VXLAN GPE User Header Encapsulation for BRAS Access Packets
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional BRAS systems face issues with low resource utilization and complex management due to separation of forwarding and control functions, leading to inefficient encapsulation methods that lack compatibility and result in high overheads, especially when using VXLAN GPE encapsulation.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a BRAS-UP that adds a user information header within the VXLAN GPE encapsulation structure, setting the next protocol field to a preset value to indicate the presence of this header, thereby reducing encapsulation overheads and ensuring compatibility.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If VXLAN GPE encapsulation is used to carry user access information, then user access information can be transmitted, but encapsulation overhead increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent embeds a custom user information header within the VXLAN GPE encapsulation structure. The header is nested between the VXLAN GPE header and the inner packet, utilizing the extension space provided by VXLAN GPE. This nesting approach allows user access information to be carried efficiently without requiring the full NSH structure, thereby reducing overhead while maintaining information transmission capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent modifies the VXLAN GPE encapsulation by setting the next protocol field to a preset value indicating a custom header type. This parameter change enables the system to use a streamlined header format rather than the standard NSH, optimizing the balance between information carrying capacity and overhead size.
2Loss of information
If standard VXLAN encapsulation is modified to add user information header, then user access information can be carried, but compatibility is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent leverages the VXLAN GPE extension mechanism, which is designed to provide universal support for custom protocols and headers. By using the standardized VXLAN GPE format with a preset next protocol value, the custom user information header becomes part of the universal VXLAN GPE framework, ensuring compatibility across different implementations while maintaining the ability to carry user access information.
3Loss of information
If NSH is used for encapsulation, then user access information can be stored in context header, but packet header size increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the essential user access information requirements from the full NSH structure. Instead of using the complete NSH with its service path, context, and metadata sections, the invention creates a simplified custom header that contains only the necessary user access information fields. This extraction approach maintains the core functionality while significantly reducing header size.
Data Source
Figure 1A~1B
Figure 2~3B
Figure 3C~3D
AI summary
This application discloses a BRAS system-based packet encapsulation method and apparatus, and pertains to the field of communications technologies. The method includes: obtaining user access information corresponding to a user access protocol packet when receiving the user access protocol packet; and performing VXLAN GPE encapsulation on the user access protocol packet based on the user access information, where a value of an encapsulation protocol field of a VXLAN GPE header in a VXLAN GPE encapsulation structure is a preset value, the preset value is used to indicate that the encapsulation structure includes a user information header that is used to store the user access information, the user information header is located immediately after the VXLAN GPE header, and a quantity of bytes occupied by the user information header is less than or equal to 12. In this application, the foregoing encapsulation structure is used to encapsulate a packet, and an encapsulated packet has backward compatibility. In addition, because the quantity of bytes occupied by the user information header is less than a quantity of bytes occupied by an NSH that carries the user access information, encapsulation overheads are saved.