Communication method and apparatus

Abstract

The application provides a communication method and device, which are applied to a CP device in a fault state and disconnected with an accessed UP device. The method comprises the following steps: when the CP device recovers from the fault state to a normal state and recovers the connection with the UP device, a first message sent by the UP device is received, the first message comprises attribute information of the UP device, and the attribute information comprises virtual MAC address information currently borne by the UP device; if the virtual MAC address information is empty and the first message is not the first message received by the CP device, virtual MAC address information redistribution is started, so that each UP device sending the first message realizes balanced load on the virtual MAC address information.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a communication method and apparatus. Background Technology

[0002] In a forwarding and control separation scenario, User Plane (UP) backup refers to the Control Plane (CP) device determining the primary / backup status of a UP device or its interface based on the interface status of the UP device and the status of the Control Plane and User Plane Separated Protocol (CUSP). This enables the rapid switching of user services to the backup UP device or interface when the primary UP device or interface fails, and the smooth switching back from the backup UP device or interface to the primary UP device or interface when the primary UP device or interface recovers, ensuring uninterrupted user service.

[0003] The 1:N warm standby load balancing mode refers to load balancing among N+1 primary interfaces (1≤N≤15). When one interface fails, the user services on that interface are shared by the other N interfaces. The N+1 primary interfaces are mutually redundant, meaning each primary interface forms N pairs of primary / backup relationships with each of the other N primary interfaces. A total of N*(N+1) primary / backup relationships are formed among the N+1 primary interfaces, and each pair corresponds to a system-generated virtual MAC address (the UP device uses the virtual MAC address to respond to user online requests). All user services are load-balanced across all primary interfaces.

[0004] By default, a virtual MAC address corresponds to a pair of primary and backup interfaces. That is, when the primary interface corresponding to a virtual MAC address becomes unavailable, the user services using that virtual MAC address will switch to the backup interface corresponding to that virtual MAC address. When the UP devices to which the primary and backup interfaces belong are located in the same data center, a power outage or other failure in the data center will cause both the primary and backup interfaces under the virtual MAC address to become unavailable, resulting in service interruption.

[0005] To address this issue, the virtual MAC address can be switched arbitrarily, allowing the switchable interfaces corresponding to the virtual MAC address to be not limited to a pair of primary and backup interfaces, but to all primary interfaces added in the backup strategy template. This improves the reliability of the 1:N warm standby load balancing mode and ensures that services are not interrupted when the primary interface is unavailable under complex circumstances.

[0006] After enabling the virtual MAC address switching function, when the primary interface corresponding to a certain virtual MAC address becomes unavailable, the CP device notifies the UP device to demote the primary interface to standby status and selects an interface from all interfaces configured in the current UP backup policy template to be promoted to primary status for that virtual MAC address. When the primary interface corresponding to the virtual MAC address becomes available again, the CP device notifies the UP device to perform a primary / standby switchback, that is, instructs the UP device to promote the original primary interface to primary status and demote the currently primary interface to standby status.

[0007] To further enhance the reliability of the forwarding and control separation system, a UP extreme escape function can be enabled for the UP device. In the event of failure of both the primary and backup CP devices, or failure of both the control channel and protocol channel between the primary and backup CP devices and the UP device, this function allows the UP device to temporarily assume some control plane functions, process user dialing requests and connect users, and provide basic service forwarding capabilities, thereby ensuring service continuity.

[0008] like Figure 1 As shown, Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the existing 1:N warm standby load balancing mechanism. UP A, UP B, and UP C belong to the same UP backup group. The backup mode in the UP backup strategy template is 1:N warm standby load balancing. Interfaces A, B, and C are all primary interfaces. These three primary interfaces form six pairs of primary-backup relationships, each corresponding to a unique virtual MAC address automatically assigned by the system. For example, if interface A is the primary interface and interface B is the backup for interface A, this primary-backup relationship corresponds to the virtual MAC address MAC AB; if interface A is the primary interface and interface C is the backup for interface A, this primary-backup relationship corresponds to the virtual MAC address MAC AC.

[0009] Therefore, UPA includes virtual MAC addresses MAC AB and MAC AC; UPA includes virtual MAC addresses MAC BC and MAC BA; and UPA includes virtual MAC addresses MAC CA and MAC CB.

[0010] When the primary interface A fails, some users connect via backup interface B, and others connect via backup interface C. The CP device sends the corresponding session information to UP B and UP C through the CUSP channel, so that access user services can be processed through interfaces B and C. Therefore, UP B includes virtual MAC addresses MAC BC, MAC BA, and MAC AB; and UP C includes virtual MAC addresses MAC CA, MAC CB, and MAC AC.

[0011] When the backup interface (e.g., interface B) also fails, users on interface B come online through interface C. The CP device sends the corresponding session information to UP C via the CUSP channel so that access user services can be processed through interface C. Therefore, UP C includes virtual MAC addresses MAC CA, MAC CB, MAC AC, MAC BC, MAC BA, and MAC AB.

[0012] If the CP devices experience a complete disconnection at this point, UP C enters escape mode. As mentioned earlier, UP A and UP B do not contain virtual MAC addresses, while UP C contains six virtual MAC addresses. Currently, in escape mode, after the CP devices recover from the fault, they restore the CUSP channels with UP A, UP B, and UP C respectively, and UP C pushes its local VMAC address to the CP devices. The CP devices store the VMAC addresses contained in UP C locally according to the order in which they receive the VMAC addresses sent by UP C. If the CP devices receive the same VMAC address from other UP devices again, the CP devices will not store it.

[0013] However, the above-mentioned CP device also exposed the following problem in the process of handling VMAC synchronization of UP device: In escape mode, if the VMAC after escape is concentrated in one UP device, it will lead to uneven distribution of VMAC during the escape recovery phase, and the load sharing function cannot be realized. Summary of the Invention

[0014] In view of this, this application provides a communication method and apparatus to solve the problem that the UP device cannot realize the load sharing function due to uneven VMAC distribution during the escape recovery phase.

[0015] In a first aspect, this application provides a communication method applied to a CP device, wherein the CP device is in a fault state and disconnected from the connected UP device, the method comprising: When the CP device recovers from the fault state to the normal state and reconnects with the UP device, it receives a first message sent by the UP device. The first message includes the attribute information of the UP device, including the virtual MAC address information currently carried by the UP device. If the virtual MAC address information is empty and the first packet is not the first packet received by the CP device, then virtual MAC address information reallocation is initiated so that each UP device that sent the first packet can achieve load balancing of the virtual MAC address information.

[0016] Secondly, this application provides a communication device applied to a CP device, wherein the CP device is in a fault state and disconnected from the connected UP device, the device comprising: The receiving unit is configured to receive a first message sent by the UP device after the CP device recovers from the fault state to the normal state and reconnects with the UP device. The first message includes attribute information of the UP device, and the attribute information includes the virtual MAC address information currently carried by the UP device. The reallocation unit is configured to initiate virtual MAC address information reallocation if the virtual MAC address information is empty and the first packet is not the first packet received by the CP device, so that each UP device that sent the first packet can achieve load balancing of the virtual MAC address information.

[0017] Thirdly, this application provides a network device including a processor and a machine-readable storage medium storing machine-executable instructions that can be executed by the processor, which in turn cause the processor to perform the method provided in the first aspect of this application.

[0018] Therefore, using the communication method and apparatus provided in this application, when the CP device recovers from a fault state to a normal state and reconnects with the UP device, the CP device receives a first message sent by the UP device. The first message includes attribute information of the UP device, including the virtual MAC address information currently carried by the UP device. If the virtual MAC address information is empty and the first message is not the first message received by the CP device, the CP device initiates virtual MAC address information reallocation so that each UP device that sent the first message can achieve load balancing of the virtual MAC address information.

[0019] In this way, after the CP device returns to normal, the virtual MAC address information is redistributed based on the virtual MAC address information reported by the UP device, so that the virtual MAC address information can be distributed as evenly as possible on the available UP devices, maximizing the utilization of UP device resources; at the same time, it also solves the problem that the uneven distribution of VMAC during the escape recovery phase prevents the UP device from performing load sharing. Attached Figure Description

[0020] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the working mechanism of the existing 1:N temperature standby load sharing mode; Figure 2 A flowchart illustrating the communication method provided in the embodiments of this application; Figure 3 A structural diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application; Figure 4 The network device hardware structure provided in the embodiments of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0021] Exemplary embodiments will now be described in detail, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. When the following description relates to the drawings, unless otherwise indicated, the same numerals in different drawings denote the same or similar elements. The embodiments described in the following exemplary embodiments do not represent all embodiments consistent with this application. Rather, they are merely examples of apparatuses and methods consistent with some aspects of this application as detailed in the appended claims.

[0022] The terminology used in this application is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the application. The singular forms “a,” “the,” and “the” used in this application and the appended claims are also intended to include the plural forms unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It should also be understood that the term “and / or” as used herein refers to and includes any or all possible combinations of one or more of the corresponding listed items.

[0023] It should be understood that although the terms first, second, third, etc., may be used in this application to describe various information, such information should not be limited to these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish information of the same type from one another. For example, without departing from the scope of this application, first information may also be referred to as second information, and similarly, second information may also be referred to as first information. Depending on the context, the word "if" as used herein may be interpreted as "when," "when," or "in response to determination."

[0024] The communication method provided in the embodiments of this application will be described in detail below. See also... Figure 2 , Figure 2 A flowchart illustrating a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application. This method is applied to a CP device. The communication method provided in an embodiment of this application may include the following steps.

[0025] Step 210: When the CP device recovers from the fault state to the normal state and reconnects with the UP device, it receives a first message sent by the UP device. The first message includes the attribute information of the UP device, and the attribute information includes the virtual MAC address information currently carried by the UP device. Specifically, in a forwarding and control separation scenario, if a CP device fails (or both primary and backup CP devices fail in a scenario with primary and backup devices), the CUSP channels established between it and each access UP device will also be disconnected (i.e., the CUSP channel status changes from up to down). Each UP device will enter escape mode. Escape mode allows the UP device to temporarily assume some of the functions of the CP device, handle user-side dialing requests and access user equipment, and provide basic service forwarding capabilities, thereby ensuring service continuity.

[0026] In escape mode, each UP device will continuously monitor the status of the CUSP channel. If the CP device recovers from a faulty state to a normal state (in the case of a primary or backup CP device), the CP device will attempt to re-establish the CUSP channel with each UP device.

[0027] If a UP device detects that the CUSP channel fault has been recovered, then that UP exits escape mode. It is understood that if a UP device does not detect that the CUSP channel fault has been recovered, then that UP remains in escape mode.

[0028] In this embodiment of the application, when the CP device recovers from the fault state to the normal state and reconnects with the UP device, the UP device generates and sends a first message to the CP device. The first message includes the attribute information of the UP device, which includes the virtual MAC address (i.e., VMAC) information currently carried by the UP device.

[0029] It should be noted that the virtual MAC address information can store a virtual MAC address or be empty. When it is empty, it means that the UP device is not currently carrying a virtual MAC address.

[0030] For example, in a scenario where forwarding and control are separated, the CP (Content Provider) simultaneously connects to UP A, UP B, and UP C. UP A, UP B, and UP C belong to the same UP backup group. The UP backup policy template uses a 1:N warm standby load balancing mode. Interface A (the user-side interface included in UP A), interface B (the user-side interface included in UP B), and interface C (the user-side interface included in UP C) are all primary interfaces. These three primary interfaces form six pairs of primary / backup relationships, each corresponding to a unique virtual MAC address automatically assigned by the system. For example, if interface A is the primary interface and interface B is the backup for interface A, this primary / backup relationship corresponds to the virtual MAC address MAC AB; if interface A is the primary interface and interface C is the backup for interface A, this primary / backup relationship corresponds to the virtual MAC address MAC AC.

[0031] Therefore, UP A includes virtual MAC addresses MAC AB and MAC AC; UP B includes virtual MAC addresses MAC BC and MAC BA; and UP C includes virtual MAC addresses MAC CA and MAC CB.

[0032] When the primary interface A fails, some users connect via backup interface B, and others connect via backup interface C. The CP device sends the corresponding session information to UP B and UP C through the CUSP channel, so that access user services can be processed through interfaces B and C. Therefore, UP B includes virtual MAC addresses MAC BC, MAC BA, and MAC AB; and UP C includes virtual MAC addresses MAC CA, MAC CB, and MAC AC.

[0033] When the backup interface (e.g., interface B) also fails, users on interface B come online through interface C. The CP device sends the corresponding session information to UP C via the CUSP channel so that access user services can be processed through interface C. Therefore, UP C includes virtual MAC addresses MAC CA, MAC CB, MAC AC, MAC BC, MAC BA, and MAC AB.

[0034] If all CP devices experience a complete disconnection at this time, UP C will enter escape mode, and UP A and UP B will also enter escape mode. In escape mode, each UP device will continuously monitor the status of the CUSP channel. If the CP device recovers from the fault state to the normal state, the CP device will re-establish the CUSP channel with each UP device.

[0035] If UP A detects that the CUSP channel fault has been recovered, then UP A exits escape mode. If UP B does not detect that the CUSP channel fault has been recovered, then UP B remains in escape mode. UP A generates and sends a first message to the CP device. This first message includes UP A's attribute information, including the virtual MAC address information currently carried by UP A. It is understood that this virtual MAC address information is empty.

[0036] Step 220: If the virtual MAC address information is empty and the first packet is not the first packet received by the CP device, then start the virtual MAC address information reallocation so that each UP device that sent the first packet can achieve load balancing of the virtual MAC address information.

[0037] Specifically, according to the description of step 210, after the CP device receives the first message sent by the UP device, it obtains the attribute information of the UP device from it, and obtains the virtual MAC address information currently carried by the UP device from the attribute information.

[0038] The CP device identifies whether the virtual MAC address information carries a virtual MAC address. If the virtual MAC address information is empty, the CP device continues to identify whether the first packet is the first packet sent by a UP device that the CP device has received, that is, whether the UP device is the first UP device to send the packet. If the first packet is not the first packet received by the CP device, that is, the CP device has previously received a first packet sent by another UP device with a non-empty virtual MAC address information and has recorded the virtual MAC address information corresponding to that UP device locally, then the CP device initiates virtual MAC address information reallocation to achieve load balancing of virtual MAC address information among each UP device that sent the first packet.

[0039] Optionally, in this embodiment of the application, after the CP device receives the first message sent by the UP device, it obtains the attribute information of the UP device from the message and obtains the virtual MAC address information currently carried by the UP device from the attribute information.

[0040] The CP device checks whether the virtual MAC address information contains a virtual MAC address. If the virtual MAC address information is not empty, the CP device checks whether the virtual MAC address information has been recorded locally. If the virtual MAC address information has not been recorded locally, the CP device records the mapping between the virtual MAC address information and the UP device locally.

[0041] Based on the aforementioned example, if the first message sent by the UP C to the CP device includes virtual MAC address information such as MAC CA, MAC CB, MAC AC, MAC BC, MAC BA, and MAC AB.

[0042] If the CP device recognizes that none of the above 6 virtual MAC address information is recorded locally, then the CP device will record the correspondence between the 6 virtual MAC address information and the UPC locally.

[0043] Subsequently, UP A sends a first message to the CP device, which contains empty virtual MAC address information. At this point, the CP device initiates virtual MAC address reallocation. The CP device determines that there are currently 6 recorded virtual MAC addresses and 2 UP devices. The CP device assigns 3 virtual MAC addresses to each UP device according to a load balancing algorithm. For example, UP A carries MAC AB, MAC AC, and MAC BA; UP C carries MAC CA, MAC CB, and MAC BC. In this way, the virtual MAC address information is distributed evenly among each UP device.

[0044] When allocating virtual MAC addresses to each UP device, the CP device can allocate them according to existing allocation principles, such as allocating them based on the size of the UP device's MAC address, or based on the size of the UP device's IP address, or based on the number of currently online users of the UP device, etc.

[0045] Optionally, in this embodiment of the application, the CP device will also perform the following process when performing the above identification steps.

[0046] Furthermore, if the virtual MAC address information is not empty and the virtual MAC address information has been recorded locally, the CP device will no longer process the first packet and will discard the first packet.

[0047] Optionally, in this embodiment of the application, the CP device will also perform the following process when performing the above identification steps.

[0048] Furthermore, if the virtual MAC address information is empty and the first message is the first message received by the CP device, the CP device obtains the original virtual MAC address information corresponding to the UP device; the CP device records the correspondence between the original virtual MAC address information and the UP device locally; the CP device sends a second message to the UP device, which includes the original virtual MAC address information.

[0049] After receiving the second message, the UP device obtains and records the virtual MAC address information locally. Subsequently, the UP device can forward service messages that include the virtual MAC address information.

[0050] As in the example above, the CP device has stored the virtual MAC address carried by each access UP device before the failure. If UP A sends a first message to the CP device, and the virtual MAC address information included in the first message is empty, the CP device retrieves the previously stored virtual MAC addresses MAC AB and MAC AC carried by UP A from its local storage, and records the correspondence between UP A and the virtual MAC addresses MAC AB and MAC AC again.

[0051] The CP device generates and sends a second message to UP A, which includes the virtual MAC addresses MAC AB and MAC A-C. After receiving the second message, UP A retrieves and records the virtual MAC addresses MAC AB and MAC AC locally.

[0052] Optionally, in this embodiment of the application, after the CP device initiates the virtual MAC address information reallocation, it also synchronizes the reallocated virtual MAC address information to the UP device.

[0053] Furthermore, the CP device sends a third message to the UP device, which includes reassignment information, specifically the virtual MAC address information that the CP device reassigns to the UP device.

[0054] After receiving the third message, the UP device obtains and records the virtual MAC address information locally. Subsequently, the UP device can forward service messages that include the virtual MAC address information.

[0055] Based on the aforementioned example, the CP device assigns virtual MAC addresses MAC AB, MAC AC, and MAC BA to UP A, and virtual MAC addresses MAC CA, MAC CB, and MAC BC to UP C. The CP device generates a third message, which includes redistribution information. This redistribution information includes the virtual MAC addresses MAC AB, MAC A-C, and MAC BA reassigned by the CP device to UP A; or, this redistribution information includes the virtual MAC addresses MAC CA, MAC CB, and MAC BC reassigned by the CP device to UP C.

[0056] After receiving the third message, UP A or UP C obtains the reallocated virtual MAC address from it and records it locally.

[0057] Therefore, using the communication method provided in this application, when the CP device recovers from a fault state to a normal state and reconnects with the UP device, the CP device receives a first message sent by the UP device. The first message includes the attribute information of the UP device, including the virtual MAC address information currently carried by the UP device. If the virtual MAC address information is empty and the first message is not the first message received by the CP device, the CP device initiates virtual MAC address information reallocation so that each UP device that sent the first message can achieve load balancing of the virtual MAC address information.

[0058] In this way, after the CP device returns to normal, the virtual MAC address information is redistributed based on the virtual MAC address information reported by the UP device, so that the virtual MAC addresses can be distributed as evenly as possible on the available UP devices, maximizing the utilization of UP device resources; at the same time, it also solves the problem that the uneven distribution of VMAC during the escape recovery phase prevents the UP device from performing load sharing.

[0059] Based on the same inventive concept, embodiments of this application also provide a communication device corresponding to the communication method. See also Figure 3 , Figure 3 The communication device provided in this application embodiment is applied to a CP device, which is in a fault state and disconnected from the accessed UP device. The device includes: The receiving unit 310 is configured to receive a first message sent by the UP device after the CP device recovers from the fault state to the normal state and reconnects with the UP device. The first message includes attribute information of the UP device, and the attribute information includes the virtual MAC address information currently carried by the UP device. The reallocation unit 320 is used to initiate virtual MAC address information reallocation if the virtual MAC address information is empty and the first packet is not the first packet received by the CP device, so that each UP device that sent the first packet can achieve load balancing of the virtual MAC address information.

[0060] Optionally, the device further includes: A recording unit (not shown in the figure) is used to record the correspondence between the virtual MAC address information and the UP device locally if the virtual MAC address information is not empty and the virtual MAC address information is not recorded locally.

[0061] Optionally, the device further includes: A discarding unit (not shown in the figure) is used to discard the first packet if the virtual MAC address information is not empty and the virtual MAC address information has been recorded locally.

[0062] Optionally, the device further includes: The acquisition unit (not shown in the figure) is used to acquire the original virtual MAC address information corresponding to the UP device if the virtual MAC address information is empty and the first packet is the first packet received by the CP device. A recording unit (not shown in the figure) is used to record the correspondence between the original virtual MAC address information and the UP device locally; A sending unit (not shown in the figure) is used to send a second message to the UP device, the second message including the original virtual MAC address information.

[0063] Optionally, the device further includes: A sending unit (not shown in the figure) is used to send a third message to the UP device. The third message includes reassignment information, which includes virtual MAC address information reassigned by the CP device to the UP device.

[0064] Therefore, using the communication device provided in this application, when the CP device recovers from a fault state to a normal state and reconnects with the UP device, the CP device receives a first message sent by the UP device. The first message includes attribute information of the UP device, including the virtual MAC address information currently carried by the UP device. If the virtual MAC address information is empty and the first message is not the first message received by the CP device, the CP device initiates virtual MAC address information reallocation so that each UP device that sent the first message can achieve load balancing of the virtual MAC address information.

[0065] In this way, after the CP device returns to normal, the virtual MAC address information is redistributed based on the virtual MAC address information reported by the UP device, so that the virtual MAC addresses can be distributed as evenly as possible on the available UP devices, maximizing the utilization of UP device resources; at the same time, it also solves the problem that the uneven distribution of VMAC during the escape recovery phase prevents the UP device from performing load sharing.

[0066] Based on the same inventive concept, embodiments of this application also provide a network device, such as... Figure 4 As shown, the system includes a processor 410, a transceiver 420, and a machine-readable storage medium 430. The machine-readable storage medium 430 stores machine-executable instructions that can be executed by the processor 410. The processor 410 is prompted by the machine-executable instructions to execute the communication method provided in the embodiments of this application. (The foregoing...) Figure 3 The communication device shown can be used as follows: Figure 4 The hardware structure of the network device shown is implemented.

[0067] The aforementioned computer-readable storage medium 430 may include random access memory (RAM) or non-volatile memory (NVM), such as at least one disk storage device. Optionally, the computer-readable storage medium 430 may also be at least one storage device located remotely from the aforementioned processor 410.

[0068] The processor 410 mentioned above can be a general-purpose processor, including a central processing unit (CPU), a network processor (NP), etc.; it can also be a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, or discrete hardware components.

[0069] In this embodiment of the application, the processor 410 reads the machine-executable instructions stored in the machine-readable storage medium 430, and is prompted by the machine-executable instructions to enable the processor 410 itself and the transceiver 420 to execute the communication method described in the foregoing embodiment of the application.

[0070] In addition, this application provides a machine-readable storage medium 430 that stores machine-executable instructions. When called and executed by the processor 410, the machine-executable instructions cause the processor 410 itself and the transceiver 420 to execute the communication method described in the aforementioned application.

[0071] The specific implementation process of the functions and roles of each unit in the above device can be found in the implementation process of the corresponding steps in the above method, and will not be repeated here.

[0072] For the device embodiments, since they basically correspond to the method embodiments, the relevant parts can be referred to in the description of the method embodiments. The device embodiments described above are merely illustrative. The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate, and the components shown as units may or may not be physical units, that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of the modules can be selected to achieve the purpose of this application according to actual needs. Those skilled in the art can understand and implement this without creative effort.

[0073] For the embodiments of communication devices and machine-readable storage media, since the methods involved are basically similar to those of the aforementioned method embodiments, the description is relatively simple, and relevant details can be found in the descriptions of the method embodiments.

[0074] The above description is merely a preferred embodiment of this application and is not intended to limit this application. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of this application should be included within the scope of protection of this application.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that, Applied to a CP device, wherein the CP device is in a fault state and disconnected from the connected UP device, the method includes: When the CP device recovers from the fault state to the normal state and reconnects with the UP device, it receives a first message sent by the UP device. The first message includes the attribute information of the UP device, including the virtual MAC address information currently carried by the UP device. If the virtual MAC address information is empty and the first packet is not the first packet received by the CP device, then virtual MAC address information reallocation is initiated so that each UP device that sent the first packet can achieve load balancing of the virtual MAC address information.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The method further includes: If the virtual MAC address information is not empty and the virtual MAC address information is not recorded locally, then the correspondence between the virtual MAC address information and the UP device is recorded locally.

3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The method further includes: If the virtual MAC address information is not empty and the virtual MAC address information has been recorded locally, then the first packet is discarded.

4. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The method further includes: If the virtual MAC address information is empty and the first message is the first message received by the CP device, then the original virtual MAC address information corresponding to the UP device is obtained; The correspondence between the original virtual MAC address information and the UP device is recorded locally; A second message is sent to the UP device, the second message including the original virtual MAC address information.

5. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The method further includes: A third message is sent to the UP device, the third message including reassignment information, the reassignment information including virtual MAC address information reassigned by the CP device to the UP device.

6. A communication device, characterized in that, Applied to a CP device, wherein the CP device is in a fault state and disconnected from the connected UP device, the device includes: The receiving unit is configured to receive a first message sent by the UP device after the CP device recovers from the fault state to the normal state and reconnects with the UP device. The first message includes attribute information of the UP device, and the attribute information includes the virtual MAC address information currently carried by the UP device. The reallocation unit is configured to initiate virtual MAC address information reallocation if the virtual MAC address information is empty and the first packet is not the first packet received by the CP device, so that each UP device that sent the first packet can achieve load balancing of the virtual MAC address information.

7. The apparatus according to claim 6, characterized in that, The device further includes: The recording unit is used to record the correspondence between the virtual MAC address information and the UP device locally if the virtual MAC address information is not empty and the virtual MAC address information is not recorded locally.

8. The apparatus according to claim 6, characterized in that, The device further includes: The discarding unit is used to discard the first packet if the virtual MAC address information is not empty and the virtual MAC address information has been recorded locally.

9. The apparatus according to claim 6, characterized in that, The device further includes: The acquisition unit is configured to acquire the original virtual MAC address information corresponding to the UP device if the virtual MAC address information is empty and the first packet is the first packet received by the CP device. A recording unit is used to record locally the correspondence between the original virtual MAC address information and the UP device; The sending unit is used to send a second message to the UP device, the second message including the original virtual MAC address information.

10. The apparatus according to claim 6, characterized in that, The device further includes: The sending unit is configured to send a third message to the UP device, the third message including reassignment information, the reassignment information including virtual MAC address information reassigned by the CP device to the UP device.

Images