Multicast information transfer method, device, multicast information aggregation node, and medium

Abstract

Embodiments of the present application provide a multicast information transfer method, apparatus, multicast information aggregation node, and medium. The multicast information transfer method includes receiving first aggregated information and second aggregated information respectively sent from a multicast source and a multicast user, where the first aggregated information includes multicast source information and BIER information of the multicast source side network, and the second aggregated information includes multicast user information and BIER information of the multicast user side network (S110); creating a BFER list of bit transfer egress routers in a BIER subdomain and selecting a BFIR node of a bit transfer ingress router in the BIER subdomain based on the first aggregated information and the second aggregated information (S120); and distributing the BFER list and the multicast source information to a BFIR node or a multicast source server supporting BIER encapsulation or a direct connection device of a multicast source server supporting BIER encapsulation so that the BFIR node or the multicast source server supporting BIER encapsulation or the direct connection device of the multicast source server supporting BIER encapsulation encapsulates a BIER header based on the BFER list and transfers the multicast source information to the multicast user (S130).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of network technologies, and for example, relates to a multicast information transfer method, apparatus, multicast information aggregation node, and medium.

Background Art

[0002] Bit Index Explicit Replication (BIER) is a new multicast technology based on bit index explicit replication. Different from the PIM (Protocol Independent Multicast) multicast protocol in related technologies, BIER provides a stateless multicast forwarding mechanism. BIER determines the multicast receiver (BIER Egress) information at the first node of multicast (BIER Ingress). Intermediate nodes do not need to maintain any multicast stream forwarding state information. BFIR is the BIER router closest to the multicast source. The BIER local forwarding table is calculated and generated based on the BIER link state library of the Interior Gateway Protocol (IGP). The BIER link state library is generated by the flooding of the BIER extension of the IGP protocol. BIER multicast is very suitable for the deployment scenarios of large-scale multicast services such as multicast virtual private network (VPN) services and services such as IPTV / OTT (Internet Protocol Television / Over The Top). The BIER multicast source carries important information such as BFR-ID, sub-domain (SD), bit string length (BSL), and encapsulation by the BFR-prefix. The BFR-prefix realizes the flooding of the entire network through the IGP protocol in related technologies. Each BIER router in the network establishes a BIER forwarding table based on this important information to realize the message forwarding of BIER encapsulation.

[0003] When BIER realizes the transfer of multicast services, the nodes of the BIER header need to learn the BFER list of specific multicast traffic, so that a bitstring can be constructed, and thus the encapsulation of the BIER header can be completed. Standard extensions mainly include the following two parts. One is the extension of the multicast protocol in related technologies, including MVPN / EVPN (Mobile Virtual Private Network / Ethernet (registered trademark) Virtual Private Network) additional BIER tunnel types, PIM additional BIER join information, IGMP / MLD (Internetgroup Management Protocol / Multicast Listener Discovery) additional BIER extension fields, etc. The other is the PCE (Path Computation Element) protocol extension, which carries BIER information. The above method has no generality, and it is required that BIER edge devices in the network have specific capabilities.

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] This application provides a multicast information transfer method, apparatus, multicast information aggregation node, and medium.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] In Embodiment 1, an embodiment of this application is a multicast information transfer method applied to a multicast information aggregation node, receiving first aggregation information and second aggregation information respectively sent from a multicast source and a multicast user, where the first aggregation information includes multicast source information and BIER information of the multicast source side network, and the second aggregation information includes multicast user information and BIER information of the multicast user side network; Based on the first aggregation information and the second aggregation information, create a BFER list for the bit transfer egress router of the BIER subdomain, and select the BFIR node of the bit transfer ingress router of the BIER subdomain, distribute the BFER list and the multicast source information to the BFIR node or the multicast source server that supports BIER encapsulation or the direct connection device of the multicast source server that supports BIER encapsulation so that the BFIR node or the multicast source server that supports BIER encapsulation or the direct connection device of the multicast source server that supports BIER encapsulation encapsulates the BIER header based on the BFER list and transfers the multicast source information to the multicast user, including Provide a multicast information transfer method.

[0006] In Embodiment 2, the embodiment of the present application is a multicast information transfer device comprising a receiving module, a creating module and a transferring module, wherein the receiving module receives the first aggregation information and the second aggregation information respectively transmitted from a multicast source and a multicast user, and the first aggregation information includes multicast source information and BIER information of the multicast source side network, and the second aggregation information includes multicast user information and BIER information of the multicast user side network, the creating module is configured to create a BFER list for the bit transfer egress router of the BIER subdomain based on the first aggregation information and the second aggregation information, and select the BFIR node of the BIER subdomain, The transfer module is configured to distribute the BFER list and the multicast source information to the BFIR node or a multicast source server supporting BIER encapsulation or a direct connection device of the multicast source server supporting BIER encapsulation, so that the BFIR node or the multicast source server supporting BIER encapsulation or the direct connection device of the multicast source server supporting BIER encapsulation encapsulates a BIER header based on the BFER list and transfers the multicast source information to the multicast user. A multicast information transfer device is provided.

[0007] In Embodiment 3, the embodiments of the present application one or more processors; a storage device configured to store one or more programs, when the one or more programs are executed by the one or more processors, the one or more processors implement any method in the embodiments of the present application. A multicast information aggregation node is provided.

[0008] In Embodiment 4, the embodiments of the present application a storage medium stores a computer program that, when executed by a processor, implements any method in the embodiments of the present application. A storage medium is provided. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0009]

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Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0010] The steps shown in the flowchart of the drawings can be executed in a computer system such as a group of computer-executable instructions. And although the flowchart shows a logical order, in some cases, the steps shown or described in a different order here may also be executed.

[0011] Hereinafter, the present application will be described in more detail with reference to the drawings and embodiments.

[0012] Multicast means delivering multicast data packets (usually including data packets of information (e.g., multicast group address) that identifies a multicast group) from a multicast source to multiple multicast users without imposing an excessive burden on the source. As used in this paper, a multicast user means a host (e.g., a computing device or an application) that subscribes to a multicast group. In multicast technology, instead of the multicast source replicating the multicast data packet and sending replicas of the multicast data packet to each recipient, the multicast source sends a single replica of the multicast data packet, and a multicast-enabled router replicates the packet at one or more points where the paths branch to each multicast user.

[0013] Internet Protocol (IP) multicast technology can achieve efficient point-to-multipoint data transmission in an IP network, effectively save network bandwidth, and reduce network load. Therefore, it is widely applied in many aspects such as real-time data transmission, multimedia conferencing, data copying, Internet Protocol Television (IPTV), games, and simulations. This multicast technology uses a multicast protocol to construct a control plane multicast tree, and then uses the multicast tree to make the network plane into a logical tree shape to realize multicast point-to-multipoint data transfer. Intermediate nodes that focus on constructing such a distribution tree all need to maintain a complex multicast transfer information state. When the network scale is getting larger and larger and the multicast data traffic is increasing day by day, such multicast technology is facing increasingly great challenges in terms of cost and maintenance.

[0014] Therefore, the industry has proposed a new technology for constructing a multicast data transfer path called BIER technology, which proposes a multicast technology architecture that does not require the construction of a multicast distribution tree. A router that supports BIER technology may be called a Bit-forwarding router (BFR), and the BFR can receive and forward BIER messages. One multicast transfer domain composed of the above one or more BFRs is called a BIER domain. At the entrance of the BIER domain, a BFR that performs BIER encapsulation on the original multicast data message is called a BIER forwarding ingress router (BFIR). At the exit of the BIER domain, a BFR that decapsulates the original multicast data message from the BIER message is called a BIER forwarding egress router (BFER). It should be understood that the BFIR and BFER within the BIER domain may also be called edge BFRs within the BIER domain.

[0015] In the BIER domain, a globally unique one-bit position identifier for the entire BIER subdomain (SD) can be set in the edge BFR. As an example, one value can be set for each edge BFR as the BFR identifier (BFR ID). For example, the BFR ID can be a numerical value between 1 and 256. All BFR IDs within the BIER domain form a bit string. When transmitting the original multicast data message (which may also be called a BIER message) in the BIER domain, it is necessary to add a specific BIER header for encapsulation. In the BIER header, all destination nodes of the original multicast data message are represented in the form of a bit string. For example, the format after encapsulation of the original multicast data message is BIER header + original multicast data message. BFRs within the BIER domain can perform forwarding based on the bit index forwarding table (BIFT) and the bit string carried in the BIER header, ensuring that the original multicast data message can be sent to all destination addresses. In the BIER technology, receiver information is attached to the packet in bit form, and the packet is forwarded based on the receiver information. BIER encapsulates one BIER message header for each multicast message, and the BIER multicast receiver information is encapsulated in the BIER message header. The BIER router forwards the BIER multicast message based on the information in the BIER message header and does not maintain each multicast forwarding state information. BIER encapsulation isolates the specific multicast service from the network layer. P routers in the network no longer need to maintain the multicast forwarding state for each VPN, and the BIER router is completely unaware of the upper-layer multicast service, realizing the statelessness of P routers for multicast. The stateless characteristic of BIER multicast eliminates the stress on the network caused by the large-scale deployment of multicast services.

[0016] For easier understanding, the fields in the BIER header are described in detail below. (1) BIFT ID: It has a length of 20 bits and is a single label (L) in BIER - multi - protocol label switching (MPLS) encapsulation. The BIFT ID may be a BIFT - id or may include a combination of one of sub - domain (SD) / bit string length (BSL) / set identifier (SI). Different BIFT IDs can correspond to different combinations of SD / BSL / SI. 1. Sub - domain SD: One BIER domain can be set to different sub - domains SD according to the needs of the actual service scenario. Each sub - domain SD is represented by a sub - domain identifier (SD - ID). For example, the value of SD - ID is in the range of [0 to 255] and has a length of 8 bits. As an example, based on the differences in services such as virtual private network (VPN), the BIER domain can be set to different SDs, and different VPNs can be set to use different SDs. For example, VPN 1 uses SD 0 and VPN 2 uses SD 1. Note that multiple VPNs may use the same SD. Different SDs within the BIER domain may be located in one interior gateway protocol (IGP) process or topology, or may not be located in one IGP process or topology. 2. Bit string length (BSL): BSL is the length of the bit string included in the BIER header. There may be multiple types of BSL. The minimum BSL is 64 bits, and BSL may successively have 128 bits, 256 bits, 512 bits, 1024 bits, 2048 bits, and the maximum BSL is 4096 bits.Specifically, it is labeled with 4 bits in the message. For example, when BSL is 64 bits, the identifier 0001 is used in the message; when BSL is 128 bits, the identifier 0010 is used in the message; when BSL is 512 bits, the identifier 0100 is used in the message; when BSL is 1024 bits, the identifier 0101 is used in the message, and so on by analogy. 3. Set Identifier (SI): SI can be understood as a set consisting of multiple edge BFRs or set BFR IDs in the network. As an example, although BSL is 256 bits, if there are more than 256 edge BFRs in the network, or if the set BFR IDs are more than 256, these edge BFRs or BFR IDs need to be divided into different sets. For example, 256 edge BFRs with BFR ID from 1 to 256 are set 0, and 256 edge BFRs with BFR ID from 257 to 512 are set 1. After receiving a BIER message, the BFR within the BIER domain can determine which SD the BIER message belongs to based on the BIFT ID in the BIER header, which BSL is used, and which set of SIs of the BSL the message belongs to. (2) Bit String: Each bit within the bit string is used to label the edge BFR. For example, the rightmost (lowest) bit of the bit string is used to label the BFER with BFR-ID = 1. The second bit from the right in the bit string is used to label the BFER with BFR-ID = 2. The item in the forwarding table that serves as the basis for forwarding in the forwarding plane determines to which BFER the message is to be sent based on the bit string in the message. When a BFR within the BIER domain receives a message header containing BIER, it forwards the BIER message based on the bitstring and BIFT ID carried in the BIER header.(3) Proto field: The proto field = 4 indicates that the original multicast data message after the BIER header is an IPv4 message, and the proto field = 6 indicates that the original multicast data message after the BIER header is an IPv6 message.

[0017] In one exemplary embodiment, FIG. 1 is a flowchart of a multicast information transfer method according to an embodiment of the present application. The method is applicable when transferring multicast information, can be executed by a multicast information transfer device, the multicast information transfer device can be implemented by software and / or hardware, is integrated in a multicast information aggregation node, and the multicast information aggregation node is arranged in a BIER subdomain. As shown in FIG. 1, the multicast information transfer method according to the embodiment of the present application includes the following steps.

[0018] In S110, receive the first aggregation information and the second aggregation information respectively sent from a multicast source and a multicast user, where the first aggregation information includes multicast source information and BIER information of the multicast source side network, and the second aggregation information includes multicast user information and BIER information of the multicast user side network.

[0019] In a specific embodiment of the present application, a multicast information aggregation node can be arranged in a BIER subdomain. For example, one multicast information aggregation node can be arranged in a single BIER subdomain, or multiple multicast information aggregation nodes can be arranged in a single BIER subdomain, or one or more multicast information aggregation nodes can be arranged in a multi-BIER subdomain.

[0020] In one embodiment, when the number of arrangements within the BIER subdomain of the multicast information aggregation node is one, the multicast information aggregation node is used as the target aggregation node, and the target aggregation node receives the first aggregation information and the second aggregation information respectively. When the number of arrangements within the BIER subdomain of the multicast information aggregation node is multiple, any one of the multiple multicast information aggregation nodes is used as the target aggregation node, and the target aggregation node receives the first aggregation information and the second aggregation information respectively. The network devices within the BIER subdomain in the embodiments of the present application communicate in the manner of the high-speed UDP Internet transport layer protocol QUIC, or the transport control protocol TCP, or the user datagram protocol UDP.

[0021] In one embodiment, when the multicast information aggregation node receives the first aggregation information and the second aggregation information transferred by another multicast information aggregation node, the multicast information aggregation node analyzes the first aggregation information and the second aggregation information, obtains the multicast information aggregation node identifier in the first aggregation information and the multicast information aggregation node identifier in the second aggregation information, and then performs path checks on the first aggregation information and the second aggregation information respectively based on the multicast information aggregation node identifier in the first aggregation information and the multicast information aggregation node identifier in the second aggregation information. When the checks on the first aggregation information and the second aggregation information pass, the first aggregation information and the second aggregation information are transferred to multicast information aggregation nodes other than other multicast information aggregation nodes within the BIER subdomain.

[0022] In one embodiment, the multicast information aggregation node can also cause a specific user or a direct connection device of a specific user to send multicast information of the protocol-independent multicast PIM or the Internet Group Management Protocol IGMP to the BFER by sending the BFER selected for the multicast source information and a specific user to the specific user or the direct connection device of the specific user.

[0023] Figure 2 is a topology diagram of a multicast video network according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 2, the topology diagram includes a multicast source, a multicast user, and a BIER subdomain. One multicast information aggregation node can be arranged in the BIER subdomain. The multicast information aggregation node can use an IPv4 / IPv6 identifier and can plan a UDP port number used for aggregating multicast information. Specifically, it can be arranged in various ways such as being specified in settings and distributed in network management. A Quick UDP Internet Connection (QUIC) session is established between a device in the network and the multicast information aggregation node, and data is transmitted using QUIC. QUIC can ensure the reliability and security of transmission.

[0024] In S120, based on the first aggregation information and the second aggregation information, a BFER list of the bit transfer egress router of the BIER subdomain is created, and a BFIR node of the bit transfer ingress router of the BIER subdomain is selected.

[0025] In this step, the multicast information aggregation node can create a BFER list for the BIER subdomain and select a BFIR node for the BIER subdomain based on the first aggregation information and the second aggregation information. In one embodiment, the multicast information aggregation node can first extract the content waiting for matching from the multicast source information and the multicast user information respectively. Here, the content waiting for matching includes at least one of a multicast instance, a multicast source address, a multicast group address, and a video coding rate. Then, based on the content waiting for matching in the multicast source information and the content waiting for matching in the multicast user information, the multicast source information and the multicast user information are matched, and a BFER list for the BIER subdomain is created according to the matching result. The multicast source information in the embodiments of the present application may include a multicast instance identifier, a multicast source address, and a multicast group address. Additionally, the multicast source information may further include a video coding rate. The BIER information of the multicast source side network may be a first BIER information list. The first BIER information list may include one or more BIER entries. Each BIER entry may include a BIER keyword (BIER SD), a Bfr prefix, a Bfr-id, the BIER encapsulation ability of the multicast source, and a unicast Metric from the BIER device of the multicast source side network to the multicast source. Additionally, each BIER entry may further include a path maximum transmission unit (Maximum Transmission Unit, MTU).

[0026] The multicast user information in the embodiments of the present application may include a VPN identifier and a multicast group address. Further, the multicast user information may further include a multicast source address and a video coding rate. The BIER information of the multicast user side network may be a second BIER information list. The second BIER information list includes one or more BIER entries, and each BIER entry may include a BIER SD, a Bfr prefix, and a Bfr-id.

[0027] In one embodiment, when the multicast source and the multicast user belong to the same BIER SD, a BFER list is created with the same BIER SD. When the multicast source and the multicast user belong to different BIER SDs respectively, a BFER list is created with different BIER SDs. That is, after matching the multicast source information and the multicast user information, the BIER information is selected, and the BIER SD where the multicast source and the multicast user are the same is selected for transfer. When the multicast source has multiple BIER SDs and multiple multicast users belong to different BIER SDs respectively, the multicast source should transfer traffic to multiple BIER SDs. After selecting the BIER SD, it is also necessary to construct a BFER list based on the BIER information of the multicast user and determine the BFIR. When the multicast source and the multicast user belong to different BIER SDs respectively, multiple BFIRs can be selected for the same multicast stream.

[0028] The basic principle of BIER is simple and efficient. For each BIER router, an integer without repetition and without a code can be assigned, which is called BFR-id and uniquely identifies the BIER router. Each BIER router carries important information such as BFR-id, SD, BSL, encapsulation type, BFIT-ID, etc. through a specific prefix (BFR-prefix) and floods it in the IGP. A large BIER subdomain can be designed with multiple SDs (Sub Domains) based on the network topology or geographical location to simplify management. For example, a national operator can establish an eastern region SD network, a western region SD network, a southern region SD network, and a northern region SD network, and there may be only one SD by default. The BSL and BFR-id within each SD are independent and do not affect each other.

[0029] The design of the three-layer architecture of BIER consists of the Overlay layer, the BIER layer, and the Underlay layer respectively. 1. Overlay layer: The Overlay layer is responsible for the exchange of control plane information for multicast services. For example, it is responsible for the joining and leaving of user multicasts between the BIER Egress node and the BIER Ingress node, and the encapsulation and decapsulation transfer of the BIER domain where the multicast stream enters and leaves. The Overlay layer can be implemented in ways such as SDN, MP-BGP (MVPN), PIM, BMLD (BIER extension of the MLD protocol), static configuration, etc. Among them, MP-BGP and SDN are the most commonly seen. 2. BIER layer: The BIER layer mainly distributes and floods BIER routing information, and calculates and updates the local BIER forwarding table. The BIER layer forwards BIER messages based on the BIER forwarding table. Each node that forwards BIER messages performs the processes of decapsulation and re-encapsulation on the BIER messages. Decapsulate the BIER message header to obtain the important information carried in the BIER message, such as obtaining the BFIT-ID and BitString. The former is the index for the router to locate the BIER forwarding table, and the latter is the key value for querying the BIER forwarding table. The BIER node re-encapsulates the BIER message header according to the result of the BIER forwarding table and forwards the BIER message. When the node is the multicast replication point, there are multiple different query values, and each value represents that the node replicates and re-encapsulates a new BIER message header to forward the message. There may be multiple BIER forwarding tables in one BIER router, and there are multiple item contents for each BIER forwarding table. Each BIER forwarding table is associated with one BFIT-ID, and the BFIT-ID is generated by the SD, SI, and BSL coder hash.The items in the BIER forwarding table mainly consist of a series of bit codes (referred to as Forwarding bit mask, F-BM in the RFC8296 standard) and one neighbor node. Each F-BM represents a set of other BIER nodes that can be reached in an optimal routing manner through this neighbor. 3. Underlay layer: The Underlay layer is the link-state routing protocol layer in related technologies. It extends the TLV attributes through link-state protocols such as ISIS and OSPF, and carries the BIER information of its own node. Therefore, BIER inherits many characteristics of ISIS and OSPF protocols, such as support for FRR, load balancing, convergence of the BIER forwarding table, and convergence synchronization of ISIS or OSPF protocols, and the speed reaches the order of milliseconds.

[0030] In S130, the BFER list and multicast source information are distributed to the BFIR node or the multicast source server that supports BIER encapsulation or the direct connection device of the multicast source server that supports BIER encapsulation so that the BFIR node or the multicast source server that supports BIER encapsulation or the direct connection device of the multicast source server that supports BIER encapsulation encapsulates the BIER header based on the BFER list and transfers the multicast source information to the multicast user.

[0031] In this step, the multicast information aggregation node can distribute the BFER list and the multicast source information to a BFIR node, a multicast source server supporting BIER encapsulation, or a direct connection device of a multicast source server supporting BIER encapsulation, so that the BFIR node, the multicast source server supporting BIER encapsulation, or the direct connection device of the multicast source server supporting BIER encapsulation encapsulates the BIER header based on the BFER list and transfers the multicast source information to the multicast users. As shown in Figure 2, the multicast information aggregation node can distribute the BFER list and the multicast source information to Router R2 so that Router R2 can transfer the multicast source information to the multicast users based on the BFER list. In one embodiment, after receiving the multicast source information, Router R2 constructs a BIER header and sends the multicast source information to the BIER network. If BFIR is not a device directly connected to the multicast source and does not belong to the multicast group, BFIR also needs to join the multicast group to introduce the multicast source information to BFIR.

[0032] In one embodiment, the multicast information aggregation node can communicate using TCP or UDP instead of QUIC.

[0033] In one embodiment, the multicast information aggregation node sends control information to each device in the network through BIER.

[0034] In one embodiment, the multicast information aggregation node is responsible for authenticating the devices in the network, and only the multicast sources and multicast users that pass the authentication are allowed to access the network, thereby improving the security of the network.

[0035] In the multicast information transfer method according to the embodiment of the present application, the multicast information aggregation node first receives the first aggregation information and the second aggregation information transmitted from the multicast source and the multicast user respectively, and then creates a BFER list of the BIER subdomain based on the first aggregation information and the second aggregation information, selects a BFIR node of the BIER subdomain, and distributes the BFER list and the multicast source information to the BFIR node so that the BFIR node transfers the multicast source information to the multicast user based on the BFER list. That is, the present application can arrange a multicast information aggregation node in the BIER subdomain, and there is no need for this node to extend the multicast protocol and the PCE protocol in the related art, and it can realize the transfer of the multicast source information to the multicast user. On the other hand, in the related art, in order for BIER to realize the transfer of multicast services, it is necessary to extend the multicast protocol and the PCE protocol in the related art. Therefore, the multicast information transfer method proposed in the embodiment of the present application can collect multicast information based on a general transmission protocol, has no requirement for the BIER edge node, has better scalability, and the technical solution of the embodiment of the present application is easy to implement, simple, easy to popularize, and has a wider application range.

Embodiment

[0036] FIG. 3 is a topology diagram in which a multicast source and a multicast user according to an embodiment of the present application directly notify a multicast information aggregation node of information by nodes. As shown in FIG. 3, router R1 is directly connected to the multicast source, that is, router R1 is a direct node of the multicast source. Router R5 is directly connected to the multicast user, that is, router R5 is a direct node of the multicast user. The multicast source can send first aggregation information to the multicast information aggregation node by router R1, and the multicast user can send second aggregation information to the multicast information aggregation node by router R5. The first aggregation information in the embodiment of the present application may include multicast source information and BIER information of the multicast source side network, and the second aggregation information may include multicast user information and BIER information of the multicast user side network.

Embodiment

[0037] FIG. 4 is a topology diagram in which a multicast source and a multicast user according to an embodiment of the present application directly notify information to a multicast information aggregation node. As shown in FIG. 4, the multicast source has BIER encapsulation capabilities, and the multicast source can directly send first aggregation information to the multicast information aggregation node. The multicast user can directly send second aggregation information to the multicast information aggregation node. The first aggregation information in the embodiment of the present application may include multicast source information and BIER information of the multicast source side network. The second aggregation information may include multicast user information and BIER information of the multicast user side network. BIER message format: The IETF defines three types of BIER message encapsulations, such as MPLS encapsulation, non-MPLS Ethernet (registered trademark) encapsulation, and IPv6 encapsulation, to adapt to different networking needs. Each of the different encapsulation types of BIER has the same BIER message header. At the Ingress node where the multicast message enters BIER, one BIER message header is encapsulated. The Egress node where the multicast message exits BIER removes the BIER message header to restore the multicast message.

[0038] In this embodiment, the multicast information aggregation node can send the BFER list and the selected BFIR to the router R2 so that the router R2 can transfer the multicast source information to the multicast user based on the BFER list. In addition, the multicast information aggregation node can send the BFER list and the selected BFIR, the corresponding multicast source information, and the BIER capabilities (encapsulation type, BSL, etc.) of the BFIR to the multicast source together. The multicast source encapsulates the BIER header and directly sends it to the BFIR through BIER encapsulation. The BFIR then performs BIER forwarding.

Embodiment

[0039] FIG. 5 is a topology diagram in which a multicast source and a multicast user according to an embodiment of the present application notify information to a multicast information aggregation node by a BIER border node. As shown in FIG. 5, router R2 and router R3 are border nodes of the multicast source side network. The multicast source can transmit first aggregation information to the multicast information aggregation node by router R2. Similarly, router R4 is a border node of the multicast user side network, and the multicast user can transmit second aggregation information to the multicast information aggregation node by router R4. The first aggregation information in the embodiment of the present application may include multicast source information and BIER information of the multicast source side network. The second aggregation information may include multicast user information and BIER information of the multicast user side network.

Embodiment

[0040] FIG. 6 is a topology diagram for arranging a plurality of multicast information aggregation nodes in a BIER subdomain according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG. 6, two multicast information aggregation nodes are arranged in the BIER subdomain, namely, multicast information aggregation node 1 and multicast information aggregation node 2. A QUIC session is established between the multicast information aggregation nodes. In the session, it is necessary to determine that the peer is a multicast information aggregation node by a mark. In the topology diagram shown in FIG. 6, the multicast source can select any multicast information aggregation node to send the first aggregation information, and the multicast user can also select any multicast information aggregation node to send the second aggregation information. Assume that the multicast source and the multicast user select to send the first aggregation information and the second aggregation information to the multicast information aggregation node 1. After the multicast information aggregation node 1 receives it, it creates and marks it locally, adds its own identifier (IPv4 or IPv6 address) of the multicast information aggregation node 1 to the message, and then transfers it to other multicast information aggregation nodes. After another multicast information aggregation node (in FIG. 6, the multicast information aggregation node 2) receives it, a path check is performed based on the multicast information aggregation node identifier in the message. After passing the check, it can be received and transferred to a multicast information aggregation node other than the multicast information aggregation node 1 and the multicast information aggregation node 2.

[0041] In one embodiment, the method for path checking may include the following. 1. If there is only another multicast information aggregation node in the QUIC session of a certain multicast information aggregation node itself, there is no need to check. 2. If there are multiple multicast information aggregation nodes in the QUIC session of a certain multicast information aggregation node itself, the remote next hop of unicast routing can be found based on the IP address of the multicast information aggregation node. If the remote next hop is a neighbor of the multicast information aggregation node with which it is associated, the message is received; if the remote next hop is not a neighbor of the multicast information aggregation node with which it is associated, the message is not received. 3. Determine whether the check passes based on a preset local policy. In the topology diagram shown in FIG. 6, the multicast information aggregation node closer to the multicast source is responsible for creating the BFER list of the BIER subdomain and selecting the BFIR node of the BIER subdomain.

Embodiment

[0042] FIG. 7 is a topology diagram showing the arrangement of multicast information aggregation nodes in a multi-BIER subdomain according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG. 7, the topology diagram may include two BIER subdomains, namely BIER subdomain 1 and BIER subdomain 2 respectively. The same multicast information aggregation node may be arranged in BIER subdomain 1 and BIER subdomain 2, and the multicast information aggregation node can transfer multicast source information between BIER subdomain 1 and BIER subdomain 2.

[0043] The embodiments of the present application perform aggregation of multicast information and BIER information by means of QUIC. First, one or more multicast information aggregation nodes are arranged in the network, and communication is carried out between the devices in the network and the multicast information aggregation nodes using QUIC. The multicast information aggregation nodes authenticate the multicast source and the multicast users. The multicast source itself or the network device on the multicast source side transmits the multicast source information to the multicast information aggregation node, and the multicast user itself or the network device on the multicast user side transmits the multicast user information to the multicast information aggregation node. The aggregation node creates a BFER list based on the above information, selects a BFIR node, and then transmits the BFER list to the BFIR node or directly to the multicast source. The embodiments of the present application report and distribute multicast information and BIER information by means of a general-purpose transmission protocol, and complete multicast and BIER deployment in various scenarios.

[0044] In one exemplary embodiment, the embodiments of the present application provide a transfer device for multicast information. FIG. 8 is a structural schematic diagram of the transfer device for multicast information according to the embodiments of the present application. The device is integrated into a multicast information aggregation node. As shown in FIG. 8, the device includes a receiving module 81, a creating module 82, and a transfer module 83.

[0045] The receiving module 81 is used to receive the first aggregation information and the second aggregation information respectively transmitted from the multicast source and the multicast users. The first aggregation information includes the multicast source information and the bit-index explicit replication BIER information of the multicast source side network, and the second aggregation information includes the multicast user information and the BIER information of the multicast user side network.

[0046] The creation module 82 is used to create the BFER list of the bit transfer egress router of the BIER subdomain based on the first aggregation information and the second aggregation information, and to select the BFIR node of the bit transfer ingress router of the BIER subdomain.

[0047] The transfer module 83 is used to distribute the BFER list and the multicast source information to the BFIR node or the multicast source server that supports BIER encapsulation or the direct connection device of the multicast source server that supports BIER encapsulation, so that the BFIR node or the multicast source server that supports BIER encapsulation or the direct connection device of the multicast source server that supports BIER encapsulation encapsulates the BIER header based on the BFER list and transfers the multicast source information to the multicast user.

[0048] In one embodiment, specifically, when the number of deployments within the BIER subdomain of the multicast information aggregation node is one, the multicast information aggregation node is used as the target aggregation node, and the target aggregation node receives the first aggregation information and the second aggregation information respectively. When the number of deployments within the BIER subdomain of the multicast information aggregation node is multiple, any one of the multiple multicast information aggregation nodes is used as the target aggregation node, and the target aggregation node receives the first aggregation information and the second aggregation information respectively. Here, the network devices within the BIER subdomain communicate in the QUIC or TCP or UDP manner.

[0049] In one embodiment, when the receiving module 81 further receives the first aggregated information and the second aggregated information transferred by the multicast information aggregation node by other multicast information aggregation nodes, the multicast information aggregation node analyzes the first aggregated information and the second aggregated information, obtains the multicast information aggregation node identifier in the first aggregated information and the multicast information aggregation node identifier in the second aggregated information, and based on the multicast information aggregation node identifier in the first aggregated information and the multicast information aggregation node identifier in the second aggregated information, performs a path check on the first aggregated information and the second aggregated information respectively. When the checks on the first aggregated information and the second aggregated information pass, it is used to transfer the first aggregated information and the second aggregated information to multicast information aggregation nodes other than the other multicast information aggregation nodes within the BIER subdomain.

[0050] In one embodiment, the receiving module 81 is further used to send the multicast source information and the BFER selected for a specific user to the specific user or the direct connection device of the specific user, so that the specific user or the direct connection device of the specific user further sends multicast information of PIM or IGMP to the BFER.

[0051] In one embodiment, specifically, the receiving module 81 is used to receive the first aggregated information sent from the direct connection node of the multicast source and the second aggregated information sent from the direct connection node of the multicast user by the target aggregation node.

[0052] In one embodiment, specifically, the receiving module 81 is used to receive the first aggregated information directly sent from the multicast source and the second aggregated information directly sent from the multicast user by the target aggregation node.

[0053] In one embodiment, the receiving module 81 is specifically used by the target aggregation node to receive the first aggregation information transmitted from the boundary node of the multicast source side network and the second aggregation information transmitted from the boundary node of the multicast user side network.

[0054] In one embodiment, the multicast source information includes a multicast instance identifier, a multicast source address, and a multicast group address. The BIER information of the multicast source side network is a first BIER information list. The first BIER information list includes one or more BIER entries. Each BIER entry includes a keyword of a BIER subdomain, a Bfr prefix, a Bfr-id, the BIER encapsulation ability of the multicast source, and a unicast Metric from the BIER device of the multicast source side network to the multicast source. The multicast user information includes a VPN identifier and a multicast group address. The BIER information of the multicast user side network is a second BIER information list. The second BIER information list includes one or more BIER entries. Each BIER entry includes a BIER SD, a Bfr prefix, and a Bfr-id.

[0055] In one embodiment, the creating module 82 is specifically used to extract, from the multicast source information and the multicast user information, matching pending contents including at least one of a multicast instance, a multicast source address, a multicast group address, and a video coding rate, match the multicast source information and the multicast user information based on the matching pending contents in the multicast source information and the matching pending contents in the multicast user information, and create a BFER list of the BIER subdomain according to the matching result.

[0056] In one embodiment, specifically, when the multicast source and the multicast user belong to the same BIER SD, the creation module 82 creates the BFER list in the same BIER SD, and when the multicast source and the multicast user belong to different BIER SDs respectively, it is used to create the BFER list in the different BIER SDs.

[0057] In one exemplary embodiment, the embodiment of the present application further provides a multicast information aggregation node. FIG. 9 is a structural schematic diagram of the multicast information aggregation node according to the embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG. 9, the multicast information aggregation node according to the present application includes one or more processors 91 and a storage device 92. The processor 91 in the multicast information aggregation node may be one or more. In FIG. 9, one processor 91 is taken as an example. The storage device 92 is used to store one or more programs. When the one or more programs are executed by the one or more processors 91, the one or more processors 91 implement the multicast information transfer method according to the embodiment of the present application.

[0058] The multicast information aggregation node further includes a communication device 93, an input device 94, and an output device 95.

[0059] The processor 91, the storage device 92, the communication device 93, the input device 94, and the output device 95 in the multicast information aggregation node can be connected by a bus or other means. In FIG. 9, connection via a bus is taken as an example.

[0060] The input device 94 can receive the input numerical or character information and generate a key signal input related to the user setting and function control of the multicast information aggregation node. The output device 95 may include a display device such as a display.

[0061] The communication device 93 may include a receiver and a transmitter. The communication device 93 is configured to transfer multicast information according to the control of the processor 91.

[0062] The storage device 92 can be used as a computer-readable storage medium to store software programs, computer-executable programs and modules, for example, program instructions / modules corresponding to the multicast information transfer method according to the embodiments of the present application (for example, the processing module 91 and the transmission module 92 in the multicast information transfer device). The storage device 92 may include a program storage area and a data storage area. Here, the program storage area can store an operating system and application programs required for at least one function, and the data storage area can store data created based on the use of the device and the like. In addition, the storage device 92 may include a high-speed random access memory, and may further include a non-volatile memory such as at least one magnetic disk storage device, a flash memory, or other non-volatile solid storage devices. In some embodiments, the storage device 92 can include a memory provided remotely from the processor 91, and these remote memories can be connected to the device via a network. Examples of the above network may include, but are not limited to, the Internet, an intranet, a local area network, a mobile communication network, and combinations thereof.

[0063] The embodiments of the present application further provide a storage medium in which a computer program for realizing any method of the present application is stored when executed by a processor.

[0064] For example, A multicast information transfer method applied to a multicast information aggregation node, Receiving first aggregated information and second aggregated information transmitted from each of a multicast source and a multicast user, wherein the first aggregated information includes multicast source information and BIER information of the multicast source side network, and the second aggregated information includes multicast user information and BIER information of the multicast user side network; Based on the first aggregated information and the second aggregated information, creating a BFER list of a bit transfer egress router of the BIER subdomain and selecting a BFIR node of a bit transfer ingress router of the BIER subdomain; Distributing the BFER list and the multicast source information to the BFIR node or a multicast source server supporting BIER encapsulation or a direct connection device of a multicast source server supporting BIER encapsulation so that the BFIR node or the multicast source server supporting BIER encapsulation or the direct connection device of the multicast source server supporting BIER encapsulation encapsulates a BIER header based on the BFER list and transfers the multicast source information to the multicast user; A multicast information transfer method.

[0065] The computer storage medium of the embodiments of the present application can adopt any combination of one or more computer-readable media. The computer-readable media may be a computer-readable signal medium or a computer-readable storage medium. The computer-readable storage medium may be, for example, an electrical, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, or device, or any combination thereof, but is not limited thereto. Further examples (a non-exhaustive list) of the computer-readable storage medium include an electrical connection having one or more leads, a portable computer disk, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), a flash memory, an optical fiber, a portable CD-ROM, an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination of the above. The computer-readable storage medium may be any tangible medium that contains or stores a program that can be used in or in conjunction with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device.

[0066] The computer-readable signal medium may include a data signal propagated in a baseband or as part of a carrier wave, in which computer-readable program code is carried. Such a propagated data signal can adopt various forms and may include, but is not limited to, electromagnetic signals, optical signals, or any suitable combination of the above. The computer-readable signal medium may be any computer-readable medium other than the computer-readable storage medium, and the computer-readable signal medium can transmit, propagate, or transmit a program used in or in conjunction with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device.

[0067] The program code included in a computer-readable medium can be transmitted via any suitable medium, which may include, but is not limited to, electric wires, optical cables, radio frequency (RF), etc., or any suitable combination of the above.

[0068] Computer program code for performing the operations of the present application can be described in one or more programming languages or combinations thereof, and the programming languages include object-oriented programming languages such as Java (registered trademark), Smalltalk, C++, and further include conventional procedural programming languages such as the "C" language or similar programming languages. The program code may be executed entirely on the user's computer, partially on the user's computer, executed as an independent software package, partially on the user's computer and partially on a remote computer, or entirely on a remote computer or a business server. In the case of a remote computer, the remote computer can be connected to the user's computer via any type of network including a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN), or can be connected to an external computer (for example, connected via the Internet using an Internet service provider).

[0069] The above are only exemplary embodiments of the present application and are not intended to limit the protection scope of the present application.

[0070] Those skilled in the art should understand that the term user terminal includes any suitable type of wireless user device, for example, including mobile phones, portable data processing devices, portable network browsers or in-vehicle mobile stations.

[0071] Generally, various embodiments of the present application can be implemented in hardware or application-specific circuits, software, logic, or any combination thereof. For example, some aspects can be implemented in hardware, and other aspects can be implemented in firmware or software executable by a controller, a microprocessor, or other computing devices, and the present application is not limited thereto.

[0072] Embodiments of the present application can be implemented by executing computer program instructions by a data processor of a mobile device, for example, in an entity of the processor, implemented by hardware, or by a combination of software and hardware. The computer program instructions may be assembly instructions, instruction set architecture (ISA) instructions, machine instructions, machine-related instructions, microcode, firmware instructions, state-setting data, or source code or target code described in any combination of one or more programming languages.

[0073] A block diagram of any logical flow in the figures of this application may represent program steps, may represent logical circuits, modules, and functions connected to each other, or may represent a combination of program steps and logical circuits, modules, and functions. A computer program may be stored in a memory. The memory can have any type suitable for the local technical environment and can be implemented with any suitable data storage technology. For example, but not limited to, read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), optical storage devices and systems (such as digital versatile disc (DVD) or compact disc (CD)), etc. A computer-readable medium may include a non-transitory storage medium. The data processor may be of any type suitable for the local technical environment, for example, but not limited to, general-purpose computers, dedicated computers, microprocessors, digital signal processors (DSPs), application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), and processors based on multi-core processor architectures.

Claims

1. A multicast information transfer method applied to a multicast information aggregation node, receiving first aggregated information and second aggregated information respectively transmitted from a multicast source and a multicast user, wherein the first aggregated information includes multicast source information and bit index explicit replication BIER information of the multicast source side network, and the second aggregated information includes multicast user information and BIER information of the multicast user side network; creating a BFER list of a bit transfer egress router BFER of the BIER subdomain based on the first aggregated information and the second aggregated information, and selecting a bit transfer ingress router BFIR node of the BIER subdomain; distributing the BFER list and the multicast source information to one of the BFIR node, a multicast source server supporting BIER encapsulation, and a direct connection device of the multicast source server supporting BIER encapsulation, so that one of the BFIR node, the multicast source server supporting BIER encapsulation, and the direct connection device of the multicast source server supporting BIER encapsulation encapsulates a BIER header based on the BFER list and transfers the multicast source information to the multicast user; A multicast information transfer method.

2. Receiving first aggregated information and second aggregated information respectively transmitted from a multicast source and a multicast user means in response to determining that the number of arrangements within the BIER subdomain of the multicast information aggregation node is one, designating the multicast information aggregation node as a target aggregation node, and receiving the first aggregated information and the second aggregated information respectively by the target aggregation node; In response to determining that the number of arrangements of the multicast information aggregation nodes within the BIR subdomain is plural, designating any one of the plurality of multicast information aggregation nodes as the target aggregation node, and receiving the first aggregation information and the second aggregation information by the target aggregation node, respectively, The network device within the BIR subdomain communicates by adopting one of the methods of the fast user datagram protocol UDP Internet transport layer protocol QUIC, the transport control protocol TCP, and the user datagram protocol UDP. The multicast information transfer method according to claim 1.

3. In response to determining that the number of arrangements of the multicast information aggregation nodes within the BIR subdomain is one, the multicast information transfer method including the plurality of multicast information aggregation nodes including the target multicast information aggregation node and the first multicast information aggregation node is as follows: In response to determining that the target multicast information aggregation node has received the first aggregation information and the second aggregation information transferred by the first multicast information aggregation node, the target multicast information aggregation node analyzes the first aggregation information and the second aggregation information, and obtains the multicast information aggregation node identifier in the first aggregation information and the multicast information aggregation node identifier in the second aggregation information. The target multicast information aggregation node performs a path check on the first aggregation information and the second aggregation information, respectively, based on the multicast information aggregation node identifier in the first aggregation information and the multicast information aggregation node identifier in the second aggregation information. In response to determining that the check for the first aggregation information and the second aggregation information has passed, transferring the first aggregation information and the second aggregation information to the target multicast information aggregation node within the BIER subdomain and to multicast information aggregation nodes other than the first multicast information aggregation node. The multicast information transfer method according to claim 2.

4. By transmitting the multicast source information and the BFER selected for a specific user to the specific user or the direct connection device of the specific user, further causing the specific user or the direct connection device of the specific user to transmit multicast information of protocol-independent multicast PIM or Internet Group Management Protocol IGMP to the BFER. The multicast information transfer method according to claim 1.

5. The target aggregation node receiving the first aggregation information and the second aggregation information respectively includes the target aggregation node receiving the first aggregation information transmitted from the direct connection node of the multicast source and the second aggregation information transmitted from the direct connection node of the multicast user. The multicast information transfer method according to claim 2.

6. The target aggregation node receiving the first aggregation information and the second aggregation information respectively includes the target aggregation node receiving the first aggregation information directly transmitted from the multicast source and the second aggregation information directly transmitted from the multicast user. The multicast information transfer method according to claim 2.

7. The target aggregation node receiving the first aggregation information and the second aggregation information respectively receiving, by the target aggregation node, the first aggregation information transmitted from a border node of the multicast source side network and the second aggregation information transmitted from a border node of the multicast user side network, The multicast information transfer method according to claim 2.

8. The multicast source information includes a multicast instance identifier, a multicast source address, a multicast group address, and a video coding rate. The BIER information of the multicast source side network is a first BIER information list. The first BIER information list includes one or more BIER entries. Each BIER entry includes a keyword of the BIER subdomain, a Bfr prefix, a Bfr-id, the BIER encapsulation ability of the multicast source, and a unicast Metric from a BIER device in the BIER subdomain to the multicast source. The multicast user information includes a virtual private network (VPN) identifier and a multicast group address. The BIER information of the multicast user side network is a second BIER information list. The second BIER information list includes one or more BIER entries. Each BIER entry includes a BIER subdomain (SD), a Bfr prefix, and a Bfr-id. The multicast information transfer method according to claim 1.

9. Creating the BFER list of the bit transfer egress router (BFER) of the BIER subdomain based on the first aggregation information and the second aggregation information includes: respectively extracting matching pending content including at least one of a multicast instance, a multicast source address, a multicast group address, and a video coding rate from the multicast source information and the multicast user information; Based on the content waiting for matching in the multicast source information and the content waiting for matching in the multicast user information, matching the multicast source information and the multicast user information, and creating the BFER list according to the matching result. The multicast information transfer method according to claim 1.

10. Creating the BFER list according to the matching result includes: In response to determining that the multicast source and the multicast user belong to the same BIER SD, creating the BFER list in the same BIER SD; and in response to determining that the multicast source and the multicast user belong to different BIER SDs, creating the BFER list in the different BIER SDs. The multicast information transfer method according to claim 9.

11. A multicast information transfer device including a receiving module, a creating module, and a transferring module, The receiving module is configured to receive first aggregated information and second aggregated information transmitted from a multicast source and a multicast user respectively, where the first aggregated information includes multicast source information and bit index explicit replication BIER information of the multicast source side network, and the second aggregated information includes multicast user information and BIER information of the multicast user side network. The creating module is configured to create a BFER list of a bit transfer egress router BFER of the BIER subdomain based on the first aggregated information and the second aggregated information, and select a bit transfer ingress router BFIR node of the BIER subdomain. The transfer module distributes the BFER list and the multicast source information to one of the BFIR node, the multicast source server supporting BIER encapsulation, and the multicast source server direct connection device supporting BIER encapsulation, such that one of the BFIR node, the multicast source server supporting BIER encapsulation, and the multicast source server direct connection device supporting BIER encapsulation encapsulates a BIER header based on the BFER list and transfers the multicast source information to the multicast user. Multicast information transfer device. Claim 12 One or more processors; A storage device configured to store one or more programs; and, When the one or more programs are executed by the one or more processors, the one or more processors implement the multicast information transfer method according to any one of claims 1 to 10. Multicast information aggregation node. Claim 13 A computer program that, when executed by a processor, implements the multicast information transfer method according to any one of claims 1 to 10 is stored. Storage medium.

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