Network element management method, optical line terminal, and communication network

Abstract

Disclosed are a network element management method, an optical line terminal, and a communication network, which relate to the field of optical networks. The method comprises: when a link between a first optical line terminal and a network management system has failed, receiving a first management message sent by a second optical line terminal, and executing, by means of the network management system, a management operation on the first optical line terminal on the basis of a management identifier indicated in the first management message. Thus, by means of interconnecting a plurality of optical line terminals, after a link between a first optical line terminal and a network management system has failed, a second optical line terminal connected to the first optical line terminal forwards a management message, such that the network management system can manage the first optical line terminal in a timely manner, without losing the management of the first optical line terminal, thereby improving the reliability of the network management system regarding network element management. In addition, it is not necessary to change uplink networking of the optical line terminals and the network management system, or additionally deploy an out-of-band switch between the optical line terminals and the network management system, and therefore the solution provided in the present application is easily implemented with low costs.

Description

Network element management method, optical line terminal and communication network

[0001] This application claims priority to the Chinese patent application filed with the State Intellectual Property Office on October 18, 2023, with application number 202311365222.9 and application name “Network Element Management Method, Optical Line Terminal and Communication Network”, the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference into this application. Technical Field

[0002] The present application relates to the field of optical networks, and in particular to a network element management method, an optical line terminal, and a communication network. Background Art

[0003] Typically, network management systems connect to network elements (NEs) (such as optical line terminals) via optical fiber to remotely manage NEs. For example, they manage NE faults, configuration, and performance. However, if a link failure occurs between the NE and the NMS—for example, a fiber failure between the NE and the NMS, a NE interface failure, or a NMS interface failure—the NMS becomes unable to manage the NE, resulting in the NE being disconnected from management.

[0004] Currently, dual uplinks are used between network elements and network management systems, connecting them with two optical fibers. Alternatively, switches are deployed between the two systems to provide an out-of-band communication channel between the network elements and the network management system, reducing the risk of network elements being lost. However, this wastes optical fiber and transmission resources.

[0005] Summary of the Invention

[0006] The present application provides a network element management method, an optical line terminal, and a communication network, which improves the reliability of the network management system in managing network elements without changing the connection relationship between the optical line terminal and the network management system.

[0007] In a first aspect, a network element management method is provided. The method is applied to a communication network, the communication network including a network management system and multiple optical line terminals, the multiple optical line terminals being interconnected, the multiple optical line terminals including a first optical line terminal and a second optical line terminal. The method is executed by the first optical line terminal, and includes: when a link between the first optical line terminal and the network management system fails and the first optical line terminal is disconnected from the network management system, receiving a first management message sent by the second optical line terminal, and performing a management operation of the network management system on the first optical line terminal according to a management identifier indicated in the first management message.

[0008] Compared to connecting two optical fibers between an optical line terminal and a network management system, which wastes optical fiber resources, or deploying a switch between the optical line terminal and the network management system to implement an out-of-band channel for communication between the optical line terminal and the network management system, which wastes transmission resources, the present application provides a solution that interconnects multiple optical line terminals, enabling message forwarding between the optical line terminals. After a link failure between a first optical line terminal and the network management system, a second optical line terminal connected to the first optical line terminal forwards management messages from the network management system to the first optical line terminal. That is, the link between the second optical line terminal and the network management system, as well as the link between the second optical line terminal and the first optical line terminal, serve as backup paths for the network management system to send management messages to the first optical line terminal. This enables the network management system to manage the first optical line terminal in a timely manner, without losing management of the first optical line terminal, thereby improving the reliability of the network management system's management of network elements.

[0009] In addition, there is no need to change the uplink networking between the optical line terminal and the network management system, or to deploy an additional out-of-band switch between the optical line terminal and the network management system. The solution provided by this application is easy to implement and low-cost.

[0010] In one possible implementation, receiving a first management message sent by a second optical line terminal includes: receiving a first message sent by the second optical line terminal, the first message including the first management message; wherein the first management message is located in a payload field of the first message; a header of the first message includes a source address and a destination address, the source address is used to indicate a neighbor address of the second optical line terminal, the destination address is used to indicate a neighbor address of the first optical line terminal, and the neighbor address of the first optical line terminal and the neighbor address of the second optical line terminal are used for communication between the first optical line terminal and the second optical line terminal.

[0011] Since multiple optical line terminals are interconnected, they can form a local area network. The first management message is encapsulated in a message suitable for transmission in the local area network, so that the first optical line terminal can receive the first management message sent by the network management system to the first optical line terminal.

[0012] In another possible implementation manner, the method further includes: sending a first management response message, where the first management response message is used to indicate a result of the management operation.

[0013] In this way, after the first optical line terminal completes the management operation of the network management system, the optical line terminal connected to the first optical line terminal can be used to feed back the result of the management operation to the network management system so that the network management system can know whether the management of the first optical line terminal is successful or not.

[0014] In another possible implementation, sending the first management response message includes: sending a second message to the second optical line terminal, where the second message includes the first management response message; wherein the first management response message is located in a payload field of the second message; and a header of the second message includes a source address and a destination address, the source address is used to indicate a neighbor address of the first optical line terminal, and the destination address is used to indicate a neighbor address of the second optical line terminal.

[0015] Since multiple optical line terminals are interconnected, they can form a local area network. The first management response message is encapsulated in a message suitable for transmission in the local area network, and the result of the management operation is fed back to the network management system with the help of a second optical line terminal connected to the first optical line terminal.

[0016] In a second aspect, a network element management method is provided. The method is applied to a communication network, the communication network including a network management system and multiple optical line terminals, the multiple optical line terminals being interconnected, the multiple optical line terminals including a first optical line terminal and a second optical line terminal. The method is executed by the second optical line terminal, and includes: receiving a first management message sent by the network management system, and sending the first management message to the first optical line terminal. The first management message is used to instruct the network management system to perform a management operation on the first optical line terminal.

[0017] The present application provides a solution that interconnects multiple optical line terminals, allowing messages to be forwarded between them. After a link failure between a first optical line terminal and a network management system occurs, a second optical line terminal connected to the first optical line terminal forwards management messages for the first optical line terminal. This means that the link between the second optical line terminal and the network management system, as well as the link between the second optical line terminal and the first optical line terminal, serves as a backup path for the network management system to send management messages to the first optical line terminal. This enables the network management system to manage the first optical line terminal in a timely manner, without losing control of the first optical line terminal, and thus improves the reliability of the network management system's management of network elements. Furthermore, there is no need to change the uplink networking between the optical line terminal and the network management system, or to deploy additional out-of-band switches between the optical line terminal and the network management system. The solution provided by the present application is easy to implement and low-cost.

[0018] In one possible implementation, receiving a first management message sent by a network management system includes: receiving a second management message sent by the network management system, the second management message including the first management message; wherein the first management message is located in a payload field of the second management message; and a header of the second management message includes a source address, a destination address, and an agent identifier. The source address indicates an address of the network management system. The destination address indicates a management address of a second optical line terminal. The management address of the second optical line terminal is used for communication between the second optical line terminal and the network management system. The agent identifier indicates that the second management message is a agent message.

[0019] In this way, the first management message is encapsulated in a message suitable for communication between the second optical line terminal and the network management system. The second optical line terminal acts as a proxy network element to forward the management message of the network management system to the first optical line terminal, thereby implementing the management operation of the network management system on the first optical line terminal after the link between the first optical line terminal and the network management system fails.

[0020] In another possible implementation, sending a first management message to the first optical line terminal includes: sending a first message to the first optical line terminal, the first message including the first management message; wherein the first management message is located in a payload field of the first message; the header of the first message includes a source address and a destination address, the source address is used to indicate a neighbor address of the second optical line terminal, the destination address is used to indicate a neighbor address of the first optical line terminal, and the neighbor address of the first optical line terminal and the neighbor address of the second optical line terminal are used for communication between the first optical line terminal and the second optical line terminal.

[0021] Since multiple optical line terminals are interconnected, multiple optical line terminals can form a local area network. The first management message is encapsulated in a message suitable for transmission in the local area network, so as to facilitate forwarding the first management message sent by the network management system to the first optical line terminal to the first optical line terminal.

[0022] In another possible implementation manner, the method further includes: receiving a first management response message sent by the first optical line terminal, where the first management response message is used to indicate a result of the management operation.

[0023] In this way, after the first optical line terminal completes the management operation of the network management system, the second optical line terminal connected to the first optical line terminal feeds back the result of the management operation to the network management system so that the network management system can know whether the management of the first optical line terminal is successful or not.

[0024] In another possible implementation, receiving a first management response message sent by a first optical line terminal includes: receiving a second message sent by the first optical line terminal, the second message including the first management response message; wherein the first management response message is located in a payload field of the second message. A header of the second message includes a source address and a destination address. The source address indicates a neighbor address of the first optical line terminal. The destination address indicates a neighbor address of the second optical line terminal.

[0025] Since multiple optical line terminals are interconnected, they can form a local area network. The first management response message is encapsulated in a message suitable for transmission in the local area network, and the result of the management operation is fed back to the network management system with the help of a second optical line terminal connected to the first optical line terminal.

[0026] In another possible implementation, the method further includes: sending a second management response message to the network management system, the second management response message including the first management response message; wherein the first management response message is located in a payload field of the second management response message. The header of the second management response message includes a source address and a destination address. The source address indicates the management address of the second optical line terminal. The destination address indicates the address of the network management system.

[0027] In this way, the second management response message is encapsulated in a message suitable for communication between the second optical line terminal and the network management system, so as to forward the result of the management operation of the first optical line terminal through the link between the second optical line terminal and the network management system.

[0028] In a third aspect, a network element management method is provided. The method is applied to a communication system, the communication system including a network management system and multiple optical line terminals, the multiple optical line terminals being interconnected, the multiple optical line terminals including a first optical line terminal and a second optical line terminal. The method is executed by the network management system, and includes: when the network management system detects a link failure between the first optical line terminal and the network management system, sending a first management message to the second optical line terminal, and receiving a first management response message sent by the second optical line terminal, wherein the first management message is used to instruct the network management system to perform a management operation on the first optical line terminal. The first management response message is used to indicate a result of the management operation.

[0029] The present application provides a solution that interconnects multiple optical line terminals so that messages can be forwarded between them. After a link failure between a first optical line terminal and a network management system, the link between a second optical line terminal and the network management system, as well as the link between the second optical line terminal and the first optical line terminal, are used as backup paths for the network management system to send management messages to the first optical line terminal. The network management system forwards management messages for the first optical line terminal through the second optical line terminal connected to the first optical line terminal, enabling the network management system to manage the first optical line terminal in a timely manner without losing control of the first optical line terminal, thereby improving the reliability of the network management system's management of network elements. In addition, there is no need to change the uplink networking between the optical line terminal and the network management system, or to deploy additional out-of-band switches between the optical line terminal and the network management system. The solution provided by the present application is easy to implement and low-cost.

[0030] In one possible implementation, sending a first management message to a second optical line terminal includes: sending a second management message to the second optical line terminal, the second management message including the first management message; wherein the first management message is located in a payload field of the second management message. A header of the second management message includes a source address and a destination address. The source address indicates an address of a network management system. The destination address indicates a management address of the second optical line terminal. The management address of the second optical line terminal is used for communication between the second optical line terminal and the network management system.

[0031] In this way, the first management message is encapsulated in a message suitable for communication between the second optical line terminal and the network management system, so that the first management message sent by the network management system to the first optical line terminal is forwarded by the second optical line terminal.

[0032] In another possible implementation, receiving a first management response message sent by a second optical line terminal includes: receiving a second management response message sent by the second optical line terminal, the second management response message including the first management response message; wherein the first management response message is located in a payload field of the second management response message. A header of the second management response message includes a source address and a destination address. The source address indicates the management address of the second optical line terminal. The destination address indicates the address of a network management system.

[0033] In this way, the second management response message is encapsulated in a message suitable for communication between the second optical line terminal and the network management system, so as to forward the result of the management operation of the first optical line terminal through the link between the second optical line terminal and the network management system.

[0034] In another possible implementation, the method further includes: when the network management system detects that the link failure between the first optical line terminal and the network management system is recovered, sending a third management message to the first optical line terminal based on the link between the network management system and the first optical line terminal.

[0035] In a fourth aspect, a network element management device is provided. A communication network includes a network management system and multiple optical line terminals, the multiple optical line terminals being interconnected, and the multiple optical line terminals including a first optical line terminal and a second optical line terminal. The network element management device is configured to implement the functions of the first optical line terminal. The device includes: a communication module configured to receive a first management message sent by the second optical line terminal when a link between the first optical line terminal and the network management system fails; and a processing module configured to execute a management operation of the network management system on the first optical line terminal based on a management identifier indicated in the first management message.

[0036] In one possible implementation, when the communication module receives the first management message sent by the second optical line terminal, it is specifically used to: receive the first message sent by the second optical line terminal, where the first message includes the first management message; wherein the first management message is located in the payload field of the first message; the header of the first message includes a source address and a destination address, the source address is used to indicate the neighbor address of the second optical line terminal, and the destination address is used to indicate the neighbor address of the first optical line terminal, and the neighbor address of the first optical line terminal and the neighbor address of the second optical line terminal are used for communication between the first optical line terminal and the second optical line terminal.

[0037] In another possible implementation, the communication module is further configured to: send a first management response message, where the first management response message is used to indicate a result of the management operation.

[0038] In another possible implementation, when the communication module sends the first management response message, it is specifically used to: send a second message to the second optical line terminal, where the second message includes the first management response message; wherein the first management response message is located in the payload field of the second message; the header of the second message includes a source address and a destination address, the source address is used to indicate the neighbor address of the first optical line terminal, and the destination address is used to indicate the neighbor address of the second optical line terminal.

[0039] In a fifth aspect, a network element management device is provided. A communication network includes a network management system and multiple optical line terminals, the multiple optical line terminals being interconnected and including a first optical line terminal and a second optical line terminal. The network element management device is configured to implement the functions of the second optical line terminal. The device includes a communication module configured to receive a first management message sent by the network management system; and the communication module is further configured to send a first management message to the first optical line terminal. The first management message is configured to instruct the network management system to perform management operations on the first optical line terminal.

[0040] In one possible implementation, when the communication module receives a first management message sent by the network management system, it is specifically used to: receive a second management message sent by the network management system, where the second management message includes the first management message; wherein the first management message is located in the payload field of the second management message; the header of the second management message includes a source address, a destination address, and a proxy identifier, the source address is used to indicate the address of the network management system, the destination address is used to indicate the management address of the second optical line terminal, the management address of the second optical line terminal is used for communication between the second optical line terminal and the network management system, and the proxy identifier is used to indicate that the second management message is a proxy message.

[0041] In another possible implementation, when the communication module sends the first management message to the first optical line terminal, it is specifically used to: send the first message to the first optical line terminal, where the first message includes the first management message; wherein the first management message is located in the payload field of the first message; the header of the first message includes a source address and a destination address, the source address is used to indicate the neighbor address of the second optical line terminal, and the destination address is used to indicate the neighbor address of the first optical line terminal, and the neighbor address of the first optical line terminal and the neighbor address of the second optical line terminal are used for communication between the first optical line terminal and the second optical line terminal.

[0042] In another possible implementation, the communication module is further configured to: receive a first management response message sent by the first optical line terminal, where the first management response message is used to indicate a result of the management operation.

[0043] In another possible implementation, when the communication module receives the first management response message sent by the first optical line terminal, it is specifically used to: receive a second message sent by the first optical line terminal, where the second message includes the first management response message; wherein the first management response message is located in the payload field of the second message; the header of the second message includes a source address and a destination address, the source address is used to indicate a neighbor address of the first optical line terminal, and the destination address is used to indicate a neighbor address of the second optical line terminal.

[0044] In another possible implementation, the communication module is further used to: send a second management response message to the network management system, the second management response message including the first management response message; wherein the first management response message is located in the payload field of the second management response message; the header of the second management response message includes a source address and a destination address, the source address is used to indicate the management address of the second optical line terminal, and the destination address is used to indicate the address of the network management system.

[0045] In a sixth aspect, a network element management device is provided. A communication system includes a network management system and multiple optical line terminals, the multiple optical line terminals being interconnected, and the multiple optical line terminals including a first optical line terminal and a second optical line terminal. The network element management device is configured to implement the functions of the network management system. The device includes: a communication module configured to, when the network management system detects a link failure between the first optical line terminal and the network management system, send a first management message to the second optical line terminal, the first management message being configured to instruct the network management system to perform a management operation on the first optical line terminal; and the communication module is further configured to receive a first management response message sent by the second optical line terminal, the first management response message being configured to indicate a result of the management operation.

[0046] In one possible implementation, when the communication module sends the first management message to the second optical line terminal, it is specifically used to: send the second management message to the second optical line terminal, where the second management message includes the first management message; wherein the first management message is located in the payload field of the second management message; the header of the second management message includes a source address and a destination address, the source address is used to indicate the address of the network management system, and the destination address is used to indicate the management address of the second optical line terminal, and the management address of the second optical line terminal is used for the second optical line terminal to communicate with the network management system.

[0047] In another possible implementation, when the communication module receives the first management response message sent by the second optical line terminal, it is specifically used to: receive the second management response message sent by the second optical line terminal, where the second management response message includes the first management response message; wherein the first management response message is located in the payload field of the second management response message; the header of the second management response message includes a source address and a destination address, the source address is used to indicate the management address of the second optical line terminal, and the destination address is used to indicate the address of the network management system.

[0048] In another possible implementation, the communication module is further configured to: when the network management system detects that the link failure between the first optical line terminal and the network management system is recovered, send a third management message to the first optical line terminal based on the link between the network management system and the first optical line terminal.

[0049] In a seventh aspect, a communication network is provided, comprising a network management system, a first optical line terminal, and a second optical line terminal, wherein the first optical line terminal and the second optical line terminal are connected; when a link between the first optical line terminal and the network management system fails, the network management system is configured to send a first management message to the second optical line terminal; the second optical line terminal is configured to receive the first management message sent by the network management system and forward the first management message to the first optical line terminal, wherein the first management message is used to indicate a management operation of the network management system on the first optical line terminal; the first optical line terminal is configured to receive the first management message sent by the second optical line terminal; the first optical line terminal is further configured to execute a management operation of the network management system on the first optical line terminal according to a management identifier indicated by the first management message; the second optical line terminal is further configured to receive a first management response message sent by the first optical line terminal, wherein the first management response message is used to indicate a result of the management operation; and the second optical line terminal is further configured to send a first management response message to the network management system.

[0050] In one possible implementation, when the second optical line terminal receives the first management message sent by the network management system, it is specifically used to: receive a second management message sent by the network management system, where the second management message includes the first management message; wherein the first management message is located in the payload field of the second management message; the header of the second management message includes a source address, a destination address, and a proxy identifier, the source address is used to indicate the address of the network management system, the destination address is used to indicate the management address of the second optical line terminal, the management address of the second optical line terminal is used for communication between the second optical line terminal and the network management system, and the proxy identifier is used to indicate that the second management message is a proxy message.

[0051] In another possible implementation, when the first optical line terminal receives the first management message sent by the second optical line terminal, the method is specifically used to: receive the first message sent by the second optical line terminal, where the first message includes the first management message; wherein the first management message is located in the payload field of the first message; the header of the first message includes a source address and a destination address, the source address is used to indicate the neighbor address of the second optical line terminal, and the destination address is used to indicate the neighbor address of the first optical line terminal, and the neighbor address of the first optical line terminal and the neighbor address of the second optical line terminal are used for communication between the first optical line terminal and the second optical line terminal.

[0052] In another possible implementation, when the second optical line terminal receives the first management response message sent by the first optical line terminal, the method is specifically used to: receive a second message sent by the first optical line terminal, where the second message includes the first management response message; wherein the first management response message is located in the payload field of the second message; and the header of the second message includes a source address and a destination address, where the source address is used to indicate a neighbor address of the first optical line terminal, and the destination address is used to indicate a neighbor address of the second optical line terminal.

[0053] In another possible implementation, when the second optical line terminal sends a first management response message to the network management system, it is specifically used to: send a second management response message to the network management system, the second management response message includes the first management response message; wherein the first management response message is located in the payload field of the second management response message; the header of the second management response message includes a source address and a destination address, the source address is used to indicate the management address of the second optical line terminal, and the destination address is used to indicate the address of the network management system.

[0054] In an eighth aspect, an optical line terminal is provided, which includes an optical module, a memory, and a processor, the memory being used to store a set of computer instructions; the optical module being used to receive or send data, and when the processor executes a set of computer instructions, the operating steps of the method described in the first aspect or any possible implementation of the first aspect are executed, or the operating steps of the method described in the second aspect or any possible implementation of the second aspect are executed, or the operating steps of the method described in the third aspect or any possible implementation of the third aspect are executed, to realize that the network management system manages the optical line terminal after the optical line terminal is disconnected from the network management system.

[0055] In the ninth aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, comprising: computer software instructions; when the computer software instructions are executed in a processor, the processor executes the operating steps of the method described in the first aspect or any possible implementation of the first aspect, or executes the operating steps of the method described in the second aspect or any possible implementation of the second aspect, or executes the operating steps of the method described in the third aspect or any possible implementation of the third aspect, to realize that the network management system manages the network device after the network device is disconnected from the network management system.

[0056] In the tenth aspect, a computer program product is provided. When the computer program product runs on a computer, it enables the computer to execute the operating steps of the method described in the first aspect or any possible implementation of the first aspect, or execute the operating steps of the method described in the second aspect or any possible implementation of the second aspect, or execute the operating steps of the method described in the third aspect or any possible implementation of the third aspect, so as to realize the network management system managing the network device after the network device is disconnected from the network management system.

[0057] The technical effects brought about by any design method in the fourth to tenth aspects can be referred to the technical effects brought about by different design methods in the first to third aspects or the first to third aspects, and will not be repeated here.

[0058] Based on the implementation methods provided in the above aspects, this application can also be further combined to provide more implementation methods. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0059] FIG1 is a schematic diagram of a PON system architecture provided by this application;

[0060] FIG2 is a schematic diagram of another PON system architecture provided by this application;

[0061] FIG3 is a schematic diagram of a network management system and a plurality of optical line terminals provided by the prior art;

[0062] FIG4 is a schematic diagram of another network management system and a plurality of optical line terminals provided by the prior art;

[0063] FIG5 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication network provided by the present application;

[0064] FIG6 is a schematic diagram of a network management system and multiple optical line terminals provided by the present application;

[0065] FIG7 is a flow chart of a network element management method provided by the present application;

[0066] FIG8 is a schematic diagram of a message format provided by this application;

[0067] FIG9 is a schematic diagram of a message format provided by this application;

[0068] FIG10 is a schematic structural diagram of a network element management device provided by the present application;

[0069] FIG11 is a schematic structural diagram of an optical line terminal provided in this application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0070] To facilitate understanding, the main terms involved in the embodiments of the present application are first explained.

[0071] Passive optical network (PON) is an implementation technology for optical access networks (OANs). PON is an optical access technology for point-to-multipoint transmission. It provides users with high bandwidth and a full range of services. PONs can be categorized into various modes based on upstream and downstream rates and wavelengths. Examples include Ethernet passive optical networks (EPONs), gigabit-capable passive optical networks (GPONs), and 10Gigabit-capable passive optical networks (XG-PONs).

[0072] For example, FIG1 is a schematic diagram of a PON system architecture provided by the present application. As shown in FIG1 , a passive optical network 100 mainly includes an optical line terminal (OLT) 110, an optical distribution network (ODN) 120, and at least one optical network unit (ONU) 130 or at least one optical network terminal (ONT) 140.

[0073] The OLT provides a network-side interface for the OAN. For example, one end of the OLT connects to the upper-layer network, providing upstream access to the PON. This upper-layer network can be the Internet Protocol (IP) backbone or the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN). The other end of the OLT connects to the user-end device (CPE) through the ODN, completing downstream transmission of the PON and enabling functions such as control, management, and ranging for CPE devices. CPE devices include at least one of the ONU and ONT.

[0074] One end of the user-end device connects to the OLT via the ODN, and the other end connects to other terminal devices, such as personal computers and landline phones. The ONU works with the OLT to implement Ethernet Layer 2 and Layer 3 functions, providing voice, data, and multimedia services to users. For example, the ONU can selectively receive data sent by the OLT; respond to management commands from the OLT and make corresponding adjustments; buffer user Ethernet data and send it uplink within the transmission window allocated by the OLT; and perform other user management functions.

[0075] The ODN includes a passive optical splitter for optical power distribution, a trunk fiber connecting the passive optical splitter and the OLT, and branch fibers connecting the passive optical splitter and the ONUs. During downlink transmission, the ODN transmits downlink data from the OLT to the individual ONUs via the optical splitter. Similarly, during uplink transmission, the ODN aggregates uplink data from the ONUs and transmits it to the OLT. For example, in Figure 1, ODN 120 provides an optical transmission channel between OLT 110 and ONU 130. ODN 120 includes passive components such as optical fiber 121 and passive optical splitters 122.

[0076] The ONU provides a user-side interface for the OAN and is connected to the ODN. If the ONU provides user port functionality, such as an Ethernet user port or a plain old telephone service (POTS) user port, it is called an optical network termination (ONT). The ONT can be part of the ONU. The difference between the ONT and the ONU is that the ONT can be located directly at the user end, while the ONU is an optical network unit and may have other networks, such as Ethernet, between it and the user. The ONU can connect to various types of digital subscriber lines (DSL) or Ethernet access gateway devices, which in turn connect to the network terminal. For ease of description, in the embodiments of this application, the user-end devices are collectively referred to as ONTs.

[0077] As shown in FIG1 , the OLT is usually located in a central office (CO), which usually also includes network-side equipment. The passive optical network 100 shown in FIG1 is suitable for deploying ONUs and ONTs in cities and other areas close to the central office.

[0078] In other embodiments, as shown in Figure 2, the OLT is no longer deployed in the central computer room, but is deployed closer to devices such as ONTs and ONUs. The passive optical network 100 shown in Figure 2 may include more OLTs, allowing users in more areas to access broadband services.

[0079] An Element Management System (EMS) is a system that manages one or more specific types of telecommunications network elements (NEs). For example, an EMS can manage the functionality and capacity of a NE. It can also be referred to as a network management system (NMS).

[0080] NE management systems provide unified operations and maintenance functions within specialized networks, focusing on element management within regions, networks, and subnetworks. They enable end-to-end management and maintenance of equipment and networks. For example, a single NE management system can centrally manage a carrier's IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) network and equipment. The IMS includes core network equipment, data communications equipment, Next Generation Network (NGN) equipment, service equipment, and third-party information technology (IT) equipment.

[0081] For another example, the element management system included in the passive optical network remotely manages the OLT. Alternatively, the element management system included in the passive optical network remotely manages the OLT network elements. The element management system may include one or more servers, which provide remote management functions for the network elements. For example, management functions include fault management, configuration management, and performance management. For example, as shown in Figure 1, the passive optical network 100 also includes an element management system 150. The element management system 150 can be connected to multiple OLTs 110 via optical fibers. The OLTs 110 and the element management system 150 communicate via the OLT's uplink optical port.

[0082] Optionally, the network element management system may also be connected to the OLT via network devices (such as switches and routers).

[0083] In some cases, a link failure between the OLT and the network management system prevents the network management system from remotely managing the OLT, effectively causing the OLT to become unmanaged. This has become a significant operational and maintenance pain point for operators, especially when the OLT has only a single uplink optical port.

[0084] The main causes of link failure between the OLT and the network management system include optical fiber failure between the OLT and the network management system, OLT interface failure (such as OLT optical module failure), or network management system interface failure (such as network management system optical module failure).

[0085] To enhance network element management reliability and reduce the risk of network element loss, dual uplinks can be implemented between the network element and the network management system. Specifically, two optical fibers connect the network element and the network management system. If one optical fiber fails, communication can be performed using the other fiber. Figure 3 shows a schematic diagram of a network management system and multiple optical line terminals (OLTs) in the prior art. As shown in Figure 3, OLT network element 1, OLT network element 2, and OLT network element 3 are each connected to network device 320 via two optical fibers. As can be appreciated, the optical fibers and interface modules between the OLT network element and the network devices provide dual backup protection, reducing the risk of the network management system losing control of the OLT. Network management system 310 connects to OLT network element 1, OLT network element 2, and OLT network element 3 via network device 320. Network device 320 can be a switch or a router. Network management system 310 can be connected to network device 320 via optical fibers.

[0086] Assume that optical fiber 1 between OLT network element 1 and network device 320 fails, and optical fiber 2 between OLT network element 1 and network device 320 is unobstructed, OLT network element 1 communicates with network device 320 through optical fiber 2, and network management system 310 manages OLT network element 1 through optical fiber 2 between OLT network element 1 and network device 320.

[0087] Since the OLT uses dual uplink optical ports to communicate with the network management system, the optical fiber between the OLT and network equipment needs to be doubled, resulting in a waste of optical fiber resources. The implementation cost of this solution is relatively high.

[0088] In other embodiments, a switch is deployed between the network element and the network management system to implement an out-of-band channel for communication between the network element and the network management system. Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of another network management system and multiple optical line terminals provided by the prior art. As shown in Figure 4, OLT network element 1, OLT network element 2, and OLT network element 3 are each connected to network management system 410 via switch 420. Specifically, OLT network element 1, OLT network element 2, and OLT network element 3 can be connected to switch 420 via an Ethernet electrical port for an out-of-band channel. Switch 420 can be deployed in a central computer room. Switch 420 is connected to network management system 410 via an optical fiber uplink. This implements an out-of-band channel for communication between the network management system and the OLT, reducing the risk of the network management system losing control of the OLT.

[0089] Assume that the link between the OLT network element 1 and the network device 430 fails. The OLT network element 1 communicates with the network management system 410 through the switch 420 . The network management system 410 manages the OLT network element 1 through the switch 420 between the OLT network element 1 and the network management system 410 .

[0090] Since additional switches with Ethernet electrical ports need to be deployed, transmission resources are wasted and the implementation cost of this solution is high.

[0091] To address the issue of wasting fiber or transmission resources by changing the connection between an optical line terminal and a network management system to ensure the reliability of the network management system's management of network elements, the present application provides a network element management method that interconnects multiple optical line terminals, enabling message forwarding between the optical line terminals. When a link between a first optical line terminal and the network management system fails, a management message sent by the network management system to the first optical line terminal is forwarded by a second optical line terminal, allowing the first optical line terminal to execute management operations of the network management system on the first optical line terminal according to a management identifier indicated in the management message.

[0092] In this way, the link between the second optical line terminal and the network management system, and the link between the second optical line terminal and the first optical line terminal, are used as backup paths for the network management system to send management messages to the first optical line terminal. After a link failure occurs between the first optical line terminal and the network management system, the management messages for the first optical line terminal are forwarded via the second optical line terminal connected to the first optical line terminal. This enables the network management system to manage the first optical line terminal in a timely manner without losing management of the first optical line terminal, thereby improving the reliability of the network management system's management of network elements.

[0093] Compared with connecting two optical fibers between the optical line terminal and the network management system, which results in a waste of optical fiber resources, or deploying an additional out-of-band switch between the optical line terminal and the network management system, which results in a waste of transmission resources, the present application provides a solution that does not require changing the uplink networking between the optical line terminal and the network management system, effectively enhancing the reliability of the network management system for network element management. The solution provided by the present application is easy to implement and low-cost.

[0094] The network element management method provided by this application is described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0095] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication network provided in this application. As shown in Figure 5, communication network 500 includes a network management system 510 and OLT network elements 1, 2, and 3. Network management system 510 is connected to OLT network elements 1, 2, and 3 via network devices 520. Network devices 520 can be switches or routers. Network management system 510 can be connected to network devices 520 via optical fibers.

[0096] Among them, OLT network element 1, OLT network element 2 and OLT network element 3 are connected to each other. This application does not limit the connection method between multiple OLT network elements.

[0097] For example, as shown in Figure 5, OLT network element 1, OLT network element 2, and OLT network element 3 are connected to each other in pairs. OLT network element 1 is connected to OLT network element 2 and OLT network element 3 respectively. OLT network element 2 is connected to OLT network element 3. This improves the reliability of message transmission between OLT network elements.

[0098] Optionally, the OLT network element 1, the OLT network element 2, and the OLT network element 3 are connected adjacently. The OLT network element 1 is connected to the OLT network element 2, and the OLT network element 2 is connected to the OLT network element 3.

[0099] In some embodiments, multiple OLT network elements are connected to each other via network cables via electrical ports. For example, multiple OLT network elements are located in the same computer room or in nearby computer rooms. Since the distance between the multiple OLT network elements is relatively close, the multiple OLT network elements can be connected to each other via network cables.

[0100] Electrical ports are a general term for various twisted-pair interfaces, such as RJ45, found in servers and networks. Electrical ports use electricity as the information carrier and sometimes also include coaxial cable ports. Electrical ports may use Fast Ethernet (FE), Gigabit Ethernet (GE), 10 Gigabit Ethernet, or other transmission protocols.

[0101] It should be understood that a switching module is provided on the control board of the OLT network element, and an electrical port is provided on the panel of the OLT network element. The OLT network element is connected to the network cable through the electrical port to facilitate the transmission of management messages of the network management system between multiple OLT network elements.

[0102] For example, as shown in Figure 6, OLT network element 1 includes a main control board 11, a main control board 12, and a general purpose input / output (GPIO) board. Main control board 11 and main control board 12 each include a processor (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU)) and an uplink module. The processor is used to process messages received by OLT network element 1. The uplink module is used to enable communication between OLT network element 1 and the network element to which it is connected (e.g., network device 520).

[0103] The GPIO board includes a switching module, such as a local area network switch (LSW) module. The switching module is used to transmit messages to OLT network element 2 or OLT network element 3. The switching module is connected to the processor via a Serial Gigabit Media Independent Interface (SGMII).

[0104] The panel of OLT network element 1 is provided with electrical port 1 and electrical port 2. OLT network element 1 is connected to OLT network element 3 via electrical port 2 via electrical port 1. OLT network element 1 is connected to OLT network element 2 via electrical port 1 via electrical port 2. OLT network element 2 is connected to OLT network element 3 via electrical port 1 via electrical port 2.

[0105] The internal configurations of the OLT network element 2 and the OLT network element 3 are similar to those of the OLT network element 1 and are not described in detail herein.

[0106] Optionally, the switching module can also be set on the main control board. This application does not limit the location of the switching module. If the OLT network element does not include an electrical port, a device electrical port can be added to the panel, or a device switching module can be added to the main control board or GPIO board to achieve interconnection between OLT network elements.

[0107] In other embodiments, multiple OLTs are interconnected via optical fiber ports. For example, if multiple OLTs are located in separate computer rooms that are far apart, they can be interconnected via optical fiber due to the distance between them. An optical port is a general term for various fiber optic ports in servers and networks, and uses light as the carrier medium for information.

[0108] In addition, this application does not limit the rate of the electrical port or optical port used to connect OLT network elements, and can be set according to actual needs.

[0109] Because OLTs are interconnected, if the link between any OLT in the communication network and the network management system fails, the network management system's management messages for the disconnected OLT are forwarded by other OLTs in the communication network, allowing the disconnected OLT to execute the network management system's management operations based on the management identifier indicated in the management messages. For example, if the link between OLT 1 ​​and the network management system fails, a management message sent by the network management system to OLT 1 ​​is forwarded by OLT 2 or OLT 3, allowing OLT 1 ​​to execute the network management system's management operations based on the management identifier indicated in the management message.

[0110] In some embodiments, after OLT network elements are connected to each other, they can search for adjacent OLT network elements according to the Neighbor Discovery Protocol (NDP or ND) and report the neighbor addresses of the OLT network elements to the network management system, so that the network management system can obtain the topological relationship between the OLT network elements.

[0111] Optionally, network administrators can manually configure the neighbor addresses of OLT network elements and the topological relationships between OLT network elements. OLT network elements can send heartbeat messages to each other to ensure connectivity between OLT network elements. OLT network elements can also automatically identify channel connectivity with the network management system.

[0112] This application does not limit the method for selecting a proxy network element. For example, the network management system may select an OLT network element from OLT network element 2 and OLT network element 3 based on the topological relationship to forward the management message to OLT network element 1. In another example, the network management system may forward the management message from an OLT network element that is closer to OLT network element 1 to OLT network element 1. In another example, the network management system may select an OLT network element based on the priority of the OLT network element to forward the management message to OLT network element 1.

[0113] The device structure shown in Figure 5 does not limit the communication network and may include more or fewer components than shown, or combine certain components, or arrange components differently. For example, the communication network may include more OLT network elements.

[0114] Next, the network element management method provided in this application is described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0115] See Figure 7, which is a schematic flow chart of a network element management method provided by this application. This example illustrates the interconnection of OLT network element 1, OLT network element 2, and OLT network element 3 shown in Figure 5. Assuming a link failure between OLT network element 1 and the network management system, management messages are forwarded by OLT network element 2. The first optical line terminal can be OLT network element 1. The second optical line terminal can be OLT network element 2. As shown in Figure 7, the method includes the following steps.

[0116] Step 710: When the network management system detects a link failure between the first optical line terminal and the network management system, the network management system sends a first management message to the second optical line terminal.

[0117] When the network management system is unable to send a message to the first optical line terminal, or the network management system is unable to receive a message sent by the first optical line terminal, the link between the network management system and the first optical line terminal may be faulty. In some embodiments, the network management system may send a heartbeat message to the first optical line terminal to detect whether the link between the network management system and the first optical line terminal is faulty. If the network management system does not receive a heartbeat message sent by the first optical line terminal within a preset time period, it is determined that the link between the network management system and the first optical line terminal may be faulty. In other embodiments, the network management system may send a ping command to the first optical line terminal. For example, the network management system may send an Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP) request message to the first optical line terminal. If the network management system does not receive a response message sent by the first optical line terminal, it is determined that the link between the network management system and the first optical line terminal may be faulty.

[0118] Due to a link failure between the first optical line terminal and the network management system, the network management system is unable to manage the first optical line terminal. For example, the network management system is unable to send a first management message to the first optical line terminal. Then, the network management system sends the first management message to the second optical line terminal. The first management message is forwarded by the second optical line terminal so that the first optical line terminal receives the first management message sent by the network management system.

[0119] In some embodiments, the network management system encapsulates the first management message within a second management message sent to the second optical line terminal. The network management system sends the second management message to the second optical line terminal. For example, network management system 510 sends the second management message to OLT network element 2 via network device 520. The second management message includes the first management message. It is understood that the second management message can be a proxy message. The second optical line terminal can act as a proxy network element to forward the first management message sent by the network management system to the first optical line terminal.

[0120] For example, as shown in Figure 8, the first management message is located in the payload field of the second management message. The header of the second management message includes a source address, a destination address, and an agent identifier. The source address indicates the address of the network management system. The destination address indicates the management address of the second optical line terminal. The management address of the second optical line terminal is used for communication between the second optical line terminal and the network management system. The agent identifier indicates that the second management message is a proxy message. The agent identifier can be located in the payload field or the header of the second management message. As shown in Figure 8, the agent identifier can be located in the header of the second management message.

[0121] The payload field of the first management message further includes a management identifier, which is used to instruct the first optical line terminal to execute a management operation of the network management system on the first optical line terminal.

[0122] The source address included in the first management message is used to indicate the address of the network management system, and the destination address included in the first management message is used to indicate the management address of the first optical line terminal. The management address of the first optical line terminal is used for communication between the first optical line terminal and the network management system.

[0123] Correspondingly, the second optical line terminal receives the first management message.The second optical line terminal can receive the first management message sent by the network management system through the optical fiber connected to the network management system.

[0124] In some embodiments, the second optical line terminal receives a second management message sent by the network management system. The second management message includes the first management message. The explanation of the first management message and the second management message is as described in step 710 above.

[0125] Optionally, the first optical line terminal and the second optical line terminal can transmit messages to the network management system based on the Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) or the NETCONF protocol. The format of the management message can be the Management Information Base (MIB) format or the yang format.

[0126] Step 720: The second optical line terminal sends a first management message to the first optical line terminal.

[0127] The second optical line terminal receives the second management message and parses the second management message to obtain the first management message. Since the source address in the header of the first management message indicates the address of the network management system and the destination address indicates the management address of the first optical line terminal, it indicates that the first management message is sent by the network management system to the first optical line terminal, and the second optical line terminal forwards the first management message to the first optical line terminal.

[0128] Optionally, the second optical line terminal parses the second management message, obtains the proxy identifier, determines that the second management message is a proxy message, and forwards the first management message to the first optical line terminal.

[0129] In some embodiments, since the second optical line terminal has established a connection with the first optical line terminal, the second optical line terminal may encapsulate the first management message within the first message sent to the first optical line terminal. The second optical line terminal sends the first message to the first optical line terminal, where the first message includes the first management message. The second optical line terminal may check the local routing table and forward the first message to the first optical line terminal. The local routing table is used to indicate the correspondence between the neighbor addresses of two connected optical line terminals. For example, the second optical line terminal may check the local routing table to determine that the neighbor address of the second optical line terminal corresponds to the neighbor address of the first optical line terminal.

[0130] For example, as shown in Figure 9, the first management message is located in the payload field of the first message. The header of the first message includes a source address and a destination address. The source address is used to indicate the neighbor address of the second optical line terminal, and the destination address is used to indicate the neighbor address of the first optical line terminal. The neighbor address of the first optical line terminal is used for communication between the first optical line terminal and the second optical line terminal. The neighbor address of the second optical line terminal is used for communication between the second optical line terminal and the first optical line terminal.

[0131] It is understandable that the neighbor address of the second optical line terminal and the neighbor address of the first optical line terminal may be addresses of a local area network established by the second optical line terminal and the first optical line terminal.

[0132] Correspondingly, the first optical line terminal receives the first management message sent by the second optical line terminal. The first management message is transmitted via the network cable connecting the second optical line terminal and the first optical line terminal, and the first optical line terminal receives the first management message sent by the second optical line terminal via the electrical port connected to the second optical line terminal. The first management message is transmitted via the optical fiber connecting the second optical line terminal and the first optical line terminal, and the first optical line terminal receives the first management message sent by the second optical line terminal via the optical port connected to the second optical line terminal.

[0133] In some embodiments, the first optical line terminal receives a first message sent by the second optical line terminal. The first message includes a first management message. The explanation of the first message is as described in step 720 above.

[0134] Step 730: The first optical line terminal executes the management operation of the network management system on the first optical line terminal according to the management identifier indicated by the first management message.

[0135] In some embodiments, the management identifier may be a numerical value, and the first optical line terminal performs a corresponding management operation according to the value of the management identifier.

[0136] For example, if the management flag indicates reset, the first optical line terminal may reset and restart the optical module. In another example, if the management flag indicates reporting fault information, the first optical line terminal may report the fault information to the network management system.

[0137] Step 740: The first optical line terminal sends a first management response message.

[0138] The first management response message is used to indicate the result of the management operation. For example, the result of the management operation indicates reset success or reset failure. For another example, the result of the management operation indicates fault information.

[0139] In some embodiments, the first optical line terminal may encapsulate the first management response message in a second message sent to the second optical line terminal. The first optical line terminal sends the second message to the second optical line terminal, where the second message includes the first management response message. The first optical line terminal may check a local routing table to determine whether a neighbor address of the second optical line terminal corresponds to a neighbor address of the first optical line terminal, and forward the second message to the second optical line terminal based on the corresponding relationship.

[0140] The first management response message is located in the payload field of the second message. The header of the second message includes a source address and a destination address. The source address is used to indicate the neighbor address of the first optical line terminal, and the destination address is used to indicate the neighbor address of the second optical line terminal.

[0141] The source address included in the first management response message is used to indicate the management address of the first optical line terminal, and the destination address included in the first management response message is used to indicate the address of the network management system.

[0142] Optionally, the second message may further include a proxy identifier, where the proxy identifier is used to indicate that the second message is a proxy message.

[0143] Correspondingly, the second optical line terminal receives the first management response message sent by the first optical line terminal. The first management response message is transmitted via the network cable connecting the second optical line terminal and the first optical line terminal, and the second optical line terminal receives the first management response message sent by the first optical line terminal via the electrical port connected to the first optical line terminal. The first management response message is transmitted via the optical fiber connecting the second optical line terminal and the first optical line terminal, and the second optical line terminal receives the first management response message sent by the first optical line terminal via the optical port connected to the first optical line terminal.

[0144] In some embodiments, the second optical line terminal receives a second message sent by the first optical line terminal, where the second message includes the first management response message. The explanation of the second message is as described in step 740 above.

[0145] Optionally, the first optical line terminal may also send the first management response message through another optical line terminal. For example, the first optical line terminal is connected to a third optical line terminal, and the first optical line terminal sends the first management response message to the third optical line terminal, which then forwards the first management response message to the network management system through the third optical line terminal.

[0146] Step 750: The second optical line terminal sends a first management response message to the network management system.

[0147] The second optical line terminal receives the second message, parses the second message, and obtains the first management response message. Since the source address in the header of the first management response message indicates the management address of the first optical line terminal, and the destination address indicates the address of the network management system, it indicates that the first management response message is a message sent by the first optical line terminal to the network management system, and the second optical line terminal forwards the first management response message to the network management system.

[0148] Optionally, the second optical line terminal parses the second message, obtains the proxy identifier, determines that the second message is a proxy message, and forwards the first management response message to the network management system.

[0149] In some embodiments, the second optical line terminal encapsulates the first management response message into a second management response message sent to the network management system. The second management response message sent by the second optical line terminal to the network management system includes the first management response message.

[0150] The first management response message is located in the payload field of the second management response message. The header of the second management response message includes a source address and a destination address. The source address indicates the management address of the second optical line terminal, and the destination address indicates the address of the network management system. The management address of the second optical line terminal is used for communication between the second optical line terminal and the network management system.

[0151] Correspondingly, the network management system receives the first management response message.The network management system receives the first management response message sent by the second optical line terminal.

[0152] In some embodiments, the network management system receives a second management response message sent by the second optical line terminal. The second management response message includes the first management response message. The first management response message and the second management response message are explained as described above in steps 740 and 750.

[0153] It should be noted that, when the network management system detects that the link failure between the first optical line terminal and the network management system is recovered, the network management system manages the first optical line terminal based on the link between the network management system and the first optical line terminal.

[0154] In this way, the disconnected optical line terminal is used as the target optical line terminal, and the optical line terminal connected to the disconnected optical line terminal is used as the proxy network element. The proxy optical line terminal forwards the management message sent by the network management system to the target optical line terminal. In the event of a link failure between the target optical line terminal and the network management system, the network management system can manage the target optical line terminal in a timely manner without disconnecting the target optical line terminal, thereby improving the reliability of the network management system's management of the network element.

[0155] It is understood that to implement the functions described in the above embodiments, the optical line terminal includes hardware structures and / or software modules corresponding to each function. Those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that, in conjunction with the various exemplary units and method steps described in the embodiments disclosed herein, this application can be implemented in hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether a function is implemented in hardware or in a hardware-driven manner by computer software depends on the specific application scenario and design constraints of the technical solution.

[0156] The network element management method provided in accordance with the present embodiment is described in detail above with reference to FIG. 1 to FIG. 9 . The network element management apparatus provided in accordance with the present embodiment will be described below with reference to FIG. 10 .

[0157] Figure 10 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a network element management device provided in this embodiment. These network element management devices can be used to implement the functions of the optical line terminal in the above-mentioned method embodiments, thereby also achieving the beneficial effects of the above-mentioned method embodiments. In this embodiment, the network element management device can be the optical line terminal shown in Figure 5, or it can be a module (such as a chip) applied to the optical line terminal.

[0158] As shown in Figure 10, the network element management device 1000 includes a communication module 1010, a processing module 1020, and a storage module 1030. The network element management device 1000 is used to implement the functions of the first optical line terminal in the method embodiment shown in Figure 7 above.

[0159] The communication module 1010 is configured to receive a first management message sent by a second optical line terminal.

[0160] The processing module 1020 is configured to execute a management operation of the network management system on the first optical line terminal according to the management identifier indicated by the first management message. For example, the processing module 1020 is configured to execute step 730 in FIG7 .

[0161] The communication module 1010 is further configured to send a first management response message, where the first management response message is used to indicate a result of the management operation. For example, the communication module 1010 is configured to execute step 740 in FIG. 7 .

[0162] The network element management device 1000 is used to implement the function of the second optical line terminal in the method embodiment shown in FIG. 7 .

[0163] The communication module 1010 is used to receive a first management message sent by a network management system, where the first management message is used to instruct the network management system to perform a management operation on the first optical line terminal.

[0164] The processing module 1020 is configured to parse the second management message sent by the network management system to obtain the first management message.

[0165] The communication module 1010 is further configured to send a first management message to the first optical line terminal. For example, the communication module 1010 is configured to execute step 720 in FIG.

[0166] The communication module 1010 is further configured to send a first management response message to the network management system. For example, the communication module 1010 is configured to execute step 750 in FIG. 7 .

[0167] The storage module 1030 is used to store neighbor addresses of the first optical line terminal and the second optical line terminal, so as to facilitate message forwarding between the first optical line terminal and the second optical line terminal.

[0168] It should be understood that the network element management device 1000 of the embodiment of the present application can be implemented by an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) or a programmable logic device (PLD), and the above-mentioned PLD can be a complex programmable logical device (CPLD), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), a generic array logic (GAL), or any combination thereof. When the forwarding management message shown in Figure 7 is implemented by software, its various modules can also be software modules, and the network element management device 1000 and its various modules can also be software modules.

[0169] According to the embodiment of the present application, the network element management device 1000 can correspond to executing the method described in the embodiment of the present application, and the above-mentioned and other operations and / or functions of each unit in the network element management device 1000 are respectively for implementing the corresponding processes of each method in Figure 7. For the sake of brevity, they will not be repeated here.

[0170] 11 is a schematic diagram of the structure of an optical line terminal provided by the present application. As shown in FIG11 , the optical line terminal 1100 mainly includes the following parts: a processor 1101 , a memory 1102 , an optical module 1103 and a power management module 1104 .

[0171] The power management module 1104 is used to provide a stable current for the optical line terminal 1100 .

[0172] The optical module 1103 is used to connect optical fibers to enable the optical line terminal 1100 to communicate with other devices, such as network-side devices, other optical line terminals, and user-end devices.

[0173] Optionally, the optical line terminal 1100 may also be configured with a first PON interface and a second PON interface. The first PON interface is used for optical communication between the optical line terminal 1100 and upper-layer devices (other upper-layer optical line terminals), and the second PON interface is used for optical communication between the optical line terminal 1100 and user-end devices. The first PON interface and the second PON interface are both ports connected using PON technology. The first PON interface may include at least one of the following: a GPON interface, an EPON interface, a symmetric 10G GPON interface, an asymmetric 10G GPON interface, a 10G EPON interface, a TWDM PON interface, or a PON interface with a higher operating rate that will appear in the future. The second PON interface may include at least one of the following: a GPON interface, an EPON interface, a symmetric 10G GPON interface, an asymmetric 10G GPON interface, a 10G EPON interface, a TWDM PON interface, or a PON interface with a higher operating rate that will appear in the future.

[0174] In the present application, the first PON interface and the second PON interface may be PON interfaces of different types or PON interfaces of the same type.

[0175] Optionally, the optical line terminal 1100 may also be configured with an Ethernet interface. The Ethernet interface is an interface that uses the Ethernet protocol for communication and can be used for communication between the optical line terminal 1100 and upper-layer network-side devices (switches, routers, etc.).

[0176] Memory 1102 is coupled to processor 1101 and is configured to store various software programs and / or multiple sets of instructions. Specifically, memory 1102 may include high-speed random access memory and may also include non-volatile memory, such as one or more disk storage devices, flash memory devices, or other non-volatile solid-state storage devices. Memory 1102 may store an operating system (hereinafter referred to as "system"), such as an embedded operating system such as Android, iOS, Windows, or Linux. Memory 1102 may also store neighbor addresses between multiple optical line terminals.

[0177] The processor 1101 may be configured to read and execute computer-readable instructions to perform management functions for the optical line terminal 1100, interpret, control, or process messages received by the optical line terminal 1100, and the like. Specifically, the processor 1101 may be configured to call a program stored in the memory 1102 and execute instructions contained in the program, which may be configured to implement the signal transmission function of the optical line terminal 1100 in the PON communication network.

[0178] It is understandable that the optical line terminal 1100 may also include an uplink board, a backplane providing physical connections for various units, a clock, a fan, a fan control module, etc., which will not be described in detail here.

[0179] It should be noted that the optical line terminal 1100 shown in FIG11 is only one implementation of the present application. In actual applications, the optical line terminal 1100 may also include more or fewer components, which is not limited here.

[0180] From the structure shown in Figure 11, when connecting to upper-layer devices, the optical line terminal 1100 can be connected to devices that support downstream PON (such as traditional optical line terminals) through the first PON interface, and can also be connected to network-side devices such as switches and routers through traditional Ethernet interfaces.

[0181] The method steps in this embodiment can be implemented by hardware or by a processor executing software instructions. The software instructions can be composed of corresponding software modules, which can be stored in random access memory (RAM), flash memory, read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), registers, hard disks, mobile hard disks, CD-ROMs, or any other form of storage medium known in the art. An exemplary storage medium is coupled to the processor so that the processor can read information from the storage medium and write information to the storage medium. Of course, the storage medium can also be an integral part of the processor. The processor and storage medium can be located in an ASIC. In addition, the ASIC can be located in a computing device. Of course, the processor and storage medium can also exist as discrete components in a computing device.

[0182] In the above embodiments, all or part of the embodiments can be implemented by software, hardware, firmware or any combination thereof. When implemented using software, all or part of the embodiments can be implemented in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer programs or instructions. When the computer program or instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, the process or function described in the embodiments of the present application is performed in whole or in part. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, a network device, a user device or other programmable device. The computer program or instruction can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another computer-readable storage medium. For example, the computer program or instruction can be transmitted from one website, computer, server or data center to another website, computer, server or data center via wired or wireless means. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer or a data storage device such as a server or data center that integrates one or more available media. The available medium can be a magnetic medium, such as a floppy disk, a hard disk, or a tape; it can also be an optical medium, such as a digital video disc (DVD); it can also be a semiconductor medium, such as a solid state drive (SSD). The above description is merely a specific embodiment of the present application, but the scope of protection of the present application is not limited thereto. Any person skilled in the art can easily conceive of various equivalent modifications or substitutions within the technical scope disclosed in the present application, and such modifications or substitutions should be included in the scope of protection of the present application. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present application should be based on the scope of protection of the claims.

Claims

1. A network element management method, characterized in that: The method is applied to a communication network, the communication network includes a network management system and a plurality of optical line terminals, the plurality of optical line terminals are connected to each other, the plurality of optical line terminals include a first optical line terminal and a second optical line terminal, the method is performed by the first optical line terminal, and the method includes: When a link between the first optical line terminal and the network management system fails, receiving a first management message sent by the second optical line terminal; The management operation of the network management system on the first optical line terminal is performed according to the management identifier indicated by the first management message.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that Receiving a first management message sent by the second optical line terminal includes: receiving a first message sent by the second optical line terminal, wherein the first message includes the first management message; Wherein, the first management message is located in the payload field of the first message; The header of the first message includes a source address and a destination address, the source address is used to indicate the neighbor address of the second optical line terminal, the destination address is used to indicate the neighbor address of the first optical line terminal, and the neighbor address of the first optical line terminal and the neighbor address of the second optical line terminal are used for communication between the first optical line terminal and the second optical line terminal.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The method further comprises: A first management response message is sent, where the first management response message is used to indicate a result of the management operation.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that Sending a first management response message, including: Sending a second message to the second optical line terminal, where the second message includes the first management response message; Wherein, the first management response message is located in the payload field of the second message; The header of the second message includes a source address and a destination address, the source address is used to indicate a neighbor address of the first optical line terminal, and the destination address is used to indicate a neighbor address of the second optical line terminal.

5. A network element management method, characterized in that: The method is applied to a communication network, the communication network includes a network management system and a plurality of optical line terminals, the plurality of optical line terminals are connected to each other, the plurality of optical line terminals include a first optical line terminal and a second optical line terminal, the method is performed by the second optical line terminal, and the method includes: When a link between the first optical line terminal and the network management system fails, receiving a first management message sent by the network management system, wherein the first management message is used to instruct the network management system to perform a management operation on the first optical line terminal; Sending the first management message to the first optical line terminal.

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that Receiving a first management message sent by the network management system includes: receiving a second management message sent by the network management system, where the second management message includes the first management message; Wherein, the first management message is located in the payload field of the second management message; The header of the second management message includes a source address, a destination address and a proxy identifier, the source address is used to indicate the address of the network management system, the destination address is used to indicate the management address of the second optical line terminal, the management address of the second optical line terminal is used for the second optical line terminal to communicate with the network management system, and the proxy identifier is used to indicate that the second management message is a proxy message.

7. The method according to claim 5 or 6, characterized in that: Sending the first management message to the first optical line terminal includes: Sending a first message to the first optical line terminal, where the first message includes the first management message; Wherein, the first management message is located in the payload field of the first message; The header of the first message includes a source address and a destination address, the source address is used to indicate the neighbor address of the second optical line terminal, the destination address is used to indicate the neighbor address of the first optical line terminal, and the neighbor address of the first optical line terminal and the neighbor address of the second optical line terminal are used for communication between the first optical line terminal and the second optical line terminal.

8. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that The method further comprises: A first management response message sent by the first optical line terminal is received, where the first management response message is used to indicate a result of the management operation.

9. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that Receiving a first management response message sent by the first optical line terminal includes: receiving a second message sent by the first optical line terminal, where the second message includes the first management response message; Wherein, the first management response message is located in the payload field of the second message; The header of the second message includes a source address and a destination address, the source address is used to indicate a neighbor address of the first optical line terminal, The destination address is used to indicate a neighbor address of the second optical line terminal.

10. The method according to claim 8 or 9, characterized in that: The method further comprises: a second management response message sent to the network management system, wherein the second management response message includes the first management response message; Wherein, the first management response message is located in the payload field of the second management response message; The header of the second management response message includes a source address and a destination address, the source address is used to indicate the management address of the second optical line terminal, and the destination address is used to indicate the address of the network management system.

11. A communication network, characterized in that: The communication network includes a network management system, a first optical line terminal and a second optical line terminal, wherein the first optical line terminal and the second optical line terminal are connected; when a link failure occurs between the first optical line terminal and the network management system, The second optical line terminal is used to receive a first management message sent by the network management system, where the first management message is used to instruct the network management system to perform a management operation on the first optical line terminal; The first optical line terminal is used to receive the first management message sent by the second optical line terminal; The first optical line terminal is further configured to execute a management operation of the network management system on the first optical line terminal according to the management identifier indicated by the first management message; The second optical line terminal is further used to receive a first management response message sent by the first optical line terminal, where the first management response message is used to indicate a result of the management operation; The second optical line terminal is further used to send the first management response message to the network management system.

12. The communication network according to claim 11, characterized in that When the second optical line terminal receives the first management message sent by the network management system, it is specifically used to: receiving a second management message sent by the network management system, where the second management message includes the first management message; Wherein, the first management message is located in the payload field of the second management message; The header of the second management message includes a source address, a destination address and a proxy identifier, the source address is used to indicate the address of the network management system, the destination address is used to indicate the management address of the second optical line terminal, the management address of the second optical line terminal is used for the second optical line terminal to communicate with the network management system, and the proxy identifier is used to indicate that the second management message is a proxy message.

13. The communication network according to claim 11 or 12, characterized in that: When the first optical line terminal receives the first management message sent by the second optical line terminal, it is specifically used to: receiving a first message sent by the second optical line terminal, wherein the first message includes the first management message; Wherein, the first management message is located in the payload field of the first message; The header of the first message includes a source address and a destination address, the source address is used to indicate the neighbor address of the second optical line terminal, the destination address is used to indicate the neighbor address of the first optical line terminal, and the neighbor address of the first optical line terminal and the neighbor address of the second optical line terminal are used for communication between the first optical line terminal and the second optical line terminal.

14. The communication network according to any one of claims 11 to 13, characterized in that: When the second optical line terminal receives the first management response message sent by the first optical line terminal, it is specifically used to: receiving a second message sent by the first optical line terminal, where the second message includes the first management response message; Wherein, the first management response message is located in the payload field of the second message; The header of the second message includes a source address and a destination address, the source address is used to indicate a neighbor address of the first optical line terminal, and the destination address is used to indicate a neighbor address of the second optical line terminal.

15. The communication network according to any one of claims 11 to 14, characterized in that: When the second optical line terminal sends the first management response message to the network management system, it is specifically used to: a second management response message sent to the network management system, wherein the second management response message includes the first management response message; Wherein, the first management response message is located in the payload field of the second management response message; The header of the second management response message includes a source address and a destination address, the source address is used to indicate the management address of the second optical line terminal, and the destination address is used to indicate the address of the network management system.

16. An optical line terminal, characterized in that: The optical line terminal includes an optical module, a memory and a processor, wherein the memory is used to store a set of computer instructions; the optical module is used to receive or send data, and when the processor executes the set of computer instructions, the operation steps of the method described in any one of claims 1 to 10 are performed.

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