Network switch and network architecture for network coupling and backup

Abstract

To provide a network switch and a network architecture for network coupling and backup.SOLUTION: A network coupling and a backup method are provided, where a backup network switch sends a first control packet periodically; at least one primary network switch sends a first acknowledgment packet in response to receiving the first control packet; and the backup network switch performs link change according to a first condition. The at least one primary network switch sends a second control packet according a second condition; the backup network switch sends a second acknowledgment packet and performing link change according to the second control packet in response to receiving the second control packet; and the primary network switch performs link change in response to receiving the second acknowledgment packet.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a backup method, device and network architecture for network coupling, and more particularly to a backup method, device and network architecture for backing up multiple primary network switches by one backup network switch in a network coupling. [Background technology]

[0002] As the industry's requirements for production capacity and cost are increasing day by day, there is a growing trend to connect production equipment to a network. Through network connection, data collection and analysis between machines are possible, which can improve the speed, flexibility and efficiency of the manufacturing process, reduce costs, and produce higher quality products. However, in traditional industrial environments, multiple independent local area networks (LANs) often exist simultaneously, and these local area networks consist of multiple types of redundant network technologies, making integration and management difficult. In this case, the prior art proposes a network coupling technology, which connects multiple local area networks in series to realize the sharing or integration of data and functions between different local area networks. Such a technology can solve the problems of interoperability and compatibility between different local area networks, and improve the efficiency and reliability of the system.

[0003] When network coupling is performed, in order to prevent the network from becoming inoperable when a single line (circuit) fails, it is common to build a second line as a backup line to increase the reliability and stability of the network coupling. However, in most current solutions, network coupling is performed using two network switches, one of which operates as a primary switch and the other stands by as a backup switch. In other words, two switches must be added each time a sub-network is connected. In such a case, as the number of connected sub-networks increases, the number of required network switch devices also increases accordingly, which not only increases construction costs but also significantly increases the amount (number) of related control packets, which may affect performance. In addition, when applied to industrial control networks, the need to connect multiple different sub-networks to the backbone network is unavoidable. Therefore, it is necessary to further improve such problems to improve efficiency and reduce costs. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Taiwan Patent Application Publication No. I356616B [Patent Document 2] Taiwan Patent Application Publication No. I321415B [Patent Document 3] Taiwan Patent Application Publication No. I459757B [Patent Document 4] US Patent Application Publication No. 20170302473A1 [Patent Document 5] European Patent Application Publication No. 2566111A1 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] SUMMARY OF THE PRESENTLY PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a one-to-many backup method and a network switch that can realize a redundancy mechanism while reducing costs and improving efficiency when performing network coupling. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] According to an embodiment of the present invention, a primary network switch is provided, which is disposed in a switch group in a main network and coupled to at least one first subnetwork in a subnetwork group by at least one first link. The primary network switch includes a processing unit and a storage unit. The processing unit is used for executing a program code, and the storage unit is coupled to the processing unit and is used for storing the program code to instruct the processing unit to perform a network coupling and backup method. The network coupling and backup method includes receiving a first control packet from a backup network switch in the switch group; in response to receiving the first control packet, sending a first confirmation packet including a connection status of the at least one first subnetwork; sending a second control packet to the backup network switch; and in response to sending the second control packet, receiving a second confirmation packet from the backup network switch, and performing link switching after receiving the second confirmation packet.

[0007] According to an embodiment of the present invention, there is further provided a backup network switch, which is disposed in a switch group in a main network and coupled to at least one first subnetwork in a subnetwork group by at least one first link. The backup network switch includes a processing unit and a storage unit. The processing unit is used for executing a program code, and the storage unit is coupled to the processing unit and is used for storing the program code to instruct the processing unit to execute a network coupling and backup method. The network coupling and backup method includes: periodically sending a first control packet to at least one primary network switch in the switch group, the first control packet including a connection status of the at least one first subnetwork; receiving at least one first confirmation packet from the at least one primary network switch in response to sending the first control packet; performing link switching based on a first condition; and, in response to receiving the second control packet of the at least one primary network switch, sending a second confirmation packet and performing link switching based on the second control packet.

[0008] According to an embodiment of the present invention, a network architecture for network coupling and backup is provided, which includes a plurality of subnetworks and a main network. The plurality of subnetworks belong to a plurality of subnetwork groups. The main network includes a plurality of switch groups, each switch group of the plurality of switch groups is coupled to one of the plurality of subnetwork groups, and includes at least one primary network switch and a backup network switch. The at least one primary network switch is coupled to at least one first subnetwork in the subnetwork group by at least one first link. The backup network switch is coupled to at least one second subnetwork in the subnetwork group by at least one second link. wherein each subnetwork group among the plurality of subnetwork groups is used to perform a network coupling and backup method, the method including: the backup network switch periodically sending a first control packet including a connection status of the at least one second subnetwork; in response to receiving the first control packet, the at least one primary network switch sending a first confirmation packet including a connection status of the at least one first subnetwork; the backup network switch performing link switching based on a first condition; the at least one primary network switch sending a second control packet based on a second condition; in response to receiving the second control packet, the backup network switch returning a second confirmation packet and performing link switching based on the second control packet; and in response to receiving the second confirmation packet, the primary network switch performing link switching. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 illustrates a network system. [Diagram 2]FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a network system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 3] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a control packet in an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] 2 is a flow chart of a network connection and backup method according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 5A] FIG. 1 is a diagram (part 1) showing an embodiment in which one group performs network coupling and backup flow in an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5B] FIG. 2 is a diagram (part 2) showing an embodiment in which one group performs network coupling and backup flow in an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6A] FIG. 11 is a diagram (part 1) showing another embodiment in which one group performs network coupling and backup flow in an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6B] FIG. 2 is a diagram (part 2) showing another embodiment in which one group performs network coupling and backup flow in an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7A] 1 is a flow chart (part 1) of a network coupling and backup method implemented by a backup network switch in an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 7B] 2 is a second flowchart illustrating a network coupling and backup method implemented by a backup network switch in an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 8A] 1 is a flow chart (part 1) of a network coupling and backup method implemented by a primary network switch in an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 8B] 2 is a second flowchart illustrating a network coupling and backup method implemented by a primary network switch in an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 9] FIG. 13 illustrates an incorrect placement in an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 10] FIG. 13 illustrates an incorrect placement in an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 11] FIG. 13 illustrates an incorrect placement in an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 12] FIG. 2 illustrates a network device according to an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] The above and other technical contents, features, functions, and advantages of the present invention will be made clearer by the following detailed description of preferred embodiments based on the accompanying drawings. In addition, the directional terms used in the following embodiments, such as up, down, left, right, front, rear, etc., are merely the directions in the accompanying drawings. Therefore, the directional terms used are only for explaining the present invention, and are not intended to limit the present invention. In addition, unless otherwise stated, the term "including" herein is an open-type term, and the term "coupling" includes any direct and indirect electrical connection means. Thus, for example, when a description is made that a first device is coupled to a second device, it means that the first device can be electrically coupled directly to the second device, or can be electrically coupled indirectly to the second device through another device or connection means.

[0011] Referring to FIG. 1, FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a network system 1. In the network system 1, a plurality of sub-networks 12_1-12_4 are coupled to a main network 10. Specifically, the main network 10 is coupled to the sub-networks 12_1-12_4 through a plurality of main links 15_1-15_4 by a plurality of primary network switches 14_1-14_4, and the main network 10 is further coupled to the sub-networks 12_1-12_4 through a plurality of backup links 17_1-17_4 by a plurality of backup network switches 16_1-16_4. Among them, the plurality of backup network switches 16_1-16_4 and the plurality of backup links 17_1-17_4 are backups for the plurality of primary network switches 14_1-14_4 and the plurality of main links 15_1-15_4, and are in a standby state. As can be seen from FIG. 1, the network system 1 adopts a one-to-one network coupling and backup method. In other words, every time a sub-network is connected to the main network 10, a primary network switch and a backup network switch need to be arranged correspondingly to ensure the reliability and stability of the network connection. In this case, when a large number of sub-networks need to be connected, the number of network switches required also doubles. In addition, with the increase in the number of network switches, the number of control packets sent by the network switches may also increase, which may affect performance.

[0012] Therefore, the present invention provides a network coupling and backup method, which allows a backup network switch to simultaneously back up multiple active primary network switches connected to a sub-network, and also allows a main network to be connected to multiple different sub-network groups by multiple switch groups by arranging (configuring) the backup network switch and the primary network switch it backs up to belong to the same group (hereinafter referred to as switch group) in a group manner. In this architecture, the network switch only needs to process control packets belonging to the same switch group, and the control packets can simultaneously include the connection status of multiple sub-networks, which further reduces the amount of control packet processing.

[0013] Referring to FIG. 2, FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a network system 2 in an embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the network system 2 includes a main network 20 and a plurality of sub-networks N1 to N10, and can be divided into a plurality of groups G1 to G3. The main network 20 includes a plurality of backup network switches 22_1, 24_1, and 26_1 in standby state, and a plurality of primary network switches 22_2 to 22_5, 24_2 to 24_3, and 26_2 for data transfer. Although the main network 20 is shown as a ring network in FIG. 2, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the main network 20 may have various types of network topologies and may be applicable to different redundancy protocols. In addition, the number of sub-networks, the number of groups, and the number of network switches shown in FIG. 2 are for illustrative purposes only, and the present invention is not limited thereto, and those skilled in the art may make adjustments and modifications according to actual needs.

[0014] Specifically, the group G1 includes a switch group C1 and a subnetwork group S1, the switch group C1 includes a backup network switch 22_1 and a plurality of primary network switches 22_2-22_5, and the subnetwork group S1 includes subnetworks N1-N4. The plurality of primary network switches 22_2-22_5 are respectively coupled to the subnetworks N1-N4 by a plurality of links L5-L8, and the backup network switch 22_1 serves as a backup for the primary network switches 22_2-22_5 and is coupled to the subnetworks N1-N4 by a plurality of links L1-L4. Similarly, the group G2 includes a switch group C2 and a subnetwork group S2, the switch group C2 includes a backup network switch 24_1 and a plurality of primary network switches 24_2-24_3, and the subnetwork group S2 includes subnetworks N5-N7. The primary network switch 24_2 is coupled to the subnetworks N5 and N6 by links L12 and L13, respectively, and the primary network switch 24_3 is coupled to the subnetwork N7 by link L14. The backup network switch 24_1 serves as a backup for the primary network switches 24_2 and 24_3, and is coupled to the subnetworks N5 to N7 by links L9 to L11. The group G3 includes a switch group C3 consisting of the backup network switch 26_1 and the primary network switch 26_2, and a subnetwork group S3 consisting of the subnetworks N8 to N10. The primary network switch 26_2 is coupled to the subnetworks N8 to N10 by links L18 to L20, respectively, and the backup network switch 26_1 serves as a backup for the primary network switch 26_2, and is coupled to the subnetworks N8 to N10 by links L15 to L17.

[0015] For ease of explanation, the network system 2 shown in Fig. 2 includes different network coupling methods. Specifically, in group G1, the subnetworks N1 to N4 are connected by primary network switches 22_2 to 22_5, respectively, and perform data transfer, and the backup network switch 22_1 is connected to all the subnetworks N1 to N4 in group G1, and performs backup for all the primary network switches 22_2 to 22_5 in group G1. In group G3, all the subnetworks N8 to N10 are connected by the same primary network switch 26_2, and perform data transfer, and the backup network switch 26_1 connects all the subnetworks N8 to N10 in group G3, and performs backup for the primary network switch 26_2. In addition, in group G2, the primary network switch 24_2 is connected to two subnetworks N5 and N6, the primary network switch 24_3 is connected to another subnetwork N7 in the same group, and the backup network switch 24_1 connects the subnetworks N5 to N7 and stands by to back up the two primary network switches 24_2 and 24_3. In other words, in the same group, the primary network switches are connected to the subnetworks in a one-to-one (e.g., group G1), one-to-many (e.g., group G3) or mixed (e.g., group G2) manner and can be backed up by one backup network switch.

[0016] In the network system 2, network switches in the same switch group can obtain a connection state between other network switches and the subnetworks to which they are connected by transmitting information through the exchange of control packets. In the embodiment of the present invention, the control packets can be transmitted in the main network 20 or the subnetworks N1 to N10 by a multicast method, and a group identifier (ID) can be included (carried) in the destination address in the header of the control packet for identification by the network switches on the main network 20. Therefore, the network switches can read only control packets having the same group identifier, and directly forward control packets having different group identifiers without processing them.

[0017] Referring to Fig. 3, Fig. 3 is a diagram showing a control packet 3 in an embodiment of the present invention. The control packet 3 can be used in the network system 2, and includes headers 30 to 33, a payload 34, and a frame check sequence (FCS) 35. The headers 30 to 33 may include a prefix (preamble) 30, a destination address (Destination MAC) 31, a source address (Source MAC) 32, and an Ethertype 33 according to the data they carry. Among them, the destination address 31 may be a Media Access Control address (MAC address), among which a specific byte or bit in a specific (predetermined) MAC address may include a different group identifier, or a plurality of specific MAC addresses may be set as different group identifiers, and transmitted as a multicast address in the main network 20, but is not limited to these implementation methods. For example, a specific byte in a specific MAC address contains a different group identifier, and in this case, when the backup network switch 22_1, which belongs to group G1 and has group identifier 1, transmits a control packet, the backup network switch 22_1 can send a control packet with a destination address of xx-xx-xx-xx-xx-01. When the backup network switch 22_1 receives a control packet with a destination address of xx-xx-xx-xx-xx-01, it can immediately determine that this control packet is sent by another network switch that also has group identifier 1, and therefore it is necessary to read and analyze the contents of the packet, and when the backup network switch 22_1 receives a control packet with a destination address of xx-xx-xx-xx-xx-02 or xx-xx-xx-xx-xx-03, it can determine that this control packet is sent by a network switch that has group identifier 2 or 3, and therefore it is not necessary to process this control packet and it can directly forward it.According to this method, the network switch on the main network 20 can recognize (identify) the control packet of the same group and exchange (transfer) information by reading the control packet from the same group. Note that including a group identifier in a specific byte of a MAC address to create a multicast address is one method of identifying a group in an embodiment of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited to this, and a person skilled in the art can adopt an appropriate method according to actual needs to identify different groups by a multicast address.

[0018] Furthermore, the payload 34 of the control packet 3 includes a command 340, a sender (source) address 341, a partner (destination) address 342, a link number 343, at least one link identifier 344, and its corresponding connection status 345. Among them, the command 340 is used to identify different control packets, the sender address 341 is the MAC address of the primary network switch or the backup network switch that sends the control packet, and the partner address 342 is the transmission target (transmission destination) of the control packet. For example, when the primary network switch sends a control packet, the partner address 342 can be the MAC address of the backup network switch that belongs to the same group. Moreover, the link number 343 is the number of link connection statuses carried in this control packet, the link identifier 344 is the subnetwork identifier connected to the link, and the connection status 345 is the link connection status of the corresponding subnetwork (in other words, the connection status of the subnetwork). The connection status 345 can be determined as a connection (link-up) or a non-connection (link-down) status based on whether an electrical signal of the link is received. It should be noted that the control packet 3 is merely an example of the fields required to realize an embodiment of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited thereto. Those skilled in the art can adjust the specific content of the control packet 3 according to actual needs.

[0019] Groups G1 to G3 in the embodiment of the present invention can be regarded as the minimum unit for implementing (executing) the network coupling and backup method in network system 2. In other words, in each group, the main network 20 is coupled to a sub-network group, data transfer is performed by at least one primary network switch, and backup is performed by standby of a backup network switch. The network coupling and backup method of network system 2 can be summarized as network coupling and backup flow 4, as shown in Figure 4. Network coupling and backup flow 4 includes the following steps.

[0020] Step 400: Start.

[0021] Step 402: The backup network switch periodically sends a first control packet.

[0022] Step 404: In response to receiving the first control packet, the at least one primary network switch sends a first acknowledgment packet (ACK).

[0023] Step 406: Perform a link switch when the backup network switch does not receive the first confirmation packet of one of the at least one primary network switch and a first condition is satisfied.

[0024] Step 408: When a second condition is satisfied, the primary network switch sends a second control packet.

[0025] Step 410: In response to receiving the second control packet, the backup network switch sends a second confirmation packet, and performs link switching based on the second control packet.

[0026] Step 412: In response to receiving the second confirmation packet, the primary network switch performs a link switch.

[0027] Step 414: End.

[0028] According to the network connection and backup flow 4, the backup network switch periodically sends a first control packet (step 402), and checks the status of the primary network switch based on the first confirmation packet returned by the primary network switch (step 404). When the first condition is satisfied, it is determined that the primary network switch has become invalid (e.g., broken down or cannot be connected), and a backup can be performed by performing link switching (step 406). When the second condition is satisfied, the primary network switch determines that link switching is necessary, and sends a second control packet to the backup network switch (step 408). The backup network switch returns a second confirmation packet, and performs link switching based on the information in the second control packet (step 410). Finally, after receiving the second confirmation packet, the primary network switch performs link switching (step 412). Among them, the first control packet, the first confirmation packet, the second control packet, and the second confirmation packet can be referred to the control packet 3 in FIG. 3, which shows the specific format and content of the control packet used in the present invention.

[0029] Specifically, referring to FIG. 5A and FIG. 5B at the same time, FIG. 5A and FIG. 5B show an embodiment in which the group G2 of the network system 2 in FIG. 2 performs network coupling and backup flow 4. First, refer to FIG. 5A. In step 402, the backup network switch 24_1 periodically transmits a first control packet P1 in the main network 20 or the subnetworks N5 to N7 (only the transmission of the first control packet P1 in the main network 20 is shown), and the contents of the payload 34 of the first control packet P1 may be as shown in the following Table 1. Among them, the source address 341 is the address MAC1 of the backup network switch 24_1. The link number 343 represents the number of subnetworks connected to the backup network switch 24_1, and the link identifier 344 and the connection status 345 respectively record the connection status of the links L9 to L11 from the network switch 24_1 to the subnetworks N5 to N7. As shown in Table 1, when all connection states 345 are link-up, backup network switch 24_1 can perform backup by switching lines at any time for subnetworks N5 to N7. Note that first control packet P1 needs to carry the connection states of all subnetworks N5 to N7 connected to backup network switch 24_1.

[0030] [Table 1] Continuing to refer to FIG. 5A. In step 404, after receiving the first control packet P1, the primary network switches 24_2 and 24_3 need to send a first confirmation packet P1_ACK to report the connection status. The contents of the payload 34 of the first confirmation packet P1_ACK sent by the primary network switch 24_2 may be as shown in the following Table 2. In it, the source address 341 is the address MAC2 of the primary network switch 24_2, and the partner address (destination) 342 is the address MAC1 of the backup network switch 24_1. The link number 343 represents the number of sub-networks connected to the primary network switch 24_2, and the link identifier 344 and the connection status 345 respectively record the connection status of the links L12 and L13 from the primary network switch 24_2 to the sub-networks N5 and N6. As shown in Table 2, when the connection status 345 are all link-up, it represents that the links L12 and L13 connecting the primary network switch 24_2 to the sub-networks N5 and N6 are all operating normally. Incidentally, the first acknowledgement packet P1_ACK needs to carry the connection status of all the sub-networks N5 and N6 connected to the primary network switch 24_2.

[0031] [Table 2] The contents of the payload 34 of the first confirmation packet P1_ACK transmitted by the primary network switch 24_3 may be as shown in the following Table 3. Among them, the sender (source) address 341 is the address MAC3 of the primary network switch 24_3, and the partner (destination) address 342 is the address MAC1 of the backup network switch 24_1. The number of links 343 indicates the number of sub-networks connected to the primary network switch 24_3, and the link identifier 344 and the connection status 345 record the connection status of the link L14 from the primary network switch 24_3 to the sub-network N7. As shown in Table 3, when the connection statuses 345 are all link-up, it indicates that the link L14 connecting the primary network switch 24_3 to the sub-network N7 is operating normally.

[0032] [Table 3] In step 406, the backup network switch 24_1 receives the first confirmation packet P1_ACK transmitted from the primary network switches 24_2 and 24_3. The first confirmation packet P1_ACK allows the backup network switch 24_1 to obtain the connection status between the primary network switches 24_2 and 24_3 and the subnetworks N5 to N7. When the backup network switch 24_1 does not receive the first confirmation packet P1_ACK from one of the primary network switches, the backup network switch 24_1 checks whether a first condition is satisfied to determine whether to perform link switching. The first condition may be, but is not limited to, that the number of times that the first confirmation packet P1_ACK from the same primary network switch is not received exceeds a predetermined number of times, or that the period during which the first confirmation packet P1_ACK from the same primary network switch is not received exceeds a predetermined time. When the first condition is satisfied, the backup network switch 24_1 determines that the primary network switch has already expired or failed, and can perform link switching to perform backup for it. Referring to FIG. 5B, it shows the situation when the primary network switch 24_2 expires. When the primary network switch 24_2 becomes invalid, the backup network switch 24_1 cannot receive the first confirmation packet P1_ACK transmitted by the primary network switch 24_2. When the first condition is satisfied, for example, the backup network switch 24_1 transmits the first control packet P1 to the main network 20 three times in succession, but receives only the first confirmation packet P1_ACK returned from the primary network switch 24_3 and does not receive the first confirmation packet P1_ACK returned from the primary network switch 24_2, the backup network switch 24_1 can determine that the primary network switch 24_2 has already expired or failed. In such a case, the backup network switch 24_1 can perform link switching to back up the primary network switch 24_2.As shown in Fig. 5B, the backup network switch 24_1 opens (turns on) the connection ports (assumed to be forwarding) connected to the subnetworks N5 and N6, and transfers data between the main network and the subnetworks N5 and N6 via the links L9 and L10. This allows the backup network switch to detect whether the primary network switch it backs up has become invalid, and to perform backup for that purpose. Note that the backup network switch 24_1 can store information (obtained by the first confirmation packet P1_ACK before the device becomes invalid) on the subnetworks connected to the primary network switches 24_2 and 24_3, respectively, so that when it is determined that the primary network switches 24_2 and 24_3 have become invalid, it can load the stored information and switch the link of the subnetwork connected to the invalid primary network switch based on the information.

[0033] 6A and 6B, which show another embodiment in which the group G2 of the network system 2 in FIG. 2 performs network coupling and backup flow 4. First, refer to FIG. 6A. In step 408, the primary network switch 24_2 requests link switching by transmitting a second control packet P2 when a second condition is satisfied. The second condition may include that the primary network switch 24_2 needs to switch to the original path backed up by the backup network switch 24_1 when the primary network switch 24_2 starts up or recovers operation, and that the primary network switch 24_2 needs to switch to the original path when it detects that its connected link has returned to a connected state from a failed state. The second condition may further include that the primary network switch 24_2 has the backup performed by the backup network switch 24_1 when it detects that its connected link has become failed. The second control packet P2 carries at least the connected state of the subnetwork corresponding to the link that needs to be switched, so that the backup network switch can perform link switching based on the second control packet P2.

[0034] 6A, the primary network switch 24_2 detects that the link L12 between it and the subnetwork N5 has expired. In this case, the primary network switch 24_2 can notify the backup network switch 24_1 to switch the link to perform backup by transmitting a second control packet P2 on the main network 20. The contents of the payload 34 of the second control packet P2 transmitted by the primary network switch 24_2 may be as shown in Table 4 below. Among them, the source address 341 is the address MAC2 of the primary network switch 24_2, and the destination address 342 is the address MAC1 of the backup network switch 24_1. The number of links 343 indicates the number of subnetworks that need to change the link among the subnetworks connected to the primary network switch 24_2, and the link identifier 344 and the connection status 345 can be used to record the connection status of the links L12 and L13 from the primary network switch 24_2 to the subnetworks N5 and N6. As shown in Table 4, the subnetwork identifier 344 of the subnetwork N5 connected to the primary network switch 24_2 is 5, and the corresponding connection state 345 is link-down. In other words, the second control packet P2 carries the operating status (disconnected state) of the link L12 connecting the primary network switch 24_2 to the subnetwork N5. Note that the second control packet P2 needs to carry the link state of only the link L12 that needs to be switched, and does not need to carry the link state of the link L13 whose connection state does not change.

[0035] [Table 4] Refer to FIG. 6B. According to the network coupling and backup flow 4, in step 410, the backup network switch 24_1 that receives the second control packet P2 transmits a second acknowledgement packet P2_ACK. The contents of the payload 34 of the second acknowledgement packet P2_ACK transmitted by the backup network switch 24_1 may be as shown in the following Table 5. In it, the source address 341 is the address MAC1 of the backup network switch 24_1, and the destination address 342 is the address MAC2 of the primary network switch 24_2 that sends out the second control packet P2. The link number 343 represents the number of subnetworks that need to change links among the subnetworks connected to the backup network switch 24_1, and the link identifier 344 and the connection status 345 can be used to record the connection status of the links L9 to L11 from the backup network switch 24_1 to the subnetworks N5 to N7. As shown in Table 5, the subnetwork identifier 344 of the subnetwork N5 connected to the backup network switch 24_1, which is carried in the second confirmation packet P2_ACK, is 5, and its corresponding connection state 345 is link-up, so that the connection between the main network 20 and the subnetwork N5 can be switched from the expired link L12 connected to the primary network switch 24_2 to the link L9 connected to the backup network switch 24_1. In this process, the backup network switch 24_1 needs to change the communication port connected to the link L9 from a blocking state to a forwarding state, so that data can be transferred between the main network 20 and the subnetwork N5. Note that the second confirmation packet P2_ACK needs to carry only the link state information corresponding to the subnetwork in the second control packet P2, i.e., the link state of the link L9 corresponding to the subnetwork N5.

[0036] [Table 5] According to network coupling and backup flow 4, in step 410, after the primary network switch 24_2 receives the second confirmation packet P2_ACK returned from the backup network switch 24_1, the primary network switch 24_2 needs to change the communication port connected to link L12 from a forwarding state to a blocking state, and have the backup network switch 24_1 transfer data between the main network 20 and the subnetwork N5 via link L9.

[0037] Also, according to the network coupling and backup flow 4, when the primary network switch 24_2 detects that the link L12 between it and the subnetwork N5 has returned to a connected state, in step 408, the primary network switch 24_2 can again send out a second control packet P2 requesting link switching in the main network 20, and the contents of its payload 34 may be as shown in the following Table 6. Among them, the subnetwork identifier 344 of the subnetwork N5 connected to the primary network switch 24_2 that is carried is 5, and its corresponding connection state 345 is link-up, in other words, the link L12 has already returned to a connected state. When the backup network switch 24_1 receives the second control packet P2, it returns a second confirmation packet P2_ACK and performs link switching. In other words, the connection between the main network 20 and the subnetwork N5 can be switched from the link L9 connected to the backup network switch 24_1 to the link L12 connected to the primary network switch 24_2. In this process, the backup network switch 24_1 must change the communication port connected to link L9 from a forwarding state to a blocking state so that it continues to wait as a backup, and the primary network switch 24_2 must change the communication port connected to link L12 from a blocking state to a forwarding state so that it resumes data transfer between the main network 20 and the subnetwork N5.

[0038] [Table 6] As a result, the network system 2 can divide the network switches of the main network 20 into multiple switch groups by the group method, and connect each to multiple sub-network groups. A multicast address (destination address 31) specially set in the control packet can prevent the groups from interfering with each other. In each switch group, one backup network switch can back up multiple primary network switches simultaneously, thereby reducing the number of devices required. In addition, the switch groups realize the network coupling and backup method by exchanging control packets, and the connection status of multiple links is carried simultaneously in the control packets, so that the number of control packets transmitted can be effectively reduced and multiple connection methods with the primary network switch and the sub-network can be supported.

[0039] The above-mentioned method for the backup network switch to realize network coupling and backup can be summarized as flows 70 and 72, taking the backup network switch 24_1 as an example, as shown in Figures 7A and 7B. Flow 70 includes the following steps:

[0040] Step 700: Start.

[0041] Step 701: A first control packet is sent periodically.

[0042] Step 702: A first confirmation packet is received.

[0043] Step 703: Determine whether the first condition is satisfied; if yes, execute step 704; if no, execute step 702.

[0044] Step 704: Back up and perform link switching.

[0045] Step 705: End.

[0046] According to flow 70, in step 701, the backup network switch 24_1 periodically transmits a first control packet in the main network 20 or the subnetworks N5-N7, and the first control packet includes the connection status between the backup network switch 24_1 and the subnetworks N5-N7. In step 702, the backup network switch 24_1 receives a first confirmation packet from the primary network switches 24_2 and 24_3 belonging to the same group. In step 703, the backup network switch 24_1 judges the operation status of the primary network switches 24_2 and 24_3 based on the received first confirmation packet. When the received first confirmation packet satisfies a first condition, it is determined that one of the primary network switches 24_2 and 24_3 has already been revoked, and then executes step 704. Taking the case where the primary network switch 24_2 has become invalid as an example, in this case, in step 704, the backup network switch 24_1 performs backup for the primary network switch 24_2, and also performs link switching to connect the subnetworks N5 and N6 originally connected to the primary network switch 24_2 to the backup network switch 24_1 via links L9 and L10, thereby transferring data between the main network 20 and the subnetworks N5 and N6.

[0047] When the backup network switch executes flow 70, it also synchronously executes flow 72 to monitor for a second control packet from the main network switch. Flow 72 includes the following steps.

[0048] Step 720: Start.

[0049] Step 721: Wait for the second control packet.

[0050] Step 722: Determine whether the second control packet is received; if yes, execute step 723; if no, execute step 721.

[0051] Step 723: A second confirmation packet is transmitted.

[0052] Step 724: Back up and perform link switching.

[0053] Step 725: End.

[0054] According to flow 72, in step 721, the backup network switch 24_1 continuously monitors the second control packet from the primary network switches 24_2 and 24_3 of the same group, and the second control packet includes the connection status between the primary network switch and the sub-network connected thereto. In step 722, the backup network switch 24_1 judges whether the second control packet is received, and if yes, executes step 723. Take for example that the backup network switch 24_1 receives the second control packet from the primary network switch 24_2, in this case, in step 723, the backup network switch 24_1 sends a second confirmation packet to the primary network switch 24_2. Then, in step 724, the backup network switch 24_1 performs link switching based on the connection status of the link carried in the second control packet.

[0055] The above-mentioned method for the primary network switch to realize network coupling and backup can be summarized as flows 80 and 82, taking the primary network switch 24_2 as an example, as shown in Figures 8A and 8B. Flow 80 includes the following steps:

[0056] Step 800: Start.

[0057] Step 801: Wait for the first control packet.

[0058] Step 802: Determine whether the first control packet is received; if yes, execute step 803; if no, execute step 804.

[0059] Step 803: Send a first confirmation packet.

[0060] Step 804: Determine whether the third condition is satisfied; if yes, execute step 805; if no, execute step 801.

[0061] Step 805: Execute link switching.

[0062] Step 806: End.

[0063] According to the flow 80, in step 801, the primary network switch 24_2 waits for a first control packet from the backup network switch 24_1 of the same group, and in step 802, determines whether the first control packet has been received. If the primary network switch 24_2 receives the first control packet, it can determine that the backup network switch 24_1 is operating normally, and in step 803, it transmits a first confirmation packet to the backup network switch 24_1. If the primary network switch 24_2 does not receive the first control packet, it needs to determine in step 804 whether a third condition is satisfied in order to perform subsequent processing. The third condition includes determining that the backup network switch 24_1 has already been revoked, and that the link state connected to the primary network switch 24_2 is in a connected state, and that the corresponding connection port is in a non-forwarding state. The determination of whether the backup network switch 24_1 has already been revoked may be made based on, but is not limited to, a period during which the first control packet of the backup network switch 24_1 is not received exceeding a predetermined time. When the third condition is satisfied, the primary network switch 24_2 performs link switching in step 805, thereby replacing the link that was originally backed up by the backup network switch 24_1, which has already expired. Among them, the first confirmation packet includes the connection status of the links L12, L13 between the primary network switch 24_2 and the subnetworks N5, N6 connected thereto.

[0064] When the primary network switch executes flow 80, it also synchronously executes flow 82, thereby informing the backup network switch when a link switch needs to be performed. Flow 82 includes the following steps:

[0065] Step 820: Start.

[0066] Step 821: The connection state of the link is detected.

[0067] Step 822: Determine whether the second condition is satisfied; if yes, execute step 823; if no, execute step 821.

[0068] Step 823: Transmit a second control packet.

[0069] Step 824: A second confirmation packet is received.

[0070] Step 825: Execute link switching.

[0071] Step 826: End.

[0072] According to the flow 82, in step 821, the primary network switch 24_2 continuously detects the connection status of the links L12, L13 between the subnetworks N5, N6. In step 822, the primary network switch 24_2 judges whether the second condition is satisfied, and if yes, executes step 823. Take the link L12 between the primary network switch 24_2 and the subnetwork L5 as an example, in this case, in step 823, the primary network switch 24_2 sends a second control packet to the backup network switch 24_1. Among them, the payload 34 of the second control packet is as shown in the above Table 4, among which the link L12 connected to the subnetwork L5 is in a disconnected state, and the backup network switch 24_1 can perform link switching based on this. Then, in step 824, the primary network switch 24_2 receives a second confirmation packet from the backup network switch 24_1. Finally, based on step 825, the primary network switch 24_2 performs link switching.

[0073] In the embodiment of the present invention, the first control packet and the first confirmation packet can carry link connection statuses of multiple sub-networks at the same time, so that the number of packets can be effectively reduced, and the second control packet and the second confirmation packet can carry only the sub-networks that need to perform link switching and the corresponding link information, so that the amount of information in the packets can be reduced. This mechanism can also be used to detect and fault-tolerate network misconfiguration and feedback (report) error information.

[0074] Referring to FIG. 9, FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an incorrect configuration in an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 9 shows the configuration of network coupling of another group G4 in the network system 2. Specifically, the group G4 includes subnetworks N11-N13, primary network switches 27_2, 27_3, and backup network switches 27_1, 27_4. Among them, the backup network switch 27_1 is coupled to the subnetworks N11, N12 via links L21, L22, and the backup network switch 27_4 is coupled to the subnetwork N13 via link L23. The primary network switch 27_2 is coupled to the subnetworks N11, N13 via links L24, L26, and the primary network switch 27_3 is coupled to the subnetwork N12 via link L25. As can be seen from FIG. 9, two backup network switches are incorrectly configured in the group G4. When the backup network switches 27_1, 27_4 send the first control packet and receive the first confirmation packets sent from the primary network switches 27_2, 27_3, the backup network switch 27_1 can detect an erroneous connection state from the first confirmation packets. Specifically, when the backup network switch 27_1 receives the first confirmation packet from the primary network switch 27_2, it can obtain information that the primary network switch 27_2 is connected to the subnetworks N11, N13 from the link identifier 344 after analyzing the first confirmation packet. Because the subnetwork N13 does not belong to the subnetworks N11, N12 connected to the backup network switch 27_1, the backup network switch 27_1 can detect that there is an erroneous network configuration in the group G4.Similarly, the backup network switch 27_4 can also find out through the first confirmation packet that the subnetworks N11 and N12, which are not connected to the backup network switch 27_4, are connected to the primary network switches 27_2 and 27_3, respectively, so that the backup network switch 27_4 can detect that there is an incorrect network configuration in the group G4. In such a case, when no collision occurs in the connection method with the subnetworks, the backup network switches 27_1 and 27_4 can continue to operate and feed back (report) error information.

[0075] Referring to FIG. 10, FIG. 10 is a diagram showing another misconfiguration in an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 10 shows another network coupling configuration of group G5 in network system 2. Specifically, group G5 includes subnetworks N14, N15, primary network switches 28_2, 28_3, and backup network switches 28_1, 28_4. Among them, backup network switch 28_1 is coupled to subnetworks N14, N15 via links L27, L28, and backup network switch 28_4 is coupled to subnetwork N15 via link L29. Primary network switch 28_2 is coupled to subnetwork N14 via link L30, and primary network switch 28_3 is coupled to subnetwork N15 via link L31. As can be seen from FIG. 10, two backup network switches 28_1, 28_4 are misconfigured in group G5, and two backup network switches 28_1, 28_4 are simultaneously connected to subnetwork N15. In such a case, the primary network switches 28_2, 28_3 can detect the erroneous connection state by the first control packet or the second confirmation packet from the backup network switches 28_1, 28_4. Specifically, the primary network switch 28_3 receives the first control packet from the backup network switch 28_1, and after analyzing the first control packet, can obtain information that the backup network switch 28_1 is connected to the subnetwork N15 by the link identifier 344. Similarly, the primary network switch 28_3 also receives the first control packet from the backup network switch 28_4, and after analyzing the first control packet, can obtain information that the backup network switch 28_4 is also connected to the subnetwork N15 by the link identifier 344. Based on this, the primary network switch 28_3 can detect that there is an erroneous network configuration in the group G4 and report error information.In such a case, when primary network switch 28_3 transmits a first confirmation packet, the transmission target (destination) is the one with the smaller MAC address of the two backup network switches 28_1, 28_4. Assuming that the MAC address of backup network switch 28_1 is relatively small, in other words, in the first confirmation packet transmitted by primary network switch 28_3, partner address 342 is set to the MAC address of backup network switch 28_1. In such a case, when primary network switch 28_3 detects that link L31 has expired, it transmits a second control packet to backup network switch 28_1. In other words, in the second control packet transmitted by primary network switch 28_3, partner address 342 is also set to the MAC address of backup network switch 28_1.

[0076] In addition, the primary network switch 28_3 transmits the first confirmation packet and the second control packet to the backup network switch 28_1, and the backup network switch 28_4 belonging to the same group G5 can similarly receive the first confirmation packet and the second control packet transmitted by the primary network switch 28_3. Specifically, as described above, all the control packets of the same group are transmitted in the main network 20 by the destination address 31 including the group identifier in the multicast manner, so that all the network switches 28_1 to 28_4 belonging to the same group can read and analyze the control packets transmitted from each other. Therefore, the backup network switch 28_4 can similarly analyze the first confirmation packet and the second control packet transmitted by the primary network switch 28_3 to the backup network switch 28_1, and can obtain information that the other backup network switch 28_1 will perform backup based on the partner address 342. In such a case, when the primary network switch 28_3 becomes invalid, the backup network switch 28_4 does not need to perform link switching to perform backup. This allows the network system 2 to effectively detect errors and perform fault tolerance.

[0077] Referring to FIG. 11, FIG. 11 is a diagram showing another erroneous configuration in an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 11 shows the configuration of the network coupling of another group G6 in the network system 2. Specifically, the group G6 includes subnetworks N16 and N17, primary network switches 29_2 and 29_3, and a backup network switch 29_1. Among them, the backup network switch 29_1 is coupled to the subnetworks N16 and N17 via links L32 and L33. The primary network switch 29_2 is coupled to the subnetwork N16 via link L34, and the primary network switch 29_3 is coupled to the subnetworks N16 and N17 via links L35 and L36. As can be seen from FIG. 11, the two primary network switches 29_2 and 29_3 connected to the subnetwork L16 are erroneously configured at the same time in the group G6. In such a case, the backup network switch 29_1 can detect the erroneous connection state by the first confirmation packet or the second control packet from the primary network switches 29_2 and 29_3 and report the error information. Specifically, after sending out the first control packet, the backup network switch 29_1 receives the first confirmation packet from the primary network switch 29_2, and after analyzing the first confirmation packet, can obtain information that the primary network switch 29_2 is connected to the subnetwork N16 by the link identifier 344. Similarly, the backup network switch 29_1 receives the first confirmation packet from the primary network switch 29_3, and after analyzing the first confirmation packet, can obtain information that the primary network switch 29_3 is connected to the subnetworks N16 and N17 by the link identifier 344. Therefore, the backup network switch 29_1 can detect that the primary network switches 29_2 and 29_3 are simultaneously connected to the subnetwork L16.

[0078] Further, please refer to FIG. 12, which illustrates a network device 120 in an embodiment of the present invention. The network device 120 may be used to realize the primary network switches 22_2-22_5, 24_2-24_3, 26_2, 27_2, 24_3, 28_2, 28_3, 29_2, 29_3, and the backup network switches 22_1, 24_1, 26_1, 27_1, 27_4, 28_1, 28_4, 29_1 in the embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 12, the network device 120 may include a processing unit 1200 and a storage unit 1202. The processing unit 1200 may be a general-purpose processor, a microprocessor, an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), or the like, or a combination thereof. The storage unit 1202 is coupled to the processing unit 1200, and may be any data storage device, and is used to store program code 1204 and to read and execute the program code 1204 by the processing unit 1200. For example, the storage unit 1202 may be, but is not limited to, a ROM, a flash memory, a RAM, a hard disk, an optical data storage device, a non-volatile storage unit, etc. In addition, the device 120 may further include multiple connection ports (not shown) for connecting multiple network devices of multiple sub-networks and a main network.

[0079] The network device 120 is used to represent elements (devices) required to realize the embodiment of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and those skilled in the art can make appropriate modifications and adjustments according to their needs. For example, when the network device 120 realizes a primary network switch, the flows 80 and 82 of the network coupling and backup method may be compiled into a program code 1204 and stored in the storage unit 1202, and the processing unit 1200 may execute the network coupling and backup method. When the network device 120 realizes a backup network switch, the flows 70 and 72 of the network coupling and backup method may be compiled into a program code 1204 and stored in the storage unit 1202, and the processing unit 1200 may execute the network coupling and backup method. In addition, the storage unit 1202 may be used to store, but is not limited to, information on the connection state between the network switches in the same switch group and the subnetworks connected thereto, and data required when executing the network coupling and backup method.

[0080] In view of the above, the present invention provides a network connection and backup method, device, and network architecture, which allows one backup network switch to back up multiple primary network switches during network connection, thereby reducing the number of devices required. In addition, by dividing the network switches into multiple groups, the groups are prevented from interfering with each other, thereby reducing the number of control packets that need to be processed. Furthermore, the control packet can carry the connection status of multiple links at the same time, so that the number of control packets can be further reduced. This ensures the reliability and stability of the network connection, while also reducing costs, improving performance, and overcoming the shortcomings of the prior art.

[0081] The present invention has been disclosed above based on the preferred embodiment described above, but the preferred embodiment described above is not intended to limit the present invention, and a person skilled in the art may make minor modifications and adaptations to the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention, and therefore the scope of protection of the present invention is based on the scope of the appended claims. In addition, it is not necessary for any embodiment or claim of the present invention to achieve all of the objectives, advantages or features disclosed in the present invention. In addition, a part of the abstract and the title of the invention are only intended to assist in searching the literature and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. In addition, the terms "first", "second", etc., used in the present specification or claims are only intended to name elements or distinguish different embodiments or scopes, and are not intended to limit the upper or lower limits on the number of elements. [Explanation of symbols]

[0082] 1: Network system 10: Main network 12_1~12_4: Sub-network 14_1~14_4: Primary network switches 16_1~16_4: Backup network switches 15_1~15_4, 17_1~17_4: Link 2: Network system 20: Main network N1~N10: Sub-network L1~L20: Link G1~G3: Group C1~C3: Switch group S1~S3: Sub-network group 22_1, 24_1, 26_1: Backup network switches 22_2~22_5, 24_2, 24_3, 26_2: Primary network switches 3: Control packets 30:Preamble (prefix) 31: Destination address 32: Source address 33: Ether Type 34: Payload 35: Frame check sequence 340: Command 341: Sender address 342: Partner Address 343: Number of links 344: Link Identifier 345: Connection status 4: Flow 400~414: Step P1: First control packet P1_ACK: First acknowledgement packet P2: Second control packet P2_ACK: Second acknowledgement packet 70, 72, 80, 82: Flow 700~705, 720~725, 800~806, 820~826: Step G4~G6: Group L21~L36: Link N11~N17: Sub-network 27_1, 27_4, 28_1, 28_4, 29_1: Backup network switches 27_2, 27_3, 28_2, 28_3, 29_2: Primary network switches 120: Network device 1200: Processing unit 1202: Storage unit 1204: Program code

Claims

1. A primary network switch disposed in a switch group in a main network and coupled to at least one first subnetwork in a subnetwork group via at least one first link, A processing unit for executing program code; and a storage unit coupled to the processing unit and adapted to store the program code for instructing the processing unit to execute the network connection and backup method; The network connection and backup method includes: receiving a first control packet from a backup network switch in the switch group; In response to the non-reception of the first control packet, perform link switching based on a first switching condition; In response to receiving the first control packet, sending a first acknowledgement packet (ACK) including a connection status of the at least one first sub-network; sending a second control packet to the backup network switch; and The primary network switch includes receiving a second confirmation packet from the backup network switch in response to transmitting the second control packet, and performing link switching after receiving the second confirmation packet.

2. 2. A primary network switch as claimed in claim 1, The first switching condition is that a period during which the backup network switch does not receive the first control packet reaches a predetermined time, and the link state of the link connected to the primary network switch is in a connected state (linkup), and the corresponding connection port is in a non-forward state (forward).

3. 2. A primary network switch as claimed in claim 1, A primary network switch, wherein the first control packet, the first confirmation packet, the second control packet and the second confirmation packet are transmitted by multicast, and destination addresses of the first control packet, the first confirmation packet, the second control packet and the second confirmation packet include a group identifier (ID) of the switch group.

4. 2. A primary network switch as claimed in claim 1, A primary network switch, wherein the backup network switch is coupled to at least one second subnetwork in the subnetwork group via at least one second link, and the first control packet includes a connection status of the at least one second subnetwork.

5. 5. A primary network switch as claimed in claim 4, comprising: A primary network switch performs error detection of a network configuration based on a connection status of the at least one second sub-network in the first control packet.

6. 2. A primary network switch as claimed in claim 1, When the switch group includes another backup network switch, if a media access control address (MAC address) of the other backup network switch is greater than a media access control address of the backup network switch, the primary network switch reports error information.

7. 2. A primary network switch as claimed in claim 1, A primary network switch, wherein sending the second control packet to the backup network switch comprises sending the second control packet to the backup network switch when the primary network switch resumes operation or when a link of the at least one first link goes down (link-down) or regains connection (link-up).

8. 8. A primary network switch as claimed in claim 7, comprising: The second control packet at least includes a connection status of a sub-network that needs to perform link switching. A primary network switch.

9. A backup network switch disposed in a switch group in the main network and coupled to at least one first subnetwork in the subnetwork group via at least one first link, A processing unit for executing program code; and a storage unit coupled to the processing unit and adapted to store the program code for instructing the processing unit to execute the network connection and backup method; The network connection and backup method includes: periodically sending a first control packet including a connection status of the at least one first subnetwork to at least one primary network switch in the switch group; receiving at least one first acknowledgment packet (ACK) from the at least one primary network switch in response to transmitting the first control packet; Switching the link based on the first condition; and a backup network switch that, in response to receiving the second control packet from the at least one primary network switch, transmits a second confirmation packet and performs link switching based on the second control packet.

10. 10. The backup network switch of claim 9, A backup network switch, wherein the first control packet, the at least one first confirmation packet, the second control packet and the second confirmation packet are transmitted by multicast, and a destination address of the first control packet, the at least one first confirmation packet, the second control packet and the second confirmation packet includes a group identifier (ID) of the switch group.

11. 10. The backup network switch of claim 9, a backup network switch, each of the at least one primary network switches being coupled to at least one second subnetwork in the subnetwork group via at least one second link, and each of the at least one first confirmation packets including a connection status of the at least one second subnetwork of each of the primary network switches.

12. 12. The backup network switch of claim 11, The network coupling and backup method further includes performing error detection of a network configuration based on a connection status of the at least one second sub-network in the at least one first confirmation packet, the backup network switch.

13. 13. The backup network switch of claim 12, A backup network switch reports error information when a connection status of a subnetwork not belonging to the at least one first subnetwork is carried in one of the at least one first confirmation packets.

14. 13. The backup network switch of claim 12, A backup network switch reports error information when different first confirmation packets of the at least one first confirmation packet carry connection status of the same sub-network.

15. 12. The backup network switch of claim 11, A backup network switch, wherein the first condition is a number of times that the first confirmation packet is not received from one of the at least one primary network switches, and performing link switching based on the first condition is to switch the at least one second link of the primary network switch when the number of times of the first condition exceeds a predetermined number.

16. 10. The backup network switch of claim 9, The backup network switch, performing link switching based on the second control packet, is based on a connection status of at least one sub-network carried in the second control packet.

17. A network architecture for network integration and backup, comprising: A plurality of subnetworks belonging to a plurality of subnetwork groups; and a main network including a plurality of switch groups, each of the plurality of switch groups being coupled to one of the plurality of sub-network groups; The main network includes: at least one primary network switch coupled to the subnetwork group, each primary network switch of the at least one primary network switch being coupled to at least one first subnetwork in the subnetwork group via at least one first link; and a backup network switch coupled to the sub-network group via at least one second link; each switch group of the plurality of switch groups is used to implement a network coupling and backup method; The network connection and backup method includes: the backup network switch periodically transmits a first control packet including a connection status of the at least one second link; In response to receiving the first control packet, each primary network switch of the at least one primary network switch transmits a first acknowledgement packet (ACK) including a connection status of the at least one first link; the backup network switch performing a link switch based on a first condition; the at least one primary network switch transmitting a second control packet based on a second condition; In response to receiving the second control packet, the backup network switch returns a second confirmation packet and performs link switching based on the second control packet; and In response to receiving the second confirmation packet, the at least one primary network switch performs a link switch.

18. 20. The network architecture of claim 17, A network architecture, wherein the first control packet, the first confirmation packet, the second control packet and the second confirmation packet are transmitted by multicast, and destination addresses of the first control packet, the first confirmation packet, the second control packet and the second confirmation packet include a group identifier (ID) of a switch group to which the first control packet, the first confirmation packet, the second control packet and the second confirmation packet belong.

19. 20. The network architecture of claim 17, In the network coupling and backup method, the first condition is the number of times that the backup network switch does not receive the first confirmation packet from one of the at least one primary network switch, and the backup network switch performing link switching based on the first condition is to switch the at least one first link of the primary network switch when the number of times of the first condition exceeds a predetermined number, network architecture.

20. 20. The network architecture of claim 17, In the network coupling and backup method, the second condition is that the primary network switch sends the second control packet when one of the at least one primary network switch resumes operation or when one of the at least one first links goes down (link-down) or regains connection (link-up), a network architecture.

21. 20. The network architecture of claim 17, The network architecture, wherein performing link switching based on the second control packet is based on a connection status of at least one sub-network carried in the second control packet.

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