.0.2.1 / 24). At the same time, the original data packet (for example, the original data packet) sent by the ground device A is stored in the data (data) part of the new data packet in the form of Overlay. At the same time, the low-orbit access node A stores the slice forwarding node information into the cache.

[0080] It can be understood that the original data packet is stored in the data part of the new data packet, and the address of the low-orbit access node B is stored in the optional field part of the data packet, in order to follow the principle of minimum change to ensure compatibility. In the VxLAN protocol, the original data packet exists in the data part, so it is still placed in the data part here. In the original VxLAN protocol, there is a 32-bit reserved field (that is, the optional field) in the VxLAN header, so the destination address (for example, the address of the low-orbit access node B) is stored here, so that the switches in the network link that do not install the application can also parse the data packet according to the VxLAN protocol and read and forward. If the destination address (for example, the address of the low-orbit access node B) is stored in other parts of the data packet, the format of the protocol will change, and for switches that do not install the application, it is a new unknown protocol, which cannot be correctly parsed and read and forwarded.

[0081] As shown, Figure 3 As shown, referring to step ⑤, the low-orbit access node A sends the constructed new data packet to the selected target high-orbit forwarding node according to the routing strategy deployed in the original satellite network.

[0082] As shown, Figure 3As shown in step ⑥, in some embodiments, the target high-orbit forwarding node receives a new data packet from low-orbit access node A, decapsulates the new data packet using the SONiC slice forwarding function container, reads the destination address of the new data packet from the optional fields, that is, the address of low-orbit access node B, uses this address as the new destination address to modify the new data packet and recapsulate it to obtain the target data packet. In this target data packet, the source address is the address of the target high-orbit forwarding node (e.g., src_mac:22:00:00:00:00:0a, src_ip:10.0.1.1 / 24), the destination address is the address of low-orbit access node B (e.g., dst_mac:11:00:00:00:00:0b, dst_ip:10.0.2.1 / 24), and the original data packet stored in Overlay mode is still stored in the data part.

[0083] like Figure 3 As shown in step ⑦, the target high-orbit forwarding node sends the target data packet to the low-orbit access node B according to the routing strategy deployed in the original satellite network.

[0084] like Figure 3 As shown, in some embodiments, the low-orbit access node B receives the target data packet sent by the target high-orbit forwarding node, extracts the original data packet from the data portion of the target data packet through the SONiC slice access function container, and sends this original data packet to the ground equipment B (see step ⑧).

[0085] like Figure 3 As shown in step 9, ground equipment B receives the original data packet sent by low-orbit access node B.

[0086] This application proposes a satellite communication method and system. Under a centralized control architecture, this method can continuously interact with the environment to adjust the forwarding strategy in the satellite network in real time. Utilizing the load performance differences of high-orbit forwarding nodes, it provides differentiated services to network slices for different service scenarios and types. This method integrates the hardware-software decoupling, software containerization, and database features of the SONiC network operating system, offering advantages such as ease of development, maintenance, portability, and upgrades. It supports unified deployment of heterogeneous devices while ensuring stable data transmission in the satellite network. Furthermore, this method utilizes improved VxLAN technology to re-encapsulate data packets within slices, increasing support for slice resource allocation and reducing network resource consumption during VxLAN networking. While providing a secure isolation environment for data within slices, it is more suitable for scenarios with limited satellite network bandwidth resources.

[0087] It should be noted that the method of the embodiments of the present application can be executed by a single device, such as a computer or a server, and the like. The method of the embodiments of the present application can also be applied to a distributed scenario, and be completed by multiple devices cooperating with each other. In the case of such a distributed scenario, one of the multiple devices can only execute one or more steps in the method of the embodiments of the present application, and the multiple devices can interact with each other to complete the method.

[0088] It should be noted that some embodiments of the present application have been described. Other embodiments are within the scope of the appended claims. In some cases, the actions or steps recited in the claims can be performed in a different order and still achieve desirable results. Additionally, the processes depicted in the figures do not necessarily require the particular order shown, or sequential order to achieve the desired results. In certain implementations, multitasking and parallel processing can be advantageous.

[0089] Those skilled in the art will understand that the above discussion of any of the embodiments is merely exemplary and is not intended to restrict the scope of the application (including the claims) to these examples. The above embodiments or technical features among different embodiments can also be combined, steps can be implemented in any order, and there are many other variations of the aspects of the embodiments of the present application as described above, which are not provided in detail in order to be brief. It is intended that each of the individual aspects of the embodiments of the present application, as well as any combination of the aspects, be considered within the scope of the present application.

[0090] In addition, in order to simplify the description and discussion, and so as not to make the embodiments of the present application difficult to understand, the known power / ground connections of integrated circuit (IC) chips and other components can or can not be shown in the provided drawings. In addition, devices can be shown in block diagram form in order to avoid making the embodiments of the present application difficult to understand, and this also takes into account the fact that the details of the implementation of these block diagram devices are highly dependent on the platform to be implemented (i.e., these details should be well within the understanding of those skilled in the art). Where specific details (e.g., circuitry) are set forth in order to describe an illustrative embodiment of the present application, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the present application can be practiced without these specific details or with an implementation varying from these details. Therefore, these descriptions should be considered as illustrative and not restrictive.

[0091] Although the present application has been described in conjunction with specific embodiments thereof, many alternatives, modifications and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art in light of the foregoing description. For example, other memory architectures (e.g., dynamic RAM (DRAM)) can use the embodiments discussed.

[0092] Embodiments of the present application are intended to cover any and all such substitutions, modifications, and variations that fall within the scope of the appended claims. Accordingly, any one or more features of the present application can be taken alone or in any combination and are deemed to be within the scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A method of satellite communication, characterized by, The application is applied to a satellite communication system, which comprises a control management module, a plurality of low-orbit access nodes and a plurality of high-orbit relay nodes. The method comprises: The source low-orbit access node sends a first message to the control management module; The control management module selects a target high-orbit relay node according to the first message and returns a second message to the source low-orbit access node; wherein the second message comprises the address of the target high-orbit relay node; The source low-orbit access node obtains a new data packet according to the second message and sends the new data packet to the target high-orbit relay node, so that the target high-orbit relay node obtains a target data packet according to the new data packet and sends the target data packet to a destination low-orbit access node; The control management module selects a target high-orbit relay node according to the first message, which comprises: The control management module queries the link state of each link between the source low-orbit access node and the plurality of high-orbit relay nodes and between the plurality of high-orbit relay nodes and the destination low-orbit access node according to the first message; The control management module obtains preset slice parameter coefficients and the load state and port performance of the plurality of low-orbit access nodes and the plurality of high-orbit relay nodes; The control management module selects the target high-orbit relay node according to the link state, the slice parameter coefficients, the load state and the port performance.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, The satellite communication system further comprises a first ground device and a second ground device, and the first ground device is in communication connection with the source low-orbit access node; The source low-orbit access node sends a first message to the control management module, which specifically comprises: The source low-orbit access node receives an original data packet sent by the first ground device, obtains the address of the first ground device and the address of the second ground device according to the original data packet, and generates the first message according to the address of the source low-orbit access node, the address of the first ground device and the address of the second ground device.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein, The second ground device is in communication connection with the destination low-orbit access node; The control management module selects a target high-orbit relay node according to the first message and returns a second message to the source low-orbit access node, which specifically comprises: The control management module obtains the address of the second ground device according to the first message, obtains the address of the target high-orbit relay node according to the selected target high-orbit relay node, determines the address of the destination low-orbit access node according to the address of the second ground device, and generates the second message according to the address of the target high-orbit relay node and the address of the destination low-orbit access node.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein, The source low-orbit access node obtains a new data packet according to the second message, which comprises: The source low-orbit access node obtains the address of the target high-orbit forwarding node and the address of the destination low-orbit access node according to the second message, and obtains the new data packet according to the address of the target high-orbit forwarding node, the address of the destination low-orbit access node and the original data packet; wherein the original data packet is stored in a data part of the new data packet, and the address of the destination low-orbit access node is stored in an optional field part of the new data packet.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein, The target high-orbit forwarding node obtains a target data packet according to the new data packet, comprising: The target high-orbit forwarding node obtains the address of the destination low-orbit access node according to the new data packet, and obtains the target data packet according to the address of the destination low-orbit access node and the original data packet.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein, After the target data packet is sent to the destination low-orbit access node, the method further comprises: The destination low-orbit access node obtains the original data packet according to the target data packet, and sends the original data packet to the second ground equipment.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein, The control management module selects the target high-orbit forwarding node according to the link state, the slice parameter coefficient, the load state and the port performance, comprising: The control management module calculates the link priority of each link by weighting according to the link state, the slice parameter coefficient, the load state and the port performance, and selects the target high-orbit forwarding node according to the link priority.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein, The control management module selects the target high-orbit forwarding node according to the first message, comprising: In response to the existence of data information of a high-orbit forwarding node matched with the first message in the data cache of the control management module, and the data information not being expired, the control management module takes the high-orbit forwarding node corresponding to the data information as the target high-orbit forwarding node.

9. A satellite communication system, characterized by The satellite communication system comprises a control management module, a certain number of low-orbit access nodes and a certain number of high-orbit forwarding nodes; A source low-orbit access node sends a first message to the control management module; The control management module selects a target high-orbit forwarding node according to the first message, and returns a second message to the source low-orbit access node; wherein the second message comprises the address of the target high-orbit forwarding node; The source low-orbit access node obtains a new data packet according to the second message, and sends the new data packet to the target high-orbit forwarding node, so that the target high-orbit forwarding node obtains a target data packet according to the new data packet, and sends the target data packet to a destination low-orbit access node; The control management module selects the target high-orbit forwarding node according to the first message, comprising: The control management module queries the link state of each link between the source low-orbit access node and the certain number of high-orbit forwarding nodes, and between the certain number of high-orbit forwarding nodes and the destination low-orbit access node according to the first message; The control management module obtains a preset slice parameter coefficient, and obtains the load state and the port performance of the certain number of low-orbit access nodes and the certain number of high-orbit forwarding nodes; The control management module selects the target high-orbit forwarding node according to the link state, the slice parameter coefficient, the load state and the port performance.

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