Lightweight control method, device, equipment and product for satellite-borne forwarding equipment

Abstract

The present application discloses a lightweight control method, apparatus, equipment and product for satellite-borne forwarding equipment, which relates to the field of satellite communication technology. The method includes: starting the satellite-borne forwarding equipment and a local control program, the local control program is used to complete the initial configuration of the satellite-borne forwarding equipment, and controlling the remote controller and the local control program to establish a communication connection based on the remote control transport layer communication protocol; after the communication connection is established, the satellite-borne forwarding equipment is controlled to forward data packets through the local and remote collaborative control mechanism. By starting the satellite-borne forwarding equipment and the local control program, the local control program can independently complete the initial configuration of the equipment. By controlling the satellite-borne forwarding equipment through the local and remote collaborative control mechanism, control tasks can be allocated according to different task requirements, reducing remote dependence, adapting to the weak control link environment of the satellite network, reducing the bandwidth resource occupation of the control message, and improving communication efficiency.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of satellite communication technology, and in particular to lightweight control methods, devices, equipment and products for satellite-borne forwarding equipment. Background Art

[0002] In recent years, with the development of aerospace technology, satellite networks have also ushered in a period of explosive growth. From the 77 low-orbit satellites of the Iridium system to the 40,000 satellites of the Starlink project, satellite Internet has become possible. The on-board processing capabilities have been continuously enhanced, and the demand for on-board data exchange has become more urgent. Some satellites already have on-board exchange capabilities.

[0003] Currently, satellite networks are usually deployed on the ground or on higher-orbit satellites. In satellite network scenarios, control channels can only be based on wireless links, but satellite wireless links generally have the problem of low communication efficiency.

[0004] Therefore, how to improve the communication efficiency of satellite wireless links is a problem that needs to be solved urgently. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The main purpose of this application is to provide a lightweight control method, device, equipment and product for satellite-borne forwarding equipment, aiming to solve the technical problem of low efficiency of satellite wireless link communication.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, the present application proposes a lightweight control method for a satellite-borne forwarding device, the method comprising:

[0007] Starting the onboard forwarding device and the local control program, wherein the local control program is used to complete the initial configuration of the onboard forwarding device;

[0008] Controlling the remote controller and the local control program to establish a communication connection based on a remote control transport layer communication protocol;

[0009] After the communication connection is established, the satellite-borne forwarding device is controlled to forward data packets through a local and remote collaborative control mechanism.

[0010] In one embodiment, the step of starting the onboard forwarding device and the local control program, wherein the local control program is used to complete the initial configuration of the onboard forwarding device, includes:

[0011] Starting the onboard forwarding device and configuring initial flow table rules, wherein the initial flow table rules are used to define how the onboard forwarding device processes data packets of different types of networks;

[0012] The initial flow table rules are sent to the satellite-borne forwarding device through a local control program.

[0013] In one embodiment, the step of controlling the remote controller and the local control program to establish a communication connection based on the remote control transport layer communication protocol includes:

[0014] Establish a controller cluster based on the remote controller's nodes;

[0015] Dynamically assigning onboard forwarding devices to corresponding controller nodes based on load information of each node in the controller cluster and the geographical distribution of onboard forwarding devices;

[0016] Each controller node communicates with the local control program of the onboard forwarding device through the remote control transport layer communication protocol.

[0017] In one embodiment, after establishing the communication connection, the step of controlling the onboard forwarding device to forward data packets through a local and remote collaborative control mechanism includes:

[0018] After establishing the communication connection, encoding the message based on the protocol buffer to obtain a transmission message;

[0019] Sending the transmission message to the local control program for decoding according to the lightweight control protocol to obtain a decoding result;

[0020] generating a dynamic forwarding rule based on the decoding result, wherein the dynamic forwarding rule is a rule dynamically generated by the remote controller based on network conditions;

[0021] Based on the lightweight control protocol, the satellite-borne forwarding device is controlled to forward data packets according to the dynamic forwarding rule.

[0022] In one embodiment, the step of encoding the message based on the protocol buffer to obtain the transmission message includes:

[0023] Encoding the payload data of the message based on the protocol buffer to obtain first message data;

[0024] compressing the first message data using a compression algorithm to obtain second message data;

[0025] The first message data and the second message data are encapsulated into the transmission message.

[0026] In one embodiment, the step of sending the transmission message to the local control program for decoding according to the lightweight control protocol to obtain a decoding result includes:

[0027] Based on the lightweight control protocol, decompress the transmission message using a decompression algorithm to recover the first message data;

[0028] The first message data is decoded through a protocol buffer to obtain a decoding result.

[0029] In addition, to achieve the above-mentioned purpose, the present application also proposes a lightweight control device for a satellite-borne forwarding device, wherein the lightweight control device for the satellite-borne forwarding device comprises:

[0030] An initial configuration module, used to start the onboard forwarding device and a local control program, wherein the local control program is used to complete the initial configuration of the onboard forwarding device;

[0031] A communication establishing module, configured to control the remote controller to establish a communication connection with the local control program based on a remote control transport layer communication protocol;

[0032] The data forwarding module is used to control the satellite-borne forwarding device to forward data packets through a local and remote collaborative control mechanism after the communication connection is established.

[0033] In addition, to achieve the above-mentioned purpose, the present application also proposes a lightweight control device for a satellite-borne forwarding device, which includes: a memory, a processor, and a computer program stored on the memory and runnable on the processor, and the computer program is configured to implement the steps of the lightweight control method for the satellite-borne forwarding device as described above.

[0034] In addition, to achieve the above-mentioned purpose, the present application also proposes a storage medium, which is a computer-readable storage medium, and a computer program is stored on the storage medium. When the computer program is executed by the processor, the steps of the lightweight control method of the satellite-borne forwarding device as described above are implemented.

[0035] In addition, to achieve the above-mentioned purpose, the present application also provides a computer program product, which includes a computer program. When the computer program is executed by a processor, it implements the steps of the lightweight control method of the satellite-borne forwarding device as described above.

[0036] One or more technical solutions proposed in this application have at least the following technical effects:

[0037] The onboard forwarding device and local control program are activated. The local control program is used to complete the initial configuration of the onboard forwarding device and establish a communication connection between the remote controller and the local control program based on the remote control transport layer communication protocol. After the communication connection is established, the onboard forwarding device is controlled to forward data packets through a local and remote collaborative control mechanism. By starting the onboard forwarding device and the local control program, the local control program can independently complete the initial configuration of the device, ensuring that the device is ready to process data packets in a short time. Controlling the onboard forwarding device through the local and remote collaborative control mechanism allows control tasks to be allocated according to different mission requirements. Remote control is responsible for global network scheduling and policy generation, while local control is responsible for executing specific forwarding rules and immediate response. This collaborative control mechanism reduces remote dependencies and improves the system's fault tolerance and data processing efficiency. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0038] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments consistent with the present application and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the present application.

[0039] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present application or the technical solutions in the prior art, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art. Obviously, for ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without any creative work.

[0040] Figure 1 This is a flow chart of the first embodiment of the lightweight control method for a satellite-borne forwarding device of the present application;

[0041] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the local and remote collaborative control mechanism according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0042] Figure 3 This is a flow chart of a second embodiment of a lightweight control method for a satellite-borne forwarding device of the present application;

[0043] Figure 4 This is a flowchart of the third embodiment of the lightweight control method for a satellite-borne forwarding device of the present application;

[0044] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of a lightweight control mechanism according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0045] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the Pipeline forwarding logic on the P4 data plane of an embodiment of the present application;

[0046] Figure 7 This is a flowchart of a fourth embodiment of a lightweight control method for a satellite-borne forwarding device of the present application;

[0047] Figure 8 Schematic diagram of two lightweight control message structures according to the embodiment of the present application;

[0048] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the lightweight control protocol layering and message structure of an embodiment of the present application;

[0049] Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram of the control operation mechanism of the lightweight control protocol according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0050] Figure 11 This is a schematic diagram of LLDP protocol collaborative processing in an embodiment of the present application;

[0051] Figure 12 This is a schematic diagram of the module structure of a lightweight control device for a satellite-borne forwarding device according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0052] Figure 13 Schematic diagram of the device structure of the hardware operating environment involved in the lightweight control method of the satellite-borne forwarding device in the embodiment of the present application.

[0053] The purpose, features and advantages of this application will be further explained with reference to the accompanying drawings in conjunction with the embodiments. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0054] It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are merely used to explain the technical solutions of the present application and are not intended to limit the present application.

[0055] In order to better understand the technical solution of the present application, a detailed description will be given below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and specific implementation methods.

[0056] With the advancement of aerospace technology, satellite networks have experienced explosive growth. From the Iridium system's 77 low-orbit satellites to the Starlink project's 40,000-satellite network, satellite internet has become possible. Onboard processing capabilities continue to increase, and the demand for onboard data exchange is growing stronger. Some systems now have onboard exchange capabilities. However, current industry research indicates that controllers in satellite networks are typically deployed on the ground or on higher-orbit satellites. In these scenarios, control channels can only be based on wireless links, which are generally characterized by limited bandwidth, high packet loss rates, high latency, and poor stability.

[0057] The executor of this embodiment can be a satellite-based control system, including satellite-based forwarding equipment. For example, programmable switching devices (Programming Protocol-independent Packet Processors, P4) are a key component. Due to their unique protocol independence, P4 is very valuable for satellite networks supporting both new protocols and iterative updates of existing protocols. In a satellite Software Defined Network (SDN) scenario, the control channel between the SDN controller and the satellite-based forwarding equipment may need to be based on telemetry, tracking, and control (TT&C) or similar wireless links. Satellite TT&C links typically have limited bandwidth and high packet loss rates. Remote control of traditional P4 device SDN controllers requires a stable connection and relatively large bandwidth resources.

[0058] The present application provides a solution to start the onboard forwarding device and the local control program. The local control program is used to complete the initial configuration of the onboard forwarding device, and to control the remote controller and the local control program to establish a communication connection based on the remote control transport layer communication protocol; after the communication connection is established, the onboard forwarding device is controlled to forward data packets through the local and remote collaborative control mechanism. By starting the onboard forwarding device and the local control program, the local control program can independently complete the initial configuration of the device, ensuring that the device is ready to process data packets in a short time. By controlling the onboard forwarding device through the local and remote collaborative control mechanism, control tasks can be allocated according to different task requirements. Remote control is responsible for global network scheduling and policy generation, and local control is responsible for executing specific forwarding rules and immediate response. This collaborative control mechanism reduces remote dependence, can adapt to the weak control link environment of the satellite network, improve the stability of the communication connection, reduce the bandwidth resource occupation of the control message, and improve communication efficiency.

[0059] Based on this, the embodiment of the present application provides a lightweight control method for a satellite-borne forwarding device, referring to Figure 1 , Figure 1 This is a flow chart of the first embodiment of the lightweight control method for a satellite-borne forwarding device of the present application.

[0060] In this embodiment, the lightweight control method of the satellite-borne forwarding device includes steps S10 to S30:

[0061] Step S10: Start the onboard forwarding device and the local control program. The local control program is used to complete the initial configuration of the onboard forwarding device.

[0062] It's important to note that onboard transponder equipment can be understood as communications equipment installed on satellites, used to receive, process, and forward data packets from Earth or other satellites. A local control program is a software program running on a ground station or satellite that performs the initial configuration of the onboard transponder equipment.

[0063] Exemplarily, the satellite-borne forwarding device may be a programmable switching device P4, and the initial configuration of the local control program may include operating parameters of the device, configuring a communication protocol, establishing necessary connections, and the like.

[0064] Step S20: Control the remote controller and the local control program to establish a communication connection based on the remote control transport layer communication protocol.

[0065] It should be noted that the remote control transport layer communication protocol may be a protocol for establishing a communication connection between a remote controller and a local control program. For example, the protocol may define key elements such as the data transmission format, error handling mechanism, and connection management. The remote controller is a device or software program located at a ground station or remote location that can establish a communication connection with the local control program via the remote control transport layer communication protocol and remotely control and configure the local control program. The remote controller may be an SDN controller.

[0066] Step S30: After the communication connection is established, the satellite-borne forwarding device is controlled to forward the data packet through the local and remote collaborative control mechanism.

[0067] It should be noted that the local and remote collaborative control mechanism refers to the mechanism of collaborative work between the local control program and the remote controller, allowing the remote controller to remotely control and configure the onboard forwarding equipment through the local control program, while ensuring that the local control program can perform corresponding operations according to the instructions of the remote controller.

[0068] For example, for programmable switching device P4, control is divided into two parts: local control and remote control. Local control runs inside the device and is mainly responsible for the initial configuration of the P4 device, establishing a connection with the remote control and coordinating with the remote control to perform remote configuration and data packet optimization processing. Remote control is based on the SDN controller to realize the remote control of multiple satellite-borne P4 devices, thereby realizing the overall satellite network service interoperability. Figure 2As shown, local control uses local control flows to control local operations, such as initial configuration. Remote control needs to be transmitted to local control through a remote control flow built on the corresponding network control protocol. The local control then converts it into a collaborative control flow message to configure the remote control on the P4 forwarding device. In some scenarios, after remote control is disconnected, local control also has a certain control plane processing capability, enabling the P4 forwarding device to execute the correct forwarding logic and provide better fault tolerance. The P4 programmable data plane (Programming Protocol-Independent Packet Processors) is a high-level programming language for the data plane that allows users to customize matching fields and action types, thereby customizing flow tables and forming pipelines.

[0069] In this embodiment, the onboard forwarding device and the local control program are started. The local control program is used to complete the initial configuration of the onboard forwarding device. Based on the remote control transport layer communication protocol, the remote controller and the local control program are controlled to establish a communication connection. After the communication connection is established, the onboard forwarding device is controlled to forward data packets through the local and remote collaborative control mechanism. By starting the onboard forwarding device and the local control program, the local control program can independently complete the initial configuration of the device, ensuring that the device is ready to process data packets in a short time. By controlling the onboard forwarding device through the local and remote collaborative control mechanism, control tasks can be assigned according to different task requirements. Remote control is responsible for global network scheduling and policy generation, and local control is responsible for executing specific forwarding rules and immediate response. This collaborative control mechanism reduces remote dependence and improves the system's fault tolerance and data processing efficiency.

[0070] Reference Figure 3 , Figure 3 This is a flow chart of the second embodiment of the lightweight control method for satellite-borne forwarding equipment of this application, based on the above Figure 1 The first embodiment shown here proposes the second embodiment of the lightweight control method of the satellite-borne forwarding device of the present application.

[0071] In the second embodiment, step S10 includes:

[0072] Step S101 : Start the satellite-borne forwarding device and configure the initial flow table rules. The initial flow table rules are used to define how the satellite-borne forwarding device processes data packets of different types of networks.

[0073] It should be noted that the initial flow table rules can be static, predefined rules used for basic configuration when the device starts up. They are usually tightly integrated with the hardware and software of the network device and can include matching conditions (such as IP address, port number, protocol type, etc.) and corresponding actions (such as forwarding, modifying or discarding data packets).

[0074] Step S102: Send the initial flow table rules to the satellite-borne forwarding device through the local control program.

[0075] It is understandable that the local control program will send the initial flow table rules to the onboard forwarding device. After the onboard forwarding device receives the rules and successfully loads them, the onboard forwarding device can process the network data packets according to the rules.

[0076] In this embodiment, by activating the onboard forwarding device and configuring the initial flow table rules, the device is equipped with the basic capabilities to process and forward data packets upon startup. By performing the initial configuration at startup, the device can respond to network requests immediately, eliminating the need to wait for complex configurations to be delivered by the remote controller, thereby accelerating the device startup process. By directly sending the initial flow table rules to the device via the local control program, reliance on the remote controller is reduced, enhancing the system's fault tolerance and reliability.

[0077] Reference Figure 4 , Figure 4 This is a flow chart of the third embodiment of the lightweight control method for satellite-borne forwarding equipment of this application, based on the above Figure 3 The second embodiment shown here proposes the third embodiment of the lightweight control method of the satellite-borne forwarding device of the present application.

[0078] In the third embodiment, step S20 includes:

[0079] Step S201: establishing a controller cluster based on the nodes of the remote controller.

[0080] It's important to note that in a remote controller cluster, each node represents an independently running controller instance, typically deployed in a different physical location or virtual environment, responsible for managing a subset of network devices. A controller cluster is a distributed system consisting of multiple controller nodes.

[0081] Step S202 : dynamically allocating the satellite-borne forwarding devices to corresponding controller nodes according to the load information of each node in the controller cluster and the geographical distribution of the satellite-borne forwarding devices.

[0082] It should be noted that load information can be the current workload of each controller node, typically including processing power, bandwidth utilization, and the number of connected network devices. For example, nodes in a controller cluster utilize the physical location of onboard forwarding devices to ensure the shortest possible communication paths between the controller node and the devices it manages, thereby reducing communication latency and bandwidth consumption. It is understood that if a controller node already connects to a large number of onboard forwarding devices or processes a large amount of network traffic, its load information will indicate a high load, making it unsuitable to assign additional devices.

[0083] In step S203, each controller node establishes a communication connection with the local control program of the onboard forwarding device via a remote control transport layer communication protocol.

[0084] It should be noted that the remote control transport layer communication protocol is a protocol used to transmit data between the remote controller node and the satellite-borne forwarding device. Figure 5 As shown, the communication connection is based on the remote control transport layer communication protocol (Quick UDP Internet Connections, QUIC) based on the User Datagram Protocol (User Datagram Protocol, UDP) instead of the Transmission Control Protocol (Transmission Control Protocol, TCP) connection; the control is decomposed into two layers of control, remote and local. The local control is responsible for the control functions that can be implemented locally by all devices, and the remote control is responsible for the control functions that need to rely on the remote centralized SDN controller function to be implemented. Among them, the P4 data plane is responsible for customizing the pipeline forwarding logic and quickly forwarding data packets based on the forwarding table items issued by the control plane. Its core advantage lies in its protocol independence, that is, it is not bound by specific network protocols, so that network equipment can flexibly adapt to new network application scenarios. Through P4, users can continuously update the Pipeline forwarding logic of the data plane and support new protocols to meet the ever-changing network needs. For example, Figure 6 A typical data plane pipeline forwarding scenario is presented. The P4 data plane pipeline defines multiple forwarding tables for Ethernet, IPv4 (Internet Protocol version 4), IPv6 (Internet Protocol version 6), TCP (Transmission Control Protocol), and UDP (User Datagram Protocol). Ethernet is used to match and forward packets based on the Ethernet header, typically for Layer 2 forwarding. IPv4 and IPv6 are used to match and forward packets based on IPv4 and IPv6 headers, respectively, typically for routing forwarding. TCP and UDP are used to match and forward packets based on TCP and UDP headers, respectively, typically for flow policy forwarding. Forwarding rule entries are configured locally or remotely.

[0085] In this embodiment, by establishing a controller cluster, each controller node can operate independently, and multiple nodes in the cluster can collaboratively manage a larger number of onboard forwarding devices, improving the system's scalability and manageability. By dynamically allocating devices based on the controller node load and the geographic distribution of onboard forwarding devices, each controller node can handle its assigned devices with optimized resources, ensuring geographic compatibility between controller nodes and onboard devices and reducing communication latency. Establishing communication connections through an efficient remote control transmission protocol ensures fast, secure, and stable communication between controllers and devices, improving the collaborative efficiency of network control and data forwarding.

[0086] Reference Figure 7 , Figure 7 This is a flow chart of the fourth embodiment of the lightweight control method for satellite-borne forwarding equipment of this application, based on the above Figure 4 The third embodiment shown is a fourth embodiment of the lightweight control method of the satellite-borne forwarding device of the present application.

[0087] In the fourth embodiment, step S30 includes:

[0088] Step S301: After establishing a communication connection, the message is encoded based on the protocol buffer to obtain a transmission message.

[0089] It's important to note that Protocol Buffers (Protobuf) is an efficient serialization format used to encode structured data (such as control instructions and status information) into a compact binary format for fast transmission over a network. A message is the fundamental unit of data transmitted over a network and typically consists of serialized control data and necessary header information.

[0090] Step S302: sending the transmission message to the local control program for decoding according to the lightweight control protocol to obtain a decoding result.

[0091] It should be noted that the lightweight control protocol is an efficient, low-overhead network control protocol used to transmit control instructions and status data between a remote controller and a local control program. The protocol is suitable for satellite networks with limited bandwidth or high latency, supports synchronous and asynchronous communications, and can quickly transmit control messages. The decoding result can be the data extracted after the local control program decodes the transmission message. Exemplarily, the lightweight control protocol can be a lightweight runtime (Light-weight Runtime, LwRuntime) based on the QUIC protocol for the transmission of control messages between remote and local controls. LwRuntime provides two types of message structures, one for control message communications that need to be returned during synchronous control, and one for control message communications that do not need to be returned during asynchronous control. The two message structures and the fields they contain are as follows: Figure 8 As shown in the figure, the control message field payload is the control original message load. The control message data stream encoding in the payload is based on the Protobuf (Protocol Buffers) efficient encoding method to reduce the amount of data. compress identifies the payload (control message load) compression identifier, len is the length of the payload, and the id in the synchronization request is used to identify the request for associating the request response. compress can be extended to support multiple compression algorithms (such as 0 for no compression, 1 for zlib and 2 for gzip, etc.), which makes it easy to select the appropriate compression algorithm according to the characteristics of the control message. The overall network protocol layer includes a lightweight control protocol layer and a message structure, such as Figure 9 As shown in the figure, the network protocol is layered, based on the TCP / IP protocol. Ethernet, as the data link layer protocol, provides link management and error detection. IP, as the network layer protocol, is responsible for network data packet transmission. UDP, as the transport layer protocol, is responsible for connectionless data transmission and sharing. QUIC, as the transport layer protocol, is responsible for connection-oriented reliable data transmission and sharing. LwRuntime, as the application layer protocol, is used for remote control protocol and is responsible for lightweight control data packet transmission. Lightweight control protocol packets serve as the payload of the QUIC protocol, QUIC protocol packets serve as the payload of UDP, UDP protocol packets serve as the payload of IP, and IP protocol packets serve as the payload of Ethernet.

[0092] Step S303: Generate a dynamic forwarding rule based on the decoding result. The dynamic forwarding rule is a rule dynamically generated by the remote controller based on the network status.

[0093] It should be noted that dynamic forwarding rules are forwarding policies generated in real time by a remote controller based on network conditions. They guide onboard forwarding equipment on how to process network packets. Dynamic rule generation depends on real-time conditions such as network traffic and load, enabling flexible response to network changes.

[0094] Step S304: Based on the lightweight control protocol, the satellite-borne forwarding device is controlled to forward the data packet according to the dynamic forwarding rule.

[0095] For example, the remote controller generates dynamic forwarding rules based on the current network traffic, instructing the onboard forwarding device to preferentially forward traffic from a specific IP address to a specific path to optimize network performance. Figure 10 As shown, first you need to establish a QUIC connection, and then transmit synchronous control messages and asynchronous control messages based on the QUIC connection. A synchronous message requires a response for each request, and both parties of the asynchronous message transmit messages at any time.

[0096] In this embodiment, by using Protocol Buffers (Protobuf) to encode messages, complex control instructions can be serialized into a compact binary format, reducing transmission time and bandwidth usage in bandwidth-constrained environments such as satellite networks. Using a lightweight control protocol to transmit control instructions and status data between a remote controller and a local control program effectively reduces network overhead. Dynamic forwarding rules are generated based on the decoding results. Onboard forwarding equipment, using these dynamically generated forwarding rules, can flexibly and efficiently process and forward data packets, improving the network's adaptability and processing capabilities.

[0097] In one embodiment, based on the above-mentioned fourth embodiment, the step S301 includes: encoding the payload data of the message based on the protocol buffer to obtain first message data; compressing the first message data through a compression algorithm to obtain second message data; and encapsulating the first message data and the second message data into the transmission message.

[0098] Exemplarily, the protocol buffer (Protobuf) is used to efficiently encode the payload part of the control message to reduce the amount of message data, and an appropriate compression algorithm is selected to compress the encoded payload. The compress field is used to indicate the compression algorithm used, 0 means no compression, 1 means zlib compression, and 2 means gzip compression. A complete message structure including payload, compress identifier and message length (len) is generated, and the encoded and compressed message is encapsulated into a transmission unit suitable for the lightweight control protocol, ready to be sent to the local control program.

[0099] In this embodiment, by combining protocol buffering and compression algorithms, the efficiency of data transmission is greatly improved, the occupation of network resources is reduced, encoding and compression optimize the data volume and transmission speed, and enhance the flexibility and reliability of the system.

[0100] In one embodiment, based on the fourth embodiment, step S302 includes: decompressing the transmission message through a decompression algorithm based on the lightweight control protocol to restore the first message data; decoding the first message data through the protocol buffer to obtain a decoding result.

[0101] Exemplarily, the local control program receives encoded and compressed control messages sent by the remote controller, selects an appropriate decompression algorithm based on the compress field in the message, and decompresses the received message. It then decodes the decompressed message using Protobuf to extract the original control data. Based on the decoding results, it generates dynamic forwarding rules, which are used to control the forwarding behavior of the onboard forwarding device. In synchronous communication, the ID field is used to associate requests and responses, ensuring message integrity and accuracy. In asynchronous communication, it processes control messages that do not require an immediate return.

[0102] In this implementation, by using a lightweight control protocol and decompression algorithm, combined with Protobuf's efficient decoding mechanism, the local control program can quickly process control commands sent by the remote controller, thereby reducing latency and improving response speed. Dynamic forwarding rule generation and support for asynchronous communication further enhance the system's adaptability, ensuring that devices can flexibly and efficiently respond to changing network conditions while reducing the device's computational burden.

[0103] In one embodiment, based on the above embodiments, an optimization of local and remote collaborative control packet processing is proposed, which divides the control into two layers, local and remote. In the process of processing data packets on the control plane, part of the control data packet processing logic can be transferred from the remote to the local, thereby reducing the amount of data transmitted by the remote control channel. Taking the Link Layer Discovery Protocol (LLDP) as an example, other protocol processing such as Address Resolution Protocol (ARP), Internet Control Message Protocol for the IPv6 (ICMPv6) or Neighbor Discovery Protocol (NDP) can also be similarly optimized according to the application scenario. Figure 11 As shown in the figure, the link discovery LLDP packet is sent regularly to detect the link status. It is no longer initiated by the remote control, but by the local control on the device side. After the LLDP packet is sent to the peer device, it is no longer sent to the remote SDN controller, but is directly forwarded back to the original device. The local control of the original device determines the link status based on the LLDP packet reception situation. Only when the link status changes will the status update packet be sent to the remote SDN controller. In this way, the control link only sends the link update packet, which greatly reduces the control link data transmission volume.

[0104] This implementation significantly reduces remote channel traffic by shifting some link layer protocol processing from the remote controller to the local control program, improving network response speed and processing efficiency. This layered control architecture also enhances system autonomy and fault tolerance, reduces the load on the remote controller, and optimizes network resource utilization.

[0105] It should be noted that the above examples are only used to understand the present application and do not constitute a limitation on the lightweight control method of the satellite-borne forwarding equipment of the present application. More simple transformations based on this technical concept are all within the scope of protection of the present application.

[0106] This application also provides a lightweight control device for satellite-borne forwarding equipment, please refer to Figure 12 , the lightweight control device of the satellite-borne forwarding device includes:

[0107] An initial configuration module 10 is used to start the onboard forwarding device and a local control program, wherein the local control program is used to complete the initial configuration of the onboard forwarding device;

[0108] A communication establishing module 20 is configured to control the remote controller to establish a communication connection with the local control program based on a remote control transport layer communication protocol;

[0109] The data forwarding module 30 is used to control the satellite-borne forwarding device to forward data packets through a local and remote collaborative control mechanism after the communication connection is established.

[0110] The lightweight control device for a satellite-borne transponder device provided in this application utilizes the lightweight control method for a satellite-borne transponder device described in the aforementioned embodiments, thereby resolving the technical issue of low satellite wireless link communication efficiency. Compared to the prior art, the lightweight control device for a satellite-borne transponder device provided in this application offers the same beneficial effects as the lightweight control method for a satellite-borne transponder device described in the aforementioned embodiments. Other technical features of the lightweight control device for a satellite-borne transponder device are the same as those disclosed in the aforementioned embodiments and are not further elaborated upon here.

[0111] The present application provides a lightweight control device for a satellite-borne forwarding device, and the lightweight control device for the satellite-borne forwarding device includes: at least one processor; and a memory communicatively connected to the at least one processor; wherein the memory stores instructions that can be executed by the at least one processor, and the instructions are executed by the at least one processor so that the at least one processor can execute the lightweight control method for the satellite-borne forwarding device in the above-mentioned embodiment one.

[0112] Reference below Figure 13, which shows a schematic structural diagram of a lightweight control device suitable for implementing a satellite-borne forwarding device in an embodiment of the present application. The lightweight control device for the satellite-borne forwarding device in an embodiment of the present application may include, but is not limited to, mobile terminals such as mobile phones, laptop computers, digital broadcast receivers, PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants), PADs (Portable Application Descriptions), PMPs (Portable Media Players), in-vehicle terminals (e.g., in-vehicle navigation terminals), and fixed terminals such as digital TVs and desktop computers. Figure 13 The lightweight control device of the satellite-borne forwarding device shown is merely an example and should not bring any limitation to the functions and scope of use of the embodiments of the present application.

[0113] like Figure 13 As shown, the lightweight control device of the onboard forwarding device may include a processing device 1001 (e.g., a central processing unit, a graphics processing unit, etc.), which can perform various appropriate actions and processes based on programs stored in a read-only memory (ROM) 1002 or programs loaded from a storage device 1003 into a random access memory (RAM) 1004. RAM 1004 also stores various programs and data required for the operation of the lightweight control device of the onboard forwarding device. Processing device 1001, ROM 1002, and RAM 1004 are interconnected via a bus 1005. An input / output (I / O) interface 1006 is also connected to the bus. Typically, the following systems can be connected to the I / O interface 1006: an input device 1007 including, for example, a touch screen, a touchpad, a keyboard, a mouse, an image sensor, a microphone, an accelerometer, a gyroscope, etc.; an output device 1008 including, for example, a liquid crystal display (LCD), a speaker, a vibrator, etc.; a storage device 1003 including, for example, a magnetic tape, a hard disk, etc.; and a communication device 1009. The communication device 1009 can allow the lightweight control device of the onboard forwarding device to communicate with other devices wirelessly or by wire to exchange data. Although Figure 13 The lightweight control device of the onboard repeater device with various systems is shown, but it should be understood that it is not required to implement or have all the systems shown. More or fewer systems may be implemented or have instead.

[0114] In particular, according to the embodiments disclosed in the present application, the processes described above with reference to the flowcharts can be implemented as computer software programs. For example, the embodiments disclosed in the present application include a computer program product comprising a computer program carried on a computer-readable medium, the computer program comprising program code for executing the method shown in the flowchart. In such an embodiment, the computer program can be downloaded and installed from a network via a communication device, or installed from a storage device 1003, or installed from a ROM 1002. When the computer program is executed by the processing device 1001, the above-mentioned functions defined in the method of the embodiment disclosed in the present application are executed.

[0115] The lightweight control device for a satellite-borne transponder device provided in this application utilizes the lightweight control method for a satellite-borne transponder device described in the aforementioned embodiment, thereby resolving the technical issue of low satellite wireless link communication efficiency. Compared to the prior art, the lightweight control device for a satellite-borne transponder device provided in this application achieves the same beneficial effects as the lightweight control method for a satellite-borne transponder device described in the aforementioned embodiment. Other technical features of this lightweight control device for a satellite-borne transponder device are the same as those disclosed in the aforementioned embodiment and are not further elaborated upon here.

[0116] It should be understood that the various parts disclosed in this application can be implemented using hardware, software, firmware, or a combination thereof. In the description of the above embodiments, specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics can be combined in any one or more embodiments or examples in a suitable manner.

[0117] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of the present application, but the scope of protection of the present application is not limited thereto. Any changes or substitutions that can be easily conceived by a person skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in this application should be included in the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be based on the scope of protection of the claims.

[0118] The present application provides a computer-readable storage medium having computer-readable program instructions (ie, computer program) stored thereon, and the computer-readable program instructions are used to execute the lightweight control method of the satellite-borne forwarding device in the above-mentioned embodiment.

[0119] The computer-readable storage medium provided in this application may be, for example, a USB flash drive, but is not limited to electrical, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor systems, systems or devices, or any combination thereof. More specific examples of computer-readable storage media may include, but are not limited to: an electrical connection with one or more wires, a portable computer disk, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), an optical fiber, a portable compact disk read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination thereof. In this embodiment, the computer-readable storage medium may be any tangible medium that contains or stores a program that can be used by or in conjunction with an instruction execution system, system or device. The program code contained on the computer-readable storage medium may be transmitted using any appropriate medium, including but not limited to: wires, optical cables, RF (Radio Frequency), etc., or any suitable combination thereof.

[0120] The computer-readable storage medium may be included in the lightweight control device of the satellite-borne forwarding device; or may exist independently without being assembled into the lightweight control device of the satellite-borne forwarding device.

[0121] The above-mentioned computer-readable storage medium carries one or more programs. When the above-mentioned one or more programs are executed by the lightweight control device of the satellite-borne forwarding device, the lightweight control device of the satellite-borne forwarding device: starts the satellite-borne forwarding device and the local control program, and the local control program is used to complete the initial configuration of the satellite-borne forwarding device; controls the remote controller and the local control program to establish a communication connection based on the remote control transport layer communication protocol; and after establishing the communication connection, controls the satellite-borne forwarding device to forward data packets through the local and remote collaborative control mechanism.

[0122] Computer program code for performing the operations of the present application may be written in one or more programming languages, or a combination thereof, including object-oriented programming languages ​​such as Java, Smalltalk, C++, and conventional procedural programming languages ​​such as "C" or similar programming languages. The program code may be executed entirely on the user's computer, partially on the user's computer, as a stand-alone software package, partially on the user's computer and partially on a remote computer, or entirely on the remote computer or server. In cases involving a remote computer, the remote computer may be connected to the user's computer through any type of network, including a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN), or may be connected to an external computer (e.g., through the Internet using an Internet service provider).

[0123] The flow charts and block diagrams in the accompanying drawings illustrate the possible architecture, functions and operations of the systems, methods and computer program products according to various embodiments of the present application. In this regard, each box in the flow chart or block diagram can represent a module, program segment or a part of code, and the module, program segment or a part of code contains one or more executable instructions for realizing the specified logical function. It should also be noted that in some alternative implementations, the functions marked in the box can also occur in a different order than that marked in the accompanying drawings. For example, two boxes represented in succession can actually be executed substantially in parallel, and they can sometimes be executed in the opposite order, depending on the functions involved. It should also be noted that each box in the block diagram and / or flow chart, and the combination of the boxes in the block diagram and / or flow chart can be implemented by a dedicated hardware-based system that performs the specified function or operation, or can be implemented by a combination of dedicated hardware and computer instructions.

[0124] The modules described in the embodiments of the present application may be implemented in software or hardware, wherein the name of a module does not necessarily limit the unit itself.

[0125] The computer-readable storage medium provided in this application stores computer-readable program instructions (i.e., a computer program) for executing the lightweight control method for satellite-borne transponder equipment described above, thereby resolving the technical issue of low satellite wireless link communication efficiency. Compared to the prior art, the beneficial effects of the computer-readable storage medium provided in this application are similar to those of the lightweight control method for satellite-borne transponder equipment provided in the aforementioned embodiments, and are not further elaborated here.

[0126] The present application also provides a computer program product, comprising a computer program, which implements the steps of the lightweight control method of the satellite-borne forwarding device as described above when the computer program is executed by a processor.

[0127] The computer program product provided in this application can address the technical issue of low satellite wireless link communication efficiency. Compared to the prior art, the computer program product provided in this application offers the same beneficial effects as the lightweight control method for satellite-borne forwarding equipment provided in the aforementioned embodiments, and will not be further elaborated here.

[0128] The above description is only part of the embodiments of the present application and does not limit the patent scope of the present application. All equivalent structural transformations made by using the contents of the present application specification and drawings under the technical concept of the present application, or direct / indirect application in other related technical fields are included in the patent protection scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A lightweight control method for a satellite-borne forwarding device, characterized in that: The method includes: Starting the onboard forwarding device and the local control program, wherein the local control program is used to complete the initial configuration of the onboard forwarding device; Controlling the remote controller and the local control program to establish a communication connection based on a remote control transport layer communication protocol; After establishing the communication connection, controlling the onboard forwarding device to forward data packets through a local and remote collaborative control mechanism; The step of starting the onboard forwarding device and the local control program, wherein the local control program is used to complete the initial configuration of the onboard forwarding device, includes: Starting the onboard forwarding device and configuring initial flow table rules, wherein the initial flow table rules are used to define how the onboard forwarding device processes data packets of different types of networks; Sending the initial flow table rules to the onboard forwarding device through a local control program; After establishing the communication connection, the step of controlling the satellite-borne forwarding device to forward data packets through a local and remote collaborative control mechanism includes: After establishing the communication connection, encoding the message based on the protocol buffer to obtain a transmission message; The transmission message is sent to the local control program for decoding according to the lightweight control protocol to obtain a decoding result. The lightweight control protocol is a lightweight runtime control protocol proposed based on the QUIC protocol, which is used to transmit control instructions and status data between the remote controller and the local control program. The network protocol layering of the lightweight control protocol is based on the TCP / IP protocol. In the network protocol layering, QUIC is used as the transport layer protocol, and the lightweight runtime control protocol is used as the application layer protocol for the remote control protocol to be responsible for lightweight control data packet transmission. The message structure of the lightweight control protocol includes a synchronous control message structure and an asynchronous control message structure. The synchronous control message structure is used for control message communication that needs to be returned during synchronous control, and the asynchronous control message structure is used for control message communication that does not need to be returned during asynchronous control; generating a dynamic forwarding rule based on the decoding result, wherein the dynamic forwarding rule is a rule dynamically generated by the remote controller based on network conditions; Based on the lightweight control protocol, the satellite-borne forwarding device is controlled to forward data packets according to the dynamic forwarding rule.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein The step of controlling the remote controller and the local control program to establish a communication connection based on the remote control transport layer communication protocol includes: Establish a controller cluster based on the remote controller's nodes; Dynamically assigning onboard forwarding devices to corresponding controller nodes based on the load information of each node in the controller cluster and the geographical distribution of onboard forwarding devices; Each controller node communicates with the local control program of the onboard forwarding device through the remote control transport layer communication protocol.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein The step of encoding the message based on the protocol buffer to obtain the transmission message includes: Encoding the payload data of the message based on the protocol buffer to obtain first message data; compressing the first message data using a compression algorithm to obtain second message data; The first message data and the second message data are encapsulated into the transmission message.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein The step of sending the transmission message to the local control program for decoding according to the lightweight control protocol to obtain a decoding result includes: Based on the lightweight control protocol, decompress the transmission message using a decompression algorithm to recover the first message data; The first message data is decoded through a protocol buffer to obtain a decoding result.

5. A lightweight control device for a satellite-borne forwarding device, characterized in that: The device comprises: An initial configuration module, used to start the onboard forwarding device and a local control program, wherein the local control program is used to complete the initial configuration of the onboard forwarding device; A communication establishing module, configured to control the remote controller to establish a communication connection with the local control program based on a remote control transport layer communication protocol; A data forwarding module, configured to control the onboard forwarding device to forward data packets through a local and remote collaborative control mechanism after the communication connection is established; The initial configuration module is further configured to start the onboard forwarding device and configure initial flow table rules, wherein the initial flow table rules are used to define how the onboard forwarding device processes data packets of different types of networks; and send the initial flow table rules to the onboard forwarding device through a local control program; The data forwarding module is also used to encode the message based on the protocol buffer after establishing the communication connection to obtain a transmission message; send the transmission message to the local control program for decoding according to the lightweight control protocol to obtain a decoding result, the network protocol layer of the lightweight control protocol is based on the TCP / IP protocol, QUIC is used as the transport layer protocol in the network protocol layer, and the lightweight runtime control protocol is used as the application layer protocol for the remote control protocol to be responsible for lightweight control data packet transmission, the message structure of the lightweight control protocol includes a synchronous control message structure and an asynchronous control message structure, the synchronous control message structure is used for control message communication that needs to be returned during synchronous control, and the asynchronous control message structure is used for control message communication that does not need to be returned during asynchronous control; generate dynamic forwarding rules based on the decoding results, the dynamic forwarding rules are rules dynamically generated by the remote controller based on network conditions; based on the lightweight control protocol, control the onboard forwarding device to forward data packets according to the dynamic forwarding rules.

6. A lightweight control device for a satellite-borne forwarding device, characterized in that: The device includes: a memory, a processor, and a computer program stored in the memory and executable on the processor, wherein the computer program is configured to implement the steps of the lightweight control method for a satellite-borne forwarding device according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

7. A storage medium, characterized in that: The storage medium is a computer-readable storage medium, and a computer program is stored on the storage medium. When the computer program is executed by a processor, the steps of the lightweight control method of the satellite-borne forwarding device according to any one of claims 1 to 4 are implemented.

8. A computer program product, characterized in that The computer program product includes a computer program, and when the computer program is executed by a processor, the steps of the lightweight control method of the satellite-borne forwarding device according to any one of claims 1 to 4 are implemented.

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