Message forwarding method, message processing method and equipment

Abstract

The embodiment of the invention provides a message forwarding method, a message processing method and equipment, which are used for determining a network slice of a bearer network corresponding to a message so as to transmit the message by using the network slice of the corresponding bearer network. The message forwarding method comprises the following steps: a first device obtains a first message, and the first device is a network device of an access network or a mobile core network; the first device determines network slice mapping information according to the first message; the first device generates a second message according to the first message, wherein the second message comprises the network slice mapping information; and the first device sends the second message to a second device, the second device being a network device of a bearer network, and the network slice mapping information being used for determining a network slice of the bearer network forwarding the second message.

Description

[0001] This application is a divisional application. The application number of the original application is 202110130482.2, and the original application date is January 29, 2021. The entire content of the original application is incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0002] This application relates to the field of communication technologies, and in particular, to a method for packet forwarding, a method for packet processing, and a device. Background Art

[0003] The network slice technology refers to the technology of dividing a network into multiple relatively independent networks, and is a key technology of the 5th generation mobile networks (5G). Through the network slice technology, a network device can have multiple mutually isolated network slices. Different network slices can have different transmission characteristics. In this way, when transmitting data, the network device can select a suitable network slice to transmit the data according to the characteristics of the data to be transmitted, so as to provide a mutually isolated network environment for different application scenarios, enabling different application scenarios to customize network functions and characteristics according to their respective needs and ensuring the requirements of different services.

[0004] The current 5G network includes an access network (AN), a transport network (TN), and a core network (CN). The network devices include the network devices of the access network, the network devices of the transport network, and the network devices of the core network. Among them, the network devices of the access network can receive the packets sent by the terminal devices and send them to the network devices of the core network through the network devices of the transport network. Correspondingly, the network devices of the core network can also send the packets to the network devices of the access network through the network devices of the transport network, and then the network devices of the access network send them to the terminal devices. In the case where the transport network is divided into multiple network slices, the network devices of the transport network need to determine the network slice corresponding to the packet after receiving the packet, so as to transmit the packet using the network slice of the transport network that matches the packet. Summary of the Invention

[0005] Embodiments of this application provide a method for packet forwarding, a method for packet processing, and a device, which are used to determine the network slice of the transport network corresponding to the packet, so as to transmit the packet using the corresponding network slice of the transport network.

[0006] In a first aspect, a method for packet forwarding is provided. This method is applied to a first device, which is a network device of an access network or a network device of a mobile core network. The method specifically includes the following steps: The first device obtains a first packet through the access network or the mobile core network. The first packet is a packet that needs to be sent to a network device of the mobile core network or a network device of the access network through the bearer network. The first device determines network slice mapping information according to the first packet. This network slice mapping information is used by the network device of the bearer network to determine the bearer network slice corresponding to the first packet. For example, it may include information of the access network or the mobile core network, or may also include information related to the bearer network slice. After determining the network slice mapping information, the first device can generate a second packet including the network slice mapping information according to the first packet and the network slice mapping information, and send the second packet to a second device. The second device is a network device of the bearer network. Before the packet is transmitted to the network device of the bearer network, the network device of the access network or the mobile core network can pre-determine the network slice mapping information for determining the bearer network slice for forwarding the packet, and carry the network slice mapping information in the second packet sent to the second device. In this way, after receiving the packet, the network device of the bearer network can determine the corresponding bearer network slice according to the network slice mapping information, and thus transmit the second packet using the corresponding bearer network slice.

[0007] As a possible design, the network slice mapping information may include a first network slice identifier, or may include any one or more of the following information: Quality of Service (QoS) parameters, Virtual Private Network (VPN) identifier, QoS parameters ID, service slice identifier, resource slice identifier, and bearer network slice identifier. Among them, the first network slice identifier is used to identify the network slice of the access network that transmits the first packet, or to identify the network slice of the core network that transmits the first packet. The first network slice identifier may be a Single Network Slice Selection Assistance Information (S-NSSAI) identifier, a network slice instance (NSI) identifier, a network slice subnet instance (NSSI) identifier, etc. The QoS parameter is a parameter that describes the QoS required for the access network, the mobile core network, or the network slice network for transmitting the first packet. The QoS parameter ID is the identifier of the QoS parameter. The VPN identifier is the identifier of the VPN used by the first packet. The bearer network slice identifier is used to identify the network slice of the bearer network corresponding to the first packet. The service slice identifier is used to identify the service slice of the bearer network that transmits the second packet. The resource slice identifier is used to identify the resource slice of the bearer network that transmits the second packet.

[0008] There are three possible implementation methods for the first network device to determine the network slice mapping information:

[0009] Implementation method 1: The first device determines the network slice mapping information according to the first network slice identifier. Among them, the first network slice identifier is used to identify the network slice of the access network that transmits the first packet, or to identify the network slice of the core network that transmits the first packet. Specifically, the first device first determines the first network slice identifier according to the first packet, and then determines the network slice mapping information according to the first network slice identifier.

[0010] Optionally, in implementation method 1, the first device determines the first network slice identifier specifically as: the first network device determines the first network slice identifier according to one or more of the service identifier, flow identifier, and user identifier of the first packet. The first device may also determine the first network slice identifier according to the attribute information or requirement information of the first packet.

[0011] Optionally, the first network device stores the correspondence between the first network slice identifier and the network slice mapping information. The specific implementation of the first device determining the network slice mapping information according to the network slice identifier in Implementation Manner 1 may be: the first device determines the network slice mapping information according to the first network slice identifier and the correspondence.

[0012] Implementation Manner 2: The first device determines the network slice mapping information according to the attribute information of the first packet. The attribute information of the first packet reflects the attributes of the first packet. For example, it may include any one or more of the following information: the QoS level of the first packet, the port number of the network port where the first device receives the first packet, and the network segment to which the first packet belongs.

[0013] Implementation Manner 3: The first device determines the network slice mapping information according to the requirement information for transmitting the first packet. The requirement information of the first packet represents the quality of service required by the first packet. For example, it may include information such as the bandwidth required for transmitting the first packet, the maximum latency corresponding to transmitting the first packet, and the maximum packet loss rate corresponding to the first packet.

[0014] The above three possible implementation manners do not constitute a limitation to the embodiments of the present application, and those skilled in the art can design according to actual situations.

[0015] As a possible design, the second packet includes any one or more of an Internet Protocol Version 6 (IPv6) extension header, an IPv6 basic header, an Ethernet header, and a Multi-Protocol Label Switching (MPLS) header, and any one or more of the IPv6 extension header, the IPv6 basic header, the Ethernet header, and the MPLS header carry the network slice mapping information.

[0016] As a possible design, the IPv6 extension header includes one or more of the following: Hop by Hop Options Header, Destination Options Header, Routing Header, and Segment Routing Header.

[0017] As a possible design, the network slice mapping information is carried in the Type-length-value (TLV) field of the IPv6 extension header.

[0018] As a possible design, the network slice mapping information is carried in any one or more of the source address (SA) field, destination address (DA) field, or flow label field of the IPv6 basic header.

[0019] As a possible design, the Ethernet header includes a Virtual Local Area Network (VLAN) Identifier (VLAN ID) field, and the slice mapping information is carried in the VLAN ID field.

[0020] As a possible design, when the first device is a network device of an access network, the first device is a base station or a Customer Premises Equipment (CPE), and the second device is a router or a switch.

[0021] In a second aspect, a packet processing method is provided. This method is applied to a second device, which can be a network device of a bearer network. The method includes the following steps: The second device receives a second packet from the first device. The second packet includes network slice mapping information. The first device is a network device of an access network or a mobile core network, and the second device is a network device of a bearer network. The network slice mapping information is generated by the first device based on a first packet, and the second packet is generated by the first device based on the first packet and the network slice mapping information. The second device can determine the corresponding network slice of the bearer network according to the network slice mapping information, that is, the network slice of the bearer network for transmitting the second packet. After determining the network slice of the bearer network, the second device uses the network resources corresponding to the network slice of the bearer network to send the second packet. In this way, the second packet received by the second device as a bearer network device already includes the network slice mapping information for determining the network slice of the bearer network. After receiving a packet, a network device of the bearer network can determine the corresponding network slice of the bearer network according to the network slice mapping information, and thus transmit the second packet using the corresponding network slice of the bearer network.

[0022] For possible implementation manners of the content included in the network slice mapping information and the position where it is carried in the second packet, please refer to the above description and will not be elaborated here.

[0023] As a possible design, the first device is a base station or a Customer Premises Equipment, and the second device is a router or a switch.

[0024] As a possible design, the network resources include any one or more of bandwidth resources, cache resources, and queue resources.

[0025] In a third aspect, a device is provided for a network system including a plurality of devices, the plurality of network devices including a first device and a second device, the device being the first device, the device including: an obtaining unit configured to obtain a first message, the first device being a network device of an access network or a mobile core network; a processing unit configured to determine network slice mapping information according to the first message; generate a second message according to the first message, the second message including the network slice mapping information; a sending unit configured to send the second message to a second device, the second device being a network device of a bearer network, the network slice mapping information being used to determine a network slice of the bearer network for forwarding the second message.

[0026] In a possible design, the network slice mapping information includes one or more of the following information: quality of service parameter, virtual private network identifier, quality of service parameter identifier, service slice identifier, resource slice identifier, and bearer network slice identifier.

[0027] In a possible design, the network slice mapping information includes a first network slice identifier, the first network slice identifier being used to identify a network slice of the access network for transmitting the first message, or being used to identify a network slice of the core network for transmitting the first message.

[0028] In a possible design, the processing unit is configured to determine a first network slice identifier according to the first message, the first network slice identifier being used to identify a network slice of the access network for transmitting the first message, or being used to identify a network slice of the core network for transmitting the first message; and determine the network slice mapping information according to the first network slice identifier.

[0029] In a possible design, the first network device stores a correspondence between the first network slice identifier and the network slice mapping information; the processing unit is configured to determine the network slice mapping information according to the first network slice identifier and the correspondence.

[0030] In a possible design, the processing unit is configured to determine the network slice mapping information according to the attribute information of the first message, or determine the network slice mapping information according to the requirement information for transmitting the first message.

[0031] In a possible design, the processing unit is configured to determine the first network slice identifier according to one or more of the service identifier, flow identifier, and user identifier of the first message.

[0032] For possible implementation manners of the position where the network slice mapping information is carried in the second message, please refer to the above description and will not be elaborated here.

[0033] In a fourth aspect, a device is provided for a network system including multiple devices, the multiple network devices including a first device and a second device, the device being the second device, and the device including: a receiving unit configured to receive a second message from the first device, the second message including network slice mapping information; the first device being a network device of an access network or a mobile core network, and the second device being a network device of a bearer network; a processing unit configured to determine a corresponding network slice of the bearer network according to the network slice mapping information; and a sending unit configured to send the second message by using network resources corresponding to the network slice of the bearer network.

[0034] In a possible design, the network slice mapping information includes one or more of the following information: VPN identifier, quality of service parameter identifier, service slice identifier, resource slice identifier, and bearer network slice identifier.

[0035] In a possible design, the network slice mapping information includes one or more of the following information: a first network slice identifier and a quality of service parameter, where the first network slice identifier is used to identify a network slice of the access network that transmits the first message, or is used to identify a network slice of the core network that transmits the first message.

[0036] In a possible design, the processing unit is configured to determine a slice identifier of a corresponding network slice of the bearer network according to the network slice mapping information and a corresponding relationship, the corresponding relationship being a corresponding relationship between the network slice mapping information and a bearer network slice identifier, and the bearer network slice identifier being a slice identifier of the network slice of the bearer network; and the sending unit is configured to send the second message by using network resources corresponding to the bearer network slice identifier.

[0037] For possible implementation manners of the position where the network slice mapping information is carried in the second message, please refer to the above description, and details are not described herein again.

[0038] In a possible design, the first device is a base station or a customer premises equipment, and the second device is a router or a switch.

[0039] In a possible design, the network resources include any one or more of bandwidth resources, cache resources, and queue resources.

[0040] In a fifth aspect, a device is provided for use in a network system including multiple devices, the multiple devices including a first device and a second device, the device being the first device, and the first device including: a processor and a network interface. The network interface is used for receiving and sending messages. The processor is configured to execute the method in the foregoing first aspect or any possible design of the first aspect.

[0041] In a possible design, the first device further includes a memory, which can be used to store instructions or program codes. The processor is used to call the instructions or program codes in the memory to execute the method in the foregoing first aspect or any possible design of the first aspect.

[0042] In a sixth aspect, a device is provided, which is applied to a network system including multiple devices. The multiple devices include a first device and a second device. This device is the second device, and the second device includes: a processor and a network interface. The network interface is used for receiving and sending messages. The processor is used to execute the method in the foregoing second aspect or any possible design of the second aspect.

[0043] In a possible design, the second device further includes a memory, which can be used to store instructions or program codes. The processor is used to call the instructions or program codes in the memory to execute the method in the foregoing second aspect or any possible design of the second aspect.

[0044] In a seventh aspect, a network system is provided. The network system includes the first device as described in the third aspect and the second device as described in the fourth aspect, or includes the first device as described in the fifth aspect or the second device as described in the sixth aspect.

[0045] In an eighth aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, including instructions, programs, or codes. When executed on a computer, it enables the computer to execute the method described in any possible implementation manner of the foregoing first aspect or second aspect.

[0046] In a ninth aspect, a computer program product including computer instructions is provided. When the computer program product runs on a network device, it enables the network device to execute the method provided in any possible implementation manner of the first aspect or second aspect.

[0047] In a tenth aspect, a chip is provided, including a memory and a processor. The memory is used to store instructions or program codes. The processor is used to call and run the instructions or program codes from the memory to execute the method in the above-mentioned first aspect or any possible design of the first aspect; or the processor executes the method in the second aspect or any possible design of the second aspect.

[0048] In an eleventh aspect, a chip is provided. The above chip includes a processor but does not include a memory. The processor is used to read and execute the instructions or program codes stored in the memory outside the chip. When the instructions or program codes are executed, the processor executes the method in the first aspect or any possible design of the first aspect; or the processor executes the method in the second aspect or any possible design of the second aspect. Description of the Drawings

[0049] Figure 1 It is a schematic structural diagram of the system 100 provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0050] Figure 2 It is a signaling interaction diagram of a method for packet forwarding provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0051] Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of a possible format of a packet header without an MPLS header provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0052] Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram of a possible format of a packet header including an MPLS header provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0053] Figure 5 It is a schematic structural diagram of a first device provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0054] Figure 6 It is a schematic structural diagram of a second device provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0055] Figure 7 It is a schematic structural diagram of a network system provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0056] Figure 8 It is a schematic structural diagram of a device provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0057] Figure 9 It is a schematic structural diagram of a device provided by an embodiment of the present application. Detailed implementation manners

[0058] The following introduces the methods for packet forwarding and packet processing provided by the traditional technology and the embodiments of the present application with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0059] First, introduce Figure 1 the access network, the bearer network, and the mobile core network.

[0060] Refer to Figure 1, This figure is a schematic structural diagram of the system 100 provided by an embodiment of this application. In the system 100, it includes terminal device 111, terminal device 112, terminal device 113, base station 121, base station 122, network device 131, network device 132, network device 133, network device 134, gateway device 141, network device 142, and server 150. Among them, base station 121 is respectively connected to terminal device 111 and network device 131, base station 122 is respectively connected to terminal device 112, terminal device 113, and network device 133, network device 131 is connected to network device 132, network device 133 is connected to network device 134, gateway device 141 is respectively connected to network device 132, network device 134, and network device 142, and server 150 is connected to network device 142.

[0061] In an embodiment of this application, base stations 121 and 122 are network devices of the access network, network devices 131, 132, 133, and 134 are network devices of the bearer network, and gateway device 141 and network device 142 belong to the network devices of the mobile core network. Correspondingly, in the embodiment of this application, the access network 120 includes the network between base station 121 and terminal device 111, the network between base station 122 and terminal device 112, and the network between base station 122 and terminal device 113. The bearer network 130 includes the network between network device 131 and network device 132 and the network between network device 133 and network device 134. The mobile core network 140 includes the network between gateway device 141 and network device 142. Optionally, when any one of terminal devices 111, 112, and 113 is connected to the network device of the access network through a wireless network, the network between this terminal device and the network device of the access network can be referred to as a radio access network (RAN).

[0062] Next, taking the example of terminal device 111 sending a message to server 150, the process of message forwarding in the Figure 1 shown network will be introduced. Terminal device 111 first sends the message to base station 121 through access network 120, and base station 121 forwards the message to network device 131. Network device 131 can send the message to network device 132 through bearer network 130, and network device 132 forwards the message to gateway device 141. Gateway device 141 can send the message to network device 142 through mobile core network 140, and finally network device 142 sends the message to server 150. Similarly, in the process of server 150 needing to send a message to terminal device 111, the message can sequentially pass through the network devices of the mobile core network, the network devices of the bearer network, and the network devices of the access network.

[0063] It can be seen that the bearer network is located between the access network and the mobile core network and is used to transmit packets between the access network and the mobile core network. The network devices of the bearer network communicating with the network devices of the access network can receive the packets sent by the network devices of the access network and send the packets to the network devices of the mobile core network; the network devices of the bearer network communicating with the network devices of the mobile core network can receive the packets sent by the network devices of the mobile core network and send the packets to the network devices of the access network. Among them, the network devices of the bearer network connected to the network devices of the access network and the network devices of the bearer network connected to the network devices of the mobile core network can be called the edge network devices of the bearer network, and the edge network devices can communicate with each other through other network devices. For example Figure 1 in, network devices 131, 132, 133, and 134 are the edge network devices of the bearer network, and network devices 131 and 132 as well as network devices 133 and 134 can communicate with each other through other network devices, Figure 1 not shown.

[0064] In technologies such as 5G, in order to ensure the normal transmission of data in the network, the network slicing technology can be used to divide the network into multiple network slices. Different network slices can have different transmission characteristics and can meet the needs of different services. For example, network slice A may have the characteristic of low latency, but the bandwidth is relatively small. Then, network slice A can be used to transmit the data of services with high latency requirements but low bandwidth requirements, such as the data generated by financial services and vehicle networking services. Network slice B has the characteristic of large bandwidth, but the latency of the data may be high. Then, network slice B can be used to transmit the data of services with high bandwidth requirements but low latency requirements, such as the data generated by file transfer services. In this way, by dividing the network into multiple network slices according to the network transmission characteristics, the most suitable network slice can be selected for the characteristics of the service to transmit the data of the service, thereby improving the service quality.

[0065] When the bearer network is divided into multiple network slices, the bearer network devices can select the network slices of the bearer network to forward packets, so as to forward packets using appropriate network resources. However, when the edge network devices of the bearer network receive the packets sent by the network devices of the access network (or the mobile core network), the edge network devices cannot determine which network slice of the bearer network needs to be used to send the packets.

[0066] To solve the above problems, an embodiment of the present application provides a packet processing method. After receiving a first packet, a network device in the access network or a mobile core device can determine the network slice mapping information of the first packet and send a second packet including the network slice mapping information to a network device in the bearer network. In this way, the network device in the bearer network can determine the corresponding network slice of the bearer network according to the network slice mapping information, and thus transmit the second packet by using the corresponding network slice of the bearer network.

[0067] The packet processing method provided by the embodiment of the present application can be applied to Figure 1 the network architecture shown in

[0068] In the embodiment of the present application, terminal devices such as terminal device 111, terminal device 112, or terminal device 113 can also be referred to as user equipment (UE), mobile station (MS), mobile terminal (MT), terminal, etc. It is a device that provides voice and / or data connectivity to users, or a chip disposed in the device. For example, it can be a handheld device with wireless connection function, a vehicle-mounted device, etc. Currently, some examples of terminal devices are: mobile phones, desktop computers, tablet computers, laptop computers, palmtop computers, mobile internet devices (MID), wearable devices, virtual reality (VR) devices, augmented reality (AR) devices, wireless terminals in industrial control, wireless terminals in self-driving, wireless terminals in remote medical surgery, wireless terminals in smart grid, wireless terminals in transportation safety, wireless terminals in smart city, wireless terminals in smart home, home gateway devices supporting 5G access (5G→residential gateway, 5G→RG), etc.

[0069] In Figure 1In the illustrated embodiment, the network devices of the access network include base station 121 and base station 122. In some other implementations, the network devices of the access network may also be other devices, such as customer premise equipment. Network devices 131, 132, 133, or 134 are network devices of the bearer network. For example, they can be physical devices that support routing functions, such as routers or switches, or servers on which virtual routers or virtual switches are deployed. The network devices of the mobile core network include gateway device 141 and network device 142. Among them, the gateway device can also be called an internetwork connector or protocol converter, and it can be a computer system or device that provides data conversion services between the bearer network and the mobile core network. Network device 142 can be devices such as routers and switches. Server 150 can be, for example, a server in a data center (DC).

[0070] See Figure 2 , which is a signaling interaction diagram of a method for message forwarding provided by an embodiment of this application. The method for message forwarding provided by an embodiment of this application may include the following steps:

[0071] S201: The first device obtains a first message.

[0072] In the embodiment of this application, the first device can be a network device of the access network or a network device of the mobile core network. For example, it can be Figure 1 any one of network devices 121, 122, gateway device 141, or network device 142 among them. The first message can be a message that needs to be sent by the first device to the network device of the bearer network. For example, when the first device is a network device of the access network, the first message can be a message sent by the terminal device to the first device and then sent by the first device to the network device of the bearer network; when the first device is a network device of the mobile core network, the first message can be a message sent by other network devices of the mobile core network or the server to the first device and then sent by the first device to the network device of the bearer network.

[0073] Take Figure 1 as an example for illustration. Assume that terminal device 111 sends a request message to server 150. The request message can pass through base station 121, network device 131, network device 132, gateway device 141, and network device 142 in sequence and finally reach server 150. After receiving the request message, server 150 can generate a response message and send the response message to network device 142. The response message is finally forwarded to server 150 through the forwarding of gateway device 141, network device 132, network device 131, and base station 131.

[0074] It can be seen that during the process of transmitting a request message, the base station 121 can send a request message to the network device 131 which is a network device of the bearer network. Then, the base station 121 can obtain the request message as the first message as the first device. During the process of transmitting a response message, the gateway device 141 can send a response message to the network device 132 which is a network device of the bearer network. Then, the gateway device 141 can obtain the response message as the first message as the first device.

[0075] S202: The first device determines the network slice mapping information of the first message.

[0076] After obtaining the first message, the first device can determine the network slice mapping information of the first message, and this network slice mapping information is used to determine the network slice of the bearer network corresponding to the first message. In the embodiments of the present application, the network slice mapping information may include information of the access network or the mobile core network, or may also include information related to the network slice of the bearer network. The following introduces these two situations respectively.

[0077] First, the situation where the network slice mapping information includes information of the access network or the mobile core network is introduced. Specifically, the information of the access network or the mobile core network may be a first network slice identifier and / or a quality of service parameter.

[0078] Among them, the first network slice identifier is used to identify the network slice of the access network or the network slice of the core network. When the first device is a network device of the access network, the first network slice identifier is used to identify the network slice of the access network that transmits the first message. When the first device is a network device of the mobile core network, the first network slice identifier is used to identify the network slice of the mobile core network that transmits the first message. In the embodiments of the present application, the first network slice identifier may be a single network slice selection assistance information (S-NSSAI) identifier, or may also be a network slice instance (NSI) identifier, or may also be a network slice subnet instance (NSSI) identifier, etc.

[0079] The quality of service parameter is a parameter used to describe the quality of service required for transmitting the first message over a network or network slice. In the embodiments of the present application, the quality of service parameters of the first message may include parameters such as isolation level, packet delay budget (PDB), jitter, and maximum packet loss rate. The quality of service parameter may also be a quality of service profile parameter. The above quality of service parameters will be introduced in detail below.

[0080] The isolation level of the first message indicates the isolation state between the network slice corresponding to the first message and other network slices. For example, if the value of the isolation level of the first message is 2, it means that the isolation state between the network slice corresponding to the first message and other network slices is logical isolation; if the value of the isolation level is 1, it means that the isolation state between the network slice corresponding to the first message and other network slices is physical isolation. The value of the packet delay budget of the first message is the upper bound of the transmission delay of the data packet in the network slice corresponding to the first message, that is, the total duration from when the first message is sent by the terminal device to when the destination device of the first message receives the message. The value of the jitter of the first message is the maximum value of the difference in transmission delays between any two adjacent data frames transmitted by the network slice corresponding to the first message. The maximum packet loss rate of the first message is the proportion of the messages that can be discarded by the network slice corresponding to the first message when transmitting the data stream to the total number of messages.

[0081] For a detailed introduction to each parameter in the quality of service parameters, reference can be made to the General Network Slice Standard (Generic Network Slice Template) protocol of the Global System for Mobile Communications Alliance (GSMA), which will not be elaborated here.

[0082] The definitions of the first network slice identifier and the quality of service parameter are introduced above. Below, when the network slice mapping information includes the first network slice identifier and when the network slice mapping information includes the quality of service parameter, the method for the first device to determine the network slice mapping information will be introduced.

[0083] When the network slice mapping information includes the first network slice identifier, the first device can obtain the network slice mapping information by using two different methods.

[0084] In a first possible implementation, the first message includes a first network slice identifier. When determining the network slice mapping information, the first device may parse the first message and extract the first network slice identifier carried in the first message, thus obtaining the network slice mapping information.

[0085] In a second possible implementation, the first message does not include a first network slice identifier. When determining the network slice mapping information, the first device may determine the first network slice identifier based on any one or more of the attribute information of the first message, the requirement information for transmitting the first message, the service identifier of the first message, the flow identifier of the first message, and the user identifier of the first message. The following is a detailed introduction.

[0086] The attribute information of the first message reflects the attributes of the first message. For example, it may include any one or more of the following information: the QoS level of the first message, the port number of the network port through which the first device receives the first message, and the network segment to which the first message belongs. When the first message includes the attribute information of the first message, the first device may pre-store the correspondence between the attribute information of the message and the first network slice identifier. After receiving the first message, the first device may determine the attribute information of the first message and determine the first network slice identifier based on the attribute information of the first message and this correspondence, thereby obtaining the network slice mapping information.

[0087] The requirement information for transmitting the first message represents the quality of service required by the first message. For example, it may include information such as the bandwidth required to transmit the first message, the maximum latency corresponding to transmitting the first message, and the maximum packet loss rate corresponding to the first message. When the first message includes the requirement information for transmitting the first message, the first device may pre-store the correspondence between the requirement information and the first network slice identifier. After receiving the first message, the first device may determine the requirement information for transmitting the first message and determine the first network slice identifier based on the requirement information for transmitting the first message and this correspondence, thereby obtaining the network slice mapping information.

[0088] The service identifier of the first message may be the identifier of the service instance to which the first message belongs, reflecting which service instance generates the first message. Among them, the service instance is the service type running in the terminal device, such as service types including audio and video services, non-audio and video services, etc. Optionally, the service identifier of the first message may be added to the first message by the device that generates the first message according to the service instance to which the first message belongs. When the first message includes the service identifier of the first message, the first device may pre-store the correspondence between the service identifier of the message and the first network slice identifier. After receiving the first message, the first device may determine the service identifier of the first message and determine the first network slice identifier based on the service identifier of the first message and this correspondence, thereby obtaining the network slice mapping information.

[0089] The flow identifier of the first message is the identifier of the data stream to which the first message belongs, reflecting which data stream the first message belongs to. Optionally, the flow identifier of the first message may be added to the first message by the device that generates the first message according to the service flow to which the first message belongs. When the first message includes the flow identifier of the first message, the first device may pre-store the correspondence between the flow identifier of the message and the first network slice identifier. After receiving the first message, the first device may determine the flow identifier of the first message and determine the first network slice identifier according to the flow identifier of the first message and this correspondence, so as to obtain the network slice mapping information.

[0090] The user identifier of the first message may be the identifier of the device that generates the first message. For example, it may be the IP address, Media Access Control (MAC) address, etc. of the terminal device that generates the first message, reflecting which device generates the first message. The user identifier of the first message may also be the user identifier of the application program that generates the first message, and this application program may be installed on the device that generates the first message. Optionally, the user identifier of the first message may be added to the first message by the device that generates the first message when generating the first message. When the first message includes the user identifier of the first message, the first device may pre-store the correspondence between the user identifier and the first network slice identifier. After receiving the first message, the first device may determine the user identifier of the first message and determine the first network slice identifier according to the user identifier of the first message and this correspondence, so as to obtain the network slice mapping information.

[0091] It should be noted that the reason why the first message does not include the first network slice identifier may be that the network device of the access network (or the network device of the mobile core network) does not add the identifier of the network slice of the access network (or the mobile core network) to the first message, or that the access network (or the mobile core network) does not divide network slices.

[0092] Above, the method for the first device to determine the network slice mapping information in the case where the network slice mapping information includes the first network slice identifier has been introduced. Next, the method for the first device to determine the network slice mapping information in the case where the network slice mapping information includes quality of service parameters will be introduced.

[0093] When the network slice mapping information includes quality of service parameters, the first device may use two different methods to determine the network slice mapping information.

[0094] In a first possible implementation, the first device may determine quality of service parameters based on a first network slice identifier. Specifically, the first device may pre-store the correspondence between the first network slice identifier and the quality of service parameters. After receiving the first message, when the first message includes the first network slice identifier, the first device may parse the first message to obtain the first network slice identifier, and then determine the quality of service parameters corresponding to the first network slice identifier according to the pre-stored correspondence; when the first message does not include the first network slice identifier, the first device may determine the first network slice identifier based on one or more of the service identifier, flow identifier, user identifier, attribute information, requirement information, etc. in the first message, and then determine the quality of service parameters corresponding to the first network slice identifier according to the pre-stored correspondence. For the specific method for the first device to determine the first network slice identifier, reference may be made to the above text and will not be elaborated here.

[0095] In a second possible implementation, the first device may determine quality of service parameters based on the attribute information of the first message or the requirement information for transmitting the first message. For the description of the attribute information and the requirement information, reference may be made to the above text and will not be elaborated here.

[0096] When determining the quality of service parameters based on the attribute information of the first message, the first device may parse the attribute information of the first message, determine the quality of service required for transmitting the first message according to the attribute information of the first message, obtain the quality of service parameters, and thus obtain the network slice mapping information.

[0097] When determining the quality of service parameters based on the requirement information for transmitting the first message, the first device may sort out the requirement information for transmitting the first message, thereby determining the quality of service required for transmitting the first message, obtaining the quality of service parameters, and thus obtaining the network slice mapping information.

[0098] The above describes the case where the network slice mapping information includes information of the access network or the mobile core network. The following describes the case where the network slice mapping information includes information related to the network slice of the bearer network.

[0099] In the embodiments of the present application, the information related to the network slice of the bearer network may include any one or more of a quality of service parameter identifier, a VPN identifier, a network slice identifier of the bearer network, a service slice identifier, and a resource slice identifier, etc. The following will introduce these pieces of information respectively.

[0100] The quality of service parameter identifier is the identifier of the above quality of service parameter. A quality of service parameter identifier can be used to identify a set of quality of service parameters, and the set of quality of service parameters can include one or more quality of service parameters. The quality of service parameter identifier corresponds to the network slice of the bearer network and can represent the quality of service level of the network slice of the bearer network. When the quality of service parameter is a quality of service overview parameter, the quality of service parameter identifier is the quality of service overview identifier.

[0101] For example. Assume that the bearer network includes three network slices of the bearer network: network slice 1 of the bearer network, network slice 2 of the bearer network, and network slice 3 of the bearer network. Among them, the theoretical packet delay of network slice 1 and network slice 2 of the bearer network is 1 millisecond, and the theoretical packet delay of network slice 3 of the bearer network is 2 milliseconds. Then the quality of service parameter identifier corresponding to network slice 1 and network slice 2 of the bearer network can be A, indicating that network slice 1 and network slice 2 of the bearer network are network slices of the bearer network with a higher quality of service level; the quality of service parameter identifier corresponding to network slice 3 of the bearer network can be B, indicating that network slice 1 and network slice 2 of the bearer network are network slices of the bearer network with a lower quality of service level. Then, if the theoretical packet delay of the first packet is 1 millisecond, the quality of service parameter identifier of the first packet is A. If the theoretical packet delay of the first packet is 2 milliseconds, the quality of service parameter identifier of the first packet is B.

[0102] When the first packet is a packet transmitted through a VPN, the first packet can include the VPN identifier for transmitting the first packet, and the VPN identifier is the identifier of the VPN used by the first packet.

[0103] When dividing the bearer network into multiple network slices, the bearer network can be divided into multiple service slices according to the service type corresponding to the network slice, or can be divided into multiple resource slices according to the network resources occupied by the network slice, or can also be divided into multiple network slices of the bearer network according to other principles other than service type and network resources.

[0104] When the bearer network is not divided into service slices and resource slices, the network slice mapping information corresponding to the first packet can include the bearer network slice identifier. The bearer network slice identifier is used to identify the network slice of the bearer network corresponding to the first packet. When the bearer network is divided into multiple service slices, the network slice mapping information can include the service slice identifier, indicating which service slice the second packet corresponding to the first packet needs to be transmitted through; when the bearer network is divided into multiple resource slices, the network slice mapping information can include the resource slice identifier, indicating which resource slice the second packet corresponding to the first packet needs to be transmitted through. Optionally, the resource slice identifier is used to specify the underlying (underlay) network of the bearer network corresponding to the first packet.

[0105] The information related to the network slice of the bearer network is introduced above. Next, a method for the first device to determine the network slice mapping information is introduced in the case where the network slice mapping information includes the information related to the network slice of the bearer network.

[0106] When the network slice mapping information includes the information related to the network slice of the bearer network, the first device can use two different methods to determine the network slice mapping information.

[0107] In the first possible implementation, the first device can determine the network slice mapping information according to the first network slice identifier. Specifically, the first device can pre-store the correspondence between the first network slice identifier and the network slice mapping information, and determine the network slice mapping information in combination with the correspondence.

[0108] Taking the network slice mapping information including the bearer network slice identifier as an example for illustration. The first device can pre-store the correspondence between the bearer network slice identifier and the first network slice identifier, that is, the correspondence between the identifier of the network slice of the bearer network and the identifier of the network slice of the access network (or mobile core network). After receiving the first message, the first device can determine the bearer network slice identifier corresponding to the first network slice identifier according to the pre-stored correspondence. The specific method for the first device to obtain the first network slice identifier can be referred to above and will not be elaborated here.

[0109] In the second possible implementation, the first device can determine the network slice mapping information according to the attribute information of the first message or the requirement information for transmitting the first message. The descriptions of the attribute information and the requirement information can be referred to above and will not be elaborated here. Optionally, the first device can pre-store the correspondence between the attribute information of the first message and the network slice mapping information, or the correspondence between the requirement information for transmitting the first message and the network slice mapping information. After receiving the first message, it can determine the attribute information of the first message or the requirement information for transmitting the first message, and then obtain the network slice mapping information in combination with the correspondence.

[0110] The above possible implementation manners do not limit the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, and those skilled in the art can design according to the actual situation by themselves.

[0111] S203: The first device generates a second message according to the first message.

[0112] After determining the network slice mapping information of the first message, the first device may generate a second message based on the first message. Among them, the second message includes network slice mapping information. Optionally, the first device may add the network slice mapping information to the message header of the first message and use the new message as the second message. Of course, the first device may also generate a new message header and encapsulate the data carried in the first message and the new message header into the second message. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the specific method for the first device to generate the second message based on the first message.

[0113] In the embodiments of the present application, the network slice mapping information may be carried in one or more of the IPv6 extension header, IPv6 basic header, Ethernet extension header, or MPLS header of the second message.

[0114] The following introduces the four cases respectively.

[0115] In the first possible implementation, the network slice mapping information is carried in the IPv6 extension header of the second message. The IPv6 extension header may include any one or more of the Hop by Hop Options Header, Destination Options Header, Routing Header, and Segment Routing Header.

[0116] In the embodiments of the present application, the network slice mapping information may be carried in any of the above IPv6 extension headers. Optionally, if the network slice mapping information is carried in the IPv6 extension header of the second message, the network slice mapping information may be carried in the TLV field of the IP extension header.

[0117] In the second possible implementation, the network slice mapping information is carried in the IPv6 basic header of the second message. The IPv6 basic header may include the source address (SA) field, destination address (DA) field, and flow label field, and the network slice mapping information may be carried in one or more of these three fields.

[0118] In a third possible implementation, the network slice mapping information is carried in the Ethernet header. Specifically, the Ethernet header may include a VLAN ID field for carrying the network slice mapping information. Optionally, if the length of the network slice mapping information is greater than the length of the VLAN ID field, the network slice mapping information may be carried in multiple adjacent VLAN ID fields. For example, assume that the network slice mapping information is S-NSSAI, which consists of an 8-bit (bit) slice service type and a 24-bit slice differentiator (SD), that is, the total length of S-NSSAI is 32 bits. Since the length of each VLAN ID field is 12 bits, the network slice mapping information can be carried in three adjacent VLAN ID fields. Since the total length of the three VLAN ID fields is 36 bits, which is greater than the length of the network slice mapping information, the three VLAN ID fields can accommodate the network slice mapping information.

[0119] In a fourth possible implementation, the network slice mapping information is carried in the MPLS header. The MPLS header is the area in the packet header for carrying MPLS labels.

[0120] In the embodiments of the present application, if the network slice mapping information is carried in the MPLS header of the second packet, the MPLS header may include multiple MPLS labels for carrying the network slice mapping information. Optionally, if the length of the network slice mapping information is greater than the length of one MPLS label, the network slice mapping information may be carried in multiple adjacent MPLS labels. For example, assume that the length of the network slice mapping information is 32 bits (bit), and the length of each MPLS label is 20 bits. Since the total length of two MPLS labels is 40 bits, which is greater than the length of the network slice mapping information, the network slice mapping information can be carried in two adjacent MPLS labels.

[0121] The above separately introduced the IPv6 extension header, the IPv6 basic header, the Ethernet header, and the MPLS header. Next, the possible positions of the corresponding fields in the IPv6 extension header, the IPv6 basic header, the Ethernet header, and the MPLS header in the packet will be introduced.

[0122] See Figure 3 , Figure 3It is a schematic diagram of a possible format of a packet header that does not include an MPLS header. As can be seen from this diagram, the packet header can include an Application Protocols extension header, an IP (User) basic header, a General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) Tunneling Protocol extension header, a User Datagram Protocol (UDP) extension header, an IPv6 extension header, and an Ethernet extension header. Among them, the IP basic header refers to the IPv6 basic header.

[0123] See Figure 4 , Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram of a possible format of a packet header that includes an MPLS header. As can be seen from this diagram, the MPLS header can be located between the UDP extension header and the IPv6 extension header.

[0124] S204: The first device sends a second packet to the second device.

[0125] After generating the second packet, the first device can send the second packet to the second device. Among them, the second device is a network device of the bearer network, for example, it can be Figure 1 any one of network devices 131, 132, 133, and 134 in the middle network device.

[0126] S205: The second device determines the network slice of the bearer network according to the network slice mapping information.

[0127] After receiving the second packet, the second device can determine the network slice of the bearer network corresponding to the first packet according to the network slice mapping information. Optionally, the second device can determine the identifier of the network slice of the bearer network, that is, the Transport Network Slice Identifier (TNSI), so as to determine the network slice of the bearer network corresponding to the first packet.

[0128] According to the foregoing introduction, the network slice mapping information can include information of the access network (or the mobile core network), and can also include information related to the network slice of the bearer network. The method for the second device to determine the network slice of the bearer network will be introduced in detail below.

[0129] In the first possible implementation, the network slice mapping information includes information of the access network or the mobile core network, that is, the network slice mapping information includes the first network slice identifier and / or the quality of service parameter. Then, when determining the network slice of the bearer network, the second device can determine the network slice of the bearer network according to the pre-stored corresponding relationship.

[0130] Taking the network slice mapping information including quality of service parameters as an example for illustration. The second device may pre-store the correspondence between quality of service parameters and bearer network slice identifiers. In this way, after receiving the second message, the second device may parse the second message and extract the quality of service parameters, and then determine the bearer network slice identifier corresponding to the second message according to the correspondence, so as to determine the network slice of the bearer network corresponding to the bearer network slice identifier.

[0131] In a second possible implementation, the network slice mapping information includes information related to the network slice of the bearer network, that is, the network slice mapping information includes any one or more of a quality of service parameter identifier, a VPN identifier, a bearer network slice identifier, a service slice identifier, and a resource slice identifier. The second device may directly determine the network slice of the corresponding bearer network according to the network slice mapping information.

[0132] Taking the network slice mapping information including the quality of service parameter identifier as an example for illustration. When dividing the network slices of the bearer network, the second device may analyze the quality of service parameters of each network slice of the bearer network to determine the quality of service parameter identifier corresponding to each network slice of the bearer network. In this way, after receiving the second message, the second device may parse the second message and extract the quality of service parameter identifier, and then determine the network slice of the bearer network corresponding to the quality of service parameter identifier in the second message from multiple network slices of the bearer network.

[0133] S206: The second device sends the second message to the third device according to the network resources corresponding to the network slice of the bearer network.

[0134] After determining the network slice of the bearer network, the second device may send the second message to the third device according to the network resources corresponding to the network slice of the bearer network. Among them, the third device may be a network device connected to the second device through the bearer network, for example, it may be other network devices in the bearer network. In the embodiments of the present application, when the second device is Figure 1 network device 131, the third device may be network device 132; when the second device is network device 134, the third device may be network device 133.

[0135] After determining the network slice of the bearer network, the second device may use the network resources corresponding to the network slice of the bearer network to send the second message to the third device. Among them, the network resources may include any one or more of bandwidth resources, cache resources, and queue resources.

[0136] In the method for packet forwarding provided in the embodiments of the present application, before a first device, which is a network device of an access network or a network device of a mobile core network, sends a packet to a second device, which is a network device of a bearer network, it may first determine the network slice mapping information of the packet and carry it in the packet. In this way, before the network device of the bearer network receives the packet, it can pre-determine the conditions (i.e., network slice mapping information) that the network slice of the bearer network for transmitting this packet needs to meet, and carry these conditions in the packet and send them to the network device of the bearer network. After receiving the packet, the network device of the bearer network can determine the conditions that the network slice of the bearer network for transmitting this packet needs to meet according to the network slice mapping information carried in the packet. In this way, the network device of the bearer network can select a network slice of the bearer network that meets the network slice mapping information to forward the packet.

[0137] Figure 5 FIG. shows a possible structural schematic diagram of the first device involved in the above embodiments. The device 500 can implement Figure 2 the functions of the first device in the illustrated example. Refer to Figure 5 , the network device 500 includes: an obtaining unit 501, a processing unit 502, and a sending unit 503. These units can execute the corresponding functions of the first device in the above method examples. The obtaining unit 501 is used to support the device 500 to execute Figure 2 S201 in Figure 2 ; the processing unit 502 is used to support the network device 500 to execute Figure 2 S202 and S203 in Figure 2 ; the sending unit 503 is used to support the network device 500 to execute

[0138] Figure 6 FIG. shows a possible structural schematic diagram of the second device involved in the above embodiments. The device 600 can implement Figure 2 the functions of the second device in the illustrated example. Refer to Figure 6, the network device 600 includes: an obtaining unit 601, a processing unit 602, and a sending unit 6033. These units can perform the corresponding functions of the second device in the above method examples. For example, the receiving unit 601 is configured to receive a second message from a first device, where the second message includes network slice mapping information; the first device is a network device of an access network or a mobile core network, and the second device is a network device of a bearer network; the processing unit 602 is configured to determine a corresponding network slice of the bearer network according to the network slice mapping information; the sending unit is configured to send the second message by using network resources corresponding to the network slice of the bearer network. For the specific execution process, please refer to the detailed description of the corresponding steps in the above Figure 2 embodiments shown, which will not be elaborated here one by one.

[0139] It should be noted that the division of units in the embodiments of the present application is illustrative, only a logical function division, and there may be other division methods in actual implementation. Each functional unit in the embodiments of the present application can be integrated into a processing unit, or each unit exists physically alone, or two or more units are integrated into one unit. For example, in the above embodiments, the obtaining unit and the processing unit can be the same unit or different units. The above integrated unit can be implemented in the form of hardware or in the form of a software functional unit.

[0140] Refer to Figure 7 As shown, an embodiment of the invention provides a network system 700, and this system 700 is used to implement the message forwarding method and the message processing method in the foregoing method embodiments. This system 700 includes a device 701 and a device 702. The device 701 can implement Figure 2 the functions of the first device in the embodiments shown, and the device 702 can implement Figure 2 the functions of the second device in the embodiments shown. For the specific execution process, please refer to the detailed description of the corresponding steps in the above Figure 2 embodiments shown, which will not be elaborated here one by one.

[0141] Figure 8 is a schematic structural diagram of a device 800 provided by an embodiment of the present application. Figure 5 The network device 500 in Figure 6 and the network device 600 in Figure 8 can be implemented by the device shown in Figure 8 . Refer to

[0142] The processor 801 may be a general-purpose central processing unit (CPU), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or one or more integrated circuits (ICs) for controlling the execution of the program of the solution of the present application. The processor may be used to process packets to implement the packet forwarding method and the packet processing method provided in the embodiments of the present application. For example, when Figure 2 the first device in Figure 8 is implemented by the device shown in Figure 2 , the processor may be used to obtain a first packet; determine network slice mapping information according to the first packet; generate a second packet according to the first packet, where the second packet includes the network slice mapping information; and send the second packet to a second device, where the second device is a network device of the bearer network, and the network slice mapping information is used to determine the network slice of the bearer network for forwarding the second packet. For another example, when Figure 8 the second device in

[0143] is implemented by the device shown in

[0144] , the processor may be used to receive a second packet from the first device, where the second packet includes network slice mapping information; the first device is a network device of the access network or the mobile core network; determine the network slice of the corresponding bearer network according to the network slice mapping information; and send the second packet using network resources corresponding to the network slice of the bearer network. For the specific function implementation, reference may be made to the processing part of the second device in the method embodiments.

[0145] Optionally, the memory 803 is used to store program codes or instructions for executing the solution of this application, and is controlled by the processor 801 for execution. The processor 801 is used to execute the program codes or instructions stored in the memory 803. The program codes may include one or more software modules. Optionally, the processor 801 may also store the program codes or instructions for executing the solution of this application. In this case, the processor 801 does not need to read the program codes or instructions from the memory 803.

[0146] The network interface 804 may be a device such as a transceiver, and is used to communicate with other devices or communication networks. The communication network may be an Ethernet, a radio access network (RAN), or a wireless local area network (WLAN), etc. In the embodiment of this application, the network interface 804 may be used to receive packets sent by other nodes in the segment routing network, and may also send packets to other nodes in the segment routing network. The network interface 804 may be an Ethernet interface, a fast Ethernet (FE) interface, or a gigabit Ethernet (GE) interface, etc.

[0147] In a specific implementation, as an embodiment, the device 800 may include multiple processors, such as Figure 8 the processor 801 and the processor 405 shown in. Each of these processors may be a single-CPU processor or a multi-CPU processor. Here, the processor may refer to one or more devices, circuits, and / or processing cores for processing data (such as computer program instructions).

[0148] Figure 9 It is a schematic structural diagram of a device 900 provided by an embodiment of this application. Figure 2 The first device and the second device in may be implemented by the device shown in Figure 9 See Figure 9Schematic diagram of the device structure shown. The device 900 includes a main control board and one or more interface boards. The main control board is communicatively connected to the interface boards. The main control board is also referred to as the main processing unit (MPU) or the route processor card. The main control board includes a CPU and a memory. The main control board is responsible for the control and management of each component in the device 900, including routing calculation, device management, and maintenance functions. The interface board is also referred to as the line processing unit (LPU) or the line card, and is used to receive and send packets. In some embodiments, the main control board and the interface boards communicate with each other via a bus, or the interface boards communicate with each other via a bus. In some embodiments, the interface boards communicate with each other via a switching fabric board. In this case, the device 900 also includes a switching fabric board, which is communicatively connected to the main control board and the interface boards. The switching fabric board is used to forward data between the interface boards, and the switching fabric board can also be referred to as the switch fabric unit (SFU). The interface board includes a CPU, a memory, a forwarding engine, and an interface card (IC), where the interface card may include one or more network interfaces. The network interface can be an Ethernet interface, a FE interface, a GE interface, etc. The CPU is communicatively connected to the memory, the forwarding engine, and the interface card respectively. The memory is used to store the forwarding table. The forwarding engine is used to forward the received packet based on the forwarding table stored in the memory. If the destination address of the received packet is the IP address of the device 900, the packet is sent to the CPU of the main control board or the interface board for processing; if the destination address of the received packet is not the IP address of the device 900, the forwarding table is searched according to the destination. If the next hop and the outgoing interface corresponding to the destination address are found in the forwarding table, the packet is forwarded to the outgoing interface corresponding to the destination address. The forwarding engine can be a network processor (NP). The interface card is also referred to as a daughter card and can be installed on the interface board. It is responsible for converting optical and electrical signals into data frames, and after checking the legality of the data frames, forwarding them to the forwarding engine for processing or the CPU of the interface board. In some embodiments, the CPU can also perform the function of the forwarding engine, such as implementing software forwarding based on a general-purpose CPU, so that there is no need for a forwarding engine in the interface board. In some embodiments, the forwarding engine can be implemented by an ASIC or a field programmable gate array (FPGA). In some embodiments, the memory storing the forwarding table can also be integrated into the forwarding engine as part of the forwarding engine.

[0149] An embodiment of this application also provides a chip system, including: a processor, the processor is coupled to a memory, the memory is used to store programs or instructions, when the programs or instructions are executed by the processor, the chip system implements the above Figure 2 method of the first device or the second device in the illustrated embodiment.

[0150] Optionally, the processor in the chip system can be one or more. The processor can be implemented by hardware or by software. When implemented by hardware, the processor can be a logic circuit, an integrated circuit, etc. When implemented by software, the processor can be a general-purpose processor, which is implemented by reading software code stored in the memory.

[0151] Optionally, the memory in the chip system can also be one or more. The memory can be integrated with the processor or can be separately arranged from the processor, which is not limited in this application. Exemplarily, the memory can be a non-transitory processor, such as a read-only memory ROM, which can be integrated with the processor on the same chip or can be separately arranged on different chips. This application does not make specific limitations on the type of the memory and the setting manner of the memory and the processor.

[0152] Exemplarily, the chip system can be an FPGA, can be an ASIC, can also be a system on chip (SoC), can also be a CPU, can also be an NP, can also be a digital signal processing circuit (DSP), can also be a micro controller unit (MCU), can also be a programmable logic device (PLD) or other integrated chips.

[0153] It should be understood that the steps in the above method embodiments can be completed by the integrated logic circuit in the hardware of the processor or by instructions in software form. The method steps disclosed in combination with the embodiments of this application can be directly embodied as being executed and completed by the hardware processor, or executed and completed by the combination of the hardware and software modules in the processor.

[0154] An embodiment of this application also provides a computer-readable storage medium, including instructions, when it runs on a computer, enabling the computer to execute the method in the foregoing embodiment.

[0155] In the description and claims of this application and the above-mentioned drawings, the terms "first", "second", "third", "fourth", etc. are used to distinguish similar objects and do not necessarily describe a specific order or sequence. It should be understood that the data used in this way can be interchanged under appropriate circumstances so that the embodiments described here can be implemented in an order other than that shown or described here. In addition, the terms "comprising" and "having" and any variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion. For example, a process, method, system, product or device comprising a series of steps or units does not necessarily have to be limited to those steps or units clearly listed, but may include other steps or units not clearly listed or inherent to these processes, methods, products or devices.

[0156] In this application, "at least one (item)" means one or more, and "a plurality" means two or more. "At least one (item) of the following" or similar expressions refer to any combination of these items, including any combination of single items or plural items. For example, at least one (item) of a, b, or c can represent: a, b, c, a - b, a - c, b - c, or a - b - c, where a, b, c can be single or multiple. In this application, it is considered that "A and / or B" includes A alone, B alone, and A + B.

[0157] Those skilled in the art can clearly understand that for the convenience and conciseness of description, the specific working processes of the systems, devices, and units described above can refer to the corresponding processes in the foregoing method embodiments and will not be elaborated here.

[0158] In 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 illustrative. For example, the division of the units is only a logical module division, and there may be other division methods in actual implementation. For example, 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 displayed or discussed coupling or direct coupling or communication connection between each other can be through some interfaces, and the indirect coupling or communication connection of devices or units can be in electrical, mechanical or other forms.

[0159] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separated, and the components displayed as units may or may not be physical units, that is, they can be located in one place or distributed to multiple network units. Some or all of the units can be obtained according to actual needs to achieve the purpose of the solution of this embodiment.

[0160] In addition, in each embodiment of the present application, each modular unit can be integrated into a processing unit, or each unit can exist physically alone, or two or more units can be integrated into one unit. The above-mentioned integrated unit can be implemented in the form of hardware or in the form of a software modular unit.

[0161] If the above-mentioned integrated unit is implemented in the form of a software modular unit and sold or used as an independent product, it can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on such an understanding, the technical solution of the present application, in essence, or the part that contributes to the prior art, or all or part of this technical solution, can be embodied in the form of a software product. This computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions for causing 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 methods described in each embodiment of the present application. The foregoing storage medium includes: various media that can store program codes, such as USB flash drives, mobile hard disks, read-only memories (ROM, Read-Only Memory), random access memories (RAM, Random Access Memory), magnetic disks, or optical discs.

[0162] Those skilled in the art should be able to realize that in the above one or more examples, the functions described in the present invention can be implemented by hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented using software, these functions can be stored in a computer-readable medium or transmitted as one or more instructions or codes on a computer-readable medium. Computer-readable media include computer storage media and communication media, where communication media includes any medium that facilitates the transfer of a computer program from one place to another. Storage media can be any available medium that can be accessed by a general-purpose or special-purpose computer.

[0163] The specific embodiments described above have further elaborated on the purpose, technical solution, and beneficial effects of the present invention. It should be understood that the above is only the specific embodiments of the present invention.

[0164] As mentioned above, the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present application, rather than to limit them; although the present application has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those of ordinary skill in the art should understand that they can still modify the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments, or perform equivalent replacements for some of the technical features; and these modifications or replacements do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the scope of the technical solutions of each embodiment of the present application.

Claims

1. A method for message forwarding, characterized in that, including: A first device obtains a first message. The first device is a network device of an access network or a mobile core network. The first message is a message sent by a terminal device to the first device, or a message sent by another network device or server of the mobile core network to the first device; The first device determines network slice mapping information corresponding to the first message; The first device generates a second message according to the first message. The second message includes the network slice mapping information; The first device sends the second message to a second device. The second device is a network device of a bearer network. The network slice mapping information is used for the second device to determine the network slice of the bearer network for forwarding the second message.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein The network slice mapping information includes one or more of the following information: Quality of service parameter, virtual private network (VPN) identifier, quality of service parameter identifier, service slice identifier, resource slice identifier, and bearer network slice identifier.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein The network slice mapping information includes a first network slice identifier, which is used to identify the network slice of the access network for transmitting the first message, or the network slice of the core network for transmitting the first message.

4. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The first device determines the network slice mapping information including: The first device determines a first network slice identifier according to the first message. The first network slice identifier is used to identify the network slice of the access network for transmitting the first message, or the network slice of the core network for transmitting the first message; The first device determines the network slice mapping information according to the first network slice identifier.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein The first network device stores the corresponding relationship between the first network slice identifier and the network slice mapping information. The first device determines the network slice mapping information according to the first network slice identifier including: The first device determines the network slice mapping information according to the first network slice identifier and the corresponding relationship.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The first device determines the network slice mapping information including: The first device determines the network slice mapping information according to the attribute information of the first message, or The first device determines the network slice mapping information according to the requirement information for transmitting the first message.

7. The method according to claim 3, wherein The first device determines the network slice mapping information according to the first message including: The first network device determines the first network slice identifier according to one or more of the service identifier, flow identifier, and user identifier of the first message.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The second message includes any one or more of an Internet Protocol Version 6 (IPv6) extension header, an IPv6 basic header, an Ethernet header, and a Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) header. Any one or more of the IPv6 extension header, the IPv6 basic header, the Ethernet header, and the MPLS header carry the network slice mapping information.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein The IPv6 extension header includes one or more of the following: Hop by Hop Options Header, Destination Options Header, Routing Header, and Segment Routing Header.

10. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that The network slice mapping information is carried in the type length value (TLV) field of the IPv6 extension header.

11. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that The network slice mapping information is carried in any one or more of the source address field, destination address field, or flow label field of the IPv6 basic header.

12. The method according to claim 8, wherein The Ethernet header includes a virtual local area network identifier (VLAN ID) field, and the slice mapping information is carried in the VLAN ID field.

13. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The first device is a base station or a customer premise equipment, and the second device is a router or a switch.

14. A message processing method, characterized in that, Including: The second device receives a second packet from the first device, and the second packet includes network slice mapping information. The first device is a network device of an access network or a mobile core network, the second device is a network device of a bearer network, the second packet is generated by the first device according to the first packet, and the first packet is a packet sent by a terminal device to the first device, or a packet sent by another network device or server of the mobile core network to the first device. The second device determines the corresponding network slice of the bearer network according to the network slice mapping information. The second device sends the second packet using network resources corresponding to the network slice of the bearer network.

15. The method according to claim 14, characterized in that The network slice mapping information includes one or more of the following information: Virtual private network (VPN) identifier, quality of service parameter identifier, service slice identifier, resource slice identifier, and bearer network slice identifier.

16. The method according to claim 14, wherein The network slice mapping information includes one or more of the following information: A first network slice identifier and quality of service parameters, where the first network slice identifier is used to identify the network slice of the access network that transmits the first packet, or to identify the network slice of the core network that transmits the first packet.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein The second device determining the corresponding network slice of the bearer network according to the network slice mapping information includes: The second device determines the slice identifier of the corresponding network slice of the bearer network according to the network slice mapping information and the corresponding relationship, where the corresponding relationship is the corresponding relationship between the network slice mapping information and the bearer network slice identifier, and the bearer network slice identifier is the slice identifier of the network slice of the bearer network. The second device sending the second packet using network resources corresponding to the network slice of the bearer network includes: The second device sends the second packet using network resources corresponding to the bearer network slice identifier.

18. The method according to any one of claims 14 to 17, characterized in that, The second packet includes any one or more of an Internet Protocol Version 6 (IPv6) extension header, an IPv6 basic header, an Ethernet header, and a Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) header, and the network slice mapping information is carried in any one or more of the IPv6 extension header, the IPv6 basic header, the Ethernet header, or the MPLS header.

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein The IPv6 extension header includes one or more of the following: Hop by Hop Options Header, Destination Options Header, Routing Header, and Segment Routing Header.

20. The method according to claim 18, characterized in that, The network slice mapping information is carried in the type length value (TLV) field of the IPv6 extension header.

21. The method according to claim 18, wherein The network slice mapping information is carried in any one or more of the source address field, destination address field, or flow label field of the IPv6 basic header.

22. The method according to claim 18, wherein The Ethernet header includes a virtual local area network identifier (VLAN ID) field, and the slice mapping information is carried in the VLAN ID field.

23. The method according to any one of claims 14 to 17, characterized in that, The first device is a base station or a customer premise equipment, and the second device is a router or a switch.

24. The method according to any one of claims 14 to 17, characterized in that The network resources include any one or more of bandwidth resources, cache resources, and queue resources.

25. A device, characterized in that, For performing the method according to any one of claims 1-24.

26. A network system, characterized in that, The network system includes a first device and a second device. The first network device is configured to perform the method according to any one of claims 1-13, and the second device is configured to perform the method according to any one of claims 14-24.

27. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, Comprising instructions, programs, or code that, when executed on a computer, cause the computer to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 24.

28. A chip, characterized in that, Comprising a memory and a processor. The memory is configured to store instructions or program code, and the processor is configured to call and run the instructions or program code from the memory to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 24.

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