Message transmission method and apparatus, and storage medium

Abstract

A message transmission method and apparatus, and a storage medium. The method comprises: generating a first message, wherein the first message comprises application-aware network information and telemetric in-situ flow information, the telemetric in-situ flow information being carried in a preset field of the application-aware network information; and sending the first message to a second node.

Description

Message transmission method, device and storage medium

[0001] This application claims priority to Chinese patent application No. 202410190685.4, filed on February 20, 2024, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0002] The present disclosure relates to the field of communication technologies, and in particular to a message transmission method, device, and storage medium. Background Art

[0003] With the convergence of computing and cloud networks, current network services are facing new demands in terms of service quality assurance and application-level user perception. In-stream detection technology is used to implement service-level network performance indicator monitoring, and application-aware networking technology enables network devices to schedule traffic and adjust resources based on application needs. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In a first aspect, a message transmission method is provided, which is applied to a first node. The method includes: generating a first message; the first message includes application-aware network information and flow detection information; the flow detection information is carried in a preset field of the application-aware network information; and sending the first message to a second node.

[0005] In combination with the above first aspect, in one implementation, the preset field is a reserved bit in the application-aware network information.

[0006] In combination with the first aspect above, in one implementation, the in-flow detection information includes at least one of a first field or a second field; the first field is used to identify the mode of the detected service flow, and the second field is used to indicate the execution of the in-flow detection operation.

[0007] In combination with the above first aspect, in one implementation, the first field is carried in the reserved bits of the Flags field in the application-aware network information, and the second field is carried in the reserved bits of the APN-Para-Type field in the application-aware network information.

[0008] In combination with the above-mentioned first aspect, in one implementation, the value of the first field is used to indicate at least one of the following: identifying the detected service flow by a flow identifier; or identifying the detected service flow by a flow identifier and a node identifier.

[0009] In combination with the above-mentioned first aspect, in one implementation, the value of the second field is used to indicate at least one of the following: generating a flow identifier based on an application-aware network identifier; or, the flow detection information includes a flow detection parameter, and the flow detection parameter is used to configure a detection rule for performing a flow detection operation.

[0010] In combination with the first aspect above, in one implementation, the flow detection parameter includes at least one of the following: a node identifier; a packet loss flag; a delay flag; a detection mode; or a detection period.

[0011] In combination with the above-mentioned first aspect, in one implementation, the method further includes: receiving a first indication message from a control device; the first indication message is used to instruct the first node to generate a first message.

[0012] In conjunction with the first aspect above, in one implementation, the first indication message includes application-aware network information and in-flow detection information; the method includes: receiving a first target message in a detected service flow from a third node; encapsulating the application-aware network information in a message header of the first target message to generate a second target message; and adjusting a preset field in the application-aware network information to a preset value for representing the in-flow detection information to generate the first message.

[0013] In combination with the first aspect above, in one implementation, the first indication message includes in-flow detection information; the method further includes: receiving a second target message in the detected service flow from a third node; the message header of the second target message includes application-aware network information; and adjusting a preset field in the application-aware network information to a preset value for representing the in-flow detection information to generate the first message.

[0014] In a second aspect, a message transmission method is provided, which is applied to a second node. The method includes: receiving a first message from a first node; the first message includes application-aware network information and flow detection information; and the flow detection information is carried in a preset field of the application-aware network information.

[0015] In combination with the above second aspect, in one implementation, the preset field is a reserved bit in the application-aware network information.

[0016] In combination with the above second aspect, in one implementation, the in-flow detection information includes at least one of a first field and a second field; the first field is used to identify the mode of the detected service flow, and the second field is used to indicate the execution of the in-flow detection operation.

[0017] In combination with the above second aspect, in one implementation, the first field is carried in the reserved bits of the Flags field in the application-aware network information, and the second field is carried in the reserved bits of the APN-Para-Type field in the application-aware network information.

[0018] In combination with the above second aspect, in one implementation, the value of the first field is used to indicate at least one of the following: identifying the detected service flow through a flow identifier; or identifying the detected service flow through a flow identifier and a node identifier.

[0019] In combination with the above-mentioned second aspect, in one implementation, the value of the second field is used to indicate at least one of the following: generating a flow identifier based on an application-aware network identifier; or, the flow detection information includes a flow detection parameter, and the flow detection parameter is used to configure a detection rule for performing a flow detection operation.

[0020] In combination with the above second aspect, in one implementation, the flow detection parameter includes at least one of the following: a node identifier; a packet loss mark; a delay mark; a detection mode; and a detection period.

[0021] In combination with the above second aspect, in one implementation, the method further includes: performing at least one of an application-aware network operation or a flow detection operation based on the first message and the supported message processing capabilities.

[0022] In a third aspect, a message transmission device is provided, which includes: a communication unit and a processing unit; the processing unit is used to generate a first message; the first message includes application-aware network information and flow detection information; the flow detection information is carried in a preset field of the application-aware network information; the communication unit is used to send the first message to the second node.

[0023] In combination with the third aspect above, in one implementation, the preset field is a reserved bit in the application-aware network information.

[0024] In combination with the third aspect above, in one implementation, the in-flow detection information includes at least one of a first field and a second field; the first field is used to identify the mode of the detected service flow, and the second field is used to indicate the execution of the in-flow detection operation.

[0025] In combination with the third aspect above, in one implementation, the first field is carried in the reserved bits of the Flags field in the application-aware network information, and the second field is carried in the reserved bits of the APN-Para-Type field in the application-aware network information.

[0026] In combination with the third aspect above, in one implementation, the value of the first field is used to indicate at least one of the following: identifying the detected service flow through a flow identifier; or identifying the detected service flow through a flow identifier and a node identifier.

[0027] In combination with the above-mentioned third aspect, in one implementation, the value of the second field is used to indicate at least one of the following: generating a flow identifier based on an application-aware network identifier; or, the flow detection information includes a flow detection parameter, and the flow detection parameter is used to configure a detection rule for performing a flow detection operation.

[0028] In combination with the third aspect above, in one implementation, the flow detection parameter includes at least one of the following: a node identifier; a packet loss mark; a delay mark; a detection mode; and a detection period.

[0029] In combination with the third aspect above, in one implementation, the communication unit is further used to receive a first indication message from the control device; the first indication message is used to instruct the first node to generate a first message.

[0030] In combination with the above-mentioned third aspect, in one implementation, the first indication message includes application-aware network information and flow detection information; the communication unit is further used to receive a first target message in a detected service flow from a third node; the processing unit is further used to encapsulate the application-aware network information in a message header of the first target message to generate a second target message; the processing unit is further used to adjust a preset field in the application-aware network information to a preset value for representing the flow detection information to generate a first message.

[0031] In combination with the third aspect above, in one implementation, the first indication message includes in-flow detection information; the communication unit is further used to receive a second target message in the detected service flow from the third node; the message header of the second target message includes application-aware network information; and the processing unit is further used to adjust a preset field in the application-aware network information to a preset value for representing the in-flow detection information to generate the first message.

[0032] In a fourth aspect, a message transmission device is provided, which includes a communication unit; the communication unit is used to receive a first message from a first node; the first message includes application-aware network information and flow detection information; the flow detection information is carried in a preset field of the application-aware network information.

[0033] In combination with the fourth aspect above, in one implementation, the preset field is a reserved bit in the application-aware network information.

[0034] In combination with the fourth aspect above, in one implementation, the in-flow detection information includes at least one of a first field and a second field; the first field is used to identify the mode of the detected service flow, and the second field is used to indicate the execution of the in-flow detection operation.

[0035] In combination with the fourth aspect above, in one implementation, the first field is carried in the reserved bits of the Flags field in the application-aware network information, and the second field is carried in the reserved bits of the APN-Para-Type field in the application-aware network information.

[0036] In combination with the fourth aspect above, in one implementation, the value of the first field is used to indicate at least one of the following: identifying the detected service flow by a flow identifier; identifying the detected service flow by a flow identifier and a node identifier.

[0037] In combination with the above-mentioned fourth aspect, in one implementation, the value of the second field is used to indicate at least one of the following: generating a flow identifier based on an application-aware network identifier; the flow detection information includes flow detection parameters, and the flow detection parameters are used to configure detection rules for performing flow detection operations.

[0038] In combination with the fourth aspect above, in one implementation, the flow detection parameter includes at least one of the following: a node identifier; a packet loss flag; a delay flag; a detection mode; or a detection period.

[0039] In conjunction with the fourth aspect, in one implementation, the apparatus further includes a processing unit configured to perform at least one of an application-aware network operation or a flow detection operation based on the first message and the supported message processing capability.

[0040] In a fifth aspect, a message transmission device is provided, comprising: a processor and a communication interface. The communication interface and the processor are coupled, and the processor is configured to execute a computer program or instruction to implement the message transmission method described in any one of the implementations of the first and second aspects.

[0041] In a sixth aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, in which instructions are stored. When the instructions are executed on a terminal, the terminal executes the message transmission method described in any one of the implementations of the first and second aspects.

[0042] In a seventh aspect, a computer program product comprising instructions is provided. When the computer program product is run on a message transmission device, the message transmission device executes the message transmission method as described in any one of the implementations of the first and second aspects.

[0043] In an eighth aspect, a chip is provided, which includes a processor and a communication interface, the communication interface and the processor are coupled, and the processor is used to run a computer program or instruction to implement the message transmission method described in any one of the implementation methods of the first and second aspects.

[0044] The aforementioned chip also includes a memory for storing computer programs or instructions.

[0045] It should be noted that the above computer instructions may be stored in whole or in part on a computer-readable storage medium. The computer-readable storage medium may be packaged together with the processor of the device or separately from the processor of the device, which is not limited in this disclosure.

[0046] In this disclosure, the names of the message transmission devices do not limit the devices or functional modules themselves. In actual implementation, these devices or functional modules may appear with other names. As long as the functions of each device or functional module are similar to those of this disclosure, they fall within the scope of the technical solutions of this disclosure and their equivalents.

[0047] These and other aspects of the present disclosure will become more apparent from the following description. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0048] FIG1 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a flow detection system according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0049] FIG2 is a schematic diagram of flow detection information according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0050] FIG3 is a schematic diagram of an architecture of an application-aware network system according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0051] FIG4 is a structural diagram of application-aware network information according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0052] FIG5 is a schematic diagram of an architecture of a communication system according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0053] FIG6 is a flowchart of a message transmission method according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0054] FIG7 is a schematic diagram of another application-aware network information according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0055] FIG8 is a flowchart of another message transmission method according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0056] FIG9 is a flowchart of another message transmission method according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0057] FIG10 is a flowchart of another message transmission method according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0058] FIG11 is a flowchart of another message transmission method according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0059] FIG12 is a schematic diagram of a first node according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0060] FIG13 is a schematic diagram of a second node according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0061] FIG14 is a schematic diagram of a message transmission device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0062] The following will be combined with the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present disclosure to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present disclosure. Obviously, the embodiments described are only part of the embodiments of the present disclosure, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present disclosure, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without making any creative efforts are within the scope of protection of the present disclosure.

[0063] The term "and / or" in this article is merely a description of the association relationship between associated objects, indicating that three relationships may exist. For example, A and / or B can mean: A exists alone, A and B exist at the same time, and B exists alone.

[0064] The terms “first” and “second” and the like in the specification and drawings of the present disclosure are used to distinguish different objects, or to distinguish different processing of the same object, rather than to describe a specific order of objects.

[0065] Furthermore, the terms "including," "having," and any variations thereof, as used in the description of this disclosure are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusions. For example, a process, method, system, product, or apparatus comprising a series of steps or units is not limited to the listed steps or units, but may optionally include other steps or units not listed, or may optionally include other steps or units inherent to the process, method, product, or apparatus.

[0066] It should be noted that in the embodiments of the present disclosure, words such as "exemplary" or "for example" are used to indicate examples, illustrations, or descriptions. Any embodiment or design described as "exemplary" or "for example" in the embodiments of the present disclosure should not be construed as being preferred or advantageous over other embodiments or designs. Rather, the use of words such as "exemplary" or "for example" is intended to present the relevant concepts in a concrete manner.

[0067] In the description of the present disclosure, unless otherwise specified, “plurality” means two or more.

[0068] The following explains the terms involved in some embodiments of the present disclosure to facilitate readers' understanding.

[0069] (1) Flow detection technology

[0070] In-stream detection technology is used to monitor service-level network performance metrics. As shown in Figure 1, the head node identifies service packets to be detected based on predefined rules and inserts a fixed-format field into the service packets to carry in-stream detection information. The head node then sends the encapsulated service packets to subsequent forwarding nodes. Forwarding nodes that support in-stream detection identify the in-stream detection information in the packet header and perform the corresponding in-stream detection operations.

[0071] In some embodiments, the content of the in-flow detection information is shown in Figure 2. The Option Type field is used to identify the in-flow detection information in the message header. When the node receiving the message recognizes the Option Type field in the message header, it determines that the message needs to be detected in-flow. The Opt Data Len field is used to characterize the bit length of the in-flow detection information. The R field (Reserved) is a reserved field that can be used to expand other functions. The F field is used to indicate whether the message performs reverse detection. The Next Header is used to distinguish different in-flow detection encapsulation methods. The Next Data Indication is a defined bitmap data that represents the corresponding in-flow detection information.

[0072] The Flow ID field is the flow identifier, and the Node ID field is the node identifier. The flow identifier and the node identifier are used to identify the service flow being detected.

[0073] Identification methods include the following: 1. Define the Node ID field as an invalid value and use the Flow ID field to uniquely identify the service flow being monitored. 2. Use the Node ID field to identify the current node and the Flow ID field to uniquely identify the service flow being monitored within that node. Similarly, the Node ID and Flow ID can be used to uniquely identify the service flow being monitored across the network.

[0074] The L field (Loss Flag) is a packet loss flag used to identify packets that have been lost, thus separating packets from two adjacent detection periods. When the L field value is 1, it indicates that the packet is within the packet loss detection period; when the L field value is 0, it indicates that the packet is not within the packet loss detection period.

[0075] The D field (Delay Flag) is a delay flag used to color messages for delay detection, distinguishing those that are detected for delay from those that are not. When the D field is 1, the message is used for delay detection, and the node records the timestamp when receiving the message. When the D field is 0, the message is not used for delay detection.

[0076] The Period field is the detection period, which is used to define the duration of a detection period, such as 10s or 30s.

[0077] The M field (mode) indicates the detection mode. For example, flow detection includes hop-by-hop detection mode and end-to-end detection mode. The hop-by-hop detection mode detects the packet transmission performance between two adjacent nodes, while the end-to-end detection mode detects the packet transmission performance from the head node to the tail node.

[0078] (2) Application-aware network

[0079] Application-aware network technology is used by network devices to perform traffic scheduling and resource adjustment based on application requirements. For example, application-aware network can be application-aware IPv6 networking (APN6) technology based on IPv6. As shown in Figure 3, the control device 504 sends application-aware network policies to the client device 501, the edge device 505, and the server device 503. The client device 501, the server device 503, and the edge device 505 encapsulate the application-aware network information into the message to be sent, thereby transmitting the application-aware network information to each node in the network (such as the head node 5021, the intermediate node 5022, and the tail node 5023). Each node ensures the service level agreement (SLA) requirements of the application by deploying services and adjusting resources.

[0080] In some embodiments, the content of the application-aware network information is shown in Figure 4. The APN-ID-Type field is used to define different types of application-aware network identifiers (APN-IDs). Different types of application-aware network identifiers have different specified bit lengths (for example, 32 bits, 64 bits, or 128 bits), and the corresponding business requirements are also different. The Flags field and the APN-Para-Type field are currently reserved fields and are used to extend other functions. The APN-ID is used to uniquely identify the application-aware network. The Intent field and the APN-Para field are optional fields. The Intent field is used to represent a set of intent requirements proposed by the application to the network, and the APN-Para field is used to represent the content of the network performance parameters corresponding to the business requirements, including which parameters are determined by the APN-ID-Type field. The bit length occupied by the APN-Para field can be expanded according to actual needs.

[0081] With the convergence of computing and cloud networks, current network services are facing new demands in terms of service quality assurance and application-level user perception. In-stream detection technology is used to implement service-level network performance indicator monitoring, and application-aware networking technology enables network devices to schedule traffic and adjust resources based on application needs.

[0082] Both the flow detection technology and the application-aware network technology need to encapsulate their corresponding message header structure information in the detected message, which will make the message header structure too complicated and make the message processing and forwarding efficiency low.

[0083] In view of this, in the technical solutions proposed in some embodiments of the present disclosure, the first node can generate a first message and send the first message to the second node. Since the first message includes application-aware network information and flow detection information, and the flow detection information is carried in a preset field of the application-aware network information, the generated first message can simultaneously support application-aware network technology and flow detection technology. In addition, compared to the method in which the header structure information of the application-aware network technology and the flow detection technology need to be encapsulated in the related technology, the application-aware network technology and the flow detection technology can share a set of header structures in some embodiments of the present disclosure, thereby reducing the design complexity of the header structure and improving the efficiency of message processing and forwarding.

[0084] Some embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0085] FIG5 is an architecture diagram of a communication system according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG5 , a communication system 50 includes: a client device 501 , a node device 502 , a server device 503 , and a control device 504 .

[0086] The client device 501 is connected to the node device 502 , and the node device 502 is respectively connected to the client device 501 , the server device 503 , and the control device 504 . The server device 503 is connected to the node device 502 .

[0087] For example, the client device 501 and the server device 503 may establish a communication connection with the node device 502 via an edge device. For example, the edge device may be customer premises equipment (CPE).

[0088] It should be noted that FIG5 uses a node device 502 comprising four sub-node devices, namely a head node 5021, two intermediate nodes 5022, and a tail node 5023, as an example, and describes the solutions proposed in some embodiments of the present disclosure. Any of the four sub-node devices is connected to the remaining sub-node devices. The present disclosure does not limit the number of sub-node devices included in the node device 502.

[0089] The client device 501 and the server device 503 are both used to send and receive application-related messages.

[0090] Node device 502 is used to process and forward application-related messages. For example, the first node device (such as head node 5021) to receive an application-related message can encapsulate application-aware network information and flow detection information into the message, so that subsequent node devices (such as intermediate node 5022 or tail node 5023) can parse the encapsulated application-aware network information and flow detection information and perform corresponding processing operations.

[0091] The last node device (such as the tail node 5023 ) is further configured to strip the application-aware network information and the in-flow detection information from the message and forward it to the client device 501 or the server device 503 .

[0092] The node device 502 is further configured to report statistical results generated by at least one of the application-aware network operation and the flow detection operation to the control device 504 .

[0093] The control device 504 is used to manage and control each device in the communication system 50 (such as the client device 501, the node device 502 and the server device 503), for example, to send application-aware network information and execution strategies for flow detection information, and to receive and analyze statistical results reported by the node device 502.

[0094] In some embodiments, the control device 504 may be a separate physical device or a control system composed of multiple devices, where the physical device includes a processor, a transceiver, and a memory.

[0095] The processor may be a general-purpose central processing unit (CPU), a microprocessor, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or one or more integrated circuits used to control the execution of the program in some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0096] The transceiver may be any device that uses a transceiver for communicating with other devices or communication networks, such as Ethernet, radio access networks (RAN), wireless local area networks (WLAN), etc.

[0097] The memory may be a read-only memory (ROM) or other type of static storage device that can store static information and instructions, a random access memory (RAM) or other type of dynamic storage device that can store information and instructions, or an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), a compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM) or other optical disc storage, an optical disc storage (including a compact disc, a laser disc, an optical disc, a digital versatile disc, a Blu-ray disc, etc.), a magnetic disk storage medium or other magnetic storage device, or any other medium that can be used to carry or store desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and can be accessed by a computer, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. The memory may exist independently and be connected to the processor via a communication line. The memory may also be integrated with the processor.

[0098] It should be pointed out that the various embodiments of the present disclosure can refer to each other, for example, the same or similar steps, method embodiments, system embodiments and device embodiments can refer to each other without limitation.

[0099] FIG6 is a flow chart of a message transmission method according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG6 , the method includes steps 601 and 602 .

[0100] In step 601, a first node generates a first message.

[0101] The first message includes application-aware network information and in-flight detection information, with the in-flight detection information carried in a preset field of the application-aware network information. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, carrying the in-flight detection information in a preset field of the application-aware network information can reduce the complexity of the information to be added to the message while meeting application-aware network and in-flight detection requirements, thereby improving forwarding processing efficiency of the node device.

[0102] The application-aware network information is the relevant information required for the node device to perform application-aware network operations, and the flow detection information is the relevant information required for the node device to perform application-aware network operations.

[0103] In some embodiments, the first node may be the head node mentioned in the above embodiments, that is, the first node device in the message transmission path that receives the message in the detected service flow.

[0104] In one implementation, the preset field is a reserved bit in the application-aware network information.

[0105] The reserved bits are bits in the application-aware network information whose functions are currently undefined. For example, as shown in FIG7 , the reserved bits may be bits in the Flags field, the APN-Para-Type field, and the APN-Para field in the application-aware network information.

[0106] Since the reserved bits occupied do not define functions, the solution of carrying the flow detection information in the reserved bits of the application-aware network information in some embodiments of the present disclosure does not affect the application-aware network requirements indicated by the application-aware network information itself.

[0107] In step 602, the first node sends a first message to the second node. Correspondingly, the second node receives the first message from the first node.

[0108] In some embodiments, the second node may be an intermediate node or an egress node as mentioned in the above embodiments, i.e., a node device other than the first node device in the message transmission path. When the second node is an egress node, the second node may remove the application-aware network information and the flow detection information from the first message before forwarding the first message.

[0109] Based on the above technical solution, the first node can generate a first message and send the first message to the second node. Because the first message includes application-aware network information and flow detection information, and the flow detection information is carried in a preset field of the application-aware network information, the generated first message can simultaneously support application-aware network technology and flow detection technology. In addition, compared with the method in the related art that requires encapsulating the message header structure information of the application-aware network technology and the flow detection technology respectively, in some embodiments of the present disclosure, the application-aware network technology and the flow detection technology can share a set of message header structures, thereby reducing the design complexity of the message header structure and improving the message processing and forwarding efficiency.

[0110] In the following, in combination with the above embodiments, the contents included in the flow detection information in some embodiments of the present disclosure are introduced.

[0111] As an implementation manner, the accompanying flow detection information includes at least one of the first field and the second field.

[0112] The first field is used to identify the mode of the detected service flow, and the second field is used to indicate the execution of the flow detection operation. In this way, after receiving the first message, the subsequent node device can determine the detected service flow based on the first field and determine whether the first message needs to perform the flow detection operation based on the second field.

[0113] In some embodiments, as shown in Figure 7, the first field can be carried on the reserved bit position of the Flags field in the application-aware network information (for example, the position shown by the dotted box in the Flags field in Figure 7), and the second field can be carried on the reserved bit position of the APN-Para-Type field in the application-aware network information (for example, the position shown by the dotted box in the APN-Para-Type field in Figure 7).

[0114] It should be noted that the first field may also be carried on bits corresponding to other positions in the Flags field, or on reserved bits in other fields. The second field may also be carried on bits corresponding to other positions in the APN-Para-Type field, or on reserved bits in other fields. Figure 7 is only an example for illustration, and this disclosure is not limited to this.

[0115] In one implementation, the value of the first field is used to indicate at least one of the following: identifying the detected service flow through a flow identifier; or identifying the detected service flow through a flow identifier and a node identifier.

[0116] For example, when the value of the first field is the first value (e.g., 1), the first field is used to indicate that the detected service flow is identified by the flow identifier. In other words, at this time, the node identifier is an invalid value, and the node device only uniquely identifies the detected service flow within the message transmission path through the flow identifier. In this way, some embodiments of the present disclosure can reduce the number of bits occupied by the flow detection information (i.e., save the number of bits occupied by the node identifier), further reduce the design complexity of the message header structure, and improve processing and forwarding efficiency.

[0117] When the value of the first field is the second value (for example, 0), the first field is used to indicate that the detected service flow is identified by the flow identifier and the node identifier. At this time, the node identifier can uniquely identify the node device within the message transmission path, and the flow identifier uniquely identifies the detected service flow within the node device. In this way, since the flow identifier only needs to uniquely identify the detected service flow within the node device, the node device can use an algorithm model with lower computational complexity to generate the flow identifier, thereby reducing the computing power requirements of the node device and improving processing and forwarding efficiency.

[0118] In some embodiments, the first field may also adopt other value-taking methods to indicate the above content, which is not limited in this disclosure.

[0119] In one implementation, the value of the second field is used to indicate at least one of the following:

[0120] Generate a flow identifier based on the application-aware network identifier; or

[0121] The flow detection information includes flow detection parameters.

[0122] The flow detection parameters are used to configure the detection rules for performing flow detection operations.

[0123] For example, when the value of the second field is the third value (e.g., 1), the second field is used to indicate that the flow identifier is generated based on the application-aware network identifier and that the flow detection information includes the flow detection parameters. The second field can also use other value methods to indicate the above content, which is not limited by this disclosure.

[0124] When the value of the second field is used to indicate the generation of a flow identifier based on an application-aware network identifier, the node device can input the application-aware network identifier into a preset algorithm model to generate a flow identifier. The preset algorithm can establish a mapping relationship between the application-aware network identifier and the flow identifier, and the mapping relationship can be a one-to-one, one-to-many, or many-to-one mapping relationship. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, by configuring the preset algorithm on each node device on the message transmission path, each node device can determine the same flow identifier based on the application-aware network identifier.

[0125] In some embodiments, the node device may report the generated flow identifier to the control device so that the control device can uniformly manage the message transmission status of the detected service flow.

[0126] It should be noted that in order to meet the needs of application-aware network and flow detection in the relevant technology, it is necessary to encapsulate the respective message header structure information in the message header, which will result in the presence of multiple fields for identification in the message header (such as APN-ID field, Flow ID field). Since the application-aware network identifier has the function of identifying different service flows, the technical solution provided by some embodiments of the present disclosure can instruct the node device to generate a flow identifier based on the application-aware network identifier through the second field, thereby realizing the information sharing of the application-aware network identifier and the flow identifier, so as to reduce the number of bits occupied by the flow detection information (for example, the Flow ID field in the relevant technology occupies 20 bits, and the second field in some embodiments of the present disclosure occupies 1 bit), further reducing the design complexity of the message header structure and improving the processing and forwarding efficiency.

[0127] In one implementation, the flow detection parameter includes at least one of the following: a node identifier; a packet loss mark; a delay mark; a detection mode; or a detection period.

[0128] In some embodiments, the node identifier may be a Node ID field, used to identify the node device. This node identifier may be dynamically allocated and issued by a control device, or may be statically configured in the node device. The packet loss flag may be an L field (Loss Flag), used to mark packets as packet loss to separate packets in two adjacent detection periods. The delay flag may be a D field (Delay Flag), used to mark packets as delay to distinguish packets with delay detection from those without. The detection mode may be an M field (Mode), used to define the detection mode adopted by the in-stream detection. For example, in-stream detection includes a hop-by-hop detection mode and an end-to-end detection mode. The hop-by-hop detection mode is used to detect the packet transmission performance between two adjacent nodes, while the end-to-end detection mode is used to detect the packet transmission performance from the head node to the tail node. The detection period may be a Period field, used to define the duration of a detection period, such as 10 seconds or 30 seconds. Based on the above-mentioned in-stream detection parameters, the node device can determine the detection content of the in-stream detection to be performed.

[0129] In some embodiments, as shown in Figure 7, the flow detection parameters may be carried in certain bits of the APN-Para field in the application-aware network information, namely, the positions indicated by the dashed box in the APN-Para field in Figure 7. The flow detection parameters may also be carried in bits corresponding to other positions in the APN-Para field, or in reserved bits in other fields. Figure 7 is merely an example for illustration, and this disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0130] In addition, the first node may generate the first message in response to the instruction message of the control device.

[0131] As an embodiment of the present disclosure, as shown in FIG8 , before step 601 , the method further includes step 801 .

[0132] In step 801, the control device sends a first indication message to the first node. Correspondingly, the first node receives the first indication message from the control device.

[0133] The first indication message is used to instruct the first node to generate a first message.

[0134] For example, in response to the first indication message, the first node may perform an encapsulation operation on the target message when receiving the target message of the detected service flow, thereby generating a first message.

[0135] It should be noted that the target message of the detected service flow received by the first node may or may not include application-aware network information. Therefore, the first node needs to select an appropriate encapsulation method. The control device can instruct the first node to generate an encapsulation method for the first message by sending a first indication message carrying different information.

[0136] As an embodiment, in the case where the target message of the detected service flow does not include application-aware network information, as shown in Figures 8 and 9, the first indication message may include application-aware network information and flow detection information. Step 601 includes steps 901-903.

[0137] In step 901, the third node sends a first target packet in a detected service flow to the first node. Correspondingly, the first node receives the first target packet in the detected service flow from the third node.

[0138] The third node is another device connected to the node device in the message transmission path. For example, the third node can be the client device or server device in the above embodiment, or it can be the edge device in the above embodiment, such as CPE.

[0139] The first target message refers to an initial message used to transmit the detected service and does not include application-aware network information and in-flow detection information.

[0140] In step 902, the first node encapsulates application-aware network information in a message header of the first target message to generate a second target message.

[0141] For example, the first node can encapsulate the application-aware network information into the header of the first target message according to a preset forwarding plane encapsulation scheme to generate a second target message. Subsequent node devices can then identify the application-aware network information from the header of the second target message and perform corresponding application-aware network operations.

[0142] The structural information of the application-aware network information can be found in FIG7 and the related descriptions in the above embodiments, which will not be repeated here.

[0143] In step 903, the first node adjusts a preset field in the application-aware network information to a preset value for representing the in-flight detection information, so as to generate a first message.

[0144] For example, as shown in Figure 7, when the in-flow detection information includes a first field, a second field, and a in-flow detection parameter, the first node can modify the value of the bit of the Flag field in the application-aware network information corresponding to the first field to the first value or the second value, modify the value of the bit of the APN-Para-Type field in the application-aware network information corresponding to the second field to the third value, and modify the value of the bit in the APN-Para field in the application-aware network information according to the in-flow detection parameter.

[0145] Based on the above technical solution, the first node can encapsulate application-aware network information in the first target message of the detected service flow and carry the in-flow detection information by adjusting preset fields in the application-aware network information to generate a first message. Subsequent node devices only need to parse the adjusted in-flow detection information in the first message to determine the application-aware network information and the in-flow detection information, reducing parsing complexity.

[0146] As another embodiment, in the case where the target message of the detected service flow includes application-aware network information, as shown in Figures 8 and 10 , the first indication message may include the accompanying flow detection information. Step 601 may include steps 1001 and 1002 .

[0147] In step 1001, the first node receives a second target packet in a detected service flow from a third node.

[0148] The header of the second target message includes the application-aware network information. That is, in this case, the third node performs the encapsulation operation of the application-aware network information, and the first node performs processing based on this.

[0149] In step 1002, the first node adjusts a preset field in the application-aware network information to a preset value for representing the in-flight detection information, so as to generate a first message.

[0150] Based on the above technical solution, since the second target message received by the first node already contains application-aware network information, the first node can generate a first message by adjusting the preset fields in the application-aware network information to carry the in-stream detection information. Subsequent node devices only need to parse the adjusted in-stream detection information in the first message to determine the application-aware network information and the in-stream detection information, reducing parsing complexity.

[0151] The following describes the process of the second node processing and reporting the processing results.

[0152] As an embodiment of the present disclosure, as shown in FIG6 and FIG11 , the method further includes the following steps 1101 and 1102 .

[0153] In step 1101, the second node performs at least one of an application-aware network operation or a flow detection operation based on the first message and the supported message processing capability.

[0154] The supported message processing capabilities include at least one of application-aware networking and flow detection.

[0155] For example, when the second node supports application-aware networking, the second node can perform application-aware networking operations based on the first message. When the second node supports in-stream detection, the second node can perform in-stream detection operations based on the first message. When the second node supports neither application-aware networking nor in-stream detection, the second node can forward the first message normally.

[0156] In step 1102, the second node may send the generated statistical result to the control device. Correspondingly, the control device receives the statistical result from the second node.

[0157] The statistical result may be generated by the second node after performing at least one of an application-aware network operation or a flow detection operation based on the first message.

[0158] The control device can analyze and process network performance based on the statistical results. For example, if the service quality of the currently monitored service flow does not meet service requirements, the control device can initiate adjustments and optimization operations on the packet transmission path, or activate the hop-by-hop detection mode in the flow detection to quickly locate the fault, ensuring that the service quality of the monitored service flow meets service requirements.

[0159] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the message transmission device may be divided into functional modules or functional units according to the above method examples. For example, each functional module or functional unit may be divided according to each function, or two or more functions may be integrated into one processing module. The above integrated modules may be implemented in the form of hardware or in the form of software functional modules or functional units. The division of modules or units in some embodiments of the present disclosure is schematic and is only a logical functional division. In actual implementation, there may be other division methods.

[0160] Taking the message transmission device as the first node in the above method embodiment as an example, a schematic diagram of the first node is shown in Figure 12. The first node 120 includes a processing unit 1201 and a communication unit 1202.

[0161] The processing unit 1201 is configured to generate a first message. The first message includes application-aware network information and flow detection information. The flow detection information is carried in a preset field of the application-aware network information.

[0162] The communication unit 1202 is configured to send a first message to the second node.

[0163] In one implementation, the preset field is a reserved bit in the application-aware network information.

[0164] In one implementation, the accompanying flow detection information includes at least one of a first field and a second field, wherein the first field is used to identify the mode of the service flow being detected, and the second field is used to indicate the execution of an accompanying flow detection operation.

[0165] In one implementation, the first field is carried on a reserved bit of a Flags field in the application-aware network information, and the second field is carried on a reserved bit of an APN-Para-Type field in the application-aware network information.

[0166] In one implementation, the value of the first field is used to indicate at least one of the following: identifying the detected service flow through a flow identifier; or identifying the detected service flow through a flow identifier and a node identifier.

[0167] In one implementation, the value of the second field is used to indicate at least one of the following: generating a flow identifier based on an application-aware network identifier; or, the flow detection information includes a flow detection parameter, which is used to configure a detection rule for performing a flow detection operation.

[0168] In one implementation, the flow detection parameter includes at least one of the following: a node identifier; a packet loss mark; a delay mark; a detection mode; or a detection period.

[0169] In one implementation, the communication unit 1202 is further configured to receive a first instruction message from the control device. The first instruction message is used to instruct the first node to generate a first message.

[0170] In one implementation, the first indication message includes application-aware network information and in-stream detection information. Communication unit 1202 is further configured to receive a first target message in a detected service flow from a third node. Processing unit 1201 is further configured to encapsulate the application-aware network information in a header of the first target message to generate a second target message. Processing unit 1201 is further configured to adjust a preset field in the application-aware network information to a preset value representing the in-stream detection information to generate the first message.

[0171] In one implementation, the first indication message includes in-flow detection information. The communication unit 1202 is further configured to receive a second target message in the detected service flow from the third node. The header of the second target message includes application-aware network information. The processing unit 1201 is further configured to adjust a preset field in the application-aware network information to a preset value representing the in-flow detection information, thereby generating a first message.

[0172] Taking the message transmission device as the second node in the above method embodiment as an example, a schematic diagram of the second node is shown in FIG13 . The second node 130 includes a communication unit 1302 .

[0173] The communication unit 1302 is configured to receive a first message from a first node. The first message includes application-aware network information and flow detection information. The flow detection information is carried in a preset field of the application-aware network information.

[0174] In one implementation, the preset field is a reserved bit in the application-aware network information.

[0175] In one implementation, the in-flow detection information includes at least one of a first field and a second field; the first field is used to identify a mode of a detected service flow, and the second field is used to instruct to perform an in-flow detection operation.

[0176] In one implementation, the first field is carried on a reserved bit of a Flags field in the application-aware network information, and the second field is carried on a reserved bit of an APN-Para-Type field in the application-aware network information.

[0177] In one implementation, the value of the first field is used to indicate at least one of the following: identifying the detected service flow through a flow identifier; or identifying the detected service flow through a flow identifier and a node identifier.

[0178] In one implementation, the value of the second field is used to indicate at least one of the following: generating a flow identifier based on an application-aware network identifier; and the flow detection information includes flow detection parameters, which are used to configure detection rules for performing flow detection operations.

[0179] In one implementation, the flow detection parameter includes at least one of the following: a node identifier; a packet loss mark; a delay mark; a detection mode; or a detection period.

[0180] In one implementation, the apparatus further includes a processing unit 1301. The processing unit 1301 is configured to perform at least one of an application-aware network operation or a flow detection operation based on the first message and the supported message processing capability.

[0181] When implemented through hardware, the communication unit 1202 and the communication unit 1302 in some embodiments of the present disclosure may be integrated into a communication interface, and the processing unit 1201 and the processing unit 1301 may be integrated into a processor.

[0182] FIG14 shows another schematic diagram of the message transmission device involved in the above-mentioned embodiment. As shown in FIG14 , the message transmission device 140 includes a processor 1402 and a communication interface 1403. The processor 1402 is used to control and manage the operations of the message transmission device 140. For example, it executes the steps performed by the above-mentioned processing unit 1201 and the processing unit 1301, and / or is used to execute other processes of the technology described herein. The communication interface 1403 is used to support communication between the message transmission device 140 and other network entities. For example, it executes the steps performed by the above-mentioned communication unit 1202 and the communication unit 1302. The message transmission device 140 may also include a memory 1401 and a bus 1404. The memory 1401 is used to store program code and data of the message transmission device 140.

[0183] Memory 1401 may be a memory in message transmission device 140, etc. Memory 1401 may include volatile memory, such as random access memory. Memory 1401 may also include non-volatile memory, such as read-only memory, flash memory, hard disk, or solid-state drive. Memory 1401 may also include a combination of the aforementioned types of memory.

[0184] The processor 1402 may be a processor that implements or executes the various exemplary logic blocks, modules, and circuits described in conjunction with the disclosure of some embodiments of the present disclosure. The processor may be a central processing unit, a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit, a field programmable gate array, or other programmable logic device, a transistor logic device, a hardware component, or any combination thereof. The processor 1402 may implement or execute the various exemplary logic blocks, modules, and circuits described in conjunction with the disclosure of some embodiments of the present disclosure. The processor may also be a combination that implements computing functions, such as a combination of one or more microprocessors, a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, and the like.

[0185] Bus 1404 may be an Extended Industry Standard Architecture (EISA) bus, etc. Bus 1404 may be divided into an address bus, a data bus, a control bus, etc. For ease of illustration, FIG14 shows only one thick line, but this does not mean that there is only one bus or only one type of bus.

[0186] The message transmission device 140 in FIG14 may also be a chip, which includes a communication interface 1403 and one or more processors 1402 .

[0187] In some embodiments, the chip further includes a memory 1401, which may include a read-only memory and a random access memory and provides operation instructions and data to the processor 1402. A portion of the memory 1401 may also include a non-volatile random access memory (NVRAM).

[0188] In some embodiments, the memory 1401 stores the following elements, execution modules or data structures, or a subset thereof, or an extended set thereof.

[0189] In the embodiment of the present disclosure, corresponding operations are performed by calling an operation instruction stored in the memory 1401 (the operation instruction may be stored in an operating system).

[0190] Through the description of the above embodiments, those skilled in the art will clearly understand that for the sake of convenience and brevity, only the division of the above functional modules is used as an example. In actual applications, the above functions can be assigned to different functional modules as needed, that is, the internal structure of the device can be divided into different functional modules to complete all or part of the functions described above. The working process of the above-described system, device, and unit can refer to the corresponding process in the aforementioned method embodiment and will not be repeated here.

[0191] An embodiment of the present disclosure provides a computer program product comprising instructions. When the computer program product is run on a computer, the computer is enabled to execute the message transmission method in the above method embodiment.

[0192] The embodiment of the present disclosure further provides a computer-readable storage medium, in which instructions are stored. When the instructions are executed on a computer, the computer executes the message transmission device method in the method flow shown in the above method embodiment.

[0193] Computer-readable storage media may be, for example, but not limited to, electrical, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor systems, devices, or any combination thereof. Further examples (a non-exhaustive list) of computer-readable storage media include: an electrical connection having one or more wires, a portable computer disk, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), a register, a hard disk, an optical fiber, a portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination thereof, or any other form of computer-readable storage medium known in the art. An exemplary storage medium is coupled to a processor so that the processor can read information from the storage medium and write information to the storage medium. Of course, the storage medium may also be an integral part of the processor. The processor and the storage medium may be located in an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC). In some embodiments of the present disclosure, a computer-readable storage medium may be any tangible medium that can contain or store a program for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device.

[0194] Since the message transmission device, computer-readable storage medium, and computer program product in some embodiments of the present disclosure can be applied to the above method, the technical effects that can be obtained can also refer to the above method embodiments, and the present disclosure will not repeat them here.

[0195] In the several embodiments provided in the present disclosure, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, devices and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the device embodiments described above are merely schematic. For example, the division of the units is merely a logical function division. In actual implementation, there may be other division methods, such as multiple units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. Another point is that the mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed can be through some interfaces, indirect coupling or communication connection of devices or units, which can be electrical, mechanical or other forms.

[0196] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate, and the components shown as units may or may not be physical units, that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of these units may be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs.

[0197] In addition, each functional unit in each embodiment of the present disclosure may be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit may exist physically separately, or two or more units may be integrated into one unit.

[0198] The above are only specific embodiments of the present disclosure, but the scope of protection of the present disclosure is not limited thereto. Any changes or replacements within the technical scope disclosed in the present disclosure should be included in the scope of protection of the present disclosure. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present disclosure should be based on the scope of protection of the claims.

Claims

1. A message transmission method, applied to a first node, comprising: generating a first message; The first message includes application-aware network information and flow detection information; The flow detection information is carried in a preset field of the application-aware network information; Send the first message to the second node.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein The preset field is a reserved bit in the application-aware network information.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The in-flow detection information includes at least one of a first field and a second field; the first field is used to identify the mode of the detected service flow, and the second field is used to indicate the execution of the in-flow detection operation.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein: The first field is carried in a reserved bit of a Flags field in the application-aware network information, and the second field is carried in a reserved bit of an APN-Para-Type field in the application-aware network information.

5. The method according to claim 3, wherein The value of the first field is used to indicate at least one of the following: Identify the detected service flow by flow identification; or, The detected service flow is identified by the flow identifier and the node identifier.

6. The method according to claim 3, wherein: The value of the second field is used to indicate at least one of the following: Generate a flow identifier based on the application-aware network identifier; or The accompanying flow detection information includes accompanying flow detection parameters, and the accompanying flow detection parameters are used to configure detection rules for performing the accompanying flow detection operation.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein: The flow detection parameter includes at least one of the following: Node ID; Packet loss marking; Delay marking; Detection mode; or Detection cycle.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein Before generating the first message, the method further includes: A first indication message is received from a control device; the first indication message is used to instruct the first node to generate the first message.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein The first indication message includes application-aware network information and flow detection information; and the generating of the first message includes: receiving a first target message in a detected service flow from a third node; Encapsulating the application-aware network information in a message header of the first target message to generate a second target message; The preset field in the application-aware network information is adjusted to a preset value for representing the accompanying flow detection information to generate the first message.

10. The method according to claim 8, wherein The first indication message includes flow detection information; and the generating of the first message includes: receiving a second target message in the detected service flow from a third node; wherein a message header of the second target message includes application-aware network information; The preset field in the application-aware network information is adjusted to a preset value for representing the accompanying flow detection information to generate the first message.

11. A message transmission method, applied to a second node, the method comprising: receiving a first message from a first node; The first message includes application-aware network information and flow detection information; The accompanying flow detection information is carried in a preset field of the application-aware network information.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein The preset field is a reserved bit in the application-aware network information.

13. The method according to claim 11, wherein The in-flow detection information includes at least one of a first field and a second field; the first field is used to identify the mode of the detected service flow, and the second field is used to indicate the execution of the in-flow detection operation.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein The value of the first field is used to indicate at least one of the following: Identify the detected service flow by flow identification; or, The detected service flow is identified by the flow identifier and the node identifier.

15. The method according to claim 13, wherein The value of the second field is used to indicate at least one of the following: Generate a flow identifier based on the application-aware network identifier; or The accompanying flow detection information includes accompanying flow detection parameters, and the accompanying flow detection parameters are used to configure detection rules for performing the accompanying flow detection operation.

16. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 15, further comprising: Based on the first message and the supported message processing capabilities, at least one of an application-aware network operation or a flow detection operation is performed.

17. A message transmission device, comprising: A processing unit, configured to generate a first message; The first message includes application-aware network information and flow detection information; The flow detection information is carried in a preset field of the application-aware network information; and A communication unit, configured to send the first message to the second node.

18. A message transmission device, comprising: A communication unit, configured to receive a first message from a first node; The first message includes application-aware network information and flow detection information; The accompanying flow detection information is carried in a preset field of the application-aware network information.

19. A message transmission device comprising: A processor and a communication interface; the communication interface and the processor are coupled, and the processor is used to run a computer program or instruction to implement the message transmission method according to any one of claims 1-10 or any one of claims 11-16.

20. A computer-readable storage medium, wherein instructions are stored in the computer-readable storage medium. When a computer executes the instructions, the computer executes the message transmission method according to any one of claims 1 to 10 or any one of claims 11 to 16.

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