CN111865802A

CN111865802A - Communication method and device

Info

Publication number: CN111865802A
Application number: CN201910365512.0A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 刘菁; 戴明增; 朱元萍
Original assignee: Huawei Technologies Co Ltd
Current assignee: Huawei Technologies Co Ltd
Priority date: 2019-04-30
Filing date: 2019-04-30
Publication date: 2020-10-30
Anticipated expiration: 2039-04-30
Also published as: CN111865802B; WO2020221360A1

Abstract

The application relates to the technical field of communication, and discloses a communication method and a device, wherein the method comprises the following steps: the host CU establishes a mapping relation between the IP address of the first IAB node and the first routing information, and sends the mapping relation to the host DU; correspondingly, after the host DU receives the IP address of the first IAB node and the first routing information corresponding thereto from the host CU, if the first data packet is received and the destination IP of the first data packet is the IP address of the first IAB node, the first data packet and the first routing information may be sent to the next hop node of the host DU according to the mapping relationship. Further, the donor DU may also receive the mapping relationship between the first information and the BH RLC channel from the donor CU, and may further map the first packet into the corresponding BH RLC channel for transmission when transmitting the first packet (the first packet includes the first information).

Description

Communication method and device

Technical Field

The present application relates to the field of communications technologies, and in particular, to a communication method and apparatus.

Background

Compared with the fourth generation mobile communication system, the fifth generation mobile communication system (5th-generation, 5G) has all-around requirements for various network performance indexes. For example, the capacity index is improved by 1000 times, the coverage requirement is wider, the time delay is ultrahigh and reliable, and the time delay is ultralow. On one hand, in consideration of rich high-frequency carrier frequency resources, in a hot spot area, in order to meet the requirement of 5G ultrahigh capacity, networking by using high-frequency small stations is more popular. The high-frequency carrier wave has poor propagation characteristics, is seriously attenuated by shielding and has a small coverage range, so a large number of densely deployed small stations are needed, and accordingly, the cost of providing optical fiber return for the densely deployed small stations is high, the construction difficulty is high, and an economic and convenient return scheme is needed; on the other hand, from the perspective of wide coverage requirements, network coverage is provided in some remote areas, the deployment difficulty of optical fibers is high, the cost is high, and a flexible and convenient access and return scheme also needs to be designed.

An Integrated Access and Backhaul (IAB) network technology is introduced into the 5G, and an access link and a backhaul link in the IAB network both adopt a wireless transmission scheme, so that optical fiber deployment is avoided, deployment cost is reduced, and deployment flexibility is improved. In an IAB network, a wireless backhaul node, which may also be referred to as an IAB node or Relay Node (RN), may provide wireless access services to terminal devices. The traffic data of the terminal device may be transmitted by the wireless backhaul node connected to the donor node through the wireless backhaul link, and the donor node may be an IAB donor (IAB donor) or a donor base station (donor gbdeb, DgNB).

However, when introducing an IAB node, how the IAB node communicates with an Operation Administration and Maintenance (OAM) server still needs further research.

Disclosure of Invention

In view of the above, the present application provides a communication method and apparatus for implementing communication between an IAB node and an OAM server.

In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, where the method includes:

the host distributed unit DU receives an Internet protocol IP address and first routing information of a first access return integration IAB node from the host centralized unit CU, wherein the first routing information is used for routing a first data packet to the first IAB node, and the destination IP address of the first data packet is the IP address of the first IAB node; further, the host DU receives the first data packet, and sends the first data packet and the first routing information to the next hop node of the host DU.

The first data packet may be an OAM service data packet or may also be a DHCP service data packet, and accordingly, the first data packet may be received from an OAM server or may also be received from a DHCP server, which is not limited specifically.

For the case that the first packet is an OAM service packet, the method may also be described as follows:

the host distributed unit DU receives an Internet protocol IP address and first routing information of a first access return integrated IAB node from the host centralized unit CU, wherein the first routing information is used for routing a first data packet to the first IAB node, the first data packet is an OAM service data packet, and the destination IP address of the first data packet is the IP address of the first IAB node; further, the home DU receives the first data packet from the OAM server, and sends the first data packet and the first routing information to the next hop node of the home DU.

By adopting the mode, the first data packet is sent to the next hop node of the home DU by the home DU, and then the first data packet can be sent to the first IAB node by the next hop node of the home DU subsequently.

In one possible design, the first routing information includes: the identification of the first path, wherein a sending node on the first path is a host DU, and a receiving node on the first path is a first IAB node; alternatively, the first identity of the first IAB node.

In one possible design, the first identification of the first node is an adaptation layer identification assigned by the host centralized unit CU for the first node.

In one possible design, the first routing information includes: the identification of the second path and the second identification of the first IAB node, wherein the sending node on the second path is a host DU, and the receiving node on the second path is a father node of the first IAB node; alternatively, the identity of the parent node of the first IAB node and the second identity of the first IAB node.

In one possible design, the second identifier of the first IAB node is a cell radio network temporary identifier C-RNTI allocated to the first IAB node by a parent node of the first IAB node, or the second identifier of the first IAB node is a first F1AP identifier allocated to the first IAB node by the parent node of the first IAB node; alternatively, the second identity of the first IAB node comprises a first F1AP identity and a second F1AP identity assigned by the host CU to the first IAB node.

In one possible design, the sending, by the host DU, the first routing information to the next hop node of the host DU includes: and the host DU carries the first routing information in an adaptation layer of the host DU and sends the first routing information to a next hop node of the host DU.

In one possible design, the sending, by the host DU, the first packet to the next-hop node of the host DU includes: the host DU receives first information and first bearing information from the host CU, wherein the first bearing information is used for indicating a back-transmission radio link control (BH RLC) channel for transmitting a first data packet; the first data packet includes first information including at least one of: difference service code point DSCP value, flow label, IP address of OAM server, port number; the host DU maps the first packet to the BHRLC channel for transmission to the next hop node of the host DU.

In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, where the method includes:

the host CU acquires an IP address and first routing information of a first IAB node, wherein the first routing information is used for routing a first data packet to the first IAB node, the first data packet is an OAM service data packet, and a destination IP address of the first data packet is the IP address of the first IAB node; further, the host CU sends the IP address of the first IAB node and the first routing information to the host DU.

In one possible design, the second identifier of the first IAB node is a C-RNTI assigned to the first IAB node by the parent node of the first IAB node, or the second identifier of the first IAB node is a first F1AP identifier assigned to the first IAB node by the parent node of the first IAB node; alternatively, the second identity of the first IAB node comprises a first F1AP identity and a second F1AP identity assigned by the host CU to the first IAB node.

In one possible design, the donor CU sends first information and first bearer information to the donor DU, the first bearer information indicating a BH RLC channel for transmitting a first packet, the first packet including the first information, the first information including at least one of: DSCP value, flow label, IP address of OAM server, port number.

In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, where the method includes:

the host DU receives first information and first bearer information from the host CU, the first bearer information indicating a BH RLC channel for transmitting a first packet, the first packet including first information, the first information including at least one of: DSCP value, flow label, IP address of OAM server, port number; further, the home DU receives the first data packet from the OAM server, and maps the first data packet to the BH RLC channel to be transmitted to the next hop node of the home DU.

In a fourth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, where the method includes:

the host CU acquires first information and first bearing information, wherein the first bearing information is used for indicating a BHRLC channel for transmitting a first data packet, the first data packet comprises the first information, and the first information comprises at least one of the following items: DSCP value, flow label, IP address of OAM server, port number; further, the host CU sends the first information and the first bearer information to the host DU.

In a fifth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, where the method includes:

the first IAB node receives the IP address of the OAM server and second routing information from the host CU, the second routing information is used for routing a second data packet to the host DU, and the destination IP address of the second data packet is the IP address of the OAM server; further, the first IAB node generates a second packet, and sends the second packet and the second routing information to the previous-hop node of the first IAB node.

In one possible design, the second routing information includes: the identifier of the third path, the sending node on the third path is the first IAB node, and the receiving node on the third path is the host DU; or, the identifier of the fourth path, the sending node on the fourth path is the previous-hop node of the first IAB node, and the receiving node on the fourth path is the host DU.

In one possible design, the first IAB node sending the second routing information to a previous-hop node of the first IAB node, comprising: and the first IAB carries the second routing information in an adaptation layer of the first IAB and sends the second routing information to a previous hop node of the first IAB.

In one possible design, the first IAB node sending the second packet to a previous-hop node of the first IAB node, comprising: the first IAB node receives second information and second bearer information from the donor CU, the second bearer information indicating a BH RLC channel for transmitting a second data packet, the second data packet including second information, the second information including at least one of: DSCP value, flow label, IP address of OAM server, port number; further, the donor DU maps the second packet to the last hop node in the BH RLC channel, which is sent to the first IAB node.

In a sixth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, where the method includes:

the host CU acquires the IP address of the OAM server and second routing information, the second routing information is used for routing a second data packet to the host DU, and the target IP address of the second data packet is the IP address of the OAM server; further, the host CU sends the IP address of the OAM server and the second routing information to the first IAB node.

In a seventh aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, where the method includes:

the first IAB node receives second information and second bearer information from the donor CU, the second bearer information indicating a BH RLC channel for transmitting a second data packet, the second data packet including second information, the second information including at least one of: DSCP value, flow label, IP address of OAM server, port number; further, the first IAB node generates a second data packet, maps the second data packet to a BH RLC channel, and sends the second data packet to a previous hop node of the first IAB node.

In an eighth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, where the method includes:

the host CU acquires second information and second bearing information, wherein the second bearing information is used for indicating a BHRLC channel for transmitting a second data packet, the second data packet comprises the second information, and the second information comprises at least one of the following items: DSCP value, flow label, IP address of OAM server, port number; further, the host CU sends the second information and the second bearer information to the first IAB node.

In a ninth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, where the method includes:

the method comprises the steps that a host DU receives a first data packet and first routing information from a host CU, wherein the first routing information is used for routing the first data packet to a first IAB node, the first data packet is an OAM service data packet, and the destination IP address of the first data packet is the IP address of the first IAB node; further, the host DU sends the first data packet and the first routing information to the next hop node of the host DU according to the first routing information.

In one possible design, the sending, by the host DU, the first packet to the next-hop node of the host DU includes: the host DU receives first information and first bearing information from the host CU, wherein the first bearing information is used for indicating a back-transmission radio link control (BH RLC) channel for transmitting a first data packet; the first data packet includes first information including at least one of: difference service code point DSCP value, flow label, IP address of OAM server, port number; further, the home DU maps the first packet to a next hop node in the BH RLC channel and transmits the packet to the home DU.

In a tenth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, where the method includes:

a host CU receives a first data packet from an OAM server, wherein the first data packet is an OAM service data packet; further, the host CU sends a first packet and first routing information to the host DU, where the first routing information is used to route the first packet to the first IAB node, and a destination IP address of the first packet is an IP address of the first IAB node.

In one possible design, the method further includes: the host CU sends first information and first bearing information to the host DU, wherein the first bearing information is used for indicating a BH RLC channel for transmitting a first data packet, the first data packet comprises the first information, and the first information comprises at least one of the following items: DSCP value, flow label, IP address of OAM server, port number.

In an eleventh aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, where the method includes:

an access management functional entity acquires subscription information of a first node, wherein the subscription information comprises service quality QoS information of OAM service data of the first node; further, the access management function entity sends the QoS information of the OAM service data of the first node to the host CU.

In a twelfth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, where the method includes:

The host CU receives the QoS information of the OAM service from the access management functional entity and sends the QoS information of the OAM service to the host DU; further, the host CU receives BH RLC channel information allocated for the QoS information of the OAM service, which is returned by the host, where the BH RLC channel information includes an identifier of a BH RLC channel between the host DU and a next hop node of the host DU or a logical channel identifier corresponding to the BH RLC channel.

In a thirteenth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication apparatus. The communication device comprises a processor coupled with a memory for storing a computer program or instructions, the processor executing the computer program or instructions such that the method of any of the first to twelfth aspects is performed, the communication device may further comprise the memory.

In a fourteenth aspect, the present embodiments provide a communication device, which includes one or more modules for implementing the method of any one of the first to twelfth aspects, where the one or more modules may correspond to the steps of the method of any one of the first to twelfth aspects.

In a fifteenth aspect, the present application provides a chip comprising a processor and an interface circuit, the interface circuit being coupled to the processor, the processor being configured to execute a computer program or instructions to implement the method according to any one of the first to twelfth aspects, the interface circuit being configured to communicate with a module other than the chip.

In a sixteenth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a computer storage medium storing a program for implementing the method in any one of the first to eighth aspects. The program, when run in a wireless communication apparatus, causes the wireless communication apparatus to perform the method of any of the first to twelfth aspects.

In a seventeenth aspect, the present application provides a computer program product, which includes a program that, when executed, causes the method of any one of the first to twelfth aspects to be performed.

Drawings

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a network architecture suitable for use with an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 2A is an example of a network architecture for an application scenario including multiple IAB nodes;

FIG. 2B is yet another example of a network architecture for an application scenario including multiple IAB nodes;

FIG. 3A is a schematic diagram illustrating an IAB node communicating with an OAM server via a home DU;

fig. 3B is a schematic diagram of IAB node 121 communicating via a host CU and an OAM server;

fig. 3C, fig. 3D, fig. 3E, and fig. 3F are schematic diagrams of protocol stacks provided in the embodiments of the present application;

fig. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 5a is a schematic flowchart illustrating a communication method according to another embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 5b is a diagram illustrating establishment of a BH RLC channel;

fig. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a communication method according to another embodiment of the present application;

fig. 7 is a flowchart illustrating a communication method according to another embodiment of the present application;

fig. 8 is a flowchart illustrating a communication method according to another embodiment of the present application;

fig. 9 is a flowchart illustrating a communication method according to another embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of a communication device;

fig. 11 shows a possible exemplary block diagram of the apparatus involved in the embodiments of the present application.

Detailed Description

The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the drawings in the embodiments of the present application.

Hereinafter, some terms in the embodiments of the present application are explained to facilitate understanding by those skilled in the art.

1) A terminal device is a device that provides voice and/or data connectivity to a user. In the embodiment of the present application, the terminal device may be referred to as a User Equipment (UE), a Mobile Station (MS), a Mobile Terminal (MT), and the like, and may include a handheld device having a wireless connection function or a processing device connected to a wireless modem, for example. The terminal may communicate with a core network via a Radio Access Network (RAN), exchanging voice and/or data with the RAN. Examples of some terminal devices are: personal Communication Service (PCS) phones, cordless phones, SIP phones, Wireless Local Loop (WLL) stations, Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs), bar codes, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), sensors, Global Positioning System (GPS), laser scanners, and other information sensing devices.

The terminal device may also be a wearable device. Wearable equipment can also be called wearable intelligent equipment, is the general term of applying wearable technique to carry out intelligent design, develop the equipment that can dress to daily wearing, like glasses, gloves, wrist-watch, dress and shoes etc.. A wearable device is a portable device that is worn directly on the body or integrated into the clothing or accessories of the user. The wearable device is not only a hardware device, but also realizes powerful functions through software support, data interaction and cloud interaction. The generalized wearable smart device includes full functionality, large size, and can implement full or partial functionality without relying on a smart phone, such as: smart watches or smart glasses and the like, and only focus on a certain type of application functions, and need to be used in cooperation with other devices such as smart phones, such as various smart bracelets, smart helmets, smart jewelry and the like for monitoring physical signs. The terminal may be a Virtual Reality (VR) device, an Augmented Reality (AR) device, a wireless terminal in industrial control (industrial control), a wireless terminal in self driving (self driving), a wireless terminal in remote medical supply (tele operation), a wireless terminal in smart grid (smart grid), a wireless terminal in transportation safety (transportation safety), a wireless terminal in smart city (smart city), a wireless terminal in smart home (smart home), or the like.

The functions of the terminal device may be implemented by hardware components inside the terminal device, and the hardware components may be a processor and/or a programmable chip inside the terminal device. Alternatively, the chip may be implemented by an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) or a Programmable Logic Device (PLD). The PLD may be any one of or any combination of a Complex Programmable Logic Device (CPLD), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), a General Array Logic (GAL), a system on a chip (SOC).

2) The Donor base station (Donor next generation node B, DgNB) may be an IAB Donor (iabdor), which is a device for accessing a terminal device to a wireless network in a communication system, and is connected to a core network through a wired link. As an example, the donor base station may include a Radio Network Controller (RNC), a Node B (NB), a Base Station Controller (BSC), a Base Transceiver Station (BTS), a home base station (e.g., home evolved NodeB or home Node B, HNB), a baseband unit (BBU), etc., may also include an evolved base station (NodeB or eNB or e-NodeB, evolved Node B) in an evolved long term evolution (LTE-a), or may also include a next generation Node B (gNB) in a fifth generation mobile communication technology (5G) New Radio (NR) system, etc. As another example, a donor base station may include a Centralized Unit (CU) and a Distributed Unit (DU). This structure splits protocol layers of eNB in a Long Term Evolution (LTE) system or gNB in an NR system, puts functions of part of the protocol layers (e.g., Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer and Radio Resource Control (RRC) layer) under centralized control by a CU, and distributes functions of the remaining part or all of the protocol layers (e.g., Physical (PHY) layer, Media Access Control (MAC) layer, Radio Link Control (RLC) layer) in a DU, and the CU controls the DU. In the embodiment of the present application, for convenience of description, a CU of a donor base station may be referred to as a donor CU, and a DU of the donor base station may be referred to as a donor DU.

The functionality of the hosting base station may be implemented by hardware components inside the hosting base station, such as a processor and/or a programmable chip inside the hosting base station. For example, the chip may be implemented by an ASIC, or a PLD. The PLD may be any one of a CPLD, an FPGA, a GAL, an SOC, or any combination thereof.

3) The wireless backhaul device may provide a wireless access service for the terminal device through an Access Link (AL), and the wireless backhaul device is connected to the host base station through a Backhaul Link (BL) to transmit service data of the terminal device, and the coverage of the mobile communication system is expanded through retransmission or forwarding of the service data. As an example, the wireless backhaul device can be an IAB node, a relay station, a reception Point (TRP) or a Transmission Point (TP), etc.

As an example, the wireless backhaul device may include a mobile-termination (MT) unit and a DU. The MT unit communicates with the parent node (i.e., the last hop of the wireless backhaul device) and communicates with the child node (i.e., the next hop of the wireless backhaul device) via the DU. Illustratively, the wireless backhaul device may include at least one MT unit, for example, the wireless backhaul device may include only one MT unit, the MT unit being a multi-connection capable MT unit, the wireless backhaul device may establish backhaul connections with multiple parent nodes of the wireless backhaul device through the MT unit; as another example, the wireless backhaul node can include a plurality of MT units, each of which establishes a connection with a parent node of the wireless backhaul device as an independent backhaul link of the wireless backhaul device.

The functions of the wireless backhaul device can be implemented by hardware components inside the wireless backhaul device, such as a processor and/or a programmable chip inside the wireless backhaul device. For example, the chip may be implemented by an ASIC, or a PLD. The PLD may be any one of a CPLD, an FPGA, a GAL, an SOC, or any combination thereof.

It should be noted that the wireless backhaul device may have different names in different communication systems, for example, in a Long Term Evolution (LTE) system and an LTE-a system, the wireless backhaul device may be referred to as a Relay Node (RN); in the fifth generation mobile communication technology (the 5)^thgeneration, 5G) system, the wireless backhaul device may be referred to as an integrated access and backhaul node (IAB node). Of course, in other communication systems, the wireless backhaul device may also have a different name, which is not limited herein.

4) And link: refers to a path between two adjacent nodes in a path.

5) And accessing a link: and the link between the terminal equipment and the base station, or between the terminal equipment and the IAB node, or between the terminal equipment and the host DU. Alternatively, the access link may comprise a radio link used by an IAB node to communicate with its parent node in the role of a normal end device. When the IAB node is in the role of a common terminal device, the back-transmission service is not provided for any child node. The access link includes an uplink access link and a downlink access link. In the present application, the access link of the terminal device is a wireless link, so the access link may also be referred to as a wireless access link.

6) A return link: the IAB node is used as a link between the wireless backhaul node and a parent node. When the IAB node is used as a wireless backhaul node, the IAB node provides wireless backhaul service for the child node. The backhaul links include an uplink backhaul link, and a downlink backhaul link. In the present application, the backhaul link between the IAB node and the parent node is a wireless link, and therefore the backhaul link may also be referred to as a wireless backhaul link.

7) Parent node and child node: each IAB node treats neighboring nodes for which wireless access service and/or wireless backhaul service is provided as parent nodes (parent nodes). Accordingly, each IAB node may be considered a child node (child node) of its parent node. Alternatively, a child node may also be referred to as a subordinate node, and a parent node may also be referred to as an upper node.

8) Last hop node of the node: refers to the node in the path containing the node that last received a packet before the node. It is to be understood that the node's previous hop node may include a node's previous hop node in uplink transmission and a node's previous hop node in downlink transmission.

9) Next hop node of node: refers to the node in the path containing the node that first receives a packet after the node. It is to be understood that the next hop node of a node may include the next hop node of the node in uplink transmission and the next hop node of the node in downlink transmission.

It should be noted that: in this embodiment of the present application, for the uplink direction, the previous-hop node refers to a parent node, and the next-hop node refers to a child node. For the downlink direction, the next-hop node refers to a child node, and the previous-hop node is a parent node.

10) In the embodiments of the present application, "a plurality" means two or more, and in view of this, the "plurality" may also be understood as "at least two". "at least one" is to be understood as meaning one or more, for example one, two or more. For example, including at least one means including one, two, or more, and does not limit which ones are included, for example, including at least one of A, B and C, then including may be A, B, C, A and B, A and C, B and C, or a and B and C. "and/or" describes the association relationship of the associated objects, meaning that there may be three relationships, e.g., a and/or B, which may mean: a exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, and B exists alone. In addition, the character "/" generally indicates that the preceding and following related objects are in an "or" relationship, unless otherwise specified. The terms "system" and "network" in the embodiments of the present application may be used interchangeably. Unless stated to the contrary, the embodiments of the present application refer to the ordinal numbers "first", "second", etc., for distinguishing between a plurality of objects, and do not limit the sequence, timing, priority, or importance of the plurality of objects.

11) The communication system applicable to the embodiment of the present application includes but is not limited to: a narrowband internet of things (NB-IoT) system, a Wireless Local Access Network (WLAN) system, an LTE system, a next generation 5G mobile communication system, or a communication system after 5G, such as an NR, device to device (D2D) communication system.

Hereinafter, a description will be given by taking the wireless backhaul device as an IAB node and the host base station as an IAB donor as an example, where the IAB node is a specific name for a relay node in an IAB network, and does not limit the scheme of the embodiment of the present application. In this embodiment of the present application, the IAB node is used only for descriptive purposes, and does not indicate a scenario that the solution in this embodiment of the present application is only used for NR, and in this embodiment of the present application, the IAB node may refer to any node or device having a relay function in general.

Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of a network architecture suitable for use in the embodiment of the present application. As shown in fig. 1, the network architecture includes a terminal device 110, an IAB node 120, and a donor base station 130. In the network architecture shown in fig. 1, the terminal device 110 is wirelessly connected to the IAB node 120, and the IAB node 120 is wirelessly connected to the donor base station 130. The terminal device 110 and the IAB node 120, and the IAB node 120 and the donor base station 130 may both communicate through a licensed spectrum (licensed spectrum), may communicate through an unlicensed spectrum (unlicensed spectrum), and may simultaneously communicate through a licensed spectrum and an unlicensed spectrum, for example, the licensed spectrum may be a spectrum less than 6GHz, which is not limited herein. In the network architecture shown in fig. 1, the IAB node treats the node for which backhaul service is provided as the only parent node, e.g., IAB node 120 treats home base station 130 as the parent node. When the IAB node 120 receives uplink data of the terminal device 110 on a Data Radio Bearer (DRB), the uplink data is mapped to a corresponding BH rlcch and transmitted to the donor base station, and then the donor base station sends the uplink data to a mobile gateway device (e.g., a User Port Function (UPF) entity in a 5G network). Similarly, in the downlink direction, the mobile gateway device transmits downlink data to the host base station, and then sequentially transmits the downlink data to the terminal device 110 via the IAB node 120.

It should be noted that, in the network architecture diagram shown in fig. 1, although the terminal device, the IAB node and the donor base station are shown, the network architecture may not be limited to include the terminal device, the IAB node and the donor base station. For example, a core network device or a device for carrying virtualized network functions, etc. may be further included, which will be apparent to those skilled in the art and will not be described in detail herein. In addition, as in the network architecture diagram shown in fig. 1, although one terminal device, one IAB node, and one donor base station are shown, the network architecture is not limited to the number of terminal devices, IAB nodes, and donor base stations, and may include a plurality of terminal devices, a plurality of IAB nodes, and a plurality of donor base stations, for example. In addition, it should be noted that, in the application scenario shown in fig. 1, only one IAB node is included. The number and the deployment position of the IAB nodes are not limited in the embodiment of the present application.

Based on the network architecture illustrated in fig. 1, fig. 2A and 2B show two application scenario examples.

Referring to fig. 2A, an example of a network architecture for an application scenario including multiple IAB nodes. The network architecture shown in fig. 2A can be understood as a multi-hop wireless backhaul scenario. In fig. 2A, the network architecture includes two IAB nodes, which are IAB node 120 and IAB node 121, and two terminal devices, which are terminal device 110 and terminal device 111. The terminal device 110 and the terminal device 111 are connected to the IAB node 121 in a wireless manner, the IAB node 121 is connected to the IAB node 120 in a wireless manner, and the IAB node 120 is connected to the donor base station 130 in a wireless manner. In the network architecture shown in fig. 2A, the IAB node 121 regards the IAB node 120 providing backhaul service for it as a parent node, and the IAB node 120 regards the donor base station 130 as a parent node. After receiving the uplink data of the terminal device 110 and the terminal device 111, the IAB node 121 sequentially passes through the IAB node 121 and the IAB node 120, and then transmits the uplink data to the host base station, and then the host base station sends the uplink data to the mobile gateway device. Similarly, in the downlink direction, the mobile gateway device transmits downlink data of the terminal device to the host base station, and then transmits the downlink data to the terminal device 110 and the terminal device 111 via the IAB node 120 and the IAB node 121 in sequence.

Referring to fig. 2B, yet another example of a network architecture for an application scenario including multiple IAB nodes. Different from fig. 2A, the network architecture shown in fig. 2B includes three IAB nodes and a terminal device, the three IAB nodes are IAB node 120 to IAB node 122, two routing paths are formed between the IAB nodes 120 to 122 and the hosting base station 130, one routing path is composed of IAB node 121, IAB node 122 and the hosting base station 130, and the other routing path is composed of IAB node 121, IAB node 120 and the hosting base station 130. The terminal device may communicate with the donor base station 130 via these two routing paths. The network architecture shown in fig. 2B can be understood as a multihop + multiconnection wireless backhaul scenario.

In this embodiment, the network architectures illustrated in fig. 1, fig. 2A, and fig. 2B may further include an OAM server 140. As an example, the donor base station 130 may communicate with the OAM server 140, such as by wire. After the IAB node is introduced, the IAB node also needs to communicate with the OAM server, for example, the IAB node acquires accessible cell list information from the OAM server for initial access of the IAB node; for another example, the IAB node obtains configuration information related to a DU of the IAB node from the OAM server, for example, an identifier of the DU, an identifier of a DU cell, and the like, and is used to start the DU module; for another example, after the IAB node starts the DU module, the IAB node may send some information, such as traffic count information (traffic counts) and alarm information (alarms), to the OAM server, or the IAB node may also obtain some information, such as software upgrade configuration, from the OAM server. The embodiment of the application mainly studies the communication between the IAB node and the OAM server.

For example, the IAB node referred in the embodiment of the present application may be understood as an IAB node that has completed initial access, and how to complete initial access specifically, the embodiment of the present application is not limited. Based on this, in the embodiment of the present application, the communication between the IAB node and the OAM server is used to transmit configuration data, alarm data, session data, log data, or trace data of Operation and Maintenance (OM), for example, to acquire configuration information related to a DU, or the IAB node sends service count information and alarm information to the OAM service, or the IAB node receives software upgrade configuration sent by the OAM service. Certainly, the possibility that the IAB node still obtains the accessible cell list information from the OAM server after completing the initial access is not excluded, for example, the IAB node in this embodiment may also obtain the accessible cell list information from the OAM server to verify whether the currently accessed cell is valid.

For communication between a host base station and an OAM server, when the host base station includes a CU and a DU, in one example, OAM traffic packets are routed through the host DU. This means that the transmission of OAM traffic packets does not need to go through the core network of the hosting CU and the IAB node, i.e.: the homed DU may directly receive the OAM service packet from the OAM server (or may receive the OAM service packet sent from the OAM service through 1 or more routers, where 1 or more routers may exist on a path between the homed DU and the OAM server), or directly route the received OAM service packet to the OAM server (or may route the received OAM service packet to the OAM server after being forwarded through 1 or more routers, where 1 or more routers may exist on a path between the homed DU and the OAM server). In this case, taking the application scenario illustrated in fig. 2A as an example, referring to fig. 3A, the IAB node 121 may communicate with the OAM server through a host DU, where the host DU and the OAM server are directly connected by a wire.

In yet another example, OAM traffic packets that the homed DU interacts with the OAM server may be routed by the homed CU. This means that the transmission of OAM traffic packets does not need to go through the core network of the IAB node. As a possible solution, the OAM server can only know the IP address of the hosting CU, while the hosting DU can only know the IP address of the hosting CU, which can know the IP address of the OAM server. After receiving the OAM service data packet 1 sent by the IAB node from the host DU, the host CU may forward the OAM service data packet 1 to the OAM server, or after receiving the OAM service data packet 2 from the OAM server, the host CU obtains whether the data packet is sent to itself or the IAB node DU by parsing the OAM service data packet 2, and if the data packet is sent to the IAB node DU, the host CU may further forward the data packet to the corresponding IAB node DU through the host DU. In this example, the hosting CU and the hosting DU may be connected to a unified OAM server (where the hosting DU may be connected to the OAM server through the hosting CU), i.e. the hosting CU and the hosting DU are managed by the same OAM server. In this case, still taking the application scenario illustrated in fig. 2A as an example, referring to fig. 3B, the IAB node 121 may communicate with the OAM server through the host CU, where the host CU and the OAM server are directly connected by a wire. Of course, there may be 1 or more routers on the path between the host CU and the OAM server, which is not limited in this embodiment of the present application.

That is to say, in this embodiment, the communicating between the IAB node and the OAM server may include: the IAB node communicates with the OAM server through the home DU, or the IAB node communicates with the OAM server through the home CU. The two cases are described in detail below with reference to specific embodiments.

It should be noted that, if there is no other IAB node between the IAB node and the home DU, for example, the IAB node is the IAB node 120 illustrated in fig. 2A, in this case, the home DU may directly communicate with the IAB node. The embodiments described below are mainly exemplified in the case where one or more other IAB nodes exist between the IAB node and the host DU.

Example one

In the first embodiment, the description will be mainly made for the implementation that the first IAB node communicates with the OAM server through the host DU (such as the case illustrated in fig. 3A). Taking the situation illustrated in fig. 3A as an example, assuming that the first IAB node is the IAB node 121 in fig. 3A, in this case, the protocol stack for the first IAB node and the OAM server to communicate may be as shown in fig. 3C. It should be noted that TCP in fig. 3C (or fig. 3D, 3E, and 3F in the following text) refers to transmission control protocol (transmission control protocol), UDP refers to user datagram protocol (user datagram protocol), and Adapt refers to adaptation layer.

In this embodiment, if a Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) server is deployed on the home DU, the IP address of the first IAB node may be understood as being allocated by the home DU. In yet another example, if a DHCP server is not deployed on the home DU (in which case, the DHCP server may be deployed on the OAM server), the IP address of the first node may be allocated by the DHCP server and forwarded to the first IAB node through the home DU, which may be understood as a DHCP proxy (proxy).

The first IAB node communicating with the OAM server via the home DU may include downstream communications (e.g., first IAB node ← … … ← home DU ← OAM server) and upstream communications (e.g., first IAB node → … … → home DU → OAM server).

(1) Downlink communication

For the downstream communication, the example that the homed DU is directly wired to the OAM server is described, and the homed DU may directly receive the first packet (the first packet is a packet of the DU of the first IAB node) from the OAM server. This section will mainly investigate how the host DU sends the first data packet to the DU of the first IAB node, which will provide two possible schemes, scheme one and scheme two, for example.

Scheme one

Fig. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application, where as shown in fig. 4, the method includes:

in step 401, the host CU obtains an IP address of the first IAB node, which may be understood as an IP address of a DU of the first IAB node as described herein. The IP address of the DU of the first IAB node may be allocated by the home DU, or may be allocated by the DHCP server and then sent to the DU of the first IAB node through the home DU.

In this embodiment, the host CU may obtain the IP address of the DU of the first IAB node in a variety of ways. In a possible implementation manner, the host CU may obtain an IP address of a DU of the first IAB node from the host DU, for example, after the host DU allocates an IP address to the DU of the first IAB node, the IP address of the DU of the first IAB node and information of the first IAB node may be sent to the host CU, where the information of the first IAB node may be composed of a cell identifier accessed by the first IAB node and a C-RNTI allocated to the first IAB node by the access cell; accordingly, the host CU may get the IP address of the DU of the first IAB node.

In another possible implementation manner, the host CU may obtain the IP address of the DU of the first IAB node from the MT of the first IAB node, for example, after the DU of the first IAB node obtains the allocated IP address from the host DU, the MT of the first IAB node may send the IP address of the DU of the first IAB node to the host CU through an RRC message; accordingly, the host CU may get the IP address of the DU of the first IAB node.

In step 402, the host CU determines first routing information corresponding to the IP address of the DU of the first IAB node, and sends the first routing information corresponding to the IP address of the DU of the first IAB node to the host DU. The first routing information is used for routing a first data packet to the first IAB node, and a destination IP address of the first data packet is an IP address of a DU of the first IAB node.

Optionally, the first packet may be a packet sent by the OAM server to the first IAB node, and the first packet is not limited.

Optionally, the host CU may send, to the host DU, the IP address of the DU of the first IAB node and the first routing information corresponding to the IP address.

In step 403, the home DU receives, from the home CU, first routing information corresponding to the IP address of the DU of the first IAB node.

Optionally, the home DU may receive, from the home CU, the IP address of the DU of the first IAB node and the first routing information corresponding to the IP address.

In one example, the first routing information may include an identification of the first path or a first identification of the first IAB node. The first path is used to indicate a path from the host DU to the first IAB node, that is, the sending node on the first path is the host DU, and the receiving node on the first path is the first IAB node. The first identifier of the first IAB node may be an identifier that is allocated by the host CU to the first node and used for identifying the first IAB node, for example, an adaptation layer identifier that is allocated by the host CU to the first IAB node, such as a backhaul adaptation protocol identifier (identification, ID).

In this example, if there are multiple paths from the anchor DU to the first IAB node (for example, as shown in fig. 2B, if the first IAB node is the IAB node 121, there are two paths from the anchor DU to the IAB node 121), when the first routing information includes the identifier of the first path, it may be understood that the anchor CU selects a path for the packet; for example, the first IAB node is the IAB node 121 in fig. 2B, and the first routing information may include an identifier of path 1a (composed of the IAB node 121, the IAB node 122, and the anchor base station 130) or path 1B (composed of the IAB node 121, the IAB node 120, and the anchor base station 130); when the first routing information may include the path 1a, it indicates that the path selected by the host CU for the packet is the path 1a, and when the first routing information may include the path 1b, it indicates that the path selected by the host CU for the packet is the path 1 b. When the first routing information includes the first identifier of the first IAB node, it can be understood that the host DU finds the information of the next hop node that sends the data packet by looking up the routing table information maintained by the host DU according to the first identifier of the first IAB node.

In yet another example, the first routing information may include an identification of the second path and a second identification of the first IAB node, or an identification of a parent node of the first IAB node and a second identification of the first IAB node. The second path is used to indicate a path from the host DU to the parent node of the first IAB node, that is, the sending node on the second path is the host DU, and the receiving node on the second path is the parent node of the first IAB node. The identity of the parent node of the first IAB node may be a cell identity of the parent node of the first IAB node or an identity of a DU of the parent node of the first IAB node. The second identity of the first IAB node may be at least one of: a father node of the first IAB node is a cell radio network temporary identifier (C-RNTI) allocated to the first IAB node; a father node of the first IAB node is a first F1application protocol (F1application protocol, F1AP) identifier distributed to the first IAB node; the host CU identifies the second F1AP assigned for the first IAB node.

In this embodiment of the present application, after obtaining the IP address of the DU of the first IAB node, the host CU may establish a mapping relationship (or referred to as a correspondence relationship) between the IP address of the DU of the first IAB node and the first routing information, optionally, the mapping relationship may further include an IP address of an OAM server, where the IP address of the OAM server may be obtained by the host CU in advance, or may also be notified to the host CU for the host DU.

See table 1 for several examples of possible scenarios of the mapping between the IP address of the DU of the first IAB node and the first routing information. In a specific implementation, the mapping relationship between the IP address of the DU of the first IAB node and the first routing information may be one of many possible scenarios as illustrated in table 1.

Table 1: mapping relation example 1

In table 1, each row represents one possible scenario of a mapping relationship. For example, the first row in table 1 means: if the destination IP address of the data packet to be transmitted is the IP address of the DU of the first IAB node, the corresponding routing information comprises the identifier of the first path; for another example, the meaning of the fifth row in table 1 is: and if the destination IP address of the data packet to be transmitted is the IP address of the DU of the first IAB node and the source IP address is the IP address of the OAM server, the corresponding routing information comprises the identifier of the first path. The meanings of the other lines can be referred to the first line and the fifth line, and detailed description is omitted. In addition, the destination node in table 1 may also be referred to as a destination node, and is not particularly limited.

Further, the host CU may send, to the host DU, the first routing information corresponding to the IP address of the DU of the first IAB node (for example, it may be understood that the host CU notifies the host DU of the determined mapping relationship), and specific implementation manners may be various. In a possible implementation manner, taking the mapping relationship as the first action in table 1 as an example, the host CU may send F1AP signaling to the host DU, where the F1AP signaling includes a parameter list, and the parameter list may include one or more items of information, each item of information includes two parameters; taking two parameters included in one of the pieces of information as parameter 1 and parameter 2 as an example, parameter 1 in the piece of information may include an IP address of a DU of the first IAB node, and parameter 2 may include the first routing information. Accordingly, after receiving the F1AP signaling, the host DU can learn that the IP address of the DU of the first IAB node corresponds to the first routing information, and store the mapping relationship. In the embodiment of the present application, the parameter 1 and the parameter 2 may be located in different Information Elements (IEs), for example, the parameter 1 is located in an IE1, and the parameter 2 is located in an IE2, which is not limited specifically.

It should be noted that, the above description is only described by taking an example in which the host CU sends a mapping relationship to the host DU; in other possible embodiments, the host CU may send multiple mapping relationships (multiple pieces of routing information corresponding to the IP addresses of the DUs of the multiple IAB nodes) to the host DU, for example, the host CU sends F1AP signaling to the host DU, the F1AP signaling includes the IP addresses of the DUs of the multiple IAB nodes and the multiple pieces of routing information, and the IP addresses of the DUs of the multiple IAB nodes and the multiple pieces of routing information are in one-to-one correspondence.

In step 404, the OAM server generates a first data packet and sends the first data packet to the host DU.

Here, after acquiring the IP address of the DU of the first IAB node, the OAM server may generate a first packet if it is determined that OAM data needs to be sent to the DU of the first IAB node, where a destination IP address of the first packet is the IP address of the DU of the first IAB node, and a source IP address is the IP address of the OAM server. In a possible implementation manner, after the DU of the first IAB node acquires the IP address allocated by the host DU, the OAM server may send uplink information to the OAM server, so that the OAM server may acquire the IP address of the DU of the first IAB node. In another possible implementation, the OAM server directly deploys the DHCP server, and thus the OAM server directly allocates an IP address to the DU of the first IAB node.

In step 405, the host DU receives the first data packet from the OAM server, and sends the first data packet and the first routing information to the next hop node of the host DU.

For example, the host DU may carry the first routing information in an adaptation layer of the host DU and send the first routing information to a next hop node of the host DU.

Here, after receiving the first data packet, the host DU may analyze an IP layer of the first data packet to obtain a destination IP address (optionally, a source IP address may also be obtained) of the first data packet; further, the host DU may obtain the first routing information corresponding to the destination IP address according to the mapping relationship received in step 403.

For example, the first IAB node is the IAB node 121 illustrated in fig. 2A, the first routing information corresponding to the IP address of the DU of the IAB node 121 includes an identifier of a first path, and the first path is: home DU → IAB node 120 → IAB node 121. The home DU knows that the next hop node is the IAB node 120 according to the first path, and the home DU may send the first packet and the first routing information to the IAB node 120.

For another example, the first IAB node is the IAB node 121 illustrated in fig. 2A, and the first routing information corresponding to the IP address of the DU of the IAB node 121 includes an adaptation layer identity (BAP ID) of the IAB node 121. According to the adaptation layer identifier of the IAB node 121, the host DU checks the routing table to know that the next hop node that sends the first data packet is the IAB node 120 (in other examples, it may also be possible to determine that the next hop node is the IAB node 122, which is not limited in this embodiment of the present application), and then the host DU may send the first data packet and the first routing information to the IAB node 120.

After obtaining the first routing information corresponding to the destination IP address, the host DU can acquire the next hop node of the first data packet, and send the first data packet to the next hop node.

Subsequently, the first packet may be sent to the IAB node 121 by the next hop node of the host DU (e.g., IAB node 120), thereby enabling communication between the IAB node 121 and the OAM server.

The above steps 401 to 405 mainly describe the implementation process of the host DU sending the first data packet to the next hop node of the host DU, and for the node between the first IAB node and the host DU, it may directly transmit the first data packet according to the first routing information. For example, an IAB node a and an IAB node b are included between the first IAB node and the home DU, where the IAB node b is a next hop node of the home DU, and for the IAB node a and the IAB node b, after the IAB node b receives the first packet and the first routing information from the home DU, it may determine that the next hop node is the IAB node a according to the first routing information, and send the first packet and the first routing information to the IAB node a; after receiving the first data packet and the first routing information from the IAB node b, the IAB node a determines that the next hop node is the first IAB node and the first IAB node is the destination node of the first data packet according to the first routing information, and then may send the first data packet to the first IAB node.

It should be noted that fig. 4 mainly describes the case where the host CU determines the first routing information and sends the first routing information to the host DU. In other possible embodiments, the first routing information may also be determined by the host DU, so that steps 401 to 403 may not be executed again; correspondingly, in step 405, after receiving the first data packet, the host DU may determine the first routing information according to a destination IP address of the first data packet (for example, it may determine that the corresponding IAB node is the first IAB node according to the destination IP address, and then query a pre-stored routing table according to a first identifier of the first IAB node to determine the first routing information), and send the first data packet and the first routing information to a next-hop node of the host DU, specifically, the first IAB node sends a DHCP discover message to the host DU through the parent node, if a DHCP server is deployed on the host DU, the host DU directly processes the DHCP discover message, otherwise, the host DU further forwards the received DHCP discover message to the DHCP server. In the process of sending the DHCP discover message by the first IAB node, there may be two ways:

mode 1: when the first IAB node MT sends a DHCP discover message to the parent node, the first IAB node MT carries an identifier of the first IAB node (e.g., an adaptation layer identifier allocated by the host CU for the first IAB node) or an identifier of the first IAB node (e.g., a C-RNTI allocated by the DU cell of the parent node) and an identifier of the parent node of the first IAB node (e.g., a cell identifier of the first IAB node accessing the parent node) in an adaptation layer of the first IAB node MT. The parent node sends the information received from the adaptation layer of its DU to the host DU, carried further in the adaptation layer of its MT.

Mode 2: the first IAB node MT sends a DHCP discover message to the father node, and then when the father node forwards the DHCP discover message to the host DU, the MT of the father node carries, in its adaptation layer, an identifier of the first IAB node (e.g., C-RNTI allocated by the father node DU for the first IAB node) and an identifier of the father node (e.g., a cell identifier of the first IAB node accessing the father node) to send to the host DU.

The home DU binds the IP address of the first IAB node DU with the information received from its adaptation layer, i.e.: the IP address of the first IAB node DU has a corresponding relationship with the identity of the first IAB node (e.g., the adaptation layer identity allocated by the host CU for the first IAB node), or the IP address of the first IAB node DU has a corresponding relationship with the identity of the first IAB node (e.g., the C-RNTI allocated by the cell of the parent node DU) and the identity of the parent node of the first IAB node (e.g., the cell identity of the first IAB node accessing the parent node).

And then, after receiving the first data packet, the host DU extracts a target IP address carried in the IP packet, if the target IP address is the IP address of the DU of the first IAB node, the host DU determines the route of the first data packet according to the previously bound corresponding relation, and carries the identifier of the corresponding first IAB node (such as an adaptation layer identifier distributed by the host CU for the first IAB node) or the identifier of the first IAB node (such as C-RNTI distributed by the cell of the DU of the father node) and the identifier of the father node of the first IAB node (such as the cell identifier of the father node accessed by the first IAB node) in the adaptation layer and sends the first data packet to the next hop node of the host DU together.

In this way, the host CU does not make a routing decision, so it is not necessary to know the IP address allocated by the first IAB node DU, and it is also not necessary to send the corresponding relationship between the IP address of the first IAB node DU and the first routing information to the host DU. And the host DU directly carries out routing according to the corresponding relation bound in the DHCP flow.

In addition, it should be noted that, in step 405, the homed DU receives the first data packet from the OAM server, and may send the first data packet to the next hop node of the homed DU without sending the first routing information.

In addition, it should be noted that step 404 and step 405 are optional.

Scheme two

Fig. 5a is a schematic flowchart of another communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application, and as shown in fig. 5a, the method includes:

in step 501, the host CU acquires first information.

In step 502, the host CU sends first bearer information corresponding to the first information to the host DU.

The first bearing information is used for indicating a BH RLC channel bearing a first data packet, and the first data packet comprises first information. Illustratively, the first bearer information may be an identifier of a BH RLC channel or an identifier (local channel ID, LCID) of a logical channel corresponding to the BH RLC channel.

In step 503, the host DU receives the first bearer information corresponding to the first information from the host CU.

The following introduces the BH RLC channel for transmitting OAM services: in one example, the BHRLC channel carrying the OAM traffic may be a specific BH RLC channel predefined by the protocol. For example, the BH RLC channel corresponding to the protocol predefined logical channel 1 is used for transmitting OAM service packets. Alternatively, the BH RLC channel for transmitting OAM traffic may be a default BHRLC channel. For example, a default BH RLC channel established by the first IAB node upon initial access.

In another example, the BH RLC channel for transmitting OAM traffic may be triggered and established for the donor CU, for example, the donor CU may obtain QoS information of OAM traffic of the first IAB node, and further trigger the donor DU and the DU of the associated IAB node to establish the BH RLC channel for transmitting OAM traffic. The host CU may obtain the QoS information of the OAM service of the first IAB node in a variety of ways, and a possible way provided by the embodiment of the present application is shown in fig. 5b, which includes:

step a, the first IAB node carries out initial access.

Step b, in the initial access process of the first IAB node, the access management functional entity obtains the subscription information of the first IAB node, wherein the subscription information comprises the QoS information of the OAM service. For example, the access Management function entity may obtain the subscription information of the first IAB node from a Home Subscriber Server (HSS) or a Unified Data Management (UDM). The access management function entity may be a mobility management function (AMF).

And step c, the access management functional entity sends the QoS information of the OAM service to the host CU.

For example, the access management function entity may send QoS information of the OAM service to the host CU through an initial context setup request (initial context setup request).

And step d, the host CU receives the QoS information of the OAM service and sends the QoS information of the OAM service to the host DU.

For example, the host CU may send QoS information of OAM traffic to the host DU through a context setup request (context setup request).

And e, the host DU receives the QoS information of the OAM service, allocates a corresponding BH RLC channel for the OAM service, and returns the identifier of the allocated BH RLC channel to the host CU. For example: and the BH RLC channel 2 is identified, wherein the BH RLC channel 2 is an RLC channel used for transmitting OAM service data packets between the host DU and the next hop node of the host DU. For example, the donor DU may return the identity of BH RLC channel 2 to the donor CU through a context setup response (context setup response).

In addition, the host CU may also trigger the DU of the relevant IAB node to establish the corresponding BH RLC channel, which is similar to the procedure for triggering the host DU to establish the BH RLC channel and is not described again.

It should be noted that, these steps or operations referred to in fig. 5b are only examples, and the embodiment of the present application may also perform other operations or various modifications of the operations, and in a specific implementation, some or all of these steps may be performed, and the embodiment of the present application is not limited thereto. The method for triggering establishment of the BH RLC channel described in fig. 5b may be implemented alone or in combination with scheme two, which is not limited specifically.

In this embodiment, the first information may be used to indicate that a data packet including the first information is an OAM service data packet. For example, the first information may include at least one of: a Differentiated Services Code Point (DSCP) value; flow identification (flow label); an IP address of the OAM server; port number. For the DSCP value or the flow identifier, the DSCP value or the flow identifier corresponding to the OAM service may be predefined by a protocol, or the DSCP value or the flow identifier corresponding to the OAM service may be determined after negotiation between the host CU and the OAM server. For example, for IPv4, a DSCP value carried in an IP header field of a packet may be used to identify the packet as an OAM service packet; for IPv6, the DSCP value or flow identification carried in the IP header field of the packet may be used to identify the packet as an OAM traffic packet. For the IP address of the OAM server, if the source IP address of the packet is the IP address of the OAM server, it means that the packet is an OAM service packet. For the port number, a port number corresponding to the OAM service may be predefined by a protocol, or the port number corresponding to the OAM service may also be determined after negotiation between the host CU and the OAM server, so that the port number (source port number and/or destination port number) of the packet may be used to identify the packet as an OAM service packet.

It should be noted that, the above list only illustrates information that may be included in the first information, and in other embodiments, the first information may further include other possible information, which is not limited specifically as long as the information is carried in a data packet and can identify the data packet as an OAM service data packet. As another possibility, the host CU sends the first bearer information corresponding to the OAM service packet to the host DU, and how the host DU identifies that the received data packet is the OAM service packet may not be limited, and is left to be implemented.

In this example, after the host CU acquires the first information, a mapping relationship between the first information and the first bearer information may be established.

See table 2 for several possible examples of the mapping relationship between the first information and the first bearer information.

Table 2: mapping relation example 2

DSCP value	Identification of BH RLC channels
		Flow identifier	Identification of BH RLC channels
IP address of OAM server	BHIdentification of RLC channels
		Port number	Identification of BH RLC channels
DSCP value	Identification of logical channel corresponding to BH RLC channel
		Flow identifier	Identification of logical channel corresponding to BH RLC channel
IP address of OAM server	Identification of logical channel corresponding to BH RLC channel
		Port number	Identification of logical channel corresponding to BH RLC channel

In table 2, each row represents one possible mapping relationship. For example, the first row in table 2 means: if the data packet to be transmitted comprises the DSCP value, the corresponding bearing information is the identifier of the BH RLC channel; for another example, the third row in table 2 means: and if the source IP address of the data packet to be transmitted is the IP address of the OAM server, the corresponding bearing information is the identifier of the BH RLC channel. The identity of the BH RLC channel may be a newly defined identity. The meanings of the other rows can refer to the first row and the third row, and detailed description is omitted.

It should be noted that, as described above by taking a mapping relationship as an example, in step 502 and step 503, the host CU may send a plurality of first information and a plurality of first bearer information to the host DU, where the plurality of first information and the plurality of first bearer information may correspond to each other one by one. Referring to the situation illustrated in fig. 2B, if the BH RLC channel for transmitting OAM service data between the host DU and the IAB node 120 is BH RLC channel 1, and the BH RLC channel for transmitting OAM service data between the host DU and the IAB node 122 is BH RLC channel 1a, the host CU may establish a mapping relationship between the first information and the identifier of the BH RLC channel 1 (or the identifier of the logical channel corresponding to the BH RLC channel 1), and a mapping relationship between the first information and the identifier of the BH RLC channel 1a (or the identifier of the logical channel corresponding to the BH RLC channel 1 a).

In this embodiment, the host CU may determine (or establish) a mapping relationship between the first information and the first bearer information in various ways. Illustratively, after the BH RLC channel is established in the manner illustrated in fig. 5b, since the BHRLC channel is established based on the QoS information of the OAM service, and the information included in the first information is information capable of reflecting the OAM service, the donor CU may establish a mapping relationship between the first information and the BH RLC channel.

Further, the host CU may send the first bearer information corresponding to the first information to the host DU, which may be understood as to notify the established mapping relationship to the host DU, and a specific implementation manner may be various, for example, refer to the above-mentioned manner in which the host CU sends the first routing information corresponding to the IP address of the DU of the first IAB node to the host DU, and exemplarily, the host CU may send F1AP signaling to the host DU, where the F1AP signaling includes a parameter list, and the parameter list may include one or more items of information, and each item of information includes two parameters; taking two parameters included in one of the items of information as parameter 1 and parameter 2 as an example, parameter 1 in the item of information may include first information, and parameter 2 may include first bearer information. Accordingly, after receiving the F1AP signaling, the host DU can learn that the first information corresponds to the first bearer information, and store the mapping relationship. In the embodiment of the present application, the parameter 1 and the parameter 2 may be located in different Information Elements (IEs), for example, the parameter 1 is located in an IE1, and the parameter 2 is located in an IE2, which is not limited specifically.

In step 504, the OAM server generates a first data packet and sends the first data packet to the host DU.

Here, after acquiring the IP address of the DU of the first IAB node, the OAM server may generate a first packet if it is determined that data needs to be transmitted to the IP address of the DU of the IAB node, where a destination IP address of the first packet is the IP address of the DU of the first IAB node, and a source IP address is the IP address of the OAM server.

Illustratively, the OAM server may also mark a corresponding DSCP value or flow label in an IP layer header field of the first packet, that is, the IP layer header field of the first packet includes the DSCP value or flow label.

In step 505, the homed DU receives the first data packet from the OAM server and sends the first data packet to the next hop node of the homed DU.

Illustratively, the donor DU may map the first packet in a corresponding BH RLC channel for transmission to the next hop node of the donor DU.

Here, after receiving the first packet, the host DU may parse the IP layer of the first packet to obtain the first information (e.g., DSCP value or flow label); further, the host DU may obtain a BH RLC channel corresponding to the DSCP value or the flow label, for example, BH RLC channel 1, according to the information received in step 503.

For example, referring to the description above, in the case illustrated in fig. 2B, if the host DU receives the mapping relationship between the first information and the identifier of the BH RLC channel 1 and the mapping relationship between the first information and the identifier of the BH RLC channel 1a from the host CU, the host DU may obtain a next hop node (such as the IAB node 120) of the host DU in the path where the first data packet is transmitted based on the routing information of the first data packet, and may further determine that the BH RLC channel corresponding to the DSCP value or the flow label is the BH RLC channel 1.

Subsequently, the next-hop node of the homed DU (e.g., the IAB node 120) may send the first packet to the IAB node 121 (i.e., the first IAB node), thereby enabling communication between the IAB node 121 and the OAM server.

The foregoing steps 501 to 505 mainly describe an implementation process in which the host DU maps the first data packet into a corresponding BH RLC channel and sends the first data packet to a next hop node of the host DU, and for a node between the first IAB node and the host DU, the node may map the first data packet into the corresponding BH RLC channel according to a mapping relationship between an ingress BH RLC channel (ingress BH RLC channel) and an egress BH RLC channel (egressBH RLC channel) and send the first data packet to the next hop node. The mapping relationship between the ingress BH RLC channel and the egress BH RLC channel can be determined for the host CU and sent to the corresponding IAB node. For example, an IAB node a and an IAB node b are included between the first IAB node and the home DU, where the IAB node b is a next hop node of the home DU, and for the IAB node a and the IAB node b, after receiving the first data packet from the home DU, the IAB node b may map the first data packet to a corresponding BH RLC channel (e.g., BH RLC channel 1b) according to the first bearer information and send the first data packet to the IAB node a; after receiving the first data packet through the BH RLC channel 1, the IAB node a maps the first data packet into a corresponding BH RLC channel (for example, BH RLC channel 1c) according to the mapping relationship between the ingress BH RLC channel and the egress BH RLC channel, and sends the first data packet to the first IAB node.

It should be noted that fig. 5a is described by taking an example in which the host CU determines the first bearer information and sends the first bearer information to the host DU. In another possible embodiment, the host CU may also determine a downlink filter (DL filter) and send the DL filter to the host DU, where the downlink filter is configured to map a downlink data packet to be transmitted to a corresponding BH RLC channel for transmission, and specifically, the DL filter may filter the downlink data packet according to a source address and/or a destination address, and/or a source port number and/or a destination port number of the downlink data packet, and directly map the downlink data packet to the corresponding BH RLC channel. Thus, the host DU receives the first data packet from the OAM server, and may map the first data packet to the corresponding BH RLC channel through the downlink filter and send to the next hop node; other than this difference, reference may be made to the description in fig. 5a above.

In addition, there is also a possible implementation manner, for simplicity, the host CU may not configure a mapping relationship for the host DU, and the host DU performs mapping directly. Namely: if only one BH RLC channel exists between the host DU and the next hop node after the routing is determined, the host DU directly maps the data packet to the BH RLC channel for transmission after receiving the first data packet. Otherwise, if multiple BH RLC channels exist between the home DU and the next hop node after routing is determined, the home DU recognizes that the first data packet is an OAM service data packet (for example, by a source IP address, or a port number, or a preconfigured DSCP/flow), and maps the data packet to the first established BH RLC channel or to a default BH RLC channel or to a BH RLC channel reserved for OAM service transmission in the standard. The mapping mode is also applicable to the transmission of F1 setup/response messages and DHCP discovery/off/request/Ack messages.

In yet another possible embodiment, the donor CU may also determine a mapping relationship (referred to as mapping relationship 1) between the IP address of the DU of the first IAB node and the DSCP (or the flow identifier) and a mapping relationship (referred to as mapping relationship 2) between the DSCP (or the flow identifier) and the first bearer information, in which case, the OAM server may not need to print a corresponding DSCP value or a flow label in the IP layer header field of the first packet, and accordingly, after receiving the first packet, the donor DU may obtain the corresponding DSCP (or the flow identifier) according to the destination IP address of the first packet and the mapping relationship 1, and further obtain the first bearer information according to the mapping relationship 2. Other than this difference, reference may be made to the description in fig. 5a above.

In the downlink communication, with respect to the first and second schemes, it should be noted that: in the first scheme, the description of the routing information is focused, in the second scheme, the description of the bearer information is focused, and except for the difference, the first scheme and the second scheme can be mutually referred. In the embodiment of the present application, the methods described in the first and second schemes may be implemented separately or in combination, and are not particularly limited.

In addition, it should be noted that step 504 and step 505 are optional.

(2) Uplink communication

For the upstream communication, the example that the homed DU is directly wired to the OAM server is described, and the homed DU may directly transmit the second packet to the OAM server (the destination IP address of the second packet is the IP address of the OAM server). This section will mainly investigate how the first IAB node (e.g. a DU of the first IAB node here) sends the second data packet to the host DU, and will exemplarily provide two possible schemes, scheme one and scheme two, respectively.

Scheme one

Fig. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a corresponding communication method according to an embodiment of the present application, where as shown in fig. 6, the method includes:

in step 601, the host CU obtains the IP address of the OAM server.

Here, the host CU may acquire the IP address of the OAM server in various ways, which is not limited specifically.

Step 602, the host CU determines second routing information corresponding to the IP address of the OAM server, and sends the second routing information corresponding to the IP address of the OAM server to the first IAB node. The second routing information is used for routing a second data packet to the host DU, and a destination IP address of the second data packet is an IP address of the OAM server.

The second routing information may include an identifier of a third path or an identifier of a fourth path, where a sending node on the third path is the first IAB node, and a receiving node on the third path is the host DU; the sending node on the fourth path is a previous hop node of the first IAB node, and the receiving node on the fourth path is a host DU.

In step 603, the first IAB node receives the second routing information corresponding to the IP address of the OAM server from the hosting CU. Illustratively, the DU of the first IAB node receives second routing information corresponding to the IP address of the OAM server from the hosting CU.

In step 604, the first IAB node generates a second packet, illustratively, a DU of the first IAB node generates the second packet.

Here, after the DU of the first IAB node acquires the IP address of the OAM server, if it is determined that data needs to be sent to the IP address of the OAM server, a second data packet may be generated, where a source IP address of the second data packet is the IP address of the DU of the first IAB node, and a destination IP address is the IP address of the OAM server. The method for acquiring the IP address of the OAM server by the DU of the first IAB node may be various, and this is not limited in this embodiment of the present application.

Step 605, the first IAB node sends the second packet and the second routing information to the previous hop node of the first IAB node.

It should be noted that fig. 6 mainly describes the case where the host CU determines the first routing information and sends the first routing information to the first IAB node.

In other possible embodiments, it may not be necessary for the host CU to send the determined first routing information to the first IAB node, and thus steps 601 to 603 may not be performed; accordingly, in step 605, after the first IAB node generates the second packet, it determines the first routing information (e.g., the identity of the home DU or the IP address of the home DU), and carries the second routing information in its adaptation layer, and sends the second routing information together with the second packet to the previous-hop node of the first IAB node.

It should be noted that the concept of the method described in the first scheme for uplink communication is similar to that of the method described in the first scheme for downlink communication, and the differences include: for example, in the downlink communication, the host DU sends the first packet and the first routing information to the next-hop node of the host DU, and in the uplink communication, the first IAB node (for example, the MT of the first IAB node) sends the second packet and the second routing information to the previous-hop node of the first IAB node. Other things than differences can be cross-referenced.

Scheme two

Fig. 7 is a flowchart illustrating a corresponding communication method according to a second embodiment of the present application, and as shown in fig. 7, the method includes:

in step 701, the host CU acquires second information.

In step 702, the anchor CU determines second bearer information corresponding to the second information, and sends the second bearer information corresponding to the second information to the first IAB node. The second bearer information is used for indicating a BH RLC channel for transmitting a second data packet, and the second data packet includes second information. Illustratively, the second bearer information may be an identifier of a BH RLC channel or an identifier of a logical channel corresponding to the BH RLC channel.

In step 703, the first IAB node receives second bearer information corresponding to the second information from the anchor CU.

Illustratively, the MT of the first IAB node receives second bearer information corresponding to the second information from the host CU.

In step 704, the first IAB node generates a second packet, illustratively, a DU of the first IAB node generates the second packet.

Illustratively, the DU of the first IAB node may mark a corresponding DSCP value or flow label in an IP layer header field of the second packet, that is, the IP layer header field of the second packet includes the DSCP value or flow label; further, the DU of the first IAB node is sent to the MT of the first IAB node over the internal interface.

Step 705, the first IAB node maps the second data packet to the corresponding BH RLC channel according to the second bearer information, and sends the second data packet to the previous hop node of the first IAB node.

For example, the MT of the second IAB node may map the second packet into the corresponding BH RLC channel according to the mapping relationship obtained from the donor CU, and send the second packet to the previous-hop node of the first IAB node.

It should be noted that the idea of the method described in the second scheme for uplink communication is similar to the idea of the method described in the second scheme for downlink communication, and the differences include: for example, in the downlink communication, the host DU maps the first data packet to the corresponding BH RLC channel and sends the first data packet to the next-hop node of the host DU, and in the uplink communication, the MT of the first IAB node maps the second data packet to the corresponding BH RLC channel and sends the second data packet to the previous-hop node of the first IAB node. Other contents except the difference can be referred to each other, for example, in the second scheme of uplink communication, the BH RLC channel for transmitting OAM traffic may be a specific BH RLC channel predefined by the protocol. For example, the BH RLC channel corresponding to the protocol predefined logical channel 1 is used for transmitting OAM service packets. Alternatively, the BH RLC channel for transmitting OAM traffic may be a default BH RLC channel. For example, a default BH RLC channel established by the first IAB node upon initial access. Or, the BH RLC channel for transmitting the OAM service may be triggered and established by the donor CU, for example, the donor CU may obtain QoS information of the OAM service of the first IAB node, and further trigger the donor DU and the DUs of the corresponding IAB nodes to establish the BH RLC channel for transmitting the OAM service.

For simplicity, similar to downstream communication, the donor CU may not configure the mapping relationship for the MT of the first IAB node, and the MT of the first IAB node directly performs mapping. Namely: if only one BH RLC channel exists between the MT of the first IAB node and the last hop node (parent node) after routing is determined, the MT of the first IAB node directly maps the data packet to the BH RLC channel for transmission after receiving the first data packet. Otherwise, if a plurality of BH RLC channels exist between the MT of the first IAB node and the last hop node (parent node) after routing is determined, the MT of the first IAB node learns that the first data packet is an OAM service data packet (for example, by a source IP address, or a port number, or a preconfigured DSCP/flow label), and then the MT of the first IAB node maps the data packet to the first established BH RLC channel or to a default BH RLC channel or to a BH RLC channel reserved for OAM service transmission as standard. The mapping mode is also suitable for the transmission of F1setup request/response messages and DHCP discover/off/request/Ack messages.

In the uplink communication, with respect to the above first and second schemes, it should be noted that: in the first scheme, the description of the routing information is focused, in the second scheme, the description of the bearer information is focused, and except for the difference, the first scheme and the second scheme can be mutually referred. In the embodiment of the present application, the methods described in the first and second schemes may be implemented separately or in combination, and are not particularly limited.

It should be noted that, in the first embodiment, it is mainly described that one or more other IAB nodes exist between the first IAB node and the home DU, if no other IAB node exists between the first IAB node and the home DU, for example, the first IAB node is the IAB node 120 illustrated in fig. 2A, in this case, from the perspective of routing, the home DU may directly communicate with the first IAB node, for example, after the home DU receives the first data packet, the first data packet may be directly sent to the first IAB node; from the perspective of the bearer, the method described in the above second scheme may also be adopted to determine the BH RLC channel between the donor DU and the first IAB node, and map the first data packet into the BH RLC channel to be sent to the first IAB node.

Example two

In the second embodiment, the description will be mainly made for the implementation in which the first IAB node communicates with the OAM server through the host CU (such as the case illustrated in fig. 3B)). In this embodiment, the IP address of the first IAB node may be allocated by the host CU or may be allocated by the DHCP server, and the host CU serves as a DHCP proxy.

The first IAB node communicating with the OAM server through the hosting CU may include downstream communications (e.g., first IAB node ← … … ← hosting CU ← OAM server) and upstream communications (e.g., first IAB node → … … → hosting CU → OAM server). In this embodiment, the uplink communication may refer to the description in embodiment one. Only downlink communication will be described below.

For downlink communication, the host CU may forward the data packet received from the OAM server to the host DU, and then the host DU sends the first data packet to the first IAB node. Illustratively, two possible scenarios will be provided, scenario one and scenario two, respectively.

Scheme one

In the first scenario, taking the situation illustrated in fig. 3B as an example, assuming that the first IAB node is the IAB node 121 in fig. 3B, in this case, a protocol stack for the first IAB node and the OAM server to communicate is shown in fig. 3D.

Based on the protocol stack illustrated in fig. 3D, fig. 8 is a flowchart illustrating a corresponding further communication method provided in the second embodiment of the present application, and as shown in fig. 8, the method includes:

in step 801, the OAM server generates a first packet and sends the first packet to the hosting CU.

Illustratively, the OAM layer of the first packet includes the identity of the DU of the first IAB node.

At step 802, the host CU receives a first packet from the OAM server.

In step 803, the host CU analyzes the OAM layer of the first data packet to obtain the identifier of the DU of the first IAB node, and can know that the first data packet is a data packet that needs to be sent to the first IAB node, and then can send the first data packet and the first routing information to the host DU.

Step 804, after receiving the first data packet and the first routing information, the host DU determines a next hop node of the host DU according to the first routing information, and sends the first data and the first routing information to the next hop node of the host DU.

It should be noted that the difference between the method described in the first scheme for downlink communication in the second embodiment and the method described in the first scheme for downlink communication in the first embodiment includes: for example, in the first downlink communication scheme in the embodiment, the host CU determines the first routing information and sends the first routing information to the host DU, and then after the subsequent host DU receives the first data packet from the OAM server, the host DU may obtain the corresponding first routing information according to the destination IP address of the first data packet, and send the first data packet and the first routing information to the next hop node of the host DU; in the first downlink communication scheme in the second embodiment, after receiving the first data packet from the OAM server, the host CU may send the first data packet and the first routing information to the host DU together; for another example, in the first embodiment of the first downlink communication scheme, the host CU determines the corresponding first routing information based on the IP address of the DU of the first IAB node, and in the second embodiment of the first downlink communication scheme, the host CU determines the corresponding first routing information based on the id of the DU of the first IAB node. Other than the difference, both can be referred to each other.

Scheme two

In the second scenario, taking the situation illustrated in fig. 3B as an example, assuming that the first IAB node is the IAB node 121 in fig. 3B, in this case, protocol stacks for the first IAB node and the OAM server to communicate are shown in fig. 3E and fig. 3F. The difference between the protocol stacks in fig. 3E and fig. 3F is that an IP-in-IP manner is adopted in fig. 3F, that is, a data packet (IP packet) of the OAM service is encapsulated in the IP packet between the host CU and the host DU for transmission. In fig. 3E, the host DU is similar to a router, and is forwarded according to the IP address of the packet of the OAM service.

Fig. 9 is a flowchart illustrating a corresponding communication method according to a second embodiment of the present application, where as shown in fig. 9, the method includes:

in step 901, the OAM server generates a first packet and sends the first packet to the hosting CU.

Here, after acquiring the IP address of the DU of the first IAB node, the OAM server may generate a first packet if it is determined that data needs to be sent to the first IAB node, where a destination IP address of the first packet is the IP address of the DU of the first IAB node, and a source IP address is the IP address of the OAM server.

At step 902, the host CU receives a first packet from the OAM server.

In step 903, the host CU parses the IP layer of the first packet to obtain the destination IP address, and then sends the first packet and the first routing information to the host DU.

In step 904, after receiving the first data packet and the first routing information, the host DU determines a next hop node of the host DU according to the first routing information, and sends the first data and the first routing information to the next hop node of the host DU.

It should be noted that the difference between the method described in the second scheme for downlink communication in the second embodiment and the method described in the first scheme for downlink communication in the second embodiment includes: for example, in the first downlink communication scheme in the second embodiment, after receiving the first packet from the OAM server, the host CU determines the first routing information based on the identifier of the DU of the first IAB node included in the first packet, whereas in the second downlink communication scheme in the second embodiment, after receiving the first packet from the OAM server, the host CU determines the first routing information based on the destination IP address of the first packet. Other than the difference, both can be referred to each other.

With respect to the first embodiment and the second embodiment, it should be noted that the first scheme or the second scheme in the second embodiment may be implemented separately, or may also be implemented in combination with the second scheme for downlink communication in the first embodiment, and is not particularly limited.

The step numbers referred to in the above embodiments of the present application are only one possible example of the execution flow, and do not limit the execution sequence of each step. In the embodiment of the present application, there is no strict execution sequence between steps having no timing dependency relationship with each other. The steps illustrated in the above drawings are not necessarily required to be selected, and in a specific implementation, the steps may be added or deleted based on the above drawings, and are not particularly limited.

The above description mainly introduces the scheme provided in the embodiment of the present application from the perspective of interaction between the host CU and the host DU. It is understood that, in order to implement the above functions, the host CU and the host DU may include corresponding hardware structures and/or software modules for performing the respective functions. Those of skill in the art will readily appreciate that the various illustrative elements and algorithm steps described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein may be implemented as hardware or combinations of hardware and computer software. Whether a function is performed as hardware or computer software drives hardware depends upon the particular application and design constraints imposed on the solution. Skilled artisans may implement the described functionality in varying ways for each particular application, but such implementation decisions should not be interpreted as causing a departure from the scope of the present application.

In case of integrated units (modules), fig. 10 shows a possible exemplary block diagram of the apparatus involved in the embodiments of the present application. As shown in fig. 10, the apparatus 1000 may include: a processing unit 1002 and a communication unit 1003. The processing unit 1001, the communication unit 1002, and the storage unit 1003 are connected by a communication bus. The communication unit 1002 may be a device having a transceiving function for communicating with other apparatuses. The storage unit 1003 may include one or more memories. The storage unit 1003 may be independent and connected to the processing unit 1001 through a communication bus. The memory unit 1003 may also be integrated with the processing unit 1201.

The processing unit 1002 is used for controlling and managing operations of the apparatus 1000. The communication unit 1003 is configured to support communication between the apparatus 1000 and other network entities. Optionally, the communication unit 1003, also referred to as a transceiving unit, may include a receiving unit and/or a transmitting unit for performing receiving and transmitting operations, respectively. The device 1000 may further comprise a storage unit 1001 for storing program codes and/or data of the device 1000.

The processing unit 1002 may be, among other things, a processor or controller that may implement or execute the various illustrative logical blocks, modules, and circuits described in connection with the embodiment disclosure. The communication unit 1003 may be a communication interface, a transceiver circuit, or the like, wherein the communication interface is referred to as a generic term, and in a specific implementation, the communication interface may include a plurality of interfaces. The storage unit 1001 may be a memory.

The apparatus 1000 may be the host DU in any of the above embodiments, or may also be a chip disposed in the host DU. The processing unit 1002 may enable the apparatus 1000 to perform the actions of the host DU in the above method examples. Alternatively, the processing unit 1002 mainly performs the internal actions of the host DU in the method example, and the communication unit 1003 may support communication between the apparatus 1000 and other devices. For example, the communication unit 1003 is configured to perform step 403 and step 404 in fig. 4.

Specifically, in an embodiment, the communication unit is configured to receive, from the host centralized unit CU, an internet protocol IP address and first routing information of a first access backhaul integrated IAB node, where the first routing information is used to route a first packet to the first IAB node, where the first packet is an OAM service packet, and a destination IP address of the first packet is an IP address of the first IAB node; receiving the first data packet from an OAM server; and sending the first data packet and the first routing information to a next hop node of the host DU.

In one possible design, the first routing information includes: an identifier of a first path, where a sending node on the first path is the host DU, and a receiving node on the first path is the first IAB node; or, a first identity of the first IAB node.

In one possible design, the first identifier of the first node is an adaptation layer identifier assigned by the host centralized unit CU for the first node.

In one possible design, the first routing information includes: a second path identifier and a second identifier of the first IAB node, where a sending node on the second path is the host DU, and a receiving node on the second path is a parent node of the first IAB node; or, the identity of the parent node of the first IAB node and the second identity of the first IAB node.

In one possible design, the second identifier of the first IAB node is a cell radio network temporary identifier C-RNTI allocated to the first IAB node by the parent node of the first IAB node, or the second identifier of the first IAB node is a first F1AP identifier allocated to the first IAB node by the parent node of the first IAB node; alternatively, the second identity of the first IAB node comprises the first F1AP identity and a second F1AP identity allocated by the host CU for the first IAB node.

In one possible design, the communication unit is specifically configured to: and the host DU carries the first routing information in an adaptation layer of the host DU and sends the first routing information to a next hop node of the host DU.

In one possible design, the communication unit is further to receive, from the host CU, first information and first bearer information, the first bearer information indicating a backhaul radio link control, BH, RLC channel to transmit the first data packet; the first data packet includes the first information, the first information including at least one of: a Differentiated Services Code Point (DSCP) value, a flow label, an IP address and a port number of the OAM server; and mapping the first data packet to the BH RLC channel and sending the BH RLC channel to a next hop node of the host DU.

In yet another embodiment, the communication unit is configured to receive, from the host CU, first information and first bearer information, the first bearer information indicating a BH RLC channel for transmitting a first packet, the first packet including the first information, the first information including at least one of: DSCP value, flow label, IP address and port number of the OAM server; receiving the first data packet from an OAM server; and mapping the first data packet to the BH RLC channel and sending the BH RLC channel to a next hop node of the host DU.

The apparatus 1000 may be the host CU in any of the embodiments described above, or may also be a chip provided in the host CU. The processing unit 1002 may enable the apparatus 1000 to perform the actions of the host CU in the above method examples. Alternatively, the processing unit 1002 mainly performs the internal actions of the host CU in the method example, and the communication unit 1003 may support communication between the apparatus 1000 and other devices. For example, the communication unit 1003 is configured to perform step 401 in fig. 4, and the processing unit may be configured to perform step 404 in fig. 4.

Specifically, in an embodiment, the communication unit is configured to obtain an IP address of a first IAB node and first routing information, where the first routing information is used to route a first data packet to the first IAB node, where the first data packet is an OAM service data packet, and a destination IP address of the first data packet is the IP address of the first IAB node; and sending the IP address of the first IAB node and the first routing information to the home DU.

In one possible design, the second identifier of the first IAB node is a C-RNTI assigned to the first IAB node by the parent node of the first IAB node, or the second identifier of the first IAB node is a first F1AP identifier assigned to the first IAB node by the parent node of the first IAB node; alternatively, the second identity of the first IAB node comprises the first F1AP identity and a second F1AP identity allocated by the host CU for the first IAB node.

In one possible design, the communication unit is further configured to send, to the host DU, first information and first bearer information, where the first bearer information is used to indicate a BH RLC channel for transmitting a first data packet, and the first data packet includes the first information, and the first information includes at least one of: DSCP value, flow label, IP address of said OAM server, port number.

In yet another embodiment, a communication unit is configured to obtain first information and first bearer information, where the first bearer information is used to indicate a BH RLC channel for transmitting a first data packet, and the first data packet includes the first information, and the first information includes at least one of: DSCP value, flow label, IP address and port number of the OAM server; and sending the first information and the first bearer information to a host DU.

Fig. 11 is a schematic structural diagram of a network device provided in an embodiment of the present application, such as a schematic structural diagram of a base station, which may be exemplarily a schematic structural diagram of a host base station, when the base station 110 is a host base station, a DU included in the base station may refer to a host DU, and a CU included in the base station may refer to a host CU. As shown in fig. 11, the base station may be applied to the system shown in fig. 1 or fig. 2A or fig. 2B, and performs the functions of the host base station in the above method embodiments. Base station 110 may include one or more DUs 1101 and one or more CUs 1102. The DU1101 may include at least one antenna 11011, at least one radio frequency unit 11012, at least one processor 11013, and at least one memory 11014. The DU1101 portion is mainly used for transceiving radio frequency signals, converting radio frequency signals and baseband signals, and partially processing baseband. CU1102 may include at least one processor 11022 and at least one memory 11021. CU1102 and DU1101 may communicate via interfaces, wherein a Control plane (Control plane) interface may be Fs-C, such as F1-C, and a User plane (User plane) interface may be Fs-U, such as F1-U.

The CU1102 section is mainly used for performing baseband processing, controlling a base station, and the like. The DU 1101 and the CU1102 may be physically located together or physically located separately, i.e. distributed base stations. The CU1102 is a control center of the base station, which may also be referred to as a processing unit, and is mainly used to perform baseband processing functions. For example, the CU1102 may be configured to control the base station to perform the operation procedure related to the network device in the above method embodiment.

Specifically, the baseband processing on the CU and the DU may be divided according to protocol layers of the wireless network, for example, functions of a Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer and protocol layers above the PDCP layer are set in the CU, and functions of protocol layers below the PDCP layer, for example, functions of a Radio Link Control (RLC) layer and a Medium Access Control (MAC) layer, are set in the DU. For another example, a CU implements Radio Resource Control (RRC) and Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) functions, and a DU implements Radio Link Control (RLC), Medium Access Control (MAC) and Physical (PHY) functions.

Further, optionally, the donor base station 110 may include one or more radio frequency units (RUs), one or more DUs, and one or more CUs. Wherein, the DU may include at least one processor 11013 and at least one memory 11014, the RU may include at least one antenna 11011 and at least one radio frequency unit 11012, and the CU may include at least one processor 11022 and at least one memory 11021.

In an example, the CU1102 may be formed by one or more boards, where the multiple boards may jointly support a radio access network with a single access indication (e.g., a 5G network), or may respectively support radio access networks with different access schemes (e.g., an LTE network, a 5G network, or other networks). The memory 11021 and the processor 11022 may serve one or more boards. That is, the memory and processor may be provided separately on each board. Multiple boards may share the same memory and processor. In addition, each single board can be provided with necessary circuits. The DU1101 may be formed by one or more boards, where the boards may jointly support a radio access network with a single access instruction (e.g., a 5G network), and may also respectively support radio access networks with different access schemes (e.g., an LTE network, a 5G network, or other networks). The memory 11014 and the processor 11013 may serve one or more boards. That is, the memory and processor may be provided separately on each board. Multiple boards may share the same memory and processor. In addition, each single board can be provided with necessary circuits.

Alternatively, the DU in the home base station 110 may send the data packet to the MT in the next-hop node of the home DU through the antenna, and then the MT in the next-hop node of the home DU sends the data packet to the DU in the next-hop node of the home DU through the internal interface.

In implementation, the steps of the method provided by this embodiment may be implemented by hardware integrated logic circuits in a processor or instructions in the form of software. The steps of a method disclosed in connection with the embodiments of the present application may be directly implemented by a hardware processor, or may be implemented by a combination of hardware and software modules in a processor.

It should be noted that the processor in the embodiments of the present application may be an integrated circuit chip having signal processing capability. In implementation, the steps of the above method embodiments may be performed by integrated logic circuits of hardware in a processor or instructions in the form of software. The processor may be a general-purpose Central Processing Unit (CPU), a general-purpose processor, a Digital Signal Processing (DSP), an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, a transistor logic device, a hardware component, or any combination thereof; or a combination that performs a computing function, e.g., comprising one or more microprocessors, DSPs, and microprocessors, among others. A general purpose processor may be a microprocessor or the processor may be any conventional processor or the like.

It will be appreciated that the memory or storage units in the embodiments of the application may be either volatile memory or nonvolatile memory, or may include both volatile and nonvolatile memory. The non-volatile memory may be a read-only memory (ROM), a Programmable ROM (PROM), an Erasable PROM (EPROM), an electrically Erasable EPROM (EEPROM), or a flash memory. Volatile memory can be Random Access Memory (RAM), which acts as external cache memory. By way of example, but not limitation, many forms of RAM are available, such as Static Random Access Memory (SRAM), Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM), Synchronous Dynamic Random Access Memory (SDRAM), double data rate SDRAM, enhanced SDRAM, SLDRAM, Synchronous Link DRAM (SLDRAM), and direct rambus RAM (DR RAM). It should be noted that the memory of the systems and methods described herein is intended to comprise, without being limited to, these and any other suitable types of memory.

In the above embodiments, the implementation may be wholly or partially realized by software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented in software, may be implemented in whole or in part in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer programs or instructions. When the computer program or instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, the processes or functions described in the embodiments of the present application are performed in whole or in part. The computer may be a general purpose computer, a special purpose computer, a network of computers, or other programmable device. The computer program or instructions may be stored in or transmitted over a computer-readable storage medium. The computer readable storage medium can be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer or a data storage device such as a server that integrates one or more available media. The usable medium may be a magnetic medium, such as a floppy disk, a hard disk, a magnetic tape; or an optical medium, such as a DVD; it may also be a semiconductor medium, such as a Solid State Disk (SSD).

The various illustrative logical units and circuits described in this application may be implemented or operated upon by design of a general purpose processor, a digital signal processor, an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof. A general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but in the alternative, the processor may be any conventional processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. A processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, e.g., a digital signal processor and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a digital signal processor core, or any other similar configuration.

The steps of a method or algorithm described in the embodiments herein may be embodied directly in hardware, in a software element executed by a processor, or in a combination of the two. The software cells may be stored in RAM memory, flash memory, ROM memory, EPROM memory, EEPROM memory, registers, hard disk, a removable disk, a CD-ROM, or any other form of storage medium known in the art. For example, a storage medium may be coupled to the processor such the processor can read information from, and write information to, the storage medium. In the alternative, the storage medium may be integral to the processor. The processor and the storage medium may reside in an ASIC, which may be disposed in a terminal device. In the alternative, the processor and the storage medium may reside as discrete components in a terminal device.

These computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer or other programmable apparatus to produce a computer implemented process such that the instructions which execute on the computer or other programmable apparatus provide steps for implementing the functions specified in the flowchart flow or flows and/or block diagram block or blocks.

Although the embodiments of the present application have been described with reference to specific features, it is apparent that various modifications and combinations can be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the embodiments of the present application. Accordingly, the specification and figures are merely exemplary of embodiments of the application as defined in the appended claims and are intended to cover any and all modifications, variations, combinations, or equivalents within the scope of the embodiments of the application.

Claims

1. A method of communication, the method comprising:

a host Distributed Unit (DU) receives an Internet Protocol (IP) address and first routing information of a first access return Integrated (IAB) node from a host Centralized Unit (CU), wherein the first routing information is used for routing a first data packet to the first IAB node, the first data packet is an OAM service data packet, and a destination IP address of the first data packet is the IP address of the first IAB node;

the first data packet is received by the host DU from an OAM server;

and the host DU sends the first data packet and the first routing information to a next hop node of the host DU.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first routing information comprises:

An identifier of a first path, where a sending node on the first path is the host DU, and a receiving node on the first path is the first IAB node; alternatively, the first and second electrodes may be,

a first identity of the first IAB node.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein:

the first identifier of the first node is an adaptation layer identifier allocated by a host Centralized Unit (CU) to the first node.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first routing information comprises:

a second path identifier and a second identifier of the first IAB node, where a sending node on the second path is the host DU, and a receiving node on the second path is a parent node of the first IAB node; alternatively, the first and second electrodes may be,

an identification of a parent node of the first IAB node and a second identification of the first IAB node.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein:

the second identifier of the first IAB node is a cell radio network temporary identifier C-RNTI allocated to the first IAB node by the parent node of the first IAB node, or the second identifier of the first IAB node is a first F1AP identifier allocated to the first IAB node by the parent node of the first IAB node; alternatively, the second identity of the first IAB node comprises the first F1AP identity and a second F1AP identity allocated by the host CU for the first IAB node.

6. The method according to any of claims 1 to 5, wherein the sending of the first routing information by the home DU to a next hop node of the home DU comprises:

and the host DU carries the first routing information in an adaptation layer of the host DU and sends the first routing information to a next hop node of the host DU.

7. The method according to any of claims 1 to 6, wherein the sending of the first data packet by the home DU to the next hop node of the home DU comprises:

the host DU receives first information and first bearing information from a host CU, wherein the first bearing information is used for indicating a back-transmission wireless link control (BH RLC) channel for transmitting a first data packet; the first data packet includes the first information, the first information including at least one of: a Differentiated Services Code Point (DSCP) value, a flow label, an IP address and a port number of the OAM server;

and the host DU maps the first data packet into the BH RLC channel and sends the BH RLC channel to a next hop node of the host DU.

8. A method of communication, the method comprising:

a host CU acquires an IP address and first routing information of a first IAB node, wherein the first routing information is used for routing a first data packet to the first IAB node, the first data packet is an OAM service data packet, and a destination IP address of the first data packet is the IP address of the first IAB node;

And the host CU sends the IP address of the first IAB node and the first routing information to the host DU.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the first routing information comprises:

a first identity of the first IAB node.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein:

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the first routing information comprises:

12. The method of claim 11, wherein:

the second identifier of the first IAB node is a C-RNTI allocated to the first IAB node by the parent node of the first IAB node, or the second identifier of the first IAB node is a first F1AP allocated to the first IAB node by the parent node of the first IAB node; alternatively, the second identity of the first IAB node comprises the first F1AP identity and a second F1AP identity allocated by the host CU for the first IAB node.

13. The method according to any one of claims 8 to 12, further comprising:

the host CU sends first information and first bearing information to the host DU, wherein the first bearing information is used for indicating a BH RLC channel for transmitting a first data packet, the first data packet comprises the first information, and the first information comprises at least one of the following items: DSCP value, flow label, IP address of said OAM server, port number.

14. A method of communication, the method comprising:

the method includes that a host DU receives first information and first bearing information from a host CU, the first bearing information is used for indicating a BH RLC channel for transmitting a first data packet, the first data packet comprises the first information, and the first information comprises at least one of the following items: DSCP value, flow label, IP address and port number of the OAM server;

the first data packet is received by the host DU from an OAM server;

15. A method of communication, the method comprising:

the host CU acquires first information and first bearing information, wherein the first bearing information is used for indicating a BH RLC channel for transmitting a first data packet, the first data packet comprises the first information, and the first information comprises at least one of the following items: DSCP value, flow label, IP address and port number of the OAM server;

And the host CU sends the first information and the first bearing information to a host DU.

16. A communication device configured to perform the method of any one of claims 1 to 15.

17. A communications apparatus comprising a processor coupled to a memory, the memory storing a computer program or instructions, the processor being configured to execute the computer program or instructions such that the method of any of claims 1 to 7 or the method of any of claims 8 to 13 or the method of claim 14 or the method of claim 15 is performed.

18. A computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions which, when executed on a computer, cause performance of the method of any one of claims 1 to 15.