Network element device and data transmission method
By integrating the functions of optical line terminal and broadband access server on the same network element device, the flat deployment of network element devices is achieved, which solves the problem of high cost caused by the large number of devices in the broadband network architecture and improves network performance and operation and maintenance efficiency.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Patents(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- CHINA MOBILEHANGZHOUINFORMATION TECH CO LTD
- Filing Date
- 2026-03-09
- Publication Date
- 2026-08-04
AI Technical Summary
The large number of network elements in broadband network architecture leads to high network construction and maintenance costs.
By integrating the functions of optical line terminal and broadband access server onto the same network element card, a flat deployment is achieved, reducing the number of network elements and realizing a flat deployment of network elements.
It reduces the cost of broadband network construction and operation and maintenance, solves the problem of traffic detours, and provides lower network latency, greater bandwidth, higher stability and faster computing power.
Smart Images
Figure CN121815133B_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This application belongs to the field of Internet technology, and in particular relates to a network element device and a data transmission method. Background Technology
[0002] With the rapid development of internet technology and services, broadband products have entered millions of households, driving a continuous stream of user demand for internet access. Broadband network infrastructure includes network elements such as the user's home-side Optical Network Unit (ONU), Optical Line Terminal (OLT), aggregation switches, and Broadband Remote Access Server (BRAS). Different network elements perform different functions, and these network elements converge and integrate to form the broadband network architecture.
[0003] However, the broadband network architecture in related technologies involves a large number of network elements, making the broadband network architecture more complex and resulting in higher network construction and maintenance costs. Summary of the Invention
[0004] This application provides a network element device and a data transmission method that can solve the problem of high construction and maintenance costs of broadband networks.
[0005] In a first aspect, embodiments of this application provide a network element device, including: a first board, a second board, and a third board;
[0006] The first board is connected to the second board and the third board respectively;
[0007] The first board has the function of an optical line terminal and is used to connect to the core router;
[0008] The third board has the function of a broadband access server;
[0009] The second board is used to connect the optical network unit.
[0010] Secondly, embodiments of this application provide a data transmission method, applied to the network element device provided in embodiments of this application. The data transmission method includes:
[0011] The first board receives routing protocol messages sent by the core router; if the routing protocol message is a routing control message, it sends the routing protocol message to the third board.
[0012] The third board determines the routing information corresponding to each service based on the routing control message; and sends the routing information to the first board; the routing information is used to control the forwarding of service data.
[0013] The first board sends routing information to the second board;
[0014] The second board stores routing information.
[0015] In this embodiment, the network element device includes a first board, a second board, and a third board. The first board is connected to the second and third boards respectively. The first board has the function of an optical line terminal (OLT) and is used to connect to a core router. The third board has the function of a broadband access server. The second board is used to connect to an optical network unit (ONU). Thus, by integrating the functions of the OLT and the broadband access server onto the same network element device, the number of network element devices in the broadband network architecture can be reduced, achieving a flattened deployment of network element devices. This facilitates broadband network construction and maintenance, and reduces broadband network construction and maintenance costs. Attached Figure Description
[0016] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, the accompanying drawings used in the embodiments of this application will be briefly introduced below. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.
[0017] Figure 1 These are schematic diagrams of the network element devices provided in some embodiments of this application;
[0018] Figure 2 This is a flowchart illustrating a data transmission method provided in some embodiments of this application;
[0019] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the overall data transmission process provided by some embodiments of this application. Detailed Implementation
[0020] The features and exemplary embodiments of various aspects of this application will be described in detail below. To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this application clearer, the application will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only intended to explain this application and not to limit it. For those skilled in the art, this application can be implemented without some of these specific details. The following description of the embodiments is merely to provide a better understanding of this application by illustrating examples.
[0021] It should be noted that, in this document, relational terms such as "first" and "second" are used merely to distinguish one entity or operation from another, and do not necessarily require or imply any such actual relationship or order between these entities or operations. Furthermore, the terms "comprising," "including," or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed, or elements inherent to such a process, method, article, or apparatus. Without further limitations, an element defined by the phrase "comprising..." does not exclude the presence of additional identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus that includes said element.
[0022] It should be noted that the acquisition, storage, use, and processing of data in this application embodiment all comply with the relevant provisions of national laws and regulations.
[0023] It should be noted that in the embodiments of this application, certain software, components, models and other existing solutions in the industry may be mentioned. These should be regarded as exemplary and are only intended to illustrate the feasibility of implementing the technical solution of this application. However, it does not mean that the applicant has used or necessarily used the solution.
[0024] The terminology used in the implementation section of this application is only for explaining specific embodiments of this application and is not intended to limit this application. The terminology involved in the embodiments of this application is explained below.
[0025] Network element devices are the basic functional units in a communication network. They are physical or logical entities that can independently perform specific network functions and are the fundamental components for building a complete communication system.
[0026] The optical network unit (ONU) is a key device in a fiber optic access network, typically located at the user end. It converts optical signals to electrical signals and works with the optical line terminal (OLT) at the central office to complete data transmission. The central office is a core component of the telecommunications infrastructure in the fiber optic access network, responsible for terminal access functions.
[0027] Optical line terminals (OLTs) are core devices in passive optical networks (PONs) and are core components of fiber optic access networks.
[0028] Broadband access servers are a new type of access gateway for broadband network applications. They can complete data access for users' bandwidth Ethernet or Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) networks, enabling broadband internet access for commercial buildings and residential residents, building enterprise intranets, and supporting Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to wholesale services to users.
[0029] A core router (CR), also known as a "backbone router," is a router located at the center of a network. It is the core switching device of the Internet backbone network or large enterprise network, responsible for high-speed data forwarding and routing decisions, and connecting multiple metropolitan area networks, data centers, or international gateways.
[0030] Computing power processing involves calculating and processing data.
[0031] The network element devices and data transmission methods provided in this application will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings, through specific embodiments and application scenarios.
[0032] Figure 1 These are schematic diagrams of the network element devices provided in some embodiments of this application. For example... Figure 1 As shown, the network element device 100 may include: a first board 101, a second board 102, and a third board 103; the first board 101 is connected to the second board 102 and the third board 103 respectively; the first board 101 has the function of an optical line terminal (OLT) and is used to connect to a core router (CR); the third board 103 has the function of a broadband remote access server (BRAS); the second board 102 is used to connect to an optical network unit (ONU).
[0033] In some embodiments of this application, the first board can be referred to as the main control board, the second board as the forwarding board, and the third board as the computing power board.
[0034] In some embodiments of this application, the first board 101 undertakes the main control function of the optical line terminal; it is responsible for the overall control and resource management of the network element device 100, and various communication control protocols, including Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) and Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP), to realize the management and remote maintenance of the network element device 100. It also handles forwarding decisions and interface settings between the second board 102, the third board 103 and the first board 101, user-based Quality of Service (QoS) policies and traffic redirection, software upgrades and maintenance, etc.
[0035] In some embodiments of this application, the network element device 100 provided in the embodiments of this application may include two slots for carrying a first board 101, and the two first boards 101 are deployed in a primary and backup redundancy configuration.
[0036] In some embodiments of this application, the second board 102 includes a programmable passive optical network chip and a forwarding chip. The second board 102 integrates the programmable passive optical network chip and the forwarding chip into a single unit, forming a high-performance, programmable second board. It is responsible for line-rate traffic processing capabilities such as GEM frame encapsulation of uplink and downlink Ethernet frames, Media Access Control Address (MAC) table entries, Internet Protocol (IP) routing and forwarding, label forwarding, and protocol encoding and decoding. The GEM frame is the smallest service-bearing unit in Gigabit Passive Optical Network (GPON) technology and is the most basic data structure.
[0037] In some embodiments of this application, the network element device 100 provided in the embodiments of this application may include a plurality of slots for carrying second boards 102, each second board 102 having XG(S)PON access and forwarding capabilities.
[0038] In some embodiments of this application, the third board 103 performs the functions of a broadband access server, including but not limited to: basic broadband access service processing, IP routing protocol control, Multi-Protocol Label Switching (MPLS) control, and maintenance and distribution of routing table entries of the second board 102.
[0039] In some embodiments of this application, the third board 103 in this application embodiment has strong computing power.
[0040] In some embodiments of this application, the third board 103 in this application embodiment may only carry the user's home broadband value-added service functions, such as poor quality analysis, game acceleration, multi-address networking, algorithm warehouse, application warehouse, etc., to provide users with nearby computing power supply services.
[0041] In this embodiment, the network element device includes a first board, a second board, and a third board. The first board is connected to the second and third boards respectively. The first board has the function of an optical line terminal (OLT) and is used to connect to the core router. The third board has the function of a broadband access server. The second board is used to connect to an optical network unit (ONU). Thus, by integrating the functions of the OLT and the broadband access server into the same network element device, the number of network elements in the broadband network architecture can be reduced, achieving a flattened deployment of network elements. This facilitates broadband network construction and maintenance, and reduces construction and maintenance costs. Through the flattened deployment of integrated network elements, providing both computing and transport capacity, the problem of traffic routing during computing-network convergence can be effectively solved, achieving integrated computing-network supply. Furthermore, through the flattened deployment of integrated network elements, computing power supply and traffic forwarding processing are closer to the user, significantly improving the service experience and providing lower network latency, greater bandwidth, higher stability, and faster computing processing capabilities.
[0042] In some embodiments of this application, the first board can receive routing protocol messages sent by the core router; if the routing protocol message is a routing control message, it sends the routing protocol message to the third board; the third board determines the routing information corresponding to each service based on the routing protocol message; and sends the routing information to the first board; wherein the routing information is used to control the transmission of service data; the first board sends the routing information to the second board; and the second board stores the routing information.
[0043] In some embodiments of this application, the routing information in these embodiments is the basis for path decision-making when forwarding data packets, including but not limited to: destination address, next-hop address, outgoing interface, and other data, which determine the transmission path of data packets from source to destination.
[0044] In some embodiments of this application, the second board can store the routing table entries corresponding to the routing information in the routing table.
[0045] In some embodiments of this application, the core router can send routing protocol messages to the network element device 100. After receiving the routing protocol messages sent by the core router through the uplink port, the first board 101 of the network element device 100 detects the routing protocol messages. When it detects that the routing protocol messages are routing control messages, it sends the routing protocol messages to the third board 103. After receiving the routing protocol messages sent by the first board 101, the third board 103 determines the routing information corresponding to each service according to the routing protocol messages, and then sends the routing information corresponding to each service to the first board 101. After receiving the routing information corresponding to each service sent by the third board 103, the first board 101 sends the routing information corresponding to each service to the second board 102. After receiving the routing information corresponding to each service sent by the third board 103, the second board 102 stores the routing information corresponding to each service. When sending service data, it forwards the service data according to the stored routing information.
[0046] This application does not limit the method used by the first board to detect routing protocol messages; any available method can be applied to this application. For example, the type of the routing protocol message can be determined by the field used to indicate the message type in the routing protocol message. When the value in the field used to indicate the message type in the routing protocol message is a value indicating a control message, the routing protocol message is determined to be a routing control message.
[0047] This application does not limit the method used to determine the routing information corresponding to each service based on the routing protocol message; any available method can be applied to this application. For example, the routing protocol message indicates the routing information corresponding to each service, and the third board 103 extracts the routing information corresponding to each service from the routing protocol message.
[0048] For example, for service A, the corresponding routing information is from the second board 102 to the first board 101, and from the first board 101 to the core router; for service B, the corresponding routing information is from the second board 102 to the third board 103, from the third board 103 to the first board 101, and from the first board 101 to the core router.
[0049] In some embodiments of this application, the second board receives first service data sent by the user through the optical network unit; and controls the transmission of the first service data according to routing information.
[0050] In some embodiments of this application, when the second board determines that the service corresponding to the first service data is a computing power service based on the routing information, it sends the first service data to the third board; the third board performs computing power processing on the first service data to obtain the second service data; it sends the second service data to the first board; and the first board sends the second service data to the core router.
[0051] In some embodiments of this application, the routing information may further include the service type corresponding to each service. The service types in this application include computing power services and non-computing power services. Computing power services include, for example, virtual reality (VR) services, cloud computing services, etc.
[0052] For example, after the second board 102 receives the service X data sent by the user through the optical network unit, it determines that the service X is a computing power service based on the stored routing information, and then sends the service X data to the third board 103; the third board 103 performs computing power processing on the service X data and sends the processed service X data to the first board 101; the first board 101 sends the processed service X data to the core router.
[0053] In some embodiments of this application, when the second board determines that the service corresponding to the first service data is a non-computing power service based on the routing information, the first service data is sent to the first board; the first board sends the first service data to the core router.
[0054] For example, after the second board 102 receives the service Y data sent by the user through the optical network unit, it determines that the service Y is a non-computing power service based on the stored routing information, and then sends the service Y data to the first board 101; the first board 101 sends the service Y data to the core router through the uplink port, so that the user can access Internet data normally.
[0055] This application also provides a data transmission method, which is applied to the network element device provided in this application. Figure 2 This is a flowchart illustrating a data transmission method provided in some embodiments of this application. The data transmission method may include the following steps:
[0056] Step 201: The first board receives the routing protocol message sent by the core router; if the routing protocol message is a routing control message, it sends the routing protocol message to the third board.
[0057] Step 202: The third board determines the routing information corresponding to each service based on the routing protocol message; and sends the routing information to the first board; wherein, the routing information is used to control the transmission of service data;
[0058] Step 203: The first board sends routing information to the second board;
[0059] Step 204: The second board stores routing information.
[0060] This application does not limit the method used by the first board to detect routing protocol messages; any available method can be applied to this application. For example, the type of the routing protocol message can be determined by the field used to indicate the message type in the routing protocol message. When the value in the field used to indicate the message type in the routing protocol message is a value indicating a control message, the routing protocol message is determined to be a routing control message.
[0061] This application does not limit the method used to determine the routing information corresponding to each service based on the routing protocol message; any available method can be applied to this application. For example, the routing protocol message indicates the routing information corresponding to each service, and the third board extracts the routing information corresponding to each service from the routing protocol message.
[0062] In some embodiments of this application, the routing information in these embodiments is the basis for path decision-making when forwarding data packets, including but not limited to: destination address, next-hop address, outgoing interface, and other data, which determine the transmission path of data packets from source to destination.
[0063] In some embodiments of this application, the core router can send routing protocol messages to network element devices. After receiving the routing protocol messages sent by the core router through the uplink port, the first board of the network element device detects the routing protocol messages. When it detects that the routing protocol message is a routing control message, it sends the routing protocol message to the third board. After receiving the routing protocol messages sent by the first board, the third board determines the routing information corresponding to each service according to the routing protocol messages, and then sends the routing information corresponding to each service to the first board. After receiving the routing information corresponding to each service sent by the third board, the first board sends the routing information corresponding to each service to the second board. After receiving the routing information corresponding to each service sent by the third board, the second board stores the routing information corresponding to each service. When sending service data, it forwards the service data according to the stored routing information.
[0064] For example, for service A, the corresponding routing information is from the second board to the first board, and from the first board to the core router; for service B, the corresponding routing information is from the second board to the third board, from the third board to the first board, and from the first board to the core router.
[0065] In some embodiments of this application, the data transmission method provided in this application further includes:
[0066] The second board receives the first service data sent by the user through the optical network unit; and controls the transmission of the first service data according to the routing information.
[0067] In some embodiments of this application, controlling the transmission of the first service data based on routing information may include: when the second board determines that the service corresponding to the first service data is a computing power service based on the routing information, sending the first service data to the third board; the third board performing computing power processing on the first service data to obtain the second service data; sending the second service data to the first board; and the first board sending the second service data to the core router.
[0068] In some embodiments of this application, the routing information may further include the service type corresponding to each service. The service types in this application include computing power services and non-computing power services. For example, computing power services include VR services and cloud computing services.
[0069] For example, after the second board receives the service X data sent by the user through the optical network unit, it determines that the service X is a computing power service based on the stored routing information, and then sends the service X data to the third board; the third board performs computing power processing on the service X data and sends the processed service X data to the first board; the first board sends the processed service X data to the core router.
[0070] In some embodiments of this application, controlling the transmission of the first service data based on routing information may include: when the second board determines that the service corresponding to the first service data is a non-computing power service based on the routing information, sending the first service data to the first board; and the first board sending the first service data to the core router.
[0071] For example, after the second board receives the service Y data sent by the user through the optical network unit, it determines that service Y is a non-computing power service based on the stored routing information, and then sends the service Y data to the first board; the first board sends the service Y data to the core router through the uplink port, so that the user can access Internet data normally.
[0072] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the overall data transmission process provided in some embodiments of this application. The overall data transmission process includes the following steps:
[0073] Step 301: The core router can send routing protocol messages to network element devices;
[0074] Step 302: The first board of the network element device detects the routing protocol messages;
[0075] Step 303: When the routing protocol message is detected to be a routing control message, the first board sends the routing protocol message to the third board;
[0076] Step 304: The third board determines the routing information corresponding to each service based on the routing protocol message and sends the routing information to the first board;
[0077] Step 305: The first board sends the routing information to the second board for storage;
[0078] Step 306: The second board receives service data sent by the user through the optical network unit;
[0079] Step 307: The second board determines whether the service corresponding to the service data is a computing power service. If yes, proceed to step 308; otherwise, proceed to step 311.
[0080] Step 308: The second board sends the service data to the third board;
[0081] Step 309: The third board performs computing power processing on the service data and sends the processed service data to the first board;
[0082] Step 310: The first board sends the processed service data to the core router;
[0083] Step 311: The second board sends the service data to the first board;
[0084] Step 312: The first board sends the service data to the core router.
[0085] The specific implementation process of each step in the overall data transmission process can be referred to the description in the above embodiments, and will not be repeated here in the embodiments of this application.
[0086] It should be clarified that this application is not limited to the specific configurations and processes described above and shown in the figures. For the sake of brevity, detailed descriptions of known methods are omitted here. In the above embodiments, several specific steps are described and shown as examples. However, the method process of this application is not limited to the specific steps described and shown. Those skilled in the art can make various changes, modifications, and additions, or change the order of steps, after understanding the spirit of this application.
[0087] The functional blocks shown in the above-described block diagram can be implemented as hardware, software, firmware, or a combination thereof. When implemented in hardware, they can be, for example, electronic circuits, application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), appropriate firmware, plug-ins, function cards, etc. When implemented in software, the elements of this application are programs or code segments used to perform the required tasks. Programs or code segments can be stored on a machine-readable medium or transmitted over a transmission medium or communication link via data signals carried on a carrier wave. "Machine-readable medium" can include any medium capable of storing or transmitting information. Examples of machine-readable media include electronic circuits, semiconductor memory devices, ROM, flash memory, erasable read-only memory (EROM), floppy disks, compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), optical disks, hard disks, fiber optic media, radio frequency (RF) links, etc. Code segments can be downloaded via computer networks such as the Internet, intranets, etc.
[0088] It should also be noted that the exemplary embodiments mentioned in this application describe methods or systems based on a series of steps or apparatus. However, this application is not limited to the order of the above steps; that is, the steps can be performed in the order mentioned in the embodiments, or in a different order, or several steps can be performed simultaneously.
[0089] The aspects of this disclosure have been described above with reference to flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams of methods, apparatus (systems), and computer program products according to embodiments of this disclosure. It should be understood that each block in the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams, can be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions can be provided to a processor of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine such that these instructions, executable via the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus, enable the implementation of the functions / actions specified in one or more blocks of the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams. Such a processor can be, but is not limited to, a general-purpose processor, a special-purpose processor, a special application processor, or a field-programmable logic circuit. It is also understood that each block in the block diagrams and / or flowcharts, and combinations of blocks in the block diagrams and / or flowcharts, can also be implemented by special-purpose hardware performing the specified functions or actions, or can be implemented by a combination of special-purpose hardware and computer instructions.
[0090] The above description is merely a specific implementation of this application. Those skilled in the art will clearly understand that, for the sake of convenience and brevity, the specific working processes of the systems, modules, and units described above can be referred to the corresponding processes in the foregoing method embodiments, and will not be repeated here. It should be understood that the protection scope of this application is not limited thereto. Any person skilled in the art can easily conceive of various equivalent modifications or substitutions within the technical scope disclosed in this application, and these modifications or substitutions should all be covered within the protection scope of this application.
Claims
1. A network element device, characterized in that, The network element device includes: a first board, a second board, and a third board; the first board is connected to the second board and the third board respectively; The first board has the function of an optical line terminal and is used to connect to the core router; The third board has the functions of a broadband access server and computing power processing; The second board is used to connect to the optical network unit. The second board identifies the service data as computing power service or non-computing power service according to the routing information, and executes different forwarding paths for computing power service and non-computing power service.
2. The network element device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first board receives routing protocol messages sent by the core router; if the routing protocol message is a routing control message, it sends the routing protocol message to the third board. The third board determines the routing information corresponding to each service based on the routing protocol message; The routing information is sent to the first board; wherein the routing information is used to control the transmission of service data. The first board sends the routing information to the second board; The second board stores the routing information.
3. The network element device according to claim 2, characterized in that, The second board receives the first service data sent by the user through the optical network unit; Based on the routing information, control the transmission of the first service data.
4. The network element device according to claim 3, characterized in that, If the second board determines that the service corresponding to the first service data is a computing power service based on the routing information, the first service data is sent to the third board. The third board performs computing power processing on the first service data to obtain the second service data; and sends the second service data back to the first board. The first board sends the second service data to the core router.
5. The network element device according to claim 3, characterized in that, If the second board determines that the service corresponding to the first service data is a non-computing power service based on the routing information, the first service data is sent to the first board. The first board sends the first service data to the core router.
6. The network element device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The second board includes: Programmable passive optical network chips and forwarding chips.
7. A data transmission method, characterized in that, The method is applied to the network element device according to any one of claims 1 to 6; the method includes: The first board receives routing protocol messages sent by the core router; if the routing protocol message is a routing control message, it sends the routing protocol message to the third board. The third board determines the routing information corresponding to each service based on the routing protocol message; and sends the routing information to the first board; wherein the routing information is used to control the transmission of service data; The first board sends the routing information to the second board; The second board stores the routing information.
8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that, The method further includes: The second board receives the first service data sent by the user through the optical network unit; Based on the routing information, control the transmission of the first service data.
9. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that, The step of controlling the transmission of the first service data according to the routing information includes: If the second board determines that the service corresponding to the first service data is a computing power service based on the routing information, the first service data is sent to the third board. The third board performs computing power processing on the first service data to obtain the second service data; and sends the second service data back to the first board. The first board sends the second service data to the core router.
10. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that, The step of controlling the transmission of the first service data according to the routing information includes: If the second board determines that the service corresponding to the first service data is a non-computing power service based on the routing information, the first service data is sent to the first board. The first board sends the first service data to the core router.