Message encapsulation method and apparatus, and message de-encapsulation method and apparatus

Abstract

Provided in the embodiments of the present disclosure are a message encapsulation method and apparatus, and a message de-encapsulation method and apparatus. The message encapsulation method comprises: a boundary node of a slicing packet network (SPN) encapsulating a segment routing transport profile (SR-TP) label stack into an outer layer of a segment routing SRv6 message (S202); and according to an indication of the SR-TP label stack, the boundary node forwarding the SRv6 message which has been subjected to encapsulation (S204).

Description

Method and device for message encapsulation and message encapsulation removal

[0001] Cross-references to related publications

[0002] The present disclosure is based on Chinese Patent Publication No. 2023107821732, filed on June 28, 2023, entitled “Method and Apparatus for Message Encapsulation and Removal of Message Encapsulation”, and claims the priority of the patent disclosure, all of which are incorporated into the present disclosure by reference. Technical Field

[0003] The present disclosure relates to the field of communications, and in particular to a method and apparatus for message encapsulation and message removal. Background Art

[0004] Operators have been vigorously developing mobile cloud services, and cloud-based private networks can provide public and private cloud services. Mobile cloud-based private networks currently utilize Ethernet Virtual Private Network (EVPN) technology over Segment Routing v6 (SRv6) for Layer 2 network interconnection. Cloud access options for metropolitan area networks include packet transport networks, slicing packet networks (SPNs), passive optical networks, and optical transport networks, depending on the needs of different cloud-based customers. SPNs, due to their support for slicing and small granularity, can meet the cloud access needs of both small and medium-sized enterprises and high-value customers with hard-wired requirements, becoming the mainstream choice for dedicated cloud lines.

[0005] In addition, because the mobile edge computing in 5G bearer scenarios introduces edge clouds, and edge clouds are primarily accessed through SPNs, there is a need for both cloud-edge and edge-edge collaboration on SPN networks. Edge-edge collaboration primarily connects services between edge clouds accessed by SPNs and does not involve interfacing SPNs with cloud-private networks. Cloud-edge collaboration, on the other hand, requires interfacing SPNs with cloud-private networks to connect services between edge clouds and regional clouds. Similar to dedicated lines to the cloud, an SPN-cloud-private network interfacing solution must be considered.

[0006] To meet the aforementioned cloud-based private line and edge cloud scenarios, it's necessary to consider solutions for connecting SPNs with cloud-based private networks. EVPN over SRv6 is used on cloud provider edge routers (PEs) to enable multi-cloud service scheduling for users. However, as edge clouds move downward, increasing user access to edge clouds and demanding cloud-edge collaboration, SRv6 will extend down to metropolitan area networks and user terminals, necessitating the consideration of solutions that support SRv6 in SPNs.

[0007] In related technologies, for the processing of the above scenarios, according to the hop-by-hop SRv6 deployment solution, all SPN network elements need to be upgraded to support SRv6, which incurs huge network transformation costs. It is impossible to enable SRV6 messages to traverse the traditional SPN label network by only modifying the SRV6 messages without transforming the SPN network.

[0008] Summary of the Invention

[0009] The embodiments of the present disclosure provide a method and apparatus for message encapsulation and message removal, so as to at least solve the problem in the related art that the SPN cannot forward SRv6 messages without upgrading and reconstructing the entire network.

[0010] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, a message encapsulation method is provided, including: a border node of a slice packet network SPN encapsulates a segment routing transport profile (SR-TP) label stack in the outer layer of a segment routing SRv6 message; the border node forwards the encapsulated SRv6 message according to the instruction of the SR-TP label stack.

[0011] In an exemplary embodiment, the border node encapsulates the SR-TP label stack in the outer layer of the SRv6 message, including: the border node determines that the border node corresponds to the base station identification code carried by the SRv6 message; the border node determines the SR-TP label stack corresponding to the base station identification code; the border node encapsulates the determined SR-TP label stack in the outer layer of the SRv6 message.

[0012] According to another embodiment of the present disclosure, a method for removing message encapsulation is provided, including: a border node of a slice packet network SPN receives a segment routing SRv6 message; and the border node of the SPN removes the SR-TP label stack encapsulated in the outer layer of the SRv6 message.

[0013] According to another embodiment of the present disclosure, a message encapsulation device is provided, including: an encapsulation module, configured as a boundary node of a slice packet network SPN to encapsulate a segment routing transmission configuration SR-TP label stack in an outer layer of a segment routing SRv6 message; and a forwarding module, configured as the boundary node to forward the encapsulated SRv6 message according to the instruction of the SR-TP label stack.

[0014] According to another embodiment of the present disclosure, a device for removing message encapsulation is provided, characterized in that it includes: a receiving module, which is set to be a boundary node of a slice packet network SPN to receive a segment routing SRv6 message; and a removal module, which is set to be the boundary node of the SPN to remove the SR-TP label stack encapsulated in the outer layer of the SRv6 message.

[0015] According to another embodiment of the present disclosure, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, in which a computer program is stored. The computer program is configured to execute the steps of any one of the above method embodiments when running.

[0016] According to another embodiment of the present disclosure, an electronic device is provided, including a memory and a processor, wherein the memory stores a computer program, and the processor is configured to run the computer program to perform the steps in any one of the above method embodiments. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] FIG1 is a hardware structure block diagram of a computer terminal according to a message encapsulation method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0018] FIG2 is a flow chart of a message encapsulation method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0019] FIG3 is a flow chart of a method for removing message encapsulation according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0020] FIG4 is a structural block diagram of a message encapsulation device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0021] FIG5 is a structural block diagram of a message encapsulation device according to yet another embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0022] FIG6 is a structural block diagram of an apparatus for removing message encapsulation according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0023] FIG7 is a diagram showing an application scenario of a message encapsulation and message encapsulation removal method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0024] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and in conjunction with embodiments.

[0025] It should be noted that the terms "first", "second", etc. in the specification and claims of the present disclosure and the above-mentioned drawings are used to distinguish similar objects, and are not necessarily used to describe a specific order or sequence.

[0026] The method embodiments provided in the embodiments of the present disclosure can be executed in a mobile terminal, a computer terminal or a similar computing device. Taking running on a computer terminal as an example, FIG1 is a hardware structure block diagram of a computer terminal for a method of message encapsulation and message encapsulation removal according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG1 , the computer terminal may include one or more (only one is shown in FIG1 ) processors 102 (the processor 102 may include but is not limited to a processing device such as a microprocessor MCU or a programmable logic device FPGA) and a memory 104 configured to store data, wherein the above-mentioned computer terminal may also include a transmission device 106 and an input and output device 108 configured to have a communication function. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that the structure shown in FIG1 is only for illustration and does not limit the structure of the above-mentioned computer terminal. For example, the computer terminal may also include more or fewer components than those shown in FIG1 , or have a configuration different from that shown in FIG1 .

[0027] The memory 104 can be configured to store computer programs, for example, software programs and modules of application software, such as computer programs corresponding to the methods for message encapsulation and message decapsulation in the embodiments of the present disclosure. The processor 102 executes various functional applications and data processing by running the computer programs stored in the memory 104, that is, implementing the above-mentioned methods. The memory 104 may include a high-speed random access memory, and may also include a non-volatile memory, such as one or more magnetic storage devices, flash memory, or other non-volatile solid-state memory. In some instances, the memory 104 may further include a memory remotely located relative to the processor 102, and these remote memories may be connected to the computer terminal via a network. Examples of the above-mentioned network include, but are not limited to, the Internet, an intranet, a local area network, a mobile communication network, and combinations thereof.

[0028] The transmission device 106 is configured to receive or transmit data via a network. A specific example of the aforementioned network may include a wireless network provided by a computer terminal's communications provider. In one embodiment, the transmission device 106 includes a network interface controller (NIC), which can be connected to other network devices via a base station to enable communication with the Internet. In another embodiment, the transmission device 106 may be a radio frequency (RF) module configured to communicate with the Internet wirelessly.

[0029] In this embodiment, a message encapsulation method is provided. FIG2 is a flow chart of the message encapsulation method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG2 , the flow chart includes the following steps:

[0030] Step S202: The edge node of the slice packet network SPN encapsulates the segment routing transmission configuration SR-TP label stack in the outer layer of the segment routing SRv6 message;

[0031] Before step S202 of this embodiment, the method further includes: the border node receiving and parsing the general message, and encapsulating the general message into the SRv6 message according to the information carried by the general message; or, the border node receiving the SRv6 message.

[0032] Since the first node for forwarding SRv6 messages may coincide with the boundary node of SPN, or may be before the boundary node of SPN, if the first node for forwarding SRv6 messages coincides with the boundary node of SPN, the boundary node needs to encapsulate the general message into an SRv6 message first. If the first node for forwarding SRv6 messages does not coincide with the boundary node of SPN, the message has been encapsulated into an SRv6 message at the upstream node, and the boundary node can directly receive the SRv6 message.

[0033] In step S202 of this embodiment, it includes: the border node determines that the border node corresponds to the base station identification code carried by the SRv6 message; the border node determines the SR-TP label stack corresponding to the base station identification code; the border node encapsulates the determined SR-TP label stack in the outer layer of the SRv6 message.

[0034] In an exemplary embodiment, the border node determines the SR-TP label stack corresponding to the base station identification code, including: the border node determines the SR-TP label stack corresponding to the base station identification code based on an association relationship between the base station identification code and the SR-TP label stack.

[0035] In an exemplary embodiment, the SR-TP tunnel is a newly created SR-TP tunnel or an existing SR-TP tunnel.

[0036] Step S204: The border node forwards the encapsulated SRv6 message according to the instruction of the SR-TP label stack.

[0037] In step S204 of this embodiment, it includes: the border node forwarding the encapsulated SRv6 message through the SR-TP tunnel corresponding to the SR-TP label stack.

[0038] Through the embodiments of the present disclosure, since the border nodes of the SPN encapsulate the transmission-oriented Segment Routing Transport Profile (SR-TP) label stack in the outer layer of the SRv6 message, the border nodes can forward the encapsulated SRv6 message, that is, all nodes of the SPN network do not need to be modified, and only the border nodes of the SPN need to encapsulate the SRv6 message. The internal transmission characteristics of the SPN do not need to be changed, so that the SRV6 message can pass through the traditional SPN label network, which can solve the problem that the SPN cannot forward the SRv6 message without upgrading the entire network, thereby achieving the effect of encapsulating the SRv6 message through the border nodes of the SPN without modifying the SPN.

[0039] In this embodiment, a method for removing message encapsulation is provided. FIG3 is a flow chart of the method for removing message encapsulation according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG3 , the flow chart includes the following steps:

[0040] Step S302: The border node of the slice packet network SPN receives the segment routing SRv6 message;

[0041] Step S304: The border node of the SPN removes the SR-TP label stack encapsulated in the outer layer of the SRv6 message.

[0042] After step S304 of this embodiment, the method further includes: the boundary node forwarding the SRv6 message to an outer node of the SPN according to the information carried in the SRv6 message.

[0043] After step S304 of this embodiment, the method further includes: the boundary node removes the SRv6 encapsulation of the SRv6 message according to the information carried by the SRv6 message to obtain a general message, and forwards the general message to an outer node of the SPN.

[0044] Through the description of the above implementation methods, those skilled in the art can clearly understand that the method according to the above embodiment can be implemented by means of software plus the necessary general hardware platform, and of course it can also be implemented by hardware, but in many cases the former is a better implementation method. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of the present disclosure, or the part that contributes to the prior art, can be embodied in the form of a software product, which is stored in a storage medium (such as a read-only memory / random access memory (ROM / RAM), a magnetic disk, or an optical disk), and includes a number of instructions for enabling a terminal device (which can be a mobile phone, a computer, a server, or a network device, etc.) to execute the methods described in the various embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0045] This embodiment also provides a message encapsulation device and a message encapsulation removal device. The above devices are configured to implement the above embodiments and preferred implementations, and the details already described will not be repeated. As used below, the term "module" can refer to a combination of software and / or hardware that implements a predetermined function. Although the devices described in the following embodiments are preferably implemented in software, implementation using hardware, or a combination of software and hardware, is also possible and contemplated.

[0046] FIG4 is a structural block diagram of a message encapsulation device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG4 , the message encapsulation device 400 includes: an encapsulation module 10 and a forwarding module 20 .

[0047] The encapsulation module 10 is configured as a border node of the slice packet network SPN to encapsulate the segment routing transmission configuration SR-TP label stack in the outer layer of the segment routing SRv6 message;

[0048] The forwarding module 20 is configured to forward the encapsulated SRv6 message at the border node according to the instruction of the SR-TP label stack.

[0049] FIG5 is a structural block diagram of a message encapsulation device according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG5 , in addition to all the modules shown in FIG4 , the message encapsulation device 500 further includes: a first determination unit 11 , a second determination unit 12 , and an encapsulation unit 13 .

[0050] A first determining unit 11 is configured to determine, for the boundary node, that the boundary node corresponds to a base station identification code carried by the SRv6 message;

[0051] The second determining unit 12 is configured to determine, at the border node, the SR-TP label stack corresponding to the base station identification code;

[0052] The encapsulation unit 13 is configured to encapsulate the determined SR-TP label stack into an outer layer of the SRv6 message at the border node.

[0053] FIG6 is a structural block diagram of an apparatus for removing message encapsulation according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG6 , the apparatus for removing message encapsulation 600 includes: a receiving module 30 and a removing module 40 .

[0054] A receiving module 30 is configured as a border node of the slice packet network SPN to receive the segment routing SRv6 message;

[0055] The removal module 40 is configured to be the border node of the SPN and remove the SR-TP label stack encapsulated in the outer layer of the SRv6 message.

[0056] It should be noted that the above modules can be implemented through software or hardware. For the latter, it can be implemented in the following ways, but not limited to: the above modules are all located in the same processor; or the above modules are located in different processors in any combination.

[0057] To facilitate understanding of the technical solutions provided by the present disclosure, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to specific scenarios.

[0058] As shown in FIG7 , the message encapsulation method and the message encapsulation removal method according to the embodiments of the present disclosure are applied to the following scenarios:

[0059] Scenario 1: Before the first node forwarding an SRv6 packet enters the SPN network, the packet is encapsulated in SRv6 at the upstream node. The SPN gateway PE node executes END.BM to encapsulate the SR TP label stack and imports it into the SR TP tunnel for forwarding.

[0060] Scenario 2: The first node for SRv6 packet forwarding coincides with the SPN ingress PE. The packet is directly transmitted to the SPN gateway PE node. SRv6 is first encapsulated, and then the SR-TP label stack is encapsulated according to the SRv6 END.BM. The packet is then imported into the SR-TP tunnel for forwarding.

[0061] Scenario 3: The terminating node of the SRv6 packet forwarding does not coincide with the SPN PE. The SRTP encapsulation of the SRv6 packet is first removed, and the inner packet is forwarded to the downstream node as SRv6.

[0062] Scenario 4: The terminating node for SRv6 packet forwarding coincides with the SPN PE. At the same node, the SR TP encapsulation of the SRv6 packet is removed and the SRv6 service is terminated.

[0063] According to another embodiment of the present disclosure, the steps of the message encapsulation method are as follows: the outer node device of the SPN supports associating the End.BM BSID and the SR-TP tunnel (the SR-TP tunnel may have only working SR-TP, or may include working and protection SR-TP, and allows configuration of whether to enable rerouting), and judges that this node is an End.BM operation based on the information carried by the SRv6 message, that is, no longer searches for the next hop information, and when executing subsequent operations, according to the corresponding identification information (Binding SID, BSID) indication, adds the pre-configured corresponding SR-TP label stack to the outside of the message header of the SRv6 message encapsulation to form an SR-TP label encapsulation, and forwards according to the SR-TP label stack indication.

[0064] The outer node determines that the local node is performing the End.BM operation in the following manner: the outer node processes the SRV6 message header, parses the SRV6 message header to determine that the message carries the BSID, and determines that the End.BM operation needs to be performed.

[0065] The controller can specify the head and tail nodes to create End.BM BSIDs and associate them with the corresponding SR-TP tunnels. The controller can also specify the head and tail nodes, then create End.BM BSIDs based on the specified head and tail nodes and associate them with the corresponding SR-TP tunnels (which can be new SR-TP tunnels or reuse existing SR-TP tunnels).

[0066] An embodiment of the present disclosure further provides a computer-readable storage medium, in which a computer program is stored. The computer program is configured to execute the steps of any one of the above method embodiments when run.

[0067] In an exemplary embodiment, the computer-readable storage medium may include, but is not limited to, various media that can store computer programs, such as a USB flash drive, a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a mobile hard disk, a magnetic disk, or an optical disk.

[0068] An embodiment of the present disclosure further provides an electronic device, including a memory and a processor, wherein the memory stores a computer program, and the processor is configured to run the computer program to perform the steps in any of the above method embodiments.

[0069] In an exemplary embodiment, the electronic device may further include a transmission device and an input / output device, wherein the transmission device is connected to the processor, and the input / output device is connected to the processor.

[0070] For specific examples in this embodiment, reference may be made to the examples described in the above embodiments and exemplary implementation modes, and this embodiment will not be described in detail here.

[0071] Obviously, those skilled in the art should understand that the modules or steps of the present disclosure described above can be implemented using a general-purpose computing device, they can be concentrated on a single computing device, or distributed across a network composed of multiple computing devices, they can be implemented using program code executable by the computing device, and thus, they can be stored in a storage device and executed by the computing device, and in some cases, the steps shown or described can be performed in a different order than herein, or they can be fabricated into separate integrated circuit modules, or multiple modules or steps can be fabricated into a single integrated circuit module for implementation. Thus, the present disclosure is not limited to any particular combination of hardware and software.

[0072] The foregoing description is merely a preferred embodiment of the present disclosure and is not intended to limit the present disclosure. Those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that various modifications and variations of the present disclosure are possible. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, or improvements made within the principles of the present disclosure shall be included within the scope of protection of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. A message encapsulation method, comprising: The border node of the slice packet network SPN encapsulates the segment routing transmission configuration SR-TP label stack in the outer layer of the segment routing SRv6 message; The border node forwards the encapsulated SRv6 message according to an instruction of the SR-TP label stack.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein: Before the border node encapsulates the SR-TP label stack in the outer layer of the SRv6 message, the border node further includes: The border node receives and parses the general message, and encapsulates the general message into the SRv6 message according to the information carried by the general message; or, The border node receives the SRv6 message.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The border node encapsulates the SR-TP label stack in the outer layer of the SRv6 message, including: The border node determines that the border node corresponds to the base station identification code carried by the SRv6 message; The border node determines the SR-TP label stack corresponding to the base station identification code; The border node encapsulates the determined SR-TP label stack in an outer layer of the SRv6 message.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein: The border node determines the SR-TP label stack corresponding to the base station identification code, including: The border node determines the SR-TP label stack corresponding to the base station identification code according to the association relationship between the base station identification code and the SR-TP label stack.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The border node forwarding the encapsulated SRv6 message according to the instruction of the SR-TP label stack includes: The border node forwards the encapsulated SRv6 message through the SR-TP tunnel corresponding to the SR-TP label stack.

6. The method according to claim 3, wherein: The SR-TP tunnel is a newly created SR-TP tunnel or an existing SR-TP tunnel.

7. A method for removing message encapsulation, comprising: The border node of the slice packet network SPN receives the segment routing SRv6 message; The border node of the SPN removes the SR-TP label stack encapsulated in the outer layer of the SRv6 message.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein: After the border node of the SPN removes the SR-TP label stack encapsulated in the outer layer of the SRv6 message, the method further includes: The border node forwards the SRv6 message to an outer node of the SPN according to the information carried by the SRv6 message.

9. The method according to claim 7, wherein: After the border node of the SPN removes the SR-TP label stack encapsulated in the outer layer of the SRv6 message, the method further includes: The border node removes the SRv6 encapsulation of the SRv6 message according to the information carried by the SRv6 message to obtain a general message, and forwards the general message to the outer node of the SPN.

10. A message encapsulation device, comprising: An encapsulation module is set as a border node of the slice packet network SPN to encapsulate the segment routing transmission configuration SR-TP label stack in the outer layer of the segment routing SRv6 message; The forwarding module is configured to forward the encapsulated SRv6 message at the border node according to the instruction of the SR-TP label stack.

11. The device according to claim 10, wherein: The packaging module also includes: A first determining unit, configured to determine, for the border node, that the border node corresponds to a base station identification code carried by the SRv6 message; A second determining unit is configured to determine, by the border node, the SR-TP label stack corresponding to the base station identification code; The encapsulation unit is configured to encapsulate the determined SR-TP label stack into the outer layer of the SRv6 message at the border node.

12. A device for removing message encapsulation, comprising: A receiving module, configured as a border node of a slice packet network SPN to receive a segment routing SRv6 message based on the Internet protocol; The removal module is configured to remove the SR-TP label stack encapsulated in the outer layer of the SRv6 message as the border node of the SPN.

13. A computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored therein, wherein: When the computer program is executed by a processor, the steps of the method described in any one of claims 1 to 9 are implemented.

14. An electronic device comprising a memory, a processor, and a computer program stored in the memory and executable on the processor, wherein: When the processor executes the computer program, the steps of the method described in any one of claims 1 to 9 are implemented.

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