Communication system, method for updating operating system, and line card

Abstract

Provided in the present application are a communication system, a method for updating an operating system, and a line card, which are applied to the field of communications. The communication system comprises a main board, a first line card, and a second line card. The main board is configured to send a first forwarding table to the first line card. The first line card comprises an NP and a CPU. The NP is configured to receive the first forwarding table, and replace a second forwarding table. The NP is further configured to receive a first uploaded packet, and forward the first uploaded packet to the second line card on the basis of the first forwarding table. The second line card is configured to forward the first uploaded packet to the main board. The first line card is configured to update an operating system of the CPU. After the operating system is updated, the first line card is configured to receive a second uploaded packet by means of the NP, and forward the second uploaded packet to the main board on the basis of the second forwarding table and the updated operating system. In the technical solution provided in the present application, uploaded packets are forwarded by means of an NP on a line card and another line card, such that the uploaded packets can be transmitted without interruption, thereby improving the user experience.

Description

Communication system, method for updating operating system, and line card

[0001] This application claims priority to the Chinese patent application filed with the State Intellectual Property Office on February 29, 2024, with application number 202410234714.2 and application name “Communication system, method for updating operating system and line card”, the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference into this application. Technical Field

[0002] The present application relates to the field of communications, and in particular to a communication system, a method for updating an operating system, and a line card. Background Art

[0003] A network distribution system generally consists of a main board (MB) and multiple line cards (LCs). To improve user experience, the network distribution system needs to be unaware of external traffic during the upgrade process. Therefore, during the upgrade process, the distributed system's external traffic reception and transmission cannot be interrupted. When the MB operates in active-standby mode, the traffic interruption problem can be solved by switching and upgrading. Specifically, when the MB needs to be upgraded, the network distribution system first resets and upgrades the standby MB, at which point the main MB continues to receive and transmit traffic externally. After updating the standby MB, the network distribution system resets the main MB, at which point the standby MB becomes the main MB for external traffic reception and transmission, thereby completing the update of the main MB. However, during the process of upgrading the LC's operating system, the services on the LC will be interrupted, thereby reducing the user experience. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The present application provides a communication system, a method for updating an operating system, and a line card, which forwards an upstream message through an NP on a line card and another line card without interrupting the transmission of the upstream message, thereby improving user experience.

[0005] The first aspect of the present application provides a communication system. The communication system includes a main control board, a first line card, and a second line card. The main control board is used to send a first forwarding table to the first line card. The first line card includes a network message processor (NP) and a central process unit (CPU). The NP is used to receive the first forwarding table and replace the second forwarding table. The NP is also used to receive a first uploaded message and forward the first uploaded message to the second line card according to the first forwarding table. The second line card is used to forward the first uploaded message to the main control board. The first line card is used to update the operating system of the CPU. After updating the operating system, the first line card is used to receive the second uploaded message through the NP and forward the second uploaded message to the main control board according to the second forwarding table and the updated operating system.

[0006] In an optional embodiment of the first aspect, the main control board is further configured to obtain a first downlink message based on the first uplink message and send the first downlink message to a second line card. The second line card is further configured to forward the first downlink message to the first line card. The first line card is further configured to send the first downlink message via an NP. In this application, forwarding the downlink message via the NP on the line card and another line card eliminates the need to interrupt transmission of the downlink message, thereby improving the user experience.

[0007] In an optional manner of the first aspect, the first line card is further configured to receive a first termination message via an NP and forward the first termination message to a second line card according to a first forwarding table. The second line card is configured to process the first termination message. In actual applications, when the first line card is unable to properly process the termination message, the transmission of uplink and downlink messages may be affected. For example, the first line card and the peer router maintain monitoring via heartbeat messages. When the heartbeat message cannot be properly transmitted, the service between the first line card and the peer router is interrupted. In the present application, the termination message is processed by the NP on the line card and another line card, eliminating the need to interrupt service, thereby improving the user experience.

[0008] In an optional embodiment of the first aspect, the second line card processing the first termination message includes: the second line card obtaining a first reply message based on the first termination message and sending the first reply message to the first line card. The first line card is further configured to send the first reply message via an NP. In this application, processing the termination message by the NP on the line card and another line card can avoid service interruption, thereby improving user experience.

[0009] In an optional embodiment of the first aspect, after the first line card updates its operating system, the NP is further configured to receive a second termination message and forward the second termination message to the CPU according to the second forwarding table. The CPU is configured to process the second termination message. By returning processing authority for the termination message to the CPU of the first line card, data processing efficiency can be improved.

[0010] In an optional embodiment of the first aspect, the first line card is further configured to update a CPU process. The NP forwarding the second uplink message to the main control board based on the second forwarding table and the updated operating system includes: after the operating system and process are updated, the NP forwarding the second uplink message to the main control board based on the second forwarding table, the updated process, and the updated operating system. In actual applications, the first line card can update the process using a master / slave mode. However, the master / slave mode consumes a large amount of processing resources. Updating the process during the operating system update can conserve line card processing resources.

[0011] In an optional embodiment of the first aspect, after the operating system is updated, the main control board is further configured to send a second forwarding table to the first line card. The NP is further configured to receive the second forwarding table and replace the first forwarding table. In practical applications, the first line card may include additional memory to store the second forwarding table. This additional memory is not reset due to the operating system update, allowing the second forwarding table to be retrieved after the operating system is updated. However, the additional memory increases the cost of the first line card. In the present application, by having the main control board resend the second forwarding table, the cost of the first line card can be reduced.

[0012] A second aspect of the present application provides a method for updating an operating system. The method for updating an operating system is applied to a first line card. The method for updating an operating system includes the following steps: the first line card receives a first forwarding table through a network interface card (NP) and replaces a second forwarding table; the first line card receives a first upward message through the NP and forwards the first upward message to a second line card according to the first forwarding table, the second line card being configured to forward the first upward message to a main control board; the first line card updates the operating system of the CPU; the first line card receives a second upward message through the NP and forwards the second upward message to the main control board according to the second forwarding table and the updated operating system.

[0013] In an optional manner of the second aspect, before updating the operating system, the method for updating the operating system further includes the following steps: the first line card receives a first downlink message from the second line card through the NP, where the first downlink message is obtained based on the first uplink message; and the first line card sends the first downlink message through the NP.

[0014] In an optional manner of the second aspect, before updating the operating system, the method for updating the operating system further includes the following steps: the first line card receives a first termination message through the NP, and forwards the first termination message to the second line card according to the first forwarding table; the first line card receives a first reply message from the second line card through the NP, and the first reply message is obtained based on the first termination message; the first line card sends the first reply message through the NP.

[0015] In an optional manner of the second aspect, after updating the operating system, the method for updating the operating system further includes the following steps: the first line card receives the second termination message through the NP, and forwards the second termination message to the CPU according to the second forwarding table; the first line card processes the second termination message through the CPU.

[0016] In an optional manner of the second aspect, the method for updating the operating system also includes the following steps: the first line card updates the CPU process; the first line card forwards the second upward message to the main control board according to the second forwarding table and the updated operating system, including: the first line card forwards the second upward message to the main control board according to the second forwarding table, the updated process and the updated operating system.

[0017] In an optional manner of the second aspect, after the operating system is updated, the method for updating the operating system further includes the following steps: the first line card receives a second forwarding table from the main control board and replaces the first forwarding table.

[0018] A third aspect of the present application provides a line card. The line card includes a network processing unit (NP) and a CPU. The NP is configured to receive a first forwarding table and replace a second forwarding table. The NP is further configured to receive a first upwardly transmitted message and forward the first upwardly transmitted message to a second line card according to the first forwarding table. The second line card is configured to forward the first upwardly transmitted message to a main control board. The CPU is configured to update an operating system. The NP is further configured to receive a second upwardly transmitted message and forward the second upwardly transmitted message to the main control board according to the second forwarding table and the updated operating system.

[0019] In an optional manner of the third aspect, before updating the operating system, the NP is further configured to receive a first downlink message from the second line card, the first downlink message being obtained based on the first uplink message, and to send the first downlink message.

[0020] In an optional embodiment of the third aspect, before updating the operating system, the NP is further configured to receive a first termination message, forward the first termination message to a second line card according to a first forwarding table, and receive a first reply message from the second line card. The first reply message is obtained based on the first termination message. The NP is further configured to send the first reply message.

[0021] In an optional manner of the third aspect, after the operating system is updated, the NP is further configured to receive a second termination message, and forward the second termination message to the CPU according to the second forwarding table. The CPU is further configured to process the second termination message.

[0022] In an optional manner of the third aspect, the CPU is further configured to update the process. The NP is configured to forward the second message to the main control board based on the second forwarding table and the updated operating system, including: after the operating system and the process are updated, the NP is configured to forward the second message to the main control board based on the second forwarding table, the updated process, and the updated operating system.

[0023] In an optional manner of the third aspect, after the operating system is updated, the NP is further configured to receive a second forwarding table from the main control board to replace the first forwarding table.

[0024] A fourth aspect of the present application provides a method for updating an operating system. The method for updating an operating system is applied to a main control board. The method for updating an operating system includes the following steps: the main control board sends a first forwarding table to a first line card. The first forwarding table is used to replace a second forwarding table. The first line card includes a CPU and an NP. The first forwarding table is used for the NP to forward a received first upward message to the second line card. The second line card is used to forward the first upward message to the main control board. The main control board is used to receive the first upward message. The first line card is used to update the operating system of the CPU. After the operating system is updated, the first line card is used to receive a second upward message through the NP and forward the second upward message to the main control board based on the second forwarding table and the updated operating system. The main control board is used to receive the second upward message.

[0025] It should be understood that the description of the fourth aspect shares similarities with the description of the aforementioned first aspect or any optional embodiment of the first aspect. Therefore, the description of the fourth aspect may refer to the description of the aforementioned first aspect or any optional embodiment of the first aspect. For example, the method for updating an operating system includes the following steps: after updating the operating system, the main control board sends a second forwarding table to the first line card. In another example, the method for updating an operating system includes the following steps: the main control board obtains a first downlink message based on the first uplink message, and sends the first downlink message to the second line card. The second line card is further configured to forward the first downlink message to the first line card. The first line card is further configured to send the first downlink message via the NP.

[0026] A fifth aspect of the present application provides a main control board. The main control board includes a transmitter and a receiver. The transmitter is configured to send a first forwarding table to a first line card. The first forwarding table is configured to replace a second forwarding table. The first line card includes a CPU and an NP. The first forwarding table is configured to enable the NP to forward a received first upward message to the second line card. The second line card is configured to forward the first upward message to the main control board. The receiver is configured to receive the first upward message. The first line card is configured to update the operating system of the CPU. After the operating system is updated, the first line card is configured to receive a second upward message through the NP and forward the second upward message to the main control board based on the second forwarding table and the updated operating system. The receiver is further configured to receive the second upward message.

[0027] A sixth aspect of the present application provides a main control board. The main control board includes a sending module and a receiving module. The sending module is used to send a first forwarding table to a first line card. The first forwarding table is used to replace a second forwarding table. The first line card includes a CPU and an NP. The first forwarding table is used for the NP to forward a received first upward message to the second line card. The second line card is used to forward the first upward message to the main control board. The receiving module is used to receive the first upward message. The first line card is used to update the operating system of the CPU. After the operating system is updated, the first line card is used to receive a second upward message through the NP and forward the second upward message to the main control board based on the second forwarding table and the updated operating system. The receiving module is also used to receive the second upward message.

[0028] It should be understood that the description of the fifth or sixth aspect is similar to the description of the fourth aspect. Therefore, the description of the fifth or sixth aspect can refer to the description of the fourth aspect.

[0029] A seventh aspect of the present application provides a method for updating an operating system. The method for updating an operating system is applied to a second line card. The method for updating an operating system includes the following steps: the second line card receives a first upward message from the first line card. The first line card includes a CPU and an NP. The first upward message is forwarded by the NP to the first line card according to a first forwarding table. The second line card forwards the first upward message to the main control board. The first line card is used to update the operating system of the CPU. After the operating system is updated, the first line card is used to receive a second upward message through the NP and forward the second upward message to the main control board according to the second forwarding table and the updated operating system.

[0030] It should be understood that the description of the seventh aspect is similar to the description of the first aspect or any optional method of the first aspect. Therefore, the description of the seventh aspect can refer to the description of the first aspect or any optional method of the first aspect. For example, the method for updating the operating system further includes the following steps: the second line card receives a first downlink message from the main control board. The first downlink message is obtained based on the first uplink message. The second line card forwards the first downlink message to the first line card. The first line card is used to send the first downlink message through the NP. For another example, the method for updating the operating system further includes the following steps: the second line card receives a first termination message from the first line card. The first termination message is forwarded by the NP to the first line card according to the first forwarding table. The second line card processes the first termination message.

[0031] In an eighth aspect, the present application provides a line card. The line card includes a receiver and a transmitter. The receiver is configured to receive a first upward message from a first line card. The first line card includes a CPU and an NP. The first upward message is forwarded by the NP to the first line card according to a first forwarding table. The transmitter is configured to forward the first upward message to a main control board. The first line card is configured to update an operating system of the CPU. After the operating system is updated, the first line card is configured to receive a second upward message via the NP and forward the second upward message to the main control board according to the second forwarding table and the updated operating system.

[0032] A ninth aspect of the present application provides a line card. The line card includes a receiving module and a sending module. The receiving module is configured to receive a first uplink message from a first line card. The first line card includes a CPU and an NP. The first uplink message is forwarded by the NP to the first line card according to a first forwarding table. The sending module is configured to forward the first uplink message to a main control board. The first line card is configured to update an operating system of the CPU. After updating the operating system, the first line card is configured to receive a second uplink message through the NP and forward the second uplink message to the main control board according to the second forwarding table and the updated operating system.

[0033] It should be understood that the description of the eighth or ninth aspect is similar to the description of the seventh aspect. Therefore, the description of the eighth or ninth aspect can refer to the description of the seventh aspect. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0034] FIG1a is a first structural diagram of a communication system provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0035] FIG1b is a second structural diagram of the communication system provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0036] FIG2a is a third structural diagram of the communication system provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0037] FIG2 b is a fourth structural diagram of a communication system provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0038] FIG3a is a fifth structural diagram of a communication system provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0039] FIG3 b is a sixth structural diagram of a communication system provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0040] FIG4 is a flow chart of a method for updating an operating system according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0041] FIG5 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a line card provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0042] This application provides a communication system, a method for updating an operating system, and a line card. Uploaded messages are forwarded through an NP on a line card and another line card, eliminating the need to interrupt the transmission of the uploaded messages, thereby improving the user experience. It should be understood that the terms "first," "second," and so on used in this application are used solely for descriptive purposes and are not to be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or order. Furthermore, for the sake of simplicity and clarity, reference numbers and / or letters are repeated in multiple figures of this application. Repetition does not imply a strict relationship between the various embodiments and / or configurations.

[0043] The professional terms in this application are described below.

[0044] Uploaded message: A message received by the communication system that needs to be forwarded to the application program on the internal main board (MB) for processing.

[0045] Outgoing message: Message sent by MB to outside the system.

[0046] Terminated message: A message received by the communication system that needs to be forwarded to an application on an internal line card (LC) for processing.

[0047] Reply message: Message sent by LC to outside the system.

[0048] Forwarding table: Controls the forwarding of packets from the NP of the local line card to the NPs of other line cards, or directly to the path table entries on the CPU of the local line card.

[0049] A distributed network system typically consists of a main control board (SCC) and multiple line cards. To improve user experience, the distributed system must be invisible during upgrades. Therefore, during the upgrade, external traffic in the distributed network system must not be interrupted. If the SCC operates in active / standby mode, traffic interruption can be resolved by switching the SCCs during the upgrade. However, during the line card operating system upgrade, services on the LCs will be interrupted, reducing the user experience.

[0050] To this end, the present application provides a communication system. Figure 1a is a first structural schematic diagram of the communication system provided in an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 1a, the communication system 100 includes a main control board 103, a first line card 101, and a second line card 102. The main control board 103 is connected to the first line card 101 and the second line card 102, respectively. The connection method can be optical fiber or electrical transmission line. An interface for communication exists between the first line card 101 and the second line card 102. The first line card 101 includes a network packet processor (NP) 1 and a central processing unit (CPU) 1. The second line card 102 includes a network packet processor (NP) 2 and a central processing unit (CPU) 2. The main control board 103 is used to communicate with a peer device 104 outside the system through the first line card 101. The peer device 104 can be a router, a gateway device, or a server. Taking the upgrade of the operating system on the first line card 101 as an example, the functions of each component of the communication system during the upgrade process are described separately.

[0051] The main control board 103 is configured to send a first forwarding table to the first line card 101. The first forwarding table is used to control packet forwarding routing. In practical applications, the main control board 103 may also be configured to send an update instruction to the first line card 101. The first line card 101 updates the operating system according to the update instruction. The update instruction may carry the first forwarding table.

[0052] CPU1 in first line card 101 receives a first forwarding table from main control board 103 and sends it to NP1. NP1 is configured with a second forwarding table. NP1 forwards received upstream messages to main control board 103 using the second forwarding table. After receiving the first forwarding table, NP1 replaces the second forwarding table with the first forwarding table. NP1 in first line card 101 also receives a first upstream message from peer device 104 and forwards it to second line card 102 based on the first forwarding table.

[0053] NP2 in the second line card 102 is configured to receive the first uplink message from the first line card 101. The second line card 102 is configured to forward the first uplink message to the main control board 103. For example, in the example of FIG1a , NP2 in the second line card 102 is configured to forward the first uplink message to CPU2. CPU2 is configured to forward the first uplink message to the main control board 103. In actual applications, the second line card 102 may forward the uplink message from NP1 to the main control board 103 by default, or the main control board 103 may configure the second line card 102 to forward the uplink message from NP1 to the main control board 103.

[0054] The first line card 101 updates the operating system of CPU1. Before the update, the first line card 101 can obtain the update file from the main control board 103 via CPU1, or obtain the update file from the network via NP1. The embodiment of the present application does not limit the method by which the first line card 101 obtains the update file. After receiving the update instruction and replacing the second forwarding table with the first forwarding table, the first line card 101 updates the operating system of CPU1. During the operating system update, the NP1 of the first line card 101 is not reset, thereby ensuring normal service transmission. After the operating system is updated, the first line card 101 is configured to receive a second uplink message from the peer device 104 and forward the second uplink message to the main control board 103 according to the second forwarding table. Figure 1b is a second schematic diagram of the communication system provided in an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 1b, after the operating system is updated, the NP1 in the first line card 101 is configured to forward the second uplink message to CPU1 according to the second forwarding table. CPU1 is configured to forward the second uplink message to the main control board 103.

[0055] In the embodiment of the present application, the NP1 of the first line card 101 is not reset during the operating system update process, and the first sent message is forwarded to the second line card 102, which then forwards the sent message to the main control board 103. Therefore, in the embodiment of the present application, the transmission of the sent message does not need to be interrupted during the operating system update process of the first line card 101, thereby improving the user experience.

[0056] It should be understood that the aforementioned Figures 1a and 1b are merely two examples of the communication system provided in the embodiments of the present application. In actual applications, those skilled in the art may adaptively modify the structure of the communication system as needed. For example, in the examples of Figures 1a and 1b, the communication system 100 includes a main control board and two line cards. In actual applications, the communication system 100 may include more main control boards or more line cards. For another example, in the example of Figure 1a, the main control board 103 is also used to communicate with another peer device through the second line card 102, or the communication system 100 further includes another main control board, and the other main control board is also used to communicate with another peer device through the second line card 102.

[0057] In actual applications, the operating system on the second line card 102 may also need to be updated. Therefore, after updating the operating system on the first line card 101, the operating system on the second line card 102 can be updated using a similar method. During the update process, the main control board receives the sent messages through NP2 and the first line card 101.

[0058] When communication system 100 includes more line cards, the line cards in communication system 100 are divided into group 1 and group 2. When the number of line cards in group 1 and group 2 is the same, the multiple line cards in group 1 correspond one-to-one with the multiple line cards in group 2. The first line card 101 and the second line card 102 in Figure 1a are corresponding line cards. The operating systems of other corresponding line cards can be updated using the aforementioned method. When the number of line cards in group 1 and group 2 is different, multiple line cards may correspond to the second line card 101. For example, the multiple line cards include the first line card 101 and the third line card. During the process of updating the operating systems of the first line card 101 and the third line card, the second line card 101 is configured to forward the messages sent from the first line card 101 and the third line card to the main control board.

[0059] In the embodiment of Figure 1a , the main control board 103 is configured to receive a first uplink message from the second line card 102. The main control board 103 is configured to process the first uplink message. For example, the main control board 103 is configured to obtain a first downlink message based on the first uplink message. The main control board 103 transmits the first downlink message to the peer device 104 via the second line card 102 and the first line card 101. This is described below. Figure 2a is a third structural diagram of the communication system provided in an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 2a , based on Figure 1a , the main control board 103 is configured to transmit the first downlink message to the second line card 102. The solid lines in Figure 2a represent the first uplink message and the first downlink message. CPU 2 in the second line card 102 is configured to receive the first downlink message and forward it to NP2. NP2 is configured to forward the first downlink message to NP1. NP1 is configured to send the first downlink message to the peer device 104.

[0060] In actual applications, during communication between the main control board 103 and the peer device 104 via the first line card 101, the first line card 101 may also need to process termination messages. For example, this may involve processing Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) messages, Bidirectional Forwarding Detection (BFD) messages, or Open Shortest Path First (OSPF) messages. CPU 1 of the first line card 101 needs to run a corresponding process to process the corresponding termination messages. For example, CPU 1 runs an OSPF process. The OSPF process is used to process OSPF messages. During an operating system update on the first line card 101, the first line card 101 may be unable to process termination messages properly, potentially causing service interruption. Therefore, in actual applications, the first line card 101 may also process termination messages through the second line card 102. This is described below.

[0061] As shown in Figure 2a , NP1 in the first line card 101 is also configured to receive a first termination message from the peer device 104 and forward the first termination message to the second line card 102 according to the first forwarding table. The second line card 102 is configured to process the first termination message. In the example of Figure 2a , NP2 in the second line card 102 is configured to receive the first termination message from NP1 and forward the first termination message to CPU2. CPU2 runs a process that processes the first termination message. For example, CPU2 is configured to generate a first reply message based on the first termination message and transmit the first reply message to NP2. In Figure 2a , the dashed lines represent the first reply message and the first termination message. NP2 is configured to transmit the first reply message to the first line card 101. NP1 in the first line card 101 is configured to receive the first reply message from the second line card 102 and send the first reply message to the peer device 104.

[0062] In the embodiment of Figure 1b , the main control board 103 is configured to receive a first uplink message from the first line card 101. The main control board 103 is configured to process the first uplink message. For example, the main control board 103 is configured to obtain a first downlink message based on the first uplink message. The main control board 103 sends the first downlink message to the peer device 104 via the first line card 101. This is described below. Figure 2b is a fourth structural diagram of the communication system provided in an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 2b , based on Figure 1b , the main control board 103 is configured to transmit the first downlink message to the first line card 101. The solid lines in Figure 2b represent the first uplink message and the first downlink message. The CPU 2 in the second line card 102 is configured to receive the first downlink message and forward it to the NP2. The NP2 is configured to forward the first downlink message to the NP1. The NP1 is configured to send the first downlink message to the peer device 104.

[0063] In actual applications, during communication between the main control board 103 and the peer device 104 via the first line card 101, the first line card 101 may also need to process termination messages. CPU 1 of the first line card 101 needs to run a corresponding process to process the termination messages. After the operating system of the first line card 101 is updated, CPU 1 of the first line card 101 processes the termination messages. This process is described below.

[0064] As shown in Figure 2b , NP1 in first line card 101 is further configured to receive a first termination message from peer device 104 and forward the first termination message to CPU1 according to the second forwarding table. CPU1 is configured to process the first termination message. For example, CPU1 is configured to generate a first reply message based on the first termination message and transmit the first reply message to NP1. In Figure 2b , the dashed lines represent the first reply message and the first termination message. NP1 is configured to send the first reply message to peer device 104.

[0065] Figure 3a is a fifth structural diagram of the communication system provided in an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 3a, based on Figure 2a, CPU 1 runs the OSPF1 process and the packet forwarding process (PFP)1 process. The main control board 103 runs the packet forwarding control (PFC) process and the network protocol process (NPP) process. CPU 2 runs the OSPF2 process, the PFP2 process, and the OSPF1 process. The peer device 104 runs the NPP process and the OSPF process. The following describes the functions of each process and structure before and after the update.

[0066] Before the operating system of first line card 101 is updated, the PFC process on main control board 103 sends the first forwarding table to first line card 101. The PFP1 process running on CPU 1 processes the first forwarding table and sends it to NP1. NP1 replaces the second forwarding table with the first forwarding table. The PFC process on main control board 103 sends the third forwarding table to second line card 102. The PFP2 process running on CPU 2 processes the third forwarding table and sends it to NP2. NP2 validates the third forwarding table.

[0067] While the first line card 101 is updating its operating system, the NPP process of the peer device 104 sends a first uplink message to the first line card 101. The OSPF process of the peer device 104 sends a first termination message to the first line card 101. NP1 forwards the first uplink message and the first termination message to the second line card 102 according to the first forwarding table. NP2 forwards the first termination message to the OSPF1 process of CPU2 according to the third forwarding table. OSPF1 processes the first termination message, obtains a first reply message, and transmits the first reply message to NP2. NP2 forwards the first uplink message to the PFP2 process of CPU2. PFP2 forwards the first uplink message to the main control board 103. The NPP process on the main control board 103 processes the first uplink message, obtains a first downlink message, and transmits the first downlink message to the second line card 102. PFP2 processes the first downlink message and forwards it to NP2. NP2 is configured to forward the first dispatch message and the first reply message to first line card 101 according to the third forwarding table. NP1 is configured to send the first dispatch message and the first reply message to peer device 104. The NPP process in peer device 104 is configured to process the first dispatch message. The OSPF process in peer device 104 is configured to process the first reply message.

[0068] Figure 3b is a sixth structural diagram of the communication system provided by an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 3b , based on Figure 3a , after the first line card 101 updates its operating system, the PFC process in the main control board 103 is configured to send a second forwarding table to the first line card 101. The PFP1 process in the first line card 101 is configured to process the second forwarding table and send it to NP1. NP1 is configured to replace the first forwarding table with the second forwarding table. The NPP process in the peer device 104 is configured to send a second uplink message to the first line card 101. The OSPF process in the peer device 104 is configured to send a second termination message to the first line card 101. NP1 is configured to forward the second uplink message and the second termination message to CPU1 based on the second forwarding table. The OSPF1 process in CPU1 is configured to process the second termination message, obtain a second reply message, and transmit the second reply message to NP2. The PFP1 process in CPU1 is configured to forward the second uplink message to the main control board 103. The NPP process on main control board 103 processes the second uplink message, obtains a second downlink message, and transmits the second downlink message to first line card 101. PFP1 processes the second downlink message and forwards it to NP1. NP2 sends the second downlink message and the second reply message to peer device 104. The NPP process on peer device 104 processes the second downlink message. The OSPF process on peer device 104 processes the second reply message.

[0069] In Figures 3a and 3b, the OSPF2 process in CPU2 can be used to process terminated messages from the second line card 102. For example, the main control board 103 is also used to communicate with another peer device through the second line card 102. The OSPF2 process processes terminated messages from the other peer device, obtains a reply message, and sends the reply message to the other peer device via NP2. In Figure 3b, after CPU1's operating system is updated, the OSPF1 process on CPU2 can be stopped.

[0070] In the examples shown in Figures 1a to 3b above, first line card 101 is used to update the operating system of CPU 1. In actual applications, first line card 101 can also be used to update processes on CPU 1. For example, in the example shown in Figure 3b, before the update, the processes on CPU 1 include the PFP1 process. After the update, the PFP1 process is updated to the PFP3 process. CPU 1 transmits the second uplink message to the main control board 103 via the PFP3 process and receives the second downlink message from the main control board 103 via the PFP3 process.

[0071] In the examples shown in Figures 1b, 2b, and 3b, after CPU1's operating system is updated, first line card 101 can update its NP using a primary / backup NP configuration. Specifically, first line card 101 configures a primary / backup NP1 and forwards packets, such as the second sent packet, through the backup NP1. First line card 101 updates the primary NP1. After updating the primary NP1, first line card 101 forwards packets through the updated primary NP1.

[0072] The communication system provided by this application is described above. The method and line card for updating the operating system provided by this application are described below. Figure 4 is a flow chart of the method for updating the operating system provided by an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 4, the method for updating the operating system includes the following steps.

[0073] In step 401, a first line card receives a first forwarding table through an NP and replaces the first forwarding table.

[0074] The first line card includes an NP and a CPU. The second forwarding table is used to control the NP to forward received uplink messages to the CPU. The first line card receives the first forwarding table. For example, the first line card receives the first forwarding table from the main control board. The first line card may also receive an update instruction from the main control board. The first line card updates the operating system according to the update instruction. The update instruction may carry the first forwarding table. The first line card configures the first forwarding table to replace the second forwarding table.

[0075] In step 402, the first line card receives a first upward message through the NP, and forwards the first upward message to the second line card according to the first forwarding table. The second line card is configured to forward the first upward message to the main control board.

[0076] The first line card receives a first uplink message from a peer device via an NP. The peer device 104 may be a router, gateway, or server. The NP forwards the first uplink message to the second line card according to the first forwarding table. The second line card is configured to forward the first uplink message to the main control board. For example, the second line card includes an NP2 and a CPU2. NP2 is configured to receive the first uplink message from the first line card and forward the first uplink message to CPU2. CPU2 is configured to forward the first uplink message to the main control board.

[0077] In step 403, the first line card updates the operating system of the CPU.

[0078] The first line card updates the CPU's operating system. Before the update, the first line card can obtain the update file from the main control board via the CPU, or obtain the update file from the network via the network access point (NP). The embodiment of the present application does not limit the method by which the first line card obtains the update file. After receiving the update instruction and replacing the second forwarding table with the first forwarding table, the first line card updates the CPU's operating system. During the operating system update, the NP of the first line card does not reset, thereby ensuring normal service transmission.

[0079] In step 404, the first line card receives the second sent message through the NP, and forwards the second sent message to the main control board according to the second forwarding table and the updated operating system.

[0080] After the operating system is updated, the first line card receives a second message from the peer device and forwards the second message to the main control board according to the second forwarding table. For example, after the operating system is updated, the NP in the first line card forwards the second message to the CPU according to the second forwarding table. The CPU forwards the second message to the main control board.

[0081] It should be understood that the description of the method for updating the operating system is similar to the description of the aforementioned communication system. Therefore, the description of the method for updating the operating system can refer to the description in any of the aforementioned Figures 1a to 3b. For example, before updating the operating system, the method for updating the operating system further includes the following steps: the first line card receives a first downlink message from the second line card via the NP, where the first downlink message is obtained based on the first uplink message; the first line card sends the first downlink message to the opposite device via the NP. For another example, before updating the operating system, the method for updating the operating system further includes the following steps: the first line card receives a first termination message via the NP, and forwards the first termination message to the second line card according to the first forwarding table; the first line card receives a first reply message from the second line card via the NP, where the first reply message is obtained based on the first termination message; and the first line card sends the first reply message to the opposite device via the NP.

[0082] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a line card provided in an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 5, line card 101 includes an NP 501 and a CPU 502. NP 501 is configured to receive a first forwarding table and replace a second forwarding table. NP 501 is also configured to receive a first upwardly transmitted message and forward the first upwardly transmitted message to a second line card according to the first forwarding table. The second line card is configured to forward the first upwardly transmitted message to the main control board. CPU 502 is configured to update the operating system. NP 501 is also configured to receive a second upwardly transmitted message and forward the second upwardly transmitted message to the main control board according to the second forwarding table and the updated operating system.

[0083] It should be understood that the description of line card 101 in Figure 5 shares similarities with the descriptions in any of Figures 1a through 3b . Therefore, the description of line card 101 in Figure 5 can refer to the descriptions in any of Figures 1a through 3b . For example, the description of NP 501 can refer to the description of NP1, and the description of CPU 502 can refer to the description of CPU1. For another example, NP 501 is further configured to receive a first downlink message from a second line card, the first downlink message being derived from the first uplink message. NP 501 is also configured to send the first downlink message.

[0084] In other embodiments, line card 101 may further include memory. The memory may be volatile memory or nonvolatile memory, or may include both volatile and nonvolatile memory. The nonvolatile memory may be read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), or flash memory. The volatile memory may be random access memory (RAM). The memory may be used to store the first forwarding table.

[0085] The above is only a specific implementation method of the present application, but the protection scope of the present application is not limited thereto. Any technician familiar with this technical field can easily think of changes or replacements within the technical scope disclosed in this application, which should be covered by the protection scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A communication system, characterized in that: It includes a main control board, a first line card, and a second line card, wherein: The main control board is used to send a first forwarding table to the first line card; The first line card includes a network message processor NP and a central processing unit CPU, the NP is used to receive the first forwarding table and replace the second forwarding table, the NP is further used to receive a first upward message and forward the first upward message to the second line card according to the first forwarding table; The second line card is used to forward the first sent message to the main control board; The first line card is used to update the operating system of the CPU. After the operating system is updated, the first line card is used to receive a second upward message through the NP and forward the second upward message to the main control board according to the second forwarding table and the updated operating system.

2. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein: The main control board is further configured to obtain a first downlink message according to the first uplink message, and send the first downlink message to the second line card; The second line card is further configured to forward the first sent message to the first line card; The first line card is further configured to send the first delivered message through the NP.

3. The communication system according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that The first line card is further configured to receive a first termination message through the NP, and forward the first termination message to the second line card according to the first forwarding table; The second line card is configured to process the first termination message.

4. The communication system according to claim 3, wherein: The second line card is configured to process the first termination message, including: the second line card is configured to obtain a first reply message according to the first termination message, and send the first reply message to the first line card; The first line card is further configured to send the first reply message through the NP.

5. The communication system according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that After the first line card updates the operating system, the NP is further configured to receive a second termination message and forward the second termination message to the CPU according to the second forwarding table; The CPU is configured to process the second termination message.

6. The communication system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that The first line card is further configured to update a process of the CPU; The NP is used to forward the second upward message to the main control board according to the second forwarding table and the updated operating system, including: after updating the operating system and the process, the NP is used to forward the second upward message to the main control board according to the second forwarding table, the updated process and the updated operating system.

7. The communication system according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: After the first line card updates the operating system, the main control board is further configured to send the second forwarding table to the first line card; The NP is further configured to receive the second forwarding table and replace the first forwarding table.

8. A method for updating an operating system, characterized in that: include: Receiving the first forwarding table through the network packet processor NP and replacing the second forwarding table; receiving a first upward message through the NP, and forwarding the first upward message to the second line card according to the first forwarding table, wherein the second line card is configured to forward the first upward message to the main control board; Update the operating system of the central processing unit CPU; After the operating system is updated, the second sent message is received through the NP, and the second sent message is forwarded to the main control board according to the second forwarding table and the updated operating system.

9. The method for updating an operating system according to claim 8, wherein: Before updating the operating system, the method further includes: receiving, through the NP, a first downlink message from the second line card, where the first downlink message is obtained according to the first uplink message; The first dispatch message is sent through the NP.

10. The method for updating an operating system according to claim 8 or 9, characterized in that: Before updating the operating system, the method further includes: receiving a first termination message through the NP, and forwarding the first termination message to the second line card according to the first forwarding table; receiving, through the NP, a first reply message from the second line card, where the first reply message is obtained according to the first termination message; The first reply message is sent through the NP.

11. The method for updating an operating system according to claim 10, wherein: After updating the operating system, the method further includes: receiving a second termination message through the NP, and forwarding the second termination message to the CPU according to the second forwarding table; The second termination message is processed by the CPU.

12. The method for updating an operating system according to any one of claims 8 to 11, characterized in that: The method further comprises: Updating the CPU process; The forwarding of the second sent message to the main control board according to the second forwarding table and the updated operating system includes: forwarding the second sent message to the main control board according to the second forwarding table, the updated process, and the updated operating system.

13. The method for updating an operating system according to any one of claims 8 to 12, characterized in that: After updating the operating system, the method further includes: The second forwarding table is received from the main control board to replace the first forwarding table.

14. A line card, characterized in that: It includes a network packet processor NP and a central processing unit CPU, wherein: The NP is configured to receive a first forwarding table and replace the second forwarding table. The NP is further configured to receive a first upward message and forward the first upward message to a second line card according to the first forwarding table. The second line card is configured to forward the first upward message to a main control board. The CPU is used to update the operating system; The NP is further configured to receive a second sent message, and forward the second sent message to the main control board according to the second forwarding table and the updated operating system.

15. The line card according to claim 14, wherein: Before updating the operating system, the NP is further configured to receive a first downlink message from the second line card, where the first downlink message is obtained according to the first uplink message, and the NP is further configured to send the first downlink message.

16. The line card according to claim 14 or 15, characterized in that: Before updating the operating system, the NP is further used to receive a first termination message, forward the first termination message to the second line card according to the first forwarding table, and receive a first reply message from the second line card, where the first reply message is obtained based on the first termination message, and the NP is further used to send the first reply message.

17. The line card according to claim 16, wherein: After the operating system is updated, the NP is further configured to receive a second termination message and forward the second termination message to the CPU according to the second forwarding table; The CPU is further configured to process the second termination message.

18. The line card according to any one of claims 14 to 17, wherein: The CPU is also used to update the process; The NP is configured to forward the second sent message to the main control board according to the second forwarding table and the updated operating system, including: After the operating system and the process are updated, the NP is configured to forward the second sent message to the main control board according to the second forwarding table, the updated process, and the updated operating system.

19. The line card according to any one of claims 14 to 18, wherein: After the operating system is updated, the NP is further configured to receive the second forwarding table from the main control board to replace the first forwarding table.

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