A message forwarding method and system based on network slicing self-learning

Abstract

A message forwarding method and system based on network slicing self-learning, relating to the field of SRv6 network communication technology, the method comprising: extending the hop-by-hop option HBH message header to carry slicing information, including the network slice ID, the network slice interface bandwidth, and the network slice status; when a service disk receives a service message and needs to continue forwarding, it queries the network slice forwarding table according to the slicing information and selects the corresponding SRv6 next-hop outbound interface to forward the service message; and when the network slice status is a learning state, it selects to update the network slice interface bandwidth or create a network slice interface and a network slice forwarding table according to the network slice interface bandwidth and whether a valid network slice interface is queried, and sends the created network slice forwarding table to the control disk, which then sends it to all its service disks. The present invention does not require pre-dividing the network slice interface or reserving forwarding bandwidth, thereby simplifying the network slice interface configuration and resource reservation.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of SRv6 network communication technology, and specifically to a message forwarding method and system based on network slicing self-learning. Background Art

[0002] The main service requirements in the 5G era fall into three categories: eMBB (Enhanced Mobile Broadband) focuses on bandwidth-intensive services, such as HD video and virtual / augmented reality; uRLLC (Ultra-Reliable Low-Latency Communication) targets latency- and reliability-sensitive services, such as autonomous driving, industrial control, telemedicine, and drone control; and mMTC (Massive Machine-Type Communication) addresses scenarios with high connection density, such as smart cities and smart agriculture. These diverse requirements require completely different network characteristics and performance, making them difficult to address with a single network.

[0003] To meet the differentiated needs of different services within a single physical network, the concept of network slicing emerged as a key technical feature of 5G. Network slicing involves creating multiple virtual networks on a single physical network, each containing specific network functions and composed of customized network topologies and resources. These networks are used to meet the service requirements of different network slice tenants and provide SLA (Service-Level Agreement) guarantees.

[0004] Network slices based on network slice IDs (Slice IDs) share the underlying physical network and are logically sliced ​​for forwarding resources. Service network slices and default slices (physical network slices) differ only in resources at the forwarding layer, while they share the same control layer. Service network slices do not require repeated configuration of IPv6 (Internet Protocol Version 6) addresses and directly inherit the IPv6 address, cost, End / End.X SID, and other information of the default slice. However, devices in the sliced ​​network need to be configured with network slice interfaces; network slice interfaces need to be pre-divided on the forwarding plane; network slice instances need to be bound, and forwarding resources such as bandwidth need to be reserved. As the scale of sliced ​​networks expands, network slice interface configuration and resource reservation become complex, increasing the difficulty for operators to provide network slicing services. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The present application provides a message forwarding method and system based on network slicing self-learning, which can solve the technical problems existing in the prior art that the forwarding layer needs to pre-divide the network slice interface and reserve bandwidth.

[0006] In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a message forwarding method based on network slicing self-learning, the method comprising:

[0007] The extended hop-by-hop option HBH message header carries slice information, including network slice ID, network slice interface bandwidth, and network slice status;

[0008] When the service disk receives a service message and needs to continue forwarding it, it queries the network slice forwarding table based on the slice information and selects the corresponding SRv6 next-hop outbound interface to forward the service message; and when the network slice status is in the learning state, it chooses to update the network slice interface bandwidth or create a network slice interface and network slice forwarding table based on the network slice interface bandwidth and whether a valid network slice interface is queried, and sends the created network slice forwarding table to the control disk, which then sends it to all its service disks.

[0009] In combination with the first aspect, in one embodiment, the slice information includes the number of remaining network slice interfaces, where the number of remaining network slice interfaces indicates the number of network slice interfaces that should be learned before reaching the destination node; the network slice forwarding table includes a non-exclusive SRv6 next-hop outbound interface;

[0010] Query the network slice forwarding table based on the slice information and select the corresponding SRv6 next-hop outbound interface to forward the service packet, including:

[0011] When the network slice state is in the learning state and a valid network slice interface is found,

[0012] If the network slice interface bandwidth remains unchanged, the number of remaining network slice interfaces in the HBH packet header is reduced by 1, and the service packet is forwarded from the non-exclusive SRv6 next-hop outbound interface;

[0013] If the network slice interface bandwidth changes, the number of remaining network slice interfaces in the HBH packet header remains unchanged, and service packets are forwarded from the non-exclusive SRv6 next-hop outbound interface.

[0014] In combination with the first aspect, in one embodiment, selecting to update the network slice interface bandwidth based on the network slice interface bandwidth and whether a valid network slice interface is queried includes:

[0015] If the network slice interface bandwidth changes, the forwarding chip forwards the service message while sending the network slice update message to the CPU of the current service disk, and the CPU updates the network slice interface bandwidth.

[0016] In combination with the first aspect, in one embodiment, when the network slice state is in the learning state and an invalid network slice interface is queried, the number of remaining network slice interfaces in the HBH message header remains unchanged, and the service message is forwarded from the non-exclusive SRv6 next-hop interface.

[0017] In combination with the first aspect, in one embodiment, creating a network slice interface and a network slice forwarding table based on the network slice interface bandwidth and whether a valid network slice interface is queried includes:

[0018] When the network slice status is in the learning state and an invalid network slice interface is queried, the forwarding chip forwards the service message while sending the network slice learning message to the CPU of the current service disk. The CPU creates a network slice interface and a network slice forwarding table.

[0019] In combination with the first aspect, in one embodiment, when the network slice state is in the forwarding state, if a valid network slice interface is queried, the number of remaining network slice interfaces in the HBH message header is reduced by 1, and the service message is forwarded from the exclusive network slice interface; if an invalid network slice interface is queried, the number of remaining network slice interfaces in the HBH message header remains unchanged, and the service message is forwarded from the non-exclusive SRv6 next-hop interface.

[0020] In combination with the first aspect, in one embodiment, during the aging period, if no business traffic passes through the network slice interface and the network slice interface performance statistics do not change, the network slice interface will be aged and recycled, and the aged network slice interface instance in the network slice forwarding table will be deleted.

[0021] In combination with the first aspect, in one embodiment, when the service message arrives at the host station, the service disk parses the number of remaining network slice interfaces in the HBH message header. If the number of remaining network slice interfaces is 0, the network slice status message is sent to the main control disk, where the network slice status is in the forwarding state; if the number of remaining network slice interfaces is not 0, the network slice status message is sent to the main control disk, where the network slice status is in the learning state.

[0022] In combination with the first aspect, in one embodiment, the main control disk of the destination station receives the network slice status message, encapsulates the Color extended community attribute, adds the network slice status and the network slice ID, swaps the source address and the destination address of the IPv6 header, transforms the network slice status message into a network slice status confirmation message, and publishes it to the source station;

[0023] After the source station receives the network slice status confirmation message, it updates the network slice status in the HBH message header according to the network slice status, and sends the relevant table entries to all business disks under the master control disk.

[0024] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a forwarding system based on any one of the network slicing self-learning-based message forwarding methods, including:

[0025] The forwarding chip is set in the service disk and is used to receive service messages, query the network slice forwarding table according to the slice information, and select the corresponding SRv6 next-hop interface to forward the service message. It is also used to send messages to update the network slice interface bandwidth or create a network slice interface based on the network slice interface bandwidth and whether a valid network slice interface is queried when the network slice state is in the learning state.

[0026] The service disk CPU is used to update the network slice interface bandwidth or create a network slice interface and network slice forwarding table based on the messages from the service disk forwarding chip, and send the created network slice forwarding table to the control disk; it is also used to receive the network slice forwarding table sent by the main control disk CPU and send it to the forwarding chip;

[0027] The network slicing component is set in the main control disk CPU, which is used to receive the network slicing forwarding table sent by the business disk CPU under it and send it to the CPUs of all its business disks.

[0028] The beneficial effects of the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of the present application include:

[0029] The slicing information, including the network slice ID, network slice interface bandwidth, and network slice status, is carried by extending the Hop-By-Hop (HBH) header. When the service disk receives a service message and needs to forward it, and when the network slice status is in the learning state, it will choose to update the network slice interface bandwidth or create a network slice interface and network slice forwarding table based on the network slice interface bandwidth and whether a valid network slice interface is found. The created network slice forwarding table is then sent to the control disk, which then distributes it to all its service disks. Based on the network slice ID, a hierarchical scheduling method is used to create a network slice interface through a dynamic network slice forwarding table. This allows the forwarding layer to query the network slice forwarding table based on the slice information and select the corresponding SRv6 next-hop outbound interface to forward the service message. This eliminates the need to pre-divide the network slice interface and reserve forwarding bandwidth, simplifying network slice interface configuration and resource reservation.

[0030] In addition, at the control level, the network slice status is added by extending the Color extended group attribute. Combined with the network slice ID, the source station updates the network slice status field value of the Color extended group attribute to the network slice status field of the HBH message header, so that the network slice can be propagated within the network like VPN (Virtual Private Network) routing, achieving the beneficial effect of not needing to configure the network slice interface at the control level, simplifying the network slice configuration, further simplifying the network slice interface configuration and resource reservation, and reducing the difficulty of operation and maintenance of network slice services. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0031] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the IPv6 message format with an extended HBH message header in an embodiment of the present application;

[0032] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the network slice sub-TLV in an embodiment of the present application;

[0033] Figure 3 Schematic diagram of the control plane VPN routing iterative network slicing model in an embodiment of the present application;

[0034] Figure 4 This is a diagram of the forwarding model of the network slice of the forwarding plane in the embodiment of this application;

[0035] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the network slice forwarding table in an embodiment of the present application;

[0036] Figure 6 This is a flow chart of the process of receiving and forwarding a service message by a service disk in an embodiment of the present application;

[0037] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of a network slice learning message in an embodiment of the present application;

[0038] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of a network slice update message in an embodiment of the present application;

[0039] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the process of the CPU of the service disk receiving the network slice learning message in an embodiment of the present application;

[0040] Figure 10 Schematic diagram of the processing flow of a service message arriving at a destination station in an embodiment of the present application;

[0041] Figure 11 This is a schematic diagram of a network slice status message in an embodiment of the present application;

[0042] Figure 12 This is a schematic diagram of a network slice status confirmation message in an embodiment of the present application;

[0043] Figure 13 This is a schematic diagram of a message forwarding system based on network slicing self-learning in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0044] In order to enable those skilled in the art to better understand the present invention, the following will clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0045] In order to make the objectives, technical solutions and advantages of this application clearer, the implementation methods of this application will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0046] In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a message forwarding method based on network slicing self-learning.

[0047] In one embodiment, the message forwarding method includes:

[0048] The HBH message header is extended to carry slice information, including the network slice ID (Slice ID), network slice interface bandwidth (Bandwidth), and network slice state (Slice State). Figure 1 Figure 1 shows the IPv6 packet format after the HBH header is extended. The slice information also includes the number of remaining network slice interfaces (Slice Left), which indicates the number of network slice interfaces that should be learned before reaching the destination node.

[0049] As shown in Table 1, this is an extended HBH header (hereinafter referred to as the HBH header). Since the network slice ID is the core link connecting the control layer (control disk) and the forwarding layer (service disk), the network slice instance is first configured, and the bandwidth of the network slice interface that the instance will learn is configured. At the forwarding layer, the HBH header is used to carry information that needs to be processed by each hop device on the forwarding path. By extending the HBH header to carry slice information, it is specified which network slice the message is carried through. In Table 1, the Reserved field includes the network slice status.

[0050] Table 1

[0051]

[0052] When the service disk receives a service message and needs to continue forwarding it, it queries the network slice forwarding table based on the slice information and selects the corresponding SRv6 next-hop outbound interface to forward the service message; and when the network slice status is in the learning state, it chooses to update the network slice interface bandwidth or create a network slice interface and network slice forwarding table based on the network slice interface bandwidth and whether a valid network slice interface is queried, and sends the created network slice forwarding table to the control disk, which then sends it to all its service disks.

[0053] In this embodiment, a network slice interface is created based on the network slice ID and a dynamic network slice forwarding table, and a hierarchical scheduling method is adopted. The forwarding layer queries the network slice forwarding table according to the slice information and selects the corresponding SRv6 next-hop interface to forward the service message. There is no need to pre-divide the network slice interface or reserve forwarding bandwidth, which simplifies the network slice interface configuration and resource reservation.

[0054] Furthermore, in one embodiment, in order to support learning of network slice interfaces based on network slice IDs, the Color extended community attribute can also be extended at the control level to add a network slice sub-TLV (Slice Sub-TLV). The network slice sub-TLV (Type-Length-Value) is as follows: Figure 2 The length and meaning of each field are shown in Table 2.

[0055] Table 2

[0056] Field Name length meaning Type 8 bits Sub-TLV type value, currently 126. Length 8 bits Sub-TLV length. Flags 8 bits Flag bit. Reserved 8 bits Reserved bit, reserved for future use. Slice ID 32 bits Slice ID value.

[0057] The description of the Flags field is shown in Table 3, including the flag bit of the slice status, where 1 indicates the learning state and 0 indicates the forwarding state.

[0058] Table 3

[0059]

[0060] like Figure 3Figure 2 shows a schematic diagram of the control plane VPN route iteration network slice model. At the control plane, VPN routes iterate based on the Color attribute and next-hop information. When iterating to an SRv6 BE or SRv6 TE Policy, the Flags field value of the Color attribute, as well as the configured Color-associated Slice ID and Bandwidth, are updated to the Flags, Slice ID, and Bandwidth fields of the HBH header. The SegmentsLeft field in the SRH (Segment Routing Header) is updated to the SliceLeft field of the HBH header. The VPN route and SRv6 tunnel table entries are then delivered to the forwarding plane.

[0061] Figure 3 During the route transfer phase, PE2 can transfer VPN routes to PE1 through its MP-BGP / BGP EVPN peer. The routes carry information such as the color, next hop, and VPN SID. PE1 pre-creates an SRv6 TE Policy, configures a slice ID under the SRv6 TE Policy, and associates the SRv6 TE Policy with the slice ID. VPN route 10.2.2.2 / 32 is iterated on PE1 based on the color attribute and next hop information. It is then iterated to the SRv6 TE Policy and then associated with the specified slice network using the slice ID under the SRv6 TE Policy, enjoying the forwarding resources of that slice network.

[0062] like Figure 4 As shown in the figure, at the forwarding level, after receiving a service packet, the source station searches the VPN instance routing table. If the outbound interface of the route is an SRv6 BE or SRv6 TE Policy tunnel, it inserts an SRH extension header into the packet, encapsulates the SID list, then encapsulates the HBH header, which carries the network slice information, and finally encapsulates the IPv6 basic header. After this, the service packet is forwarded to the intermediate node, and the network slice ID (Slice ID) is used to associate it with the learned network slice interface.

[0063] like Figure 5 Figure 2 shows a schematic diagram of a network slice forwarding table. The network slice forwarding table includes a slice table key value and slice table data. The slice table key value includes a non-exclusive SRv6 next-hop interface (Sysport) and a network slice ID (Slice ID). The slice table data includes the queue ID (Queue ID) corresponding to the network slice interface and the bandwidth (Bandwidth) of the queue. The network slice interface can be determined based on the queue ID in the network slice forwarding table.

[0064] Furthermore, in one embodiment, when the service disk receives a service message and needs to continue forwarding it, it queries the network slice forwarding table based on the slice information, selects the corresponding SRv6 next-hop outbound interface to forward the service message, and implements different forwarding schemes in combination with different learning states.

[0065] When the network slice state is learning and a valid network slice interface is found:

[0066] If the network slice interface bandwidth (Bandwidth) does not change, the number of remaining network slice interfaces (Slice Left) in the HBH packet header is reduced by 1, and the service packet is forwarded from the non-exclusive SRv6 next-hop interface (Sysport).

[0067] If the network slice interface bandwidth changes, the number of remaining network slice interfaces in the HBH message header remains unchanged, and the service message is forwarded from the non-exclusive SRv6 next-hop interface; and while the forwarding chip of the service disk forwards the service message, the network slice update message is sent to the CPU of the current service disk, and the CPU updates the network slice interface bandwidth.

[0068] When the network slice state is in the learning state and an invalid network slice interface is queried:

[0069] The number of remaining network slice interfaces in the HBH packet header remains unchanged, and service packets are forwarded from the non-exclusive SRv6 next-hop outbound interface. While forwarding service packets, the service disk's forwarding chip sends network slice learning packets to the CPU of the current service disk. The CPU then creates a network slice interface and a network slice forwarding table.

[0070] When the network slice is in the forwarding state:

[0071] If a valid network slice interface is found, the number of remaining network slice interfaces in the HBH message header is reduced by 1, and the service message is forwarded from the exclusive network slice interface.

[0072] If an invalid network slice interface is found, the number of remaining network slice interfaces in the HBH packet header remains unchanged, and the service packet is forwarded from the non-exclusive SRv6 next-hop interface.

[0073] Usually, the service messages received by the service disks of the source station and the intermediate station need to be forwarded in the above manner. The source station also needs to complete the encapsulation of the IPv6 basic message header, and the intermediate station only needs to forward according to the slice status in the HBH message header and the network slice forwarding table.

[0074] like Figure 6 The figure shows a flow chart of the process of receiving and forwarding a service message by a service disk, which specifically includes the following steps:

[0075] S101: Query the HBH message header of the received service message to determine whether the network slice exists. If yes, go to S103; if not, go to S102.

[0076] S102: The service packet is forwarded from the non-exclusive SRv6 next-hop outbound interface (Sysport). This forwarding is completed.

[0077] S103: Determine the network slice state (Slice State) in the HBH message header. If it is in the forwarding state, go to S104; if it is in the learning state, go to S107.

[0078] S104: Query the network slice forwarding table, query the corresponding network slice interface through the queue ID (Queue ID), and determine whether it is a valid or invalid network slice interface. If an invalid network slice interface is queried, enter S105; if a valid network slice interface is queried, enter S106.

[0079] S105: The value of the remaining network slice interface number (Slice Left) in the HBH message header remains unchanged, and then the service message is forwarded from the non-exclusive SRv6 next-hop interface, and this forwarding is completed.

[0080] S106: The value of the remaining network slice interface number (Slice Left) in the HBH message header is reduced by 1, and the service message is forwarded from the exclusive network slice interface. This forwarding is completed, and the exclusive network slice interface is obtained according to the Queue ID.

[0081] S107: Query the network slice forwarding table, query the network slice interface through the queue ID (Queue ID), and determine whether it is a valid or invalid network slice interface. If a valid network slice interface is queried, enter S108; if an invalid network slice interface is queried, enter S111.

[0082] S108: Determine whether the network slice interface bandwidth (Bandwidth) has changed. If so, proceed to S109; if not, proceed to S110.

[0083] S109: The value of the remaining network slice interface number (Slice Left) in the HBH message header remains unchanged, and then the service message is forwarded from the non-exclusive SRv6 next-hop interface. At the same time, the network slice update message is sent to the CPU of the current service disk so that the CPU can update the network slice interface bandwidth. This forwarding is completed.

[0084] S110: The value of the remaining network slice interface number (Slice Left) in the HBH message header is decremented by 1, and then the service message is forwarded from the non-exclusive SRv6 next-hop interface, and this forwarding is completed.

[0085] S111: The value of the remaining network slice interface number (Slice Left) in the HBH message header remains unchanged. The service message is then forwarded from the non-exclusive SRv6 next-hop interface, and the network slice learning message is sent to the CPU of the current service disk. This forwarding is completed.

[0086] Further, such as Figure 7 As shown in FIG, the network slice learning message includes a private header, an SRv6 next-hop interface (Sysport), a network slice ID (Slice ID), a network slice interface bandwidth (Bandwidth), and a padding field (Pad). Figure 8 As shown in the figure, the network slice update message includes a private header, an SRv6 next-hop interface (Sysport), a queue ID (Queue ID), a network slice interface bandwidth (Bandwidth), and a padding field (Pad). The private header includes a packet type field, which is used to indicate slice learning and slice update; the padding field is used to facilitate subsequent function expansion and to fill the message length.

[0087] Furthermore, in one embodiment, after receiving the message reported by the current business disk forwarding chip, the CPU of the business disk identifies the packet type field in the private header, first determines whether it is a network slicing learning message or a network slicing learning message, and then performs corresponding processing through different threads. Figure 9 As shown in the figure, the process diagram of the CPU of the service disk receiving the network slice learning message includes the following steps:

[0088] S201: Use the slice learning thread to create a network slice interface by creating a hierarchical scheduling node. The specific method is: create a C node (network slice interface), hang a queue (Queue) under it, the queue has a bandwidth field, and bind the C node to the P node (Sysport), that is, the C node is bound to the SRv6 next-hop interface.

[0089] S202: Determine whether the sum of the bandwidths of all C nodes bound to the P node exceeds the total bandwidth of the P node. If yes, proceed to S204; if not, proceed to S203.

[0090] S203: The network slice interface is created successfully and the network slice interface (Queue ID) is returned. The network slice forwarding table is created through the slice learning thread and sent to the main control disk so that the main control disk can send it to the forwarding chips of all service disks.

[0091] S204: The network slice interface creation fails and the network slice forwarding table is not created.

[0092] Furthermore, in one embodiment, after the CPU of the service disk receives the network slice update message, it updates the bandwidth of the network slice interface through the slice learning thread according to the queue ID (Queue ID) and network slice interface bandwidth (Bandwidth) in the network slice update message.

[0093] Furthermore, in one embodiment, the private header packet type field also includes a slice aging type. During the aging period, if no service traffic passes through the network slice interface and the network slice interface performance statistics do not change, the CPU of the service disk recycles the network slice interface through the slice aging thread and deletes the aged network slice interface instance in the network slice forwarding table.

[0094] Furthermore, in one embodiment, when the service message arrives at the destination station, it does not need to be forwarded further, and the processing flow is as follows: Figure 10 , including the following steps:

[0095] S301: The destination station uses the IPv6 destination address of the service message to search the My Local SID table, hits the End SID, decrements the Segment Left (SL) of the service message by 1, and updates the IPv6 destination address (DA) to VPNSID.

[0096] Among them, the My Local SID table is a table in the forwarding chip sent from the main control disk to the service disk. The service message SL indicates the number of SIDs that the data packet needs to pass through before reaching the final destination. It is a very important field in the SRH (Segment Routing Header) extension header. The minimum value of the SL field is 0, and the maximum value is equal to the number of SIDs in the SRH extension header minus 1. During the packet forwarding process, each time the packet passes through a node that processes SRv6, the SL value will be reduced by 1. At the same time, the destination address (DA) of the packet will be updated according to the value of the SL field to point to the currently active SID. In this way, the data packet will be forwarded hop by hop according to the path defined in the SRH extension header until the value of the SL field is reduced to 0. At this time, the data packet has reached the final destination, the SRH extension header will be removed, and the data packet will continue to be forwarded according to its inner header information.

[0097] S302: Use the VPN SID to search the My Local SID table, find the End.DT4 SID, and decapsulate the packet. The service disk parses the number of remaining network slice interfaces (Slice Left) in the HBH packet header to determine whether the number of remaining network slice interfaces is 0. If so, proceed to S303; if not, proceed to S304.

[0098] S303: It indicates that the network slice interface has been fully learned when arriving at the destination node, all intermediate sites support network slice forwarding, and the network slice status message is sent to the main control disk, where the network slice status is forwarding state, that is, the SliceState bit of the Flags field is set to 1, and enter S305.

[0099] S304: This indicates that the full network slice interface has not been learned when reaching the destination node, and at least one intermediate site does not support network slice forwarding. The network slice status message is sent to the main control disk, where the network slice status is in the learning state, that is, the Slice State bit in the Flags field is set to 0.

[0100] S305: Remove the SRH header, HBH header, and IPv6 header, and use the inner IPv4 destination address to search the VPN instance routing table corresponding to the VPN SID for forwarding.

[0101] like Figure 11 Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of a network slice status message. The network slice status message includes a private header, an IPv6 message header, an SRH extension header, a color, a network slice ID (Slice ID), a network slice status (Flags), and a padding field (Pad).

[0102] Furthermore, in one embodiment, in order to support learning of network slice interfaces based on network slice IDs (Slice IDs), the Color extended community attribute can also be extended at the control level, as shown in Tables 2 and 3 for details. After the host station main control disk receives the network slice status message, it removes the private header, encapsulates the Color extended community attribute, including the network slice status and network slice ID, exchanges the source address and destination address of the IPv6 header, and transforms the network slice status message into a network slice status confirmation message and publishes it to the source station. After the source station receives the network slice status confirmation message, it updates the network slice status (Slice State) field value of the Color extended community attribute to the network slice status field in the HBH message header, and sends the relevant table entries to all service disks under the main control disk. The network slice status confirmation message is as follows: Figure 12 As shown, it includes an IPv6 packet header, an SRH extension header, a Color TLV, and a padding field (Pad).

[0103] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application also provides a forwarding system, based on any embodiment of the above-mentioned network slicing self-learning message forwarding method.

[0104] like Figure 13Figure 1 shows a schematic block diagram of a forwarding system, which is deployed at various sites, including source, intermediate, and sink sites. The forwarding system includes a forwarding chip, a service disk CPU, and network slicing components. The forwarding chip and service disk CPU are both located on the service disk, while the network slicing components are located on the master control disk CPU.

[0105] The forwarding chip is used to receive service messages, query the network slice forwarding table according to the slice information, and select the corresponding SRv6 next-hop interface to forward the service messages; it is also used to send messages to update the network slice interface bandwidth or create a network slice interface based on the network slice interface bandwidth and whether a valid network slice interface is queried when the network slice status is in the learning state.

[0106] The service disk CPU is used to update the network slice interface bandwidth, or create a network slice interface and network slice forwarding table based on the messages from the same service disk forwarding chip, and send the created network slice forwarding table to the control disk; it is also used to receive the network slice forwarding table sent by the main control disk CPU and send it to the forwarding chip.

[0107] The network slicing component is used to receive the network slicing forwarding table sent by the CPU of its business disk and send it to the CPU of all its business disks.

[0108] Among them, the service disk CPU includes a packet receiving thread, a slice learning thread, and a slice aging thread; the forwarding chip includes a MyLocal SID table and a slice forwarding table. The packet receiving thread is used to receive service messages from the forwarding chip, and identify whether it is a slice learning message or a slice update message through the packet type field in the private header of the service message. The slice aging thread is used to implement the aging recovery of the network deception interface, and at the same time notify the forwarding chip to delete the aged network slice interface instance in the slice forwarding table. The slice learning thread is used to update the bandwidth of the network slice interface, and is also used to create a slice network slice forwarding table. The newly created slice network slice forwarding table is sent to the network slicing component, and then sent by the network slicing component to the CPUs of all service disks under the master disk. Each service disk CPU transmits the network slice forwarding table to the forwarding chip of the same service disk.

[0109] In this embodiment, a dynamic network slice forwarding table is realized through slice learning, updating and aging. Service messages are forwarded in real time according to the message status. There is no need to pre-divide the network slice interface or reserve forwarding bandwidth, which simplifies the network slice interface configuration and resource reservation.

[0110] It should be noted that the serial numbers of the above-mentioned embodiments of the present application are for description only and do not represent the advantages or disadvantages of the embodiments.

[0111] The terms "including" and "having" and any variations thereof in the specification and claims of this application and the above-mentioned drawings are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusions. For example, a process, method, system, product or device that includes a series of steps or units is not limited to the listed steps or units, but optionally includes steps or units that are not listed, or optionally includes other steps or units inherent to these processes, methods, products or devices. The terms "first", "second" and "third" are used to distinguish different objects, etc., and do not represent a sequence, nor do they limit the "first", "second" and "third" to different types.

[0112] In the description of the embodiments of this application, the words "exemplary," "for example," or "for example" are used to indicate examples, illustrations, or descriptions. Any embodiment or design described as "exemplary," "for example," or "for example" in the embodiments of this application should not be construed as being preferred or advantageous over other embodiments or designs. Rather, the use of words such as "exemplary," "for example," or "for example" is intended to present the relevant concepts in a concrete manner.

[0113] In the description of the embodiments of the present application, unless otherwise specified, “ / ” means or, for example, A / B can mean A or B; “and / or” in the text is merely a description of the association relationship of associated objects, indicating that three relationships may exist, for example, A and / or B can mean: A exists alone, A and B exist at the same time, and B exists alone. In addition, in the description of the embodiments of the present application, “multiple” refers to two or more than two.

[0114] In some processes described in the embodiments of the present application, multiple operations or steps are included that appear in a specific order. However, it should be understood that these operations or steps may not be performed in the order in which they appear in the embodiments of the present application or may be performed in parallel. The sequence numbers of the operations are only used to distinguish between different operations, and the sequence numbers themselves do not represent any order of execution. In addition, these processes may include more or fewer operations, and these operations or steps may be performed in sequence or in parallel, and these operations or steps may be combined.

[0115] Through the description of the above implementation methods, those skilled in the art can clearly understand that the above-mentioned embodiment methods can be implemented by means of software plus the necessary general hardware platform, of course, it can also be implemented by hardware, but in many cases the former is a better implementation method. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of the present application, or the part that contributes to the prior art, can be embodied in the form of a software product, which is stored in a storage medium (such as ROM / RAM, magnetic disk, optical disk) as described above, and includes a number of instructions for enabling a terminal device to execute the methods described in each embodiment of the present application.

[0116] The above are only preferred embodiments of the present application and do not limit the patent scope of the present application. Any equivalent structure or equivalent process transformation made using the contents of the present application specification and drawings, or directly or indirectly applied in other related technical fields, are also included in the patent protection scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A message forwarding method based on network slicing self-learning, characterized in that: The method comprises: The extended hop-by-hop option HBH message header carries slice information, including network slice ID, network slice interface bandwidth, and network slice status; When the service disk receives a service message and needs to continue forwarding it, it queries the network slice forwarding table based on the slice information and selects the corresponding SRv6 next-hop outbound interface to forward the service message; and when the network slice status is in the learning state, it chooses to update the network slice interface bandwidth or create a network slice interface and network slice forwarding table based on the network slice interface bandwidth and whether a valid network slice interface is queried, and sends the created network slice forwarding table to the control disk, which then sends it to all its service disks.

2. The message forwarding method based on network slicing self-learning according to claim 1, characterized in that: The slice information includes the number of remaining network slice interfaces, which represents the number of network slice interfaces that should be learned before reaching the destination node; the network slice forwarding table includes a non-exclusive SRv6 next-hop outbound interface; Query the network slice forwarding table based on the slice information and select the corresponding SRv6 next-hop outbound interface to forward the service packet, including: When the network slice state is in the learning state and a valid network slice interface is found, If the network slice interface bandwidth remains unchanged, the number of remaining network slice interfaces in the HBH packet header is reduced by 1, and the service packet is forwarded from the non-exclusive SRv6 next-hop outbound interface; If the network slice interface bandwidth changes, the number of remaining network slice interfaces in the HBH packet header remains unchanged, and service packets are forwarded from the non-exclusive SRv6 next-hop outbound interface.

3. The message forwarding method based on network slicing self-learning according to claim 2, characterized in that: Based on the network slice interface bandwidth and whether a valid network slice interface is found, choose to update the network slice interface bandwidth, including: If the network slice interface bandwidth changes, the forwarding chip forwards the service message while sending the network slice update message to the CPU of the current service disk, and the CPU updates the network slice interface bandwidth.

4. The message forwarding method based on network slicing self-learning according to claim 2, characterized in that: When the network slice state is in the learning state and an invalid network slice interface is queried, the number of remaining network slice interfaces in the HBH message header remains unchanged, and the service message is forwarded from the non-exclusive SRv6 next-hop interface.

5. The message forwarding method based on network slicing self-learning according to claim 4, characterized in that: Based on the network slice interface bandwidth and whether a valid network slice interface is found, a network slice interface and a network slice forwarding table are created, including: When the network slice status is in the learning state and an invalid network slice interface is queried, the forwarding chip forwards the service message while sending the network slice learning message to the CPU of the current service disk. The CPU creates a network slice interface and a network slice forwarding table.

6. The message forwarding method based on network slicing self-learning according to claim 2, characterized in that: When the network slice state is forwarding state, if a valid network slice interface is queried, the number of remaining network slice interfaces in the HBH message header is reduced by 1, and the service message is forwarded from the exclusive network slice interface; if an invalid network slice interface is queried, the number of remaining network slice interfaces in the HBH message header remains unchanged, and the service message is forwarded from the non-exclusive SRv6 next-hop interface.

7. The message forwarding method based on network slicing self-learning according to claim 1, characterized in that: During the aging period, if no business traffic passes through the network slice interface and the performance statistics of the network slice interface do not change, the network slice interface will be aged and recycled, and the aged network slice interface instance in the network slice forwarding table will be deleted.

8. The message forwarding method based on network slicing self-learning according to claim 1, characterized in that: When the service message arrives at the host station, the service disk parses the number of remaining network slice interfaces in the HBH message header. If the number of remaining network slice interfaces is 0, the network slice status message is sent to the main control disk, where the network slice status is forwarding state; if the number of remaining network slice interfaces is not 0, the network slice status message is sent to the main control disk, where the network slice status is learning state.

9. The message forwarding method based on network slicing self-learning according to claim 8, characterized in that: The main control disk of the destination station receives the network slice status message, encapsulates the Color extended community attribute, adds the network slice status and network slice ID, exchanges the source address and destination address of the IPv6 header, transforms the network slice status message into a network slice status confirmation message, and publishes it to the source station; After the source station receives the network slice status confirmation message, it updates the network slice status in the HBH message header according to the network slice status, and sends the relevant table entries to all business disks under the master control disk.

10. A forwarding system based on the message forwarding method based on network slicing self-learning according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that: include: The forwarding chip is set in the service disk and is used to receive service messages, query the network slice forwarding table according to the slice information, and select the corresponding SRv6 next-hop interface to forward the service message; It is also used to send a message to update the network slice interface bandwidth or create a network slice interface when the network slice state is in the learning state, based on the network slice interface bandwidth and whether a valid network slice interface is queried; The service disk CPU is used to update the network slice interface bandwidth or create a network slice interface and network slice forwarding table based on the messages from the service disk forwarding chip, and send the created network slice forwarding table to the control disk; it is also used to receive the network slice forwarding table sent by the main control disk CPU and send it to the forwarding chip; The network slicing component is set in the main control disk CPU, which is used to receive the network slicing forwarding table sent by the business disk CPU under it and send it to the CPUs of all its business disks.

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