Gateway Control Plane MAC Address Resolution for Packet Forwarding
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing routing systems in mobile core networks, when integrated with OpenFlow technology, face challenges in maintaining reliable packet transmission from the mobile core network to external networks due to poor controllability and inability to learn MAC addresses of next hops, leading to packet transmission failures.
Innovation Solution
A method and system that involves a gateway control plane apparatus and a forwarding plane apparatus, where the control plane determines the external gateway and obtains the MAC address using the forwarding plane, sending processing rules to ensure correct packet forwarding, including decapsulating GTP packets and caching MAC addresses to prevent packet transmission failures.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Extent of automation
If OpenFlow technology is applied to mobile core network, then forwarding plane and control plane are separated, but packet transmission fails when sending packets from mobile core network to external network
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a gateway control plane apparatus as an intermediary between the forwarding plane apparatus and external networks. This mediator obtains MAC addresses of external gateways and generates processing rules, which are then installed in the forwarding plane apparatus. This intermediary solution resolves the contradiction by enabling automated forwarding while ensuring reliable packet transmission through proper MAC address resolution and rule generation.
2Reliability
If traditional routing system is used, then packet forwarding is controlled by switch/router, but routing system becomes unwieldy and has poor controllability
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the control function from traditional switches/routers and places it in a dedicated gateway control plane apparatus. This separation removes the complexity of routing control from individual forwarding devices and consolidates it in a centralized controller that can manage multiple forwarding plane apparatuses, thereby improving controllability while reducing device complexity at the forwarding level.
3Ease of operation
If forwarding plane apparatus cannot learn MAC address of next hop, then packet forwarding cannot be completed, but traditional ARP broadcast cannot be used in OpenFlow architecture
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a feedback mechanism where the gateway control plane apparatus actively queries external gateways to obtain their MAC addresses and then feeds back this information by generating processing rules. This feedback loop replaces the traditional ARP broadcast mechanism, enabling the forwarding plane apparatus to acquire MAC addresses reliably through the control plane's rule installation, ensuring complete packet forwarding capability.
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention discloses a packet transmission method, which relate to the communications field and can increase, in an environment of a mobile core network in which a forwarding plane is separated from a control plane, a success rate of packet transmission from the mobile core network to an external network. The method includes: determining an external gateway to which a data packet needs to be sent; obtaining a MAC address of the external gateway by using a forwarding plane apparatus; and sending a processing rule to the forwarding plane apparatus, so that the forwarding plane apparatus processes the data packet according to the processing rule, where the processing rule includes the MAC address and is used for instructing to send the data packet to the external gateway, and the external gateway is located in an external network connected to a core network.