Communication method, device and system

Abstract

The embodiment of the invention provides a communication method, device and system. The method comprises the following steps: acquiring an identifier of a second device and an identifier of an optical module, wherein the second device uses the optical module; configuring second configuration information of the second device according to the identifier of the optical module, wherein the second configuration information is the same as the first configuration information of the first device; wherein both the first device and the second device use the optical module. Through the method, when the first device is replaced by the second device, the configuration information of the second device can take effect automatically, and the problem of low efficiency caused by manual configuration is reduced.

Description

Communication method, device and system Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of communications, and in particular to a communication method, device, and system. Background Art

[0002] In the field of wireless communications, taking access network equipment as an example, some devices in the access network equipment need to be configured with corresponding configuration information in order to work properly. When one of the devices is replaced with a new device, the configuration information of the new device needs to be manually configured. For example, the access network equipment includes a first radio frequency unit. When the first radio frequency unit fails to work properly and is replaced with a second radio frequency unit, the operation and maintenance personnel need to manually find the configuration information of the first radio frequency unit and configure the configuration information of the first radio frequency unit for the second radio frequency unit. The configuration information of the first radio frequency unit serves as the configuration information of the second radio frequency unit. Manual configuration takes a certain amount of time, and errors may occur during the manual configuration process. Therefore, the efficiency of the second radio frequency unit replacing the first radio frequency unit is not high.

[0003] Summary of the Invention

[0004] This application provides a communication method for improving the efficiency of configuring configuration information of a communication device. To achieve the above purpose, the embodiments of this application adopt the following technical solutions:

[0005] In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a method, which can be executed by a distributed unit or a radio frequency unit, and the method includes: obtaining an identifier of a second device and an identifier of an optical module, the second device using the optical module; configuring second configuration information of the second device according to the identifier of the optical module, the second configuration information being the same as the first configuration information of the first device; wherein both the first device and the second device use the optical module.

[0006] According to the above solution, the second device can automatically obtain the second configuration information based on the identifier of the optical module, thereby improving the configuration efficiency of the second device and reducing the probability of errors caused by manual configuration.

[0007] It is understood that if the method is performed by a radio frequency unit and the second device is a radio frequency unit, then in this method, the second device can know its own identity (i.e., the identity of the second device) and the identity of the optical module used by the second device. If the method is performed by a distributed unit and the second device is a radio frequency unit, then the distributed unit can receive the identity of the second device and the identity of the optical module from the second device.

[0008] In this application, the distributed unit can be described by taking the baseband unit as an example. The above description can also be applied to descriptions of other aspects and will not be repeated here.

[0009] It is understandable that the use of the optical module in the second device can also be understood as inserting the optical module into the second device, placing the optical module in the second device, etc., which is not limited in this application.

[0010] In a possible implementation, the method further includes: establishing a second association relationship, where the second association relationship is a correspondence between the identifier of the second device, the identifier of the optical module, and the second configuration information.

[0011] In one possible implementation, the method further includes: sending the second association relationship to a network management device. For example, the network management device saves the second association relationship after receiving the second association relationship.

[0012] In one possible embodiment, configuring the second configuration information of the second device based on the identifier of the optical module includes: determining a first association based on the identifier of the optical module, the first association being a correspondence between the identifier of the first device, the identifier of the optical module, and the first configuration information; using the first configuration information as the second configuration information; and configuring the second configuration information. In other words, since the second device and the first device both utilize the same optical module, the configuration information of the first device, i.e., the first configuration information, is first located through the optical module. Then, the first configuration information is configured as the configuration information of the second device, i.e., the second configuration information, and is then configured to the second device. This ultimately achieves automatic configuration of the second configuration information.

[0013] In one possible implementation, the method further includes: receiving the first association relationship from a network management device. For example, because the first association relationship includes an identifier of the optical module used by the first device and the first configuration information of the first device, and the network management device stores the first association relationship, the first configuration information can be found using the identifier of the optical module only after receiving the first association relationship from the network management device.

[0014] It should be understood that if the execution subject of this method, such as a distributed unit or a radio frequency unit, stores the first association relationship, then there is no need to perform the action of receiving the first association relationship from the network management device, and the locally stored first association relationship can be directly used to implement the above function.

[0015] In a possible implementation manner, the first configuration information or the second configuration information includes at least one of the following: system information, sector information, address information, and virtual local area network information.

[0016] In a possible implementation, the method is performed in the following scenario: when the first device fails, the second device is used to replace the first device.

[0017] When the second device is a non-independently operated radio frequency unit, the execution subject of the method is a distributed unit, and the method may further include subsequent implementation methods or any possible situation:

[0018] In a possible implementation, obtaining the identifier of the second device and the identifier of the optical module includes: receiving the identifier of the second device and the identifier of the optical module, for example, receiving the identifier of the second device and the identifier of the optical module from the second device.

[0019] In one possible implementation manner, the receiving the identifier of the second device and the identifier of the optical module includes: receiving second information, where the second information includes the identifier of the second device and the identifier of the optical module.

[0020] In one possible case, the second information may also include the type of the second device, and the type of the second device is a radio frequency module, a radio remote unit, a wireless unit, a remote radio frequency head, a radio frequency processing unit, or an active antenna processing unit.

[0021] In a possible case, the second information is located in an Ethernet frame or an High-Level Data Link Control frame.

[0022] In a possible scenario, the receiving the second information includes: receiving the second information through a fronthaul interface, a universal public radio interface, or an enhanced universal public radio interface.

[0023] In one possible implementation, the method further includes: receiving an identifier of the first device and an identifier of the optical module; and establishing the first association. That is, before executing the method of the first aspect, the distributed unit first establishes the first association based on the received identifier of the first device and the identifier of the optical module. Specifically, the first device identifier and the identifier of the optical module are received from the first device, and the first association is established.

[0024] In one possible implementation manner, the receiving the identifier of the first device and the identifier of the optical module includes: receiving first information, where the first information includes the identifier of the first device and the identifier of the optical module.

[0025] In one possible case, the first information may also include the type of the first device, and the type of the first device is a radio frequency module, a radio remote unit, a wireless unit, a remote radio frequency head, a radio frequency processing unit, or an active antenna processing unit.

[0026] In a possible case, the first information is located in an Ethernet frame or an High-Level Data Link Control frame.

[0027] In a possible scenario, the receiving the first information includes: receiving the first information through a fronthaul interface, a universal public radio interface, or an enhanced universal public radio interface.

[0028] In a possible implementation of the above embodiment, the method further includes: sending the first association relationship to a network management device. For example, after the distributed unit establishes the first association relationship, the first association relationship is sent to the network management device so that the network management device records or saves the first association relationship.

[0029] In one possible embodiment, the method further includes: obtaining the identifier of the second device and a first optical module identifier set, wherein the first optical module identifier set includes the identifier of the optical module and the identifier of the first optical module; and configuring a third association relationship, wherein the third association relationship is a relationship between the identifier of the second device, the second configuration information, and the first optical module identifier set. It is understood that the second device may use more than one optical module, and therefore a third association relationship may be established to associate the identifier set of at least one optical module used by the second device with the identifier and the second configuration information of the second device.

[0030] In one possible scenario, the method further includes: obtaining the identifier of the second device and a set of identifiers of a second optical module, wherein the set of identifiers of the second optical module includes the identifier of the optical module and the identifiers of the second optical module; and configuring a fourth association relationship, wherein the fourth association relationship is a relationship between the identifier of the second device, the second configuration information, and the set of identifiers of the second optical module. For example, when the first optical module fails and is replaced with the second optical module, the third association relationship needs to be updated to the fourth association relationship, thereby dynamically maintaining the correctness of the association relationship between the second device and at least one optical module used.

[0031] Specifically, for example, configuring the fourth association relationship includes: determining the third association relationship based on the identifier of the second device and the identifier of the optical module in the second optical module identifier set; replacing the first optical module identifier set in the third association relationship with the second optical module identifier set to obtain and configure the fourth association relationship.

[0032] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, which can be performed by a radio frequency unit (RFU), which can be a non-independent RFU. The method includes: sending an identifier of a first device and an identifier of an optical module, the first device using the optical module; and receiving first configuration information of the first device.

[0033] The beneficial effects of this aspect can be referred to the description of the first aspect and will not be repeated here.

[0034] In a possible implementation, sending the identifier of the first device and the identifier of the optical module includes: sending first information, where the first information includes the identifier of the first device and the identifier of the optical module.

[0035] In one possible case, the first information also includes the type of the first device, and the type of the first device is a radio frequency module, a radio remote unit, a wireless unit, a remote radio frequency head, a radio frequency processing unit, or an active antenna processing unit.

[0036] In one possible case, the first information is located in an Ethernet frame or an advanced data link control frame.

[0037] In one possible scenario, the sending of the first information includes: sending the first information via a fronthaul interface, a universal public radio interface, or an enhanced universal public radio interface.

[0038] In a possible implementation, the identifier of the first device and the identifier of the optical module are used to establish a first association relationship, where the first association relationship is a relationship between the identifier of the first device, the identifier of the optical module, and the first configuration information of the first device.

[0039] The above implementation methods and possible situations therein can all refer to the relevant description in the first aspect and will not be repeated here.

[0040] In a possible implementation, sending the identifier of the first device and the identifier of the optical module includes sending the identifier of the first device and a first optical module identifier set, where the first optical module identifier set includes the identifier of the optical module and the identifier of the first optical module.

[0041] In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, which can be executed by a network management device. The method may include: receiving a first association relationship, which is the relationship between the identifier of the first device, the identifier of the optical module and the configuration information; and saving the first association relationship.

[0042] According to the above solution, the network management device saves the first association relationship and provides support for the execution of the method in the first aspect.

[0043] In a possible implementation, the method further includes: receiving a second association relationship, where the second association relationship includes a relationship between the identifier of the second device and the configuration information.

[0044] In one possible case, the second association relationship further includes an identifier of the optical module.

[0045] In one possible scenario, the second association relationship is saved.

[0046] In a possible implementation, the configuration information includes at least one of the following: system information, sector information, address information, and virtual local area network information.

[0047] In a fourth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device, comprising a processor, which is used to read and run a program from a memory to implement a method as described in the first aspect or any possible implementation method (for example, when the communication device is a distributed unit or a radio frequency unit), or to implement a method as described in the second aspect or any possible implementation method (for example, when the communication device is a radio frequency unit), or to implement a method as described in the third aspect (for example, when the communication device is a network management device).

[0048] In a fifth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication system, including a distributed unit and a radio frequency unit, and the distributed unit can execute the method of the first aspect or any possible implementation method.

[0049] In one possible scenario, the communication system further includes a network management device, which is used to manage the distributed unit and the second device. Specifically, the network management device can execute the method of the third aspect or any possible implementation method.

[0050] In one possible case, the radio frequency unit is any one of the following: a radio frequency module, a radio remote unit, a wireless unit, a remote radio frequency head, a radio frequency processing unit, or an active antenna processing unit.

[0051] In a sixth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a computer program product comprising instructions, which, when run on a computer, enables the computer to execute a method as described in the first aspect or any possible implementation method, or a method as described in the second aspect or any possible implementation method, or a method as described in the third aspect or any possible implementation method.

[0052] In the seventh aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium, which stores instructions that, when executed on a computer, cause a processor to execute a method according to the first aspect or any possible implementation method, or a method according to the second aspect or any possible implementation method, or a method according to the third aspect or any possible implementation method. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0053] FIG1 is a structural diagram of a communication system applicable to the present application;

[0054] FIG2 is a schematic diagram of a scenario applicable to this application;

[0055] FIG3 is a flow chart of a communication method provided by the present application;

[0056] FIG4 is a schematic diagram of a possible frame structure applicable to the present application;

[0057] FIG5 is a schematic diagram of another possible frame structure applicable to the present application;

[0058] FIG6 is a schematic diagram of a first association relationship provided by the present application;

[0059] FIG7 is a schematic diagram of a second association relationship provided by the present application;

[0060] FIG8 is a flow chart of another communication method provided by the present application;

[0061] FIG9 is a flow chart of another communication method provided by the present application;

[0062] FIG10 is a flow chart of another communication method provided by the present application;

[0063] FIG11 is a schematic diagram of a communication device provided according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0064] FIG12 is a schematic diagram of another communication device provided according to an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0065] In order to make the purpose, technical solutions and advantages of the embodiments of the present application clearer, the embodiments of the present application will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application can be applied to various communication systems, such as long term evolution (LTE) networks, LTE frequency division duplex (FDD) networks, LTE time division duplex (TDD) networks, fifth generation (5G) mobile communication networks or new radio (NR) networks, non-terrestrial networks (NTN) or future communication networks or other similar communication networks. In this application, the network can also be referred to as a system. The network architecture and business scenarios described in this application are intended to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of this application and do not constitute a limitation on the technical solutions provided in this application. It is known to those skilled in the art that with the evolution of network architecture and the emergence of new business scenarios, the technical solutions provided in this application are also applicable to similar technical problems.

[0066] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram showing a possible, non-limiting system. As shown in Figure 1, the communication system includes a radio access network (RAN) and a core network (CN). The RAN includes at least one RAN node and at least one user equipment. The RAN may also include other RAN nodes, such as wireless relay equipment and / or wireless backhaul equipment (not shown in Figure 1). The user equipment is connected to the RAN node wirelessly. The RAN node is connected to the core network wirelessly or by wire. The core network equipment in the core network and the RAN nodes in the RAN can be different physical devices, or they can be the same physical device that integrates the core network logical functions and the radio access network logical functions.

[0067] The RAN may be a cellular system related to the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), such as a 4G or 5G mobile communication system, or a future-oriented evolutionary system (such as a 6G mobile communication system). The RAN may also be an open access network (O-RAN or ORAN), a non-terrestrial network (NTN) system, or a wireless fidelity (WiFi) system. The RAN 100 may also be a communication system that integrates two or more of the above systems.

[0068] RAN nodes, sometimes also referred to as access network equipment, RAN entities, or access nodes, form part of a communication system and facilitate wireless access for terminals. Multiple RAN nodes in a communication system can be of the same type or different types. RAN nodes and user equipment are sometimes referred to as communication devices.

[0069] In one possible scenario, a RAN node may be a base station, a satellite base station, an evolved NodeB (eNodeB), a transmission reception point (TRP), a next generation NodeB (gNB), a next generation base station in a sixth generation (6G) mobile communication system, a base station in a future mobile communication system, or an access node in a WiFi system. A RAN node may be a macro base station, a micro base station or an indoor station, a relay node or a donor node, or a wireless controller in a cloud radio access network (CRAN) scenario. Optionally, a RAN node may also be a server, a wearable device, a vehicle or an onboard device. For example, the access network device in vehicle to everything (V2X) technology may be a road side unit (RSU).

[0070] In another possible scenario, multiple RAN nodes collaborate to assist user equipment in achieving wireless access, and different RAN nodes respectively implement part of the functions of the base station. For example, the RAN node can be a centralized unit (CU), a distributed unit (DU), a CU-control plane (CP), a CU-user plane (UP), or a radio unit (RU). The CU and DU can be set separately, or they can be included in the same network element, such as a baseband unit (BBU). The RU can be included in a radio frequency device or radio frequency unit, such as a remote radio unit (RRU), a remote radio head (RRH), a radio frequency unit (RFU) or an active antenna unit (AAU).

[0071] In different systems, CU (or CU-CP and CU-UP), DU or RU may also have different names, but those skilled in the art can understand their meanings. For example, in the ORAN system, CU may also be called O-CU (Open CU), DU may also be called O-DU, CU-CP may also be called O-CU-CP, CU-UP may also be called O-CU-UP, and RU may also be called O-RU. For the convenience of description, this application uses CU, CU-CP, CU-UP, DU and RU as examples for description. Any unit of CU (or CU-CP, CU-UP), DU and RU in this application can be implemented by a software module, a hardware module, or a combination of a software module and a hardware module.

[0072] This application describes an example in which a RAN node is called an access network device, and the access network device includes a distributed unit and a wireless unit. The distributed unit is described as a baseband unit, and the wireless unit is described as a radio frequency unit.

[0073] For example, the radio frequency unit (RFU) and baseband unit (BBU) in an access network device communicate via optical fiber. The RFU or BBU is configured with at least one optical module for converting optical and electrical signals. For example, when the RFU is the transmitter and the BBU is the receiver, the optical module in the RFU can convert the RFU's electrical signal into an optical signal. The optical signal is then transmitted to the BBU via optical fiber. After receiving the optical signal, the optical module in the BBU can convert the optical signal into an electrical signal, thereby completing communication between the RFU and BBU. Each optical module has a serial number that uniquely identifies the optical module. In other words, there is a one-to-one correspondence between the serial number and the optical module. This serial number can be a vendor serial number (VSN) with a length of 16 bits, which is not limited in this application. The RFU also has a serial number. For example, the RFU's serial number can be represented by an electronic serial number (ESN). Similarly, the electronic serial number also has a one-to-one correspondence with the RFU, and the specific RFU can be uniquely identified by the electronic serial number.

[0074] As shown in Figure 2, the baseband unit is connected to three radio frequency units, namely radio frequency unit A, radio frequency unit B, and radio frequency unit C. Radio frequency units A to C each include at least one optical module, and the baseband unit also includes optical modules corresponding to the optical modules in radio frequency units A to C (not shown in Figure 2). During the operation of the access network equipment, the radio frequency unit may not work. When radio frequency unit B breaks down and cannot work, the operation and maintenance personnel need to manually reconfigure the mapping relationship between multiple units (baseband unit and radio frequency unit D) and / or multiple modules (optical module in the baseband unit and optical module of radio frequency unit D) in the access network equipment after replacing radio frequency unit B with a new radio frequency unit D, so that the baseband unit in the access network equipment can recognize the new radio frequency unit D and resume normal operation. For example, an operation and maintenance personnel obtains information about the radio frequency unit (RFU) D, manually identifies information about the RFU D and the optical module used in the RFU D, and manually configures a mapping relationship between the baseband unit, the corresponding RFU D, and the optical module in the access network device. The personnel may also configure the virtual local area network (VLAN) information and / or address information of the RFU D, such as the Internet Protocol (IP) address and call home address, as needed. This manual configuration process is prone to errors and is inefficient.

[0075] To solve the above problems, the present application proposes a communication method for automatically configuring access network equipment.

[0076] FIG3 shows a communication method provided by the present application, which is applicable to any scenario where a radio frequency unit is replaced. This embodiment can be applied to the scenarios of FIG1 and FIG2 . Here, an access network device is used as an example for description. The access network device includes a radio frequency unit 0.

[0077] For example, the one or more optical modules used by RF unit 0 include optical module 0. RF unit 0 has an identifier uniquely identifying RF unit 0, which can be represented by ESN0. Optical module 0 also has an identifier uniquely identifying optical module 0, which can be represented by SN0. It should be understood that the optical modules may also include optical module 1, or may include other optical modules.

[0078] The method may include the following steps:

[0079] Step 301: RF unit 0 sends the identifier of RF unit 0 and the identifier of optical module 0 to the baseband unit.

[0080] It can be understood that, since one or more optical modules used by the radio frequency unit 0 include optical module 0, the radio frequency unit 0 can query the identification of the optical module 0. In a specific implementation, three optical modules can be inserted into the radio frequency unit 0. For example, the three optical modules are optical module 0, optical module 1 and optical module 2, and the radio frequency unit 0 can send the identification of optical module 0, the identification of optical module 1 and the identification of optical module 2. This embodiment is explained by taking optical module 0 as an example. In the specific implementation, the identification of optical module 0 mentioned later in this embodiment can be replaced with the identification of all optical modules used by the radio frequency unit 0. It will not be repeated later.

[0081] In one possible implementation, the radio frequency unit 0 sends the identification and characteristic attributes of the radio frequency unit 0 to the baseband unit, where the characteristic attributes include the identification of the optical module 0. This implementation is applicable to the description of other related actions in this application and will not be repeated here.

[0082] In a possible implementation, the radio frequency unit 0 sends first information to the baseband unit, where the first information includes an identifier of the radio frequency unit 0 and an identifier of the optical module 0 .

[0083] In a possible implementation manner, the radio frequency unit 0 sends the first information to the baseband unit through a fronthaul interface, a common public radio interface (CPRI), and an enhanced common public radio interface (eCPRI).

[0084] Specifically, one possible scenario is that the format of the first information may be an Ethernet (ETH) frame format. FIG4 takes the Ethernet II frame format as an example, and the first information is located in the Ethernet II frame. The Ethernet II frame may include but is not limited to a destination media access control address (DMAC) field, a source media access control address (SMAC) field, a type (TYPE) field, a data (DATA) field, and a cyclic redundancy code (CRC) field. Specifically, the first information is located in the data field. As shown in FIG4 , the data field includes the first information. Further, optionally, a flag bit may be placed in the field of the first part of the first information in the data field, and the flag bit may be used to locate the starting position of the first information. In addition, the Ethernet frame can also be an Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.3 frame. Similar to the Ethernet II frame, the IEEE802.3 frame also includes a data field, and the first information can also be located in the data field. Further optionally, a flag bit can also be placed before the starting position of the first information in the IEEE802.3 frame, which is not illustrated in the figure.

[0085] Another possible scenario is that the format of the first information is a High-Level Data Link Control (HDLC) frame. Figure 5 uses the HDLC frame format as an example, and the first information is located in the HDLC frame. The HDLC frame may include, but is not limited to, a flag field, an address field, a control field, an information field, and a frame check sequence (FCS) field. The information field includes the first information. Similarly, a flag bit may be placed before the first information to locate the first information.

[0086] In addition, regardless of the above possible situations, the flag bit can be placed in various forms. For example, a flag bit can be placed before the identifier of the radio frequency unit 0, and a flag bit can also be placed before the identifiers of one or more optical modules used by the radio frequency unit 0. In addition, the order of placing the identifier of the radio frequency unit 0 and the identifier of the optical module (for example, the identifier of the optical module 0) is not limited in this application.

[0087] In addition, optionally, in this step, the RF unit 0 can also send the device type information of the RF unit 0 to the baseband unit. The device type information can be the device type of the RF unit 0, and the device type can be a device type such as AAU, RRU, RRH, RFU, RU, etc.

[0088] That is, taking the above possible implementation as an example, the RF unit 0 sends first information to the baseband unit. The first information may include the identifier of the RF unit 0, the device type information of the RF unit 0, and the identifier of the optical module 0.

[0089] Step 302: The baseband unit determines the configuration information of the radio frequency unit 0.

[0090] The configuration information of the radio frequency unit 0, for example, the configuration information of the radio frequency unit 0 may include at least one of the following:

[0091] Standard information, sector information, address information, and information about the virtual local area network to which it belongs.

[0092] For example, the standard information may be the LTE standard, or the NR standard, etc. That is, if the standard information is the LTE standard, then the radio frequency unit 0 supports the LTE standard.

[0093] For example, the sector information may be sector 1, sector 2, or sector 3. In this application, a sector is physical sector information of an access network device. That is, if the sector information is sector 1, then the radio frequency unit 0 corresponds to sector 1, or it can also be understood that it provides communication functions for users served by sector 1.

[0094] For example, the address information may include at least one of an IP address and a home address. That is, for example, if the address information includes an IP address, then the IP address of the radio frequency unit 0 is the IP address in the address information.

[0095] For example, the information of the virtual local area network may include an identifier (ID) of the virtual local area network. For example, the identifier of the virtual local area network may be represented by a VLAN ID.

[0096] Furthermore, the baseband unit can also establish a first association relationship. The first association relationship is an association relationship between the configuration information of the radio frequency unit 0 and information such as the identifier of the radio frequency unit 0, the identifier of the optical module 0, and the device type information of the radio frequency unit 0. Figure 6 shows a possible situation. The first association relationship in the figure includes device information and configuration information. The device information is the device information of the radio frequency unit 0. The device information may include the device type, device identifier, characteristic attributes, and associated configuration. Among them, the device type is the type of the radio frequency unit 0, such as AAU; the device identifier is the identifier of the radio frequency unit 0, for example, the identifier of the radio frequency unit 0 is ESN0; the characteristic attribute may include the identifier of the optical module 0 used by the radio frequency unit 0, for example, if the optical module used is optical module 0, then the information of the optical module 0 used includes the identifier SN0 of the optical module 0; the associated configuration is used to establish the relationship between the device information and the configuration information, that is, the first association relationship. The associated configuration includes a configuration name used to identify the configuration information, such as ID1. In the configuration information, the configuration name is ID1, or it is called the configuration information identifier. The standard information is the standard supported by RF unit 0, for example, LTE; the sector information is the sector in which RF unit 0 operates, for example, sector 1. The configuration information may also include address information of RF unit 0, etc., which is not shown in the figure. Any configuration information about the RF unit may be included in the configuration information in the first association relationship.

[0097] In addition, the form of presentation of the configuration information is not limited to the form shown in FIG6 above. In one possible scenario, the configuration information includes multiple copies, each of which has a configuration name. Taking FIG6 as an example, in the device information of the first association relationship, the associated configuration may include ID1 and ID2. The configuration information corresponding to ID1 may include indication information, sector information, etc., and the configuration information corresponding to ID2 may include address information, information about the virtual local area network to which it belongs, etc.

[0098] It should be understood that the order of any fields in the first association relationship is not limited, and the above is only an example.

[0099] Optionally, the baseband unit may further send the first association relationship to a network management device, which is used to manage the baseband unit or radio frequency unit in the access network device.

[0100] Step 303: RF unit 0 fails, and RF unit 0 is replaced with RF unit 1.

[0101] When RF unit 1 starts up, RF unit 1 uses optical module 0, which corresponds to RF unit 0. For example, if an operator replaces a faulty RF unit 0 with RF unit 1, RF unit 1 still uses optical module 0 because the optical module is not faulty.

[0102] Step 304: RF unit 1 sends the identifier of RF unit 1 and the identifier of optical module 0 to the baseband unit.

[0103] It can be understood that the identifier of optical module 0 in this step is the identifier of optical module 0.

[0104] Similarly, the identifier of the radio frequency unit 1 may refer to the description of the identifier of the radio frequency unit 0.

[0105] For example, the radio frequency unit 1 sends second information to the baseband unit, where the second information includes the identifier of the radio frequency unit 1 and the identifier of the optical module 0 .

[0106] Similarly, the manner of sending the second information and other information that may be included in the second information may refer to the description of the first information in step 301 .

[0107] Step 305 : The baseband unit configures the configuration information of the radio frequency unit 1 according to the identifier of the optical module 0 .

[0108] For example, the baseband unit determines the configuration information of RF unit 0 from the first association based on the identifier of optical module 0, and validates the configuration information of RF unit 1. Validating the configuration information of RF unit 1 may also be referred to as validating the configuration information of RF unit 1. It is understood that since RF unit 1 is used to replace RF unit 0, the configuration information of RF unit 1 is the same as the configuration information of RF unit 0.

[0109] Furthermore, the baseband unit can establish a second association relationship, which is an association relationship between the configuration information of RF unit 1 and information such as the identifier of RF unit 1, the identifier of optical module 0, and the device type information of RF unit 0. Taking the above example, after the RF unit is replaced, the first association relationship is changed to the second association relationship. As shown in Figure 7, it can be seen that in the second association relationship, only the device identifier in the first association relationship can be changed to the identifier of RF module 1.

[0110] Optionally, the baseband unit may also send the second association relationship to a network management device. The network management device may then update the first association relationship to the second association relationship. It is understood that the second association relationship takes effect.

[0111] Through the above method, the baseband unit can pre-establish a correspondence between the optical module used by RF unit 0 and the configuration information of RF unit 0. After RF unit 0 in the access network device is replaced with RF unit 1, since RF unit 1 uses the optical module of RF unit 0, the baseband unit can actively index the configuration information of RF unit 0 before RF unit 1 is replaced through the information of the optical module, thereby automatically and quickly obtaining the configuration information that should be configured for RF unit 1, improving the efficiency of taking effect after the RF module is replaced and reducing the inefficiency caused by manual configuration.

[0112] In addition, the above steps are described using the example of a non-independently operated RF unit, that is, the effectiveness of the RF unit's configuration information depends on the interaction of information between the baseband unit and the network management device. When the RF unit is an independently operated RF unit, the RF unit can interact directly with the network management device. As shown in Figure 8, the present application provides another communication method, which may include the following steps:

[0113] Step 801: Radio frequency unit 0 sends the identifier of radio frequency unit 0 and the identifier of optical module 0 to a network management device.

[0114] Correspondingly, the network management device receives the identifier of radio frequency unit 0 and the identifier of optical module 0 from radio frequency unit 0.

[0115] This step can refer to the description of step 301 in FIG3 , and will not be described in detail.

[0116] Step 802: Radio Frequency Unit 0 receives configuration information from a network management device.

[0117] Correspondingly, the network management device sends configuration information to the radio frequency unit 0.

[0118] For this configuration information, please refer to the description of the configuration information in Example 3 and will not be repeated here.

[0119] For example, after receiving the identifier of RF unit 0 and the identifier of optical module 0, the network management device determines configuration information for RF unit 0 and sends the configuration information to RF unit 0. Thus, the configuration information takes effect on RF unit 0, that is, the network management device configures the configuration information for RF unit 0.

[0120] Step 803: The radio frequency unit 0 or the network management device establishes a first association relationship.

[0121] For the first association relationship, reference may be made to the description of the first association relationship in Example 3, which will not be repeated here.

[0122] If RF unit 0 establishes the first association in this step, for example, RF unit 0 may determine the first association based on the configuration information. Specifically, RF unit 0 uses at least one optical module. Taking optical module 0 as an example, RF unit 0 may establish an association between the information of optical module 0, the information of RF unit 0, and the configuration information, i.e., the first association. In this case, step 804 may also be performed.

[0123] If the network management device establishes the first association in this step, the execution order of this step is not limited to the execution order of step 802. In addition, in this case, step 804 may not be performed. After the network management device establishes the first association, the first association may be stored in the storage unit of the network management device.

[0124] Step 804: Radio frequency unit 0 sends the first association relationship to the network management device.

[0125] Correspondingly, the network management device receives the first association relationship from the radio frequency unit 0.

[0126] This step is optional.

[0127] After the first association relationship is established, the radio frequency unit 0 sends the first association relationship to the network management device, so that the network management device can save the first association relationship.

[0128] Step 805 : RF unit 0 fails, and RF unit 0 is replaced with RF unit 1 .

[0129] It is understandable that in this step, RF unit 0 may be replaced with RF unit 1 due to other factors, and is not limited to the case of failure of RF unit 0. In short, RF unit 1 is the latest RF unit used.

[0130] Step 806 : RF unit 1 sends the identifier of RF unit 1 and the identifier of optical module 0 to the network management device.

[0131] Similarly, this step can refer to the description of step 801 and will not be repeated here.

[0132] Step 807: The network management device sends configuration information to the radio frequency unit 1.

[0133] The configuration information may refer to the description of the configuration information in FIG. 3 , and the configuration information is the configuration information mentioned in step 802 .

[0134] In one possible implementation, after receiving the identifier of RF unit 1 and the identifier of optical module 0, the network management device determines a first association based on the identifier of optical module 0, sends the configuration information in the first association to RF unit 1, and makes the configuration information effective on RF unit 1, thus configuring RF unit 1 with the configuration information. This achieves the effect of automatically starting a new RF unit and automatically configuring the configuration information after the new RF unit is installed.

[0135] Alternatively, in one possible implementation, in this step, the network management device sends a first association to RF unit 1, where the first association includes configuration information. Since RF unit 1 knows its own identifier and the identifier of optical module 0 it uses, RF unit 1 can determine the configuration information based on the identifier of optical module 0 and the first association, thereby completing configuration of the configuration information.

[0136] Step 808: The radio frequency unit 1 or the network management device establishes a second association relationship.

[0137] Similar to step 805, for example, when the second association is established for RF unit 1, RF unit 1 generates the second association based on the first association. Specifically, in step 807, the network management device sends the first association to RF unit 1, where the first association includes configuration information. RF unit 1 then replaces the information of RF unit 0 in the first association with the information of RF unit 1 based on the identifier of optical module 0. For example, the identifier of RF unit 0 in the first association is replaced with the identifier of RF unit 1, thereby generating the second association. Step 809 can then be executed.

[0138] When the network management device executes this step, the execution order of this step and the execution order of step 807 are not limited by this application. Step 809 may not be executed subsequently. In addition, in step 807

[0139] Step 809: The radio frequency unit 1 sends the second association relationship to the network management device.

[0140] Correspondingly, the network management device receives the second association relationship from the radio frequency unit 1. The network management device may save the second association relationship.

[0141] This step is optional.

[0142] Through the method shown in this embodiment, the radio frequency unit can interact with the network management device and automatically take effect on the configuration information in the association relationship when going online, thereby realizing automatic information configuration and reducing the probability of inefficiency caused by manual configuration through the network management device.

[0143] The methods shown in the above two embodiments are described from the perspectives of the case where the RF unit is operated non-independently and the case where the RF unit is operated independently. Similarly, in the case where the RF unit is operated non-independently and independently, the above ideas can also be applied to the scenario where the RF unit replaces one or more optical modules it uses. This application is introduced by taking the case where the RF unit is operated non-independently as an example. As shown in Figure 9, the method may include the following steps:

[0144] Step 901: RF unit 0 sends the RF unit 0 identifier and optical module identifier set 0 to the baseband unit.

[0145] The optical module identification set 0 includes the identification of optical module 0 and the identification of optical module 2. The set may also include identifications of other optical modules, which is not limited in this application.

[0146] Step 902: The baseband unit configures the configuration information of the radio frequency unit 0.

[0147] For steps 901 and 902 , reference may be made to the description of steps 301 and 302 in FIG. 3 .

[0148] In addition, the baseband unit may establish a third association relationship. The first association relationship may also refer to the description of the first association relationship in FIG3 . The third association relationship is an association relationship between the identifier of RF unit 0, the identifier set 0 of the optical module, and the configuration information. The third association relationship may be sent by the baseband unit to the network management unit, and the network management unit may store the third association relationship.

[0149] Step 903 : Optical module 0 in RF unit 0 fails and is replaced with optical module 1 .

[0150] It should be understood that optical module 1 is not an optical module in optical module set 0 in step 901 .

[0151] Step 904: RF unit 0 sends the identifier of RF unit 0 and the identifier of optical module 2 to the baseband unit.

[0152] For example, the radio frequency unit 0 sends the identifier of the radio frequency unit 0 and the identifier set 1 of the optical module to the baseband unit. The identifier set 1 of the optical module includes the identifier of the optical module 2 and the identifier of the optical module 1.

[0153] It should be understood that, in one possible case, the optical module identification set 1 in this step may be a set obtained by replacing the identification of optical module 0 in the optical module identification set 0 with the identification of optical module 1 .

[0154] For the specific implementation of this step, please refer to the description of step 901.

[0155] Step 905: The baseband unit configures a fourth association relationship.

[0156] The baseband unit updates the third association relationship to a fourth association relationship, where the fourth association relationship can be understood as an association relationship obtained by replacing the identifier of optical module 0 in the third association relationship with the identifier of optical module 1.

[0157] The fourth association relationship may be sent by the baseband unit to the network management unit, and the network management unit may store the fourth association relationship.

[0158] It is understandable that, since in this embodiment, RF unit 0 is not replaced, but only some optical modules used by RF unit 0 are updated, the configuration information of RF unit 0 does not need to be changed, and therefore there is no need to reconfigure the configuration information. The premise of the method shown in this embodiment is that at least one of the multiple optical modules in RF unit 0 needs to be working normally and not replaced. Therefore, the baseband unit can update the association between the configuration information and the device information based on the identification of the normally working optical module, thereby automatically refreshing the association and reducing the probability of inefficiency caused by manual configuration.

[0159] In conjunction with the methods shown in Figures 3 to 9, the present application provides a communication method, which can be performed by a distributed unit or a second device, as shown in Figure 10. The method may include the following steps:

[0160] Step 1001: Obtain an identifier of a second device and an identifier of an optical module.

[0161] The second device can refer to the description of the radio frequency unit 1 in Figures 3 to 9, and the identification of the optical module can refer to the description of the identification of the optical module 0 in Figures 3 to 9, which will not be repeated.

[0162] For this step, reference may be made to the description of step 304 in FIG. 3 and step 806 in FIG. 8 .

[0163] For example, the second device uses the optical module.

[0164] In a possible implementation, obtaining the identifier of the second device and the identifier of the optical module includes: receiving the identifier of the second device and the identifier of the optical module.

[0165] In one possible scenario, receiving the identifier of the second device and the identifier of the optical module includes:

[0166] Second information is received, where the second information includes an identifier of the second device and an identifier of the optical module.

[0167] For example, the second information also includes the type of the second device, and the type of the second device is any one of a radio frequency module, a radio remote unit, a wireless unit, a remote radio frequency head, a radio frequency processing unit, or an active antenna processing unit.

[0168] For example, the second information is located in an Ethernet frame or a high-level data link control frame.

[0169] For example, the receiving the second information includes: receiving the second information through a fronthaul interface, a universal public radio interface, or an enhanced universal public radio interface.

[0170] For the implementation and possible situations thereof, reference may be made to the description of step 304 in FIG. 3 .

[0171] Step 1002: Configure second configuration information of the second device according to the identifier of the optical module.

[0172] For this step, reference may be made to the description of step 305 in FIG. 3 or step 807 in FIG. 8 .

[0173] For example, the second configuration information is the same as the first configuration information of the first device; wherein both the first device and the second device use the optical module. The first configuration information and the second configuration information can refer to the description of the configuration information in Figure 3 or Figure 8. The first device can refer to the description of the radio frequency unit 0 in Figure 3 or Figure 8.

[0174] For example, the first configuration information or the second configuration information includes at least one of the following: system information, sector information, address information, and virtual local area network information.

[0175] In one possible scenario, when the first device fails, the second device is used to replace the first device.

[0176] A possible implementation method is to configure the second configuration information of the second device according to the identifier of the optical module, which may include: determining a first association relationship according to the identifier of the optical module, the first association relationship being the correspondence between the identifier of the first device, the identifier of the optical module and the first configuration information; using the first configuration information as the second configuration information; and configuring the second configuration information.

[0177] In one possible implementation of this implementation, the method further includes: receiving the first association relationship from a network management device.

[0178] Specifically, before receiving the first association relationship from the network management device, the method further includes: receiving an identifier of the first device and an identifier of the optical module; and establishing the first association relationship.

[0179] In a possible implementation, the receiving the identifier of the first device and the identifier of the optical module includes: receiving first information, where the first information includes the identifier of the first device and the identifier of the optical module.

[0180] In a possible scenario, the receiving the first information includes: receiving the first information through a fronthaul interface, a universal public radio interface, or an enhanced universal public radio interface.

[0181] For example, the first information further includes the type of the first device, and the type of the first device is any type of a radio frequency module, a radio remote unit, a wireless unit, a remote radio frequency head, a radio frequency processing unit, or an active antenna processing unit.

[0182] For example, the first information is located in an Ethernet frame or a high-level data link control frame.

[0183] This implementation and possible situations thereof may refer to the description in step 301 in FIG. 3 or step 801 in FIG. 8 .

[0184] In addition, the method may further include: sending the first association relationship to a network management device. It should be understood that the network management device may store the first association relationship for subsequent use, i.e., receiving the first association relationship from the network management device for use in determining the second configuration information. For this step, reference may be made to the relevant descriptions of step 302 in FIG. 3 or step 804 in FIG. 8 .

[0185] In a possible implementation, the method may further include: establishing a second association relationship, where the second association relationship is a correspondence between the identifier of the second device, the identifier of the optical module, and the second configuration information.

[0186] In one possible implementation of this implementation, the method may further include: sending the second association relationship to a network management device.

[0187] This implementation and its possible implementations can refer to the relevant description in Figure 305 or 808 in Figure 8.

[0188] In addition, in a possible implementation, the method shown in this embodiment may further include:

[0189] Obtain the identifier of the second device and the first optical module identifier set, where the first optical module identifier set includes the identifier of the optical module and the identifier of the first optical module; and configure a third association relationship, where the third association relationship is the relationship between the identifier of the second device, the second configuration information, and the first optical module identifier set. For this method, reference may be made to the description of steps 901 and 902 in FIG. For the first optical module identifier set, reference may be made to the description of optical module identifier set 0 in FIG.

[0190] In one possible scenario, the method further includes: obtaining an identifier of the second device and a second optical module identifier set, wherein the second optical module identifier set includes the identifier of the optical module and the identifier of the second optical module; and configuring a fourth association relationship, wherein the fourth association relationship is a relationship between the identifier of the second device, the second configuration information, and the second optical module identifier set. The second optical module identifier set may refer to the description of optical module identifier set 1 in FIG. 9 .

[0191] Among them, the configuration of the fourth association relationship includes: determining the third association relationship based on the identifier of the second device and the identifier of the optical module in the second optical module identifier set; replacing the first optical module identifier set in the third association relationship with the second optical module identifier set to obtain and configure the fourth association relationship.

[0192] For this possible situation, reference may be made to the description of step 904 and step 905 in FIG. 9 .

[0193] The beneficial effects of the embodiment shown in FIG10 can be referred to the description of the beneficial effects of the methods shown in FIG3 , FIG8 and FIG9 , and will not be repeated here.

[0194] It is understood that, in order to implement the functions of the above method, the first device, the second device, the network management device, the distributed unit, the baseband unit, the radio frequency unit 0 or the radio frequency unit 1, etc. include hardware structures and / or software modules corresponding to performing each function. Those skilled in the art should readily appreciate that, in combination with the various exemplary units and method steps described in this disclosure, the present disclosure can be implemented in the form of hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether a function is executed in hardware or in a manner driven by computer software depends on the specific application scenario and design constraints of the technical solution.

[0195] The above mainly introduces the solutions provided by the embodiments of the present application from the perspective of the interaction between various units. Accordingly, the embodiments of the present application also provide a communication device, which can be the baseband unit in the above method embodiment, or a device that includes the functions of the above baseband unit, or a component that can be used for the baseband unit; or the communication device can be the radio frequency unit 0, radio frequency unit 1, first device, or second device in the above method embodiment, or a device that includes the functions of the above radio frequency unit 0, radio frequency unit 1, first device, or second device, or a component that can be used for the radio frequency unit 0, radio frequency unit 1, first device, or second device; or the communication device can be the network management device in the above method embodiment, or a device that includes the functions of the above network management device, or a component that can be used for the network management device. It is understood that in order to implement the above functions, the communication device includes hardware structures and / or software modules corresponding to the execution of each function. It should be readily appreciated by those skilled in the art that, in combination with the various exemplary units and algorithm steps described in the embodiments disclosed herein, the present application can be implemented in the form of hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether a function is executed in hardware or in a computer software-driven hardware manner depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Professional technicians can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered to be beyond the scope of this application.

[0196] FIG11 is a schematic diagram of a communication device provided according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0197] The communication device includes a processing module 1101, a receiving module 1102, and a sending module 1103. The processing module 1101 is used to implement data processing by the communication device. The receiving module 1102 is used to receive content between the communication device and other units or network elements, and the sending module 1103 is used to send content between the communication device and other units or network elements. It should be understood that the processing module 1101 in the embodiment of the present application can be implemented by a processor or a processor-related circuit component (or, referred to as a processing circuit), and the receiving module 1102 can be implemented by a receiver or a receiver-related circuit component. The sending module 1103 can be implemented by a transmitter or a transmitter-related circuit component.

[0198] Exemplarily, the communication device may be a communication device, or may be a chip used in the communication device, or other combined devices, components, etc. having the functions of the above-mentioned communication device.

[0199] Exemplarily, the communication device can be a baseband unit or a distributed unit in Figures 3 to 10, or it can be a radio frequency unit 0, a radio frequency unit 1, a first device or a second device in Figures 3 to 10, or it can be a network management device in Figures 3 to 10.

[0200] When the communication device is a baseband unit or a distributed unit, the receiving module 1102 is used to obtain the identification of the second device and the identification of the optical module (for example, step 304 in Figure 3 or step 1001 in Figure 10), and the second device uses the optical module; the processing module 1101 is used to configure the second configuration information of the second device according to the identification of the optical module (for example, step 305 in Figure 3 or step 1002 in Figure 10), and the second configuration information is the same as the first configuration information of the first device; wherein, both the first device and the second device use optical modules.

[0201] In addition, the above modules can also be used to support other processes of the technology described in this article. The beneficial effects can be referred to the previous description and will not be repeated here.

[0202] When the communication device is a network management device, a radio frequency unit 1, or a second device, the receiving module 1102 is used to obtain the identifier of the second device and the identifier of the optical module (for example, step 806 in Figure 8 or step 1001 in Figure 10), and the second device uses an optical module; the processing module 1101 is used to configure the second configuration information of the second device according to the identifier of the optical module (for example, step 305 in Figure 3 or step 1002 in Figure 10), and the second configuration information is the same as the first configuration information of the first device; wherein, both the first device and the second device use optical modules.

[0203] In addition, the above modules can also be used to support other processes of the technology described in this article. The beneficial effects can be referred to the previous description and will not be repeated here.

[0204] Figure 12 is a schematic diagram of another communication device provided according to an embodiment of the present application, which includes: a processor 1201, a communication interface 1202, and a memory 1203. The processor 1201, the communication interface 1202, and the memory 1203 can be interconnected via a bus 1204; the bus 1204 can be a peripheral component interconnect (PCI) bus or an extended industry standard architecture (EISA) bus, etc. The above-mentioned bus 1204 can be divided into an address bus, a data bus, and a control bus, etc. For ease of representation, only one line is used in Figure 12, but it does not mean that there is only one bus or one type of bus. The processor 1201 can be a central processing unit (CPU), a network processor (NP), or a combination of a CPU and an NP. The processor can further include a hardware chip. The above-mentioned hardware chip can be an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a programmable logic device (PLD), or a combination thereof. The PLD may be a complex programmable logic device (CPLD), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), a generic array logic (GAL), or any combination thereof. Memory 1203 may be a volatile memory or a non-volatile memory, or may include both volatile and non-volatile memories. The non-volatile memory may be a read-only memory (ROM), a programmable read-only memory (PROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), or a flash memory. The volatile memory may be a random access memory (RAM), which is used as an external cache.

[0205] Exemplarily, the communication device can be a baseband unit or a distributed unit in Figures 3 to 10, or it can be a radio frequency unit 0, a radio frequency unit 1, a first device or a second device in Figures 3 to 10, or it can be a network management device in Figures 3 to 10.

[0206] The processor 1201 is used to implement data processing operations of the communication device, and the communication interface 1202 is used to implement receiving operations and sending operations of the communication device.

[0207] When the communication device is a baseband unit or a distributed unit, the communication interface 1202 is used to obtain the identification of the second device and the identification of the optical module (for example, step 304 in Figure 3 or step 1001 in Figure 10), and the second device uses the optical module; the processor 1201 is used to configure the second configuration information of the second device according to the identification of the optical module (for example, step 305 in Figure 3 or step 1002 in Figure 10), and the second configuration information is the same as the first configuration information of the first device; wherein, both the first device and the second device use optical modules.

[0208] In addition, the above modules can also be used to support other processes of the technology described in this article. The beneficial effects can be referred to the previous description and will not be repeated here.

[0209] When the communication device is a network management device, a radio frequency unit 1, or a second device, the communication interface 1202 is used to obtain the identifier of the second device and the identifier of the optical module (for example, step 806 in Figure 8 or step 1001 in Figure 10), and the second device uses an optical module; the processor 1201 is used to configure the second configuration information of the second device according to the identifier of the optical module (for example, step 305 in Figure 3 or step 1002 in Figure 10), and the second configuration information is the same as the first configuration information of the first device; wherein, both the first device and the second device use optical modules.

[0210] In addition, the above modules can also be used to support other processes of the technology described in this article. The beneficial effects can be referred to the previous description and will not be repeated here.

[0211] An embodiment of the present application provides a communication system, which includes the aforementioned baseband unit and radio frequency unit (or radio frequency unit 1 or second device), wherein the baseband unit executes the method executed by the baseband unit in any of the embodiments shown in Figure 3 or Figure 10, and the radio frequency unit executes the method executed by the second device or radio frequency unit 1 in any of the embodiments shown in Figure 3 or Figure 10.

[0212] The communication system may further include the aforementioned network management device, which may execute the method executed by the network management device in any of the embodiments shown in FIG. 3 or FIG. 10 .

[0213] An embodiment of the present application provides a communication system, which includes the aforementioned network management device and a radio frequency unit (or radio frequency unit 1 or a second device), wherein the network management device can execute the method executed by the network management device in any of the embodiments shown in Figures 8 or 10, and the radio frequency unit can execute the method executed by the second device or radio frequency unit 1 in any of the embodiments shown in Figures 8 or 10.

[0214] The communication system may further include a baseband unit.

[0215] An embodiment of the present application also provides a computer-readable storage medium, which stores a computer program. When the computer program is executed by a computer, the computer can implement the process related to the baseband unit or the distributed unit in any of the embodiments shown in Figures 3, 8 to 10 provided in the above method embodiment, or the computer can implement the process related to the radio frequency unit 0, the radio frequency unit 1, the first device or the second device in any of the embodiments shown in Figures 3, 8, 9 or 10 provided in the above method embodiment, or the computer can implement the process related to the network management device in the embodiments shown in Figures 3, 8 to 10 provided in the above method embodiment.

[0216] An embodiment of the present application also provides a computer program product, which is used to store a computer program. When the computer program is executed by a computer, the computer can implement the process related to the baseband unit or the distributed unit in the embodiment shown in any one of Figures 3, 8 to 10 provided in the above method embodiment, or the computer can implement the process related to the radio frequency unit 0, the radio frequency unit 1, the first device or the second device in the embodiment shown in any one of Figures 3, 8, 9 or 10 provided in the above method embodiment, or the computer can implement the process related to the network management device in the embodiment shown in Figures 3, 8 to 10 provided in the above method embodiment.

[0217] The present application also provides a chip including a processor. The processor is configured to read and run a computer program stored in a memory to execute the corresponding operations and / or processes in the method provided by the present application by the baseband unit, the first device, the second device, the radio frequency unit 0, the radio frequency unit 1, or the network management device. Optionally, the chip further includes a memory, which is connected to the processor via a circuit or wire, and the processor is configured to read and execute the computer program in the memory. Further optionally, the chip further includes a communication interface, to which the processor is connected. The communication interface is configured to receive processed data and / or information, and the processor obtains the data and / or information from the communication interface and processes the data and / or information. The communication interface may be an input / output interface, an interface circuit, an output circuit, an input circuit, a pin, or a related circuit on the chip. The processor may also be embodied as a processing circuit or a logic circuit.

[0218] The above-mentioned chip can also be replaced by a chip system, which will not be described here.

[0219] The terms "comprises" and "having" and any variations thereof in this application are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusions. For example, a process, method, system, product or apparatus that includes a series of steps or elements is not necessarily limited to those steps or elements expressly listed but may include other steps or elements not expressly listed or inherent to such process, method, product or apparatus.

[0220] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the units and algorithm steps of each example described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented in electronic hardware, or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether these functions are performed in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Professional and technical personnel can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of this application.

[0221] Those skilled in the art will clearly understand that, for the convenience and brevity of description, the specific working processes of the systems, devices and units described above can refer to the corresponding processes in the aforementioned method embodiments and will not be repeated here.

[0222] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, devices and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the device embodiments described above are merely schematic. For example, the division of the units is merely a logical function division. In actual implementation, there may be other division methods, such as multiple units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. Another point is that the mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed can be through some interfaces, indirect coupling or communication connection of devices or units, which can be electrical, mechanical or other forms.

[0223] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate, and the components shown as units may or may not be physical units, that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of these units may be selected based on practical needs to achieve the objectives of this embodiment.

[0224] In addition, each functional unit in each embodiment of the present application may be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit may exist physically separately, or two or more units may be integrated into one unit.

[0225] If the functions are implemented in the form of software functional units and sold or used as independent products, they can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of the present application, or the part that contributes to the prior art, or the part of the technical solution, can be embodied in the form of a software product. The computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions for enabling a computer device (which can be a personal computer, a server, or a network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the method described in each embodiment of the present application. The aforementioned storage medium includes various media that can store program codes, such as a USB flash drive, a mobile hard disk, a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a magnetic disk or an optical disk.

[0226] In addition, the terms "first" and "second" in the specification, claims, and drawings of this application are used to distinguish different objects, rather than to describe a specific order. In addition, the terms "including" and "having," and any variations thereof, 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 may optionally include steps or units that are not listed, or may optionally include other steps or units that are inherent to the process, method, product, or device.

[0227] Although the present application has been described with reference to specific features and embodiments thereof, it is apparent that various modifications and combinations may be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the present application. Accordingly, this specification and the drawings are merely illustrative of the present application as defined by the appended claims and are deemed to cover any and all modifications, variations, combinations or equivalents within the scope of the present application. Obviously, those skilled in the art may make various modifications and variations to the present application without departing from the spirit and scope of the present application. Thus, the present application is intended to include such modifications and variations as fall within the scope of the claims of the present application and their equivalents.

[0228] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of the present invention, but the scope of protection of the present invention is not limited thereto. Any modifications or substitutions that can be easily conceived by a person skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in the present invention should be included in the scope of protection of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present invention should be based on the scope of protection of the claims.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that: The method comprises: Obtaining an identifier of a second device and an identifier of an optical module, wherein the second device uses the optical module; Second configuration information of the second device is configured according to the identifier of the optical module, where the second configuration information is the same as the first configuration information of the first device; wherein both the first device and the second device use the optical module.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The method further comprises: A second association relationship is established, where the second association relationship is a correspondence between the identifier of the second device, the identifier of the optical module, and the second configuration information.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that The method further comprises: Send the second association relationship to the network management device.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that The configuring the second configuration information of the second device according to the identifier of the optical module includes: Determining a first association relationship according to the identifier of the optical module, where the first association relationship is a correspondence between the identifier of the first device, the identifier of the optical module, and the first configuration information; Acquire the first configuration information; The first configuration information is configured as the second configuration information.

5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that The method further comprises: The first association relationship is received from a network management device.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein obtaining the identifier of the second device and the identifier of the optical module comprises: Receive an identifier of the second device and an identifier of the optical module.

7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that The receiving the identifier of the second device and the identifier of the optical module includes: Second information is received, where the second information includes an identifier of the second device and an identifier of the optical module.

8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that The second information also includes a type of the second device, where the type of the second device is a radio frequency module, a remote radio frequency unit, a wireless unit, a remote radio frequency head, a radio frequency processing unit, or an active antenna processing unit.

9. The method according to claim 7 or 8, characterized in that The second information is located in an Ethernet frame or a high-level data link control frame.

10. The method according to any one of claims 7 to 9, characterized in that The receiving the second information includes: The second information is received via a fronthaul interface, a universal public radio interface, or an enhanced universal public radio interface.

11. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that The method further comprises: receiving an identifier of the first device and an identifier of the optical module; A first association relationship is established, where the first association relationship is a correspondence between the identifier of the first device, the identifier of the optical module, and the first configuration information.

12. The method according to claim 11, characterized in that The receiving the identifier of the first device and the identifier of the optical module includes: First information is received, where the first information includes an identifier of the first device and an identifier of the optical module.

13. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that The first information also includes a type of the first device, where the type of the first device is a radio frequency module, a remote radio frequency unit, a wireless unit, a remote radio frequency head, a radio frequency processing unit, or an active antenna processing unit.

14. The method according to claim 12 or 13, characterized in that The first information is located in an Ethernet frame or a high-level data link control frame.

15. The method according to any one of claims 12 to 14, characterized in that The receiving of the first information includes: The first information is received via a fronthaul interface, a universal public radio interface, or an enhanced universal public radio interface.

16. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 15, characterized in that The method further comprises: Send the first association relationship to the network management device.

17. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 16, characterized in that The first configuration information or the second configuration information includes at least one of the following: system information, sector information, address information, and virtual local area network information.

18. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 17, characterized in that When the first device fails, the second device is used to replace the first device.

19. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 18, characterized in that The method further comprises: Obtaining an identifier of the second device and a set of identifiers of the first optical module, where the set of identifiers of the first optical module includes the identifier of the optical module and the identifier of the first optical module; A third association relationship is configured, where the third association relationship is a relationship between the identifier of the second device, the second configuration information, and the first optical module identifier set.

20. The method according to claim 19, wherein The method further comprises: Acquire an identifier of the second device and an identifier set of a second optical module, where the second optical module identifier set includes the identifier of the optical module and the identifier of the second optical module; A fourth association relationship is configured, where the fourth association relationship is a relationship between the identifier of the second device, the second configuration information, and the second optical module identifier set.

21. The method according to claim 20, characterized in that The configuring the fourth association relationship includes: determining the third association relationship according to the identifier of the second device and the identifier of the optical module in the second optical module identifier set; The first optical module identifier set in the third association relationship is replaced with the second optical module identifier set to obtain and configure the fourth association relationship.

22. A communication device, characterized in that: Comprising means for performing the method according to any one of claims 1 to 21.

23. A communication device, characterized in that: Including processor; The processor is configured to read and execute a program from a memory to implement the method according to any one of claims 1 to 21.

24. A computer program product comprising instructions, characterized in that When the method is executed on a computer, the computer is caused to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 21.

25. A computer-readable storage medium storing instructions, which, when executed on a computer, enable a processor to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 21.

26. A system, characterized in that The system includes a distributed unit and a radio frequency unit, and the distributed unit is configured to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 21.

27. The system according to claim 26, wherein: The system further includes a network management device, which is used to manage the distributed unit or the second device.

28. The system according to claim 26 or 27, characterized in that The radio frequency unit includes any one of the following: a radio frequency module, a radio remote unit, a wireless unit, a remote radio frequency head, a radio frequency processing unit or an active antenna processing unit.

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