CN113114617B

CN113114617B - Communication method, system and storage medium

Info

Publication number: CN113114617B
Application number: CN202110228474.1A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 冯江平; 张艳
Original assignee: Shenzhen Ailing Network Co ltd
Current assignee: Shenzhen Ailing Network Co ltd
Priority date: 2021-02-25
Filing date: 2021-02-25
Publication date: 2022-11-11
Anticipated expiration: 2041-02-25
Also published as: CN113114617A

Abstract

The method comprises the steps that a User Plane Function (UPF) entity of a first network receives a data frame sent by first equipment, wherein the data frame comprises a destination Media Access Control (MAC) address; the UPF entity of the first network sends the data frame to second equipment according to the destination MAC address and the message matching/forwarding rule; wherein the first device and the second device belong to the same virtual network group, and the first device and/or the second device do not belong to the first network. By adopting the technical scheme provided by the embodiment of the application, communication between devices connected to an external network of the 5G network or between the devices of the 5G network and the devices of the external network can be realized.

Description

Communication method, system and storage medium

Technical Field

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

Background

A Local Area Network (LAN) may interconnect a plurality of user equipments UE in a region into one network. LAN has been applied to various scenes such as enterprises, homes, and industries as a basic network facility. When the LAN has a large scale, in order to facilitate management and isolation, a Virtual Local Area Network (VLAN) technology is usually adopted in the industry to divide the LAN into a plurality of different VLANs.

The fifth generation (5g) LAN service is a service provided by the current 5G network, and is mainly applied to home communication, enterprise office, factory manufacturing, car networking, power grid transformation, public security organs, and the like. The service can provide private communication of an Internet Protocol (IP) type or a non-IP type (e.g., ethernet type) for two or more terminal devices in a group of terminal devices. For example, the devices in the factory may form a group, and the devices in the group may send ethernet packets to each other; alternatively, office equipment (e.g., mobile phones, computers, or laptops, etc.) of employees in a department of an enterprise may form a group and send IP packets to each other.

The 5G LAN technology introduces the concept of terminal group management in a mobile network for the first time, and supports direct communication of UE in a group. Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of a communication scenario of UEs in a group in the related art. The industry client can open an interface through the capability of the core network control surface to manage the virtual network group such as creation, modification, deletion and the like. Data mutually transmitted by the UEs in a group may be directly forwarded through a 5G User Plane Function (UPF), and does not need to be transmitted to a data network through an N6 port, for example, UE1 and UE2 may directly forward through UPF 1. When the UE in one group is accessed to a plurality of UPFs, direct connection tunnels are constructed among the UPFs, and direct communication is guaranteed. For example, UE2 is accessed to UPF1, UE3 is accessed to UPF2, and a direct tunnel N19 is constructed between UPF1 and UPF2, thereby ensuring direct communication between UE2 and UE 3. The design ensures that the UPF has the direct forwarding function similar to a switch or a router, does not need the intervention of a router or an application server on the N6 port, and shortens a data forwarding path.

However, the above scheme can only realize mutual communication between devices in the same 5G network. In practical applications, there is also a need for communication between devices connected to an external network of the 5G network, or between a device of the 5G network and a device of the external network.

Disclosure of Invention

In view of this, the present application provides a communication method, system and storage medium, so as to solve the problem that in the prior art, communication between devices in the same 5G network can only be achieved, and communication requirements between devices connected to an external network of the 5G network or between a device of the 5G network and a device of the external network cannot be met.

In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, which is applied to a first network, and the method includes:

a User Plane Function (UPF) entity of a first network receives a data frame sent by first equipment, wherein the data frame comprises a destination MAC address;

the UPF entity of the first network sends the data frame to second equipment according to the destination MAC address and the message matching/forwarding rule;

wherein the first device and the second device belong to the same virtual network group, and the first device and/or the second device do not belong to the first network.

Preferably, before the UPF entity of the first network sends the data frame to the second device according to the destination MAC address and the packet matching/forwarding rule, the method further includes:

a Session Management Function (SMF) entity of the first network establishes a message matching/forwarding rule according to the MAC address of the first device, the MAC address of the second device, and a mapping relation of a virtual network group to which the first device and the second device belong, wherein the mapping relation is established according to preset virtual network group information, the virtual network group information comprises a group identifier, in-group terminal information, an external network identifier and a Data Network Access Identifier (DNAI) list to which the external network belongs, and the DNAI is used for determining a UPF entity corresponding to the external network;

and the Session Management Function (SMF) entity of the first network sends the message matching/forwarding rule to the UPF entity of the first network.

Preferably, the first device is communicatively connected to a first terminal of the first network, and the receiving, by a user plane function UPF entity of the first network, a data frame sent by the first device includes:

the first terminal receives a data frame sent by the first equipment;

the first terminal adds the VLAN identification corresponding to the first device in the data frame;

and the first terminal sends the data frame added with the VLAN identification to a UPF entity of the first network.

Preferably, the first device belongs to a second network, and a user plane function UPF entity of the first network receives a data frame sent by the first device, including:

and the UPF entity of the first network receives the data frame which is sent by the second network and is added with the VLAN identification, wherein the second network adds the VLAN identification corresponding to the first equipment to the data frame sent by the first equipment.

Preferably, the second device is in communication connection with the second terminal of the first network, and the sending of the data frame to the second device by the UPF entity of the first network according to the destination MAC address and the packet matching/forwarding rule includes:

the UPF entity of the first network sends the data frame to a second terminal according to the destination MAC address and the message matching/forwarding rule;

the second terminal deletes the VLAN identification corresponding to the second device in the data frame;

and the second terminal sends the data frame with the deleted VLAN identification to the second equipment.

Preferably, the second device belongs to a second network, and the sending, by the UPF entity of the first network, the data frame to the second device according to the destination MAC address and the packet matching/forwarding rule includes:

and the UPF entity of the first network sends the data frame to a second network according to the destination MAC address and the message matching/forwarding rule, and the second network is used for deleting the VLAN identification corresponding to the second equipment in the data frame and sending the data frame with the deleted VLAN identification to the second equipment.

Preferably, the destination MAC address is a broadcast address.

Preferably, the first device matches a first UPF entity, and the second device matches a second UPF entity;

the receiving, by a user plane function UPF entity of the first network, a data frame sent by a first device includes: a first UPF entity of a first network receives a data frame sent by first equipment;

the sending, by the UPF entity of the first network, the data frame to a second device according to the destination MAC address and the packet matching/forwarding rule includes: the first UPF entity sends the data frame to a second UPF entity according to the destination MAC address and the message matching/forwarding rule; and the second UPF entity sends the data frame to second equipment according to the destination MAC address and the message matching/forwarding rule.

In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication system, including:

a processor;

a memory;

and a computer program, wherein the computer program is stored in the memory, the computer program comprising instructions which, when executed by the communication system, cause the communication system to perform the method of any of the first aspects.

In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium, where the computer-readable storage medium includes a stored program, and when the program runs, a device on which the computer-readable storage medium is located is controlled to execute the method in any one of the first aspects.

By adopting the technical scheme provided by the embodiment of the application, communication between devices connected to an external network of the 5G network or between the devices of the 5G network and the devices of the external network can be realized.

Drawings

In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, the drawings needed to be used in the embodiments will be briefly described below, and it is obvious that the drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the present application, and it is obvious for those skilled in the art to obtain other drawings based on these drawings without inventive labor.

Fig. 1 is a diagram illustrating a communication scenario of a UE in a group in the related art;

fig. 2 is a diagram illustrating a possible architecture of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 3 is a schematic view of an application scenario provided in an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 4 is a schematic view of another application scenario provided in the embodiment of the present application;

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

fig. 6 is a schematic view of another application scenario provided in the embodiment of the present application;

fig. 7 is a schematic view of another application scenario provided in an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 8 is a schematic view of another application scenario provided in the embodiment of the present application;

fig. 9 is a schematic view of another application scenario provided in the embodiment of the present application;

fig. 10 is a schematic view of another application scenario provided in the embodiment of the present application;

fig. 11 is a schematic view of another application scenario provided in the embodiment of the present application.

Detailed Description

For better understanding of the technical solutions of the present application, the following detailed descriptions of the embodiments of the present application are provided with reference to the accompanying drawings.

It should be understood that the embodiments described are only a few embodiments of the present application, and not all embodiments. All other embodiments, which can be derived by a person skilled in the art from the embodiments given herein without making any creative effort, shall fall within the protection scope of the present application.

The terminology used in the embodiments of the present application is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the application. As used in the examples of this application and the appended claims, the singular forms "a", "an", and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

It should be understood that the term "and/or" as used herein is merely one type of associative relationship that describes an associated object, meaning that three types of relationships may exist, e.g., A and/or B, may mean: a exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, and B exists alone. In addition, the character "/" herein generally indicates that the former and latter related objects are in an "or" relationship.

In order to facilitate a better understanding of the technical solutions for those skilled in the art, some terms in the present application are explained below.

A terminal device, which may also be referred to as a User Equipment (UE), a Mobile Station (MS), a Mobile Terminal (MT), etc., is a device that provides voice and/or data connectivity to a user. For example, the terminal device includes a handheld device, an in-vehicle device, and the like having a wireless connection function. Currently, the terminal device may be: a mobile phone (mobile phone), a tablet computer, a notebook computer, a palm computer, a Mobile Internet Device (MID), a wearable device, a Virtual Reality (VR) device, an Augmented Reality (AR) device, a wireless terminal in industrial control (industrial control), a wireless terminal in unmanned driving (self driving), a wireless terminal in remote surgery (remote medical supply), a wireless terminal in smart grid (smart grid), a wireless terminal in transportation security (transportation security), a wireless terminal in city (smart city), or a wireless terminal in smart home (smart home), etc.

The embodiment of the present application does not limit the standard of the communication system, and the communication system may be a fifth generation (5 th generation,5 g) communication system, or a future communication system, or a communication system evolved based on any generation of communication system. The communication system is divided into an access network and a core network. The access network is used to tandem the terminal device into the core network. The core network is used for accessing the terminal equipment to different data networks. In addition, according to the logical function division, the core network can be divided into a control plane and a user plane.

The control plane network element, which may also be referred to as a Control Plane Function (CPF) entity, is responsible for the logical function of the control plane in the core network. According to the division for implementing the control plane function, the control plane function entity may include a Session Management Function (SMF) entity, an access and mobility management function (AMF) entity, a unified data management function (UDM) entity, a Policy Control Function (PCF) entity, a network capability open function (NEF) entity, a Unified Data Repository (UDR) entity, and an Application Function (AF) entity.

The User plane network element, which may also be referred to as a User Plane Function (UPF) entity, is configured to forward User plane data (including an ethernet broadcast frame) of a terminal device.

And the Data Network (DN) provides service for the terminal equipment by carrying out data transmission with the terminal equipment. The data networks referred to in the embodiments of the present application are all of the ethernet type (i.e., the data networks referred to in the embodiments of the present application are ethernet networks). Accordingly, the session of the terminal device enabling the terminal device to access the data network is also of the ethernet type.

It should be noted that the data network according to the embodiment of the present application may be an ethernet network deployed outside the communication network, or may be an ethernet network deployed inside the communication system. When the data network is an ethernet network within the communication system, the ethernet network is composed of at least one terminal device accessing the ethernet network through the communication system.

Referring to fig. 2, a diagram of a possible architecture of a communication system is provided in an embodiment of the present application. In the communication system shown in fig. 2, the Access Network (AN) and the Core Network (CN) are separated.

The access network includes a base station, which is understood as AN device for accessing a terminal device to a wireless network in the communication system. AN device may also be referred to as AN Access Network (AN) node as a node of AN access network. Currently, some examples of AN devices are: a gbb, a Transmission Reception Point (TRP), an evolved Node B (eNB), 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 Node B, or home Node B, HNB), a Base Band Unit (BBU), and the like.

The network element in the core network comprises: control plane functional entities such as an AMF entity, an SMF entity, a UDM entity, a UDR entity, a NEF entity, a PCF entity and an AF entity, and a UPF entity.

The core network is used for accessing the terminal equipment into a DN capable of realizing the service of the terminal equipment. The functions of each network element in the core network are described below.

The AMF entity may be responsible for registration, mobility management, tracking area update procedures, and the like of the terminal device.

The SMF entity may be configured to be responsible for session management (including session establishment, modification, and release) of the terminal device, selection and reselection of a UPF entity, IP address allocation of the terminal device, qoS control, and the like.

The PCF entity can be used for taking charge of functions such as strategy control decision and the like.

The NEF entity may open some capability information of the communication system to a network outside the communication system and pass information between network element devices (e.g., VMF entity, AF entity).

The UDM entity can be used for managing subscription data of the terminal equipment, registration information related to the terminal equipment and the like.

And the AF entity is responsible for communicating with the DN outside the communication system and controlling and managing the DN outside the communication system.

The UPF entity can be used for forwarding user plane data (including Ethernet broadcast frames) of the terminal equipment.

Referring to fig. 3, a schematic view of an application scenario provided in the embodiment of the present application is shown. In fig. 3, a first network is shown, where the first network includes a terminal 1, a terminal 2, and a terminal 3, where the terminal 1, the terminal 2, and the terminal 3 respectively access a user plane function UPF entity through an access network. It can be understood that when the terminal 1, the terminal 2 and the terminal 3 are in the same virtual network group, different terminals may forward data based on the UPF entity to realize information interaction.

However, in practical applications, there is also a need for communication between devices of an external network connected to the first network, or between a device of the first network and a device of the external network. The devices of the external network may include devices connected to the terminal of the first network and devices connected to the UPF entity through other networks, among others.

For example, terminals 1 and 2 may be Customer Premise Equipment (CPE) having a plurality of network interfaces, such as ethernet ports or WLAN interfaces, through which several devices may be connected to the first network. In the embodiment shown in fig. 3, the terminal 1 is connected to the device 1, the device 2 and the device 3, respectively; the terminal 2 is connected to the device 4 and the device 5, respectively. It is understood that device 1, device 2, device 3, device 4, and device 5 are devices in an external network with respect to the first network. In addition, the first network may also be connected to a second network through a UPF entity, and the device x and the device y in the second network are also devices in an external network with respect to the first network.

In practical applications, there is a need for communication between devices of the external network, or between a device of the external network and a device of the first network. Illustratively, there is a communication need between device 1 and device 2; there is a communication need between the device 1 and the terminal 2; device 1 has a communication need with device x; the terminal 1 has a communication demand with the device x, and the like.

In view of the above communication requirements, embodiments of the present application provide a communication method, which can implement communication between external devices connected to a 5G network or other networks. The details will be described below.

Referring to fig. 4, a schematic view of another application scenario provided in the embodiment of the present application is shown. Fig. 4 is a division of virtual network groups based on fig. 3 to further realize mutual communication of devices in the same virtual network group. Specifically, the method comprises the following steps:

firstly, planning the network and distributing the devices with intercommunication requirements to the same VLAN. It is understood that the device includes a device in the first network and a device in the external network. Wherein the devices in the external network include devices connected to terminals of the first network, and devices in the second network. For a device connected to a terminal of the first network, VLAN configuration may be performed on the terminal; for the devices in the second network, the VLAN may be configured on the switch corresponding to the second network.

Then, a virtual network group is created in the first network, and the virtual network group information includes information such as a group identifier, intra-group terminal information, an external network identifier, and a Data Network Access Identifier (DNAI) list to which the external network belongs. Wherein, the UPF entity connected with the external network can be determined according to the DNAI. In addition, the virtual network group information may be provided by the application function AF entity to the network openness function NEF entity, which saves it in the unified data storage UDR entity through the unified data management function UDM entity. When a PDU session is established, the UDM entity extracts user subscription data and virtual network group information from the UDR entity and provides the user subscription data and the virtual network group information to a Session Management Function (SMF) entity.

For example, in the example shown in fig. 4, two virtual network groups are planned according to communication needs. The first virtual network Group comprises a terminal 1, a terminal 2 and a terminal 3, the Group identifier is Group1, the external network identifier is VLAN1, and the data network access identifier to which the external network belongs is DNAI-1. The second virtual network Group comprises a terminal 1 and a terminal 2, the Group identifier is Group2, the external network identifier is VLAN2, and the data network access identifier to which the external network belongs is DNAI-2. The terminal 1 and the terminal 2 are externally connected with terminal side equipment, and the terminal 3 is not externally connected with equipment. The specific information is shown in table one.

Table one:

referring to fig. 5, a schematic flow chart of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application is provided. The method can be applied to the application scenario shown in fig. 4, as shown in fig. 5, which mainly includes the following steps.

Step S501: and a User Plane Function (UPF) entity of the first network receives a data frame sent by the first equipment, wherein the data frame comprises a destination MAC address.

Step S502: and the UPF entity of the first network sends the data frame to second equipment according to the destination MAC address and the message matching/forwarding rule.

Specifically, a terminal in the virtual network group initiates a PDU session flow for establishing an ethernet type, and a session management function SMF entity indicates a UPF entity to detect and report a source MAC address of an uplink data frame. If the data frame contains VLAN identification, the UPF entity reports the VLAN identification at the same time. If the terminal is externally connected with the terminal side equipment, the terminal adds the VLAN identifier to the uplink data frame initiated by the terminal side equipment and then sends the uplink data frame to the UPF entity through the access network. If the terminal is not externally connected with the terminal side equipment, the uplink data frame initiated by the terminal does not contain the VLAN identification. In addition, the SMF entity indicates the UPF entity to detect and report the source MAC address and VLAN identification of the downlink data frame sent from the external network.

During the process of registering and establishing the PDU session by the terminal, the SMF entity may determine whether to allow the terminal to register and establish the PDU session according to the user subscription data. It can be understood that if the user completes the subscription, the terminal is allowed to register and establish the PDU session; if the user does not finish signing, the terminal is refused to register and PDU conversation is established. In addition, in some possible embodiments, the user subscription data may further include information for limiting the user capability, and at this time, it needs to determine whether to allow the terminal to register and establish the PDU session in combination with the information for limiting the user capability.

The terminal side equipment initiates uplink data access:

the terminal adds VLAN identification corresponding to the port for receiving the data frame in the data frame, and sends the data frame to the UPF entity through the access network. The UPF entity detects a new source MAC address (a MAC address corresponding to the terminal side device), and reports the MAC address and the VLAN identifier to the SMF entity. And the SMF entity establishes the mapping relation between the MAC address and the belonged virtual network group and the belonged PDU session.

The SMF entity issues a message detection/forwarding rule to the UPF entity, wherein the message detection/forwarding rule is used for indicating that the data frame with the destination MAC address as the source MAC address is forwarded through the PDU session. If the terminal to which the PDU session belongs is externally connected to a terminal device and the data frame does not have a VLAN header, the user plane function needs to insert the VLAN header into the data frame, where the VLAN header is a VLAN identifier corresponding to the destination terminal device. If the terminal to which the PDU session belongs does not have an external terminal device and the data frame contains a VLAN header, the user plane function needs to delete the VLAN header in the data frame.

The device of the external data network initiates downlink data access:

and the data frame is sent to the UPF entity through the switch, and the data frame received by the UPF entity contains the VLAN identification. And the UPF entity detects a new source MAC address and reports the MAC address and the VLAN identification to the SMF entity. And the SMF entity establishes the mapping relation between the MAC address and the virtual network group to which the MAC address belongs.

The SMF entity issues a message detection/forwarding rule to the user plane function, wherein the message detection/forwarding rule is used for indicating that the data frame with the destination MAC address as the source MAC address is forwarded through the UPF entity. If the data frame has no VLAN header, the UPF entity needs to insert the VLAN header into the data frame, and the VLAN identifier in the VLAN header is the VLAN identifier corresponding to the destination MAC.

In an optional embodiment, the first device is communicatively connected to a first terminal of the first network, and the receiving, by a user plane function UPF entity of the first network, a data frame sent by the first device includes: the first terminal receives a data frame sent by the first equipment; the first terminal adds the VLAN identification corresponding to the first device in the data frame; and the first terminal sends the data frame added with the VLAN identification to a UPF entity of the first network.

In an optional embodiment, the first device is a first terminal of the first network, and a user plane function UPF entity of the first network receives a data frame sent by the first device, including: and the UPF entity of the first network receives the data frame sent by the first terminal.

In an optional embodiment, the first device belongs to a second network, and a user plane function UPF entity of the first network receives a data frame sent by the first device, including: and the UPF entity of the first network receives the data frame which is sent by the second network and is added with the VLAN identification, wherein the second network adds the VLAN identification corresponding to the first equipment to the data frame sent by the first equipment.

In an optional embodiment, the second device is communicatively connected to a second terminal of the first network, and the sending, by the UPF entity of the first network, the data frame to the second device according to the destination MAC address and the packet matching/forwarding rule includes: the UPF entity of the first network sends the data frame to a second terminal according to the destination MAC address and the message matching/forwarding rule; the second terminal deletes the VLAN identification corresponding to the second device in the data frame; and the second terminal sends the data frame with the deleted VLAN identification to the second equipment.

In an optional embodiment, the sending the data frame to the second device by the second device is a second terminal of the first network, and the sending the data frame to the second device by the UPF entity of the first network according to the destination MAC address and the packet matching/forwarding rule includes: and the UPF entity of the first network sends the data frame to the second terminal according to the destination MAC address and the message matching/forwarding rule.

In an optional embodiment, the sending, by the UPF entity of the first network, the data frame to the second device according to the destination MAC address and the packet matching/forwarding rule includes: and the UPF entity of the first network sends the data frame to a second network according to the destination MAC address and the message matching/forwarding rule, and the second network is used for deleting the VLAN identification corresponding to the second equipment in the data frame and sending the data frame with the deleted VLAN identification to the second equipment.

In an optional embodiment, the first device matches a first UPF entity and the second device matches a second UPF entity; the receiving, by a user plane function UPF entity of the first network, a data frame sent by a first device includes: a first UPF entity of a first network receives a data frame sent by first equipment; the sending, by the UPF entity of the first network, the data frame to a second device according to the destination MAC address and the packet matching/forwarding rule includes: the first UPF entity sends the data frame to a second UPF entity according to the destination MAC address and the message matching/forwarding rule; and the second UPF entity sends the data frame to second equipment according to the destination MAC address and the message matching/forwarding rule.

In an alternative embodiment, the MAC address is a broadcast address.

The following describes in detail a communication process between different devices according to an embodiment of the present application with reference to specific embodiments.

Example 1:

referring to fig. 6, a schematic view of another application scenario provided in the embodiment of the present application is shown. As shown in fig. 6, in this application scenario, a first device (equivalent to device 1 in fig. 4) connected to a first terminal and a second device (equivalent to device 4 in fig. 4) connected to a second terminal are communicating with each other, wherein the first terminal and the second terminal belong to the same UPF entity. It is understood that the first device and the second device belong to the same virtual network group. The communication process of the first device and the second device mainly comprises the following steps.

Step S601: and the first equipment sends a data frame to the first terminal, wherein the destination MAC address of the data frame is the MAC address of the second equipment.

Step S602: and the first terminal adds a VLAN header in the data frame and then sends the data frame to the UPF entity through the access network. And the VLAN header is the VLAN identification of the virtual network group corresponding to the first equipment.

Step S603: and the UPF entity matches the destination MAC address of the data frame according to the message detection rule, and executes a forwarding rule to forward the data frame to the PDU session established by the second terminal.

Step S604: and after receiving the data frame, the second terminal deletes the VLAN head and sends the data frame with the VLAN head deleted to the second equipment.

Example 2:

referring to fig. 7, a schematic view of another application scenario provided in the embodiment of the present application is shown. As shown in fig. 7, in this application scenario, a first device (equivalent to device 1 in fig. 4) connected to a first terminal and a second device (equivalent to device x in fig. 4) of a second network communicate with each other, wherein the first device and the second device correspond to the same UPF entity. It is understood that the first device and the second device belong to the same virtual network group. The communication process of the first device and the second device mainly comprises the following steps.

Step S701: and the first equipment sends a data frame to the first terminal, wherein the destination MAC address of the data frame is the MAC address of the second equipment.

Step S702: and the first terminal adds a VLAN header in the data frame and then sends the data frame to the UPF entity through the access network. And the VLAN header is the VLAN identification of the virtual network group corresponding to the first equipment.

Step S703: and the UPF entity matches the destination MAC address of the data frame according to the message detection rule and executes a forwarding rule to forward the data frame to the second network.

Step S704: and after receiving the data frame, the second network deletes the VLAN head and sends the data frame with the VLAN head deleted to the second equipment.

Example 3:

referring to fig. 8, a schematic view of another application scenario provided in the embodiment of the present application is shown. As shown in fig. 8, in this application scenario, a first device (equivalent to device 1 in fig. 4) connected to a first terminal and a second terminal (equivalent to terminal 3 in fig. 4) of a first network communicate with each other. It can be understood that the second terminal is a second device, where the first device and the second device correspond to different UPF entities, the first device corresponds to the first UPF entity, and the second device corresponds to the second UPF entity. It is understood that the first device and the second device belong to the same virtual network group. The communication process of the first device and the second device mainly comprises the following steps.

Step S801: and the first equipment sends a data frame to the first terminal, wherein the destination MAC address of the data frame is the MAC address of the second equipment.

Step S802: and the first terminal adds a VLAN header in the data frame and then sends the data frame to the UPF entity through the access network. And the VLAN header is the VLAN identification of the virtual network group corresponding to the first equipment.

Step S803: and the first UPF entity matches the destination MAC address of the data frame according to the message detection rule and executes a forwarding rule to forward the data frame to the second UPF entity.

Step S804: and the second UPF entity matches the destination MAC address of the data frame according to the message detection rule, and executes a forwarding rule to forward the data frame to the PDU session established by the second equipment.

Example 4:

referring to fig. 9, a schematic view of another application scenario provided in the embodiment of the present application is shown. As shown in fig. 9, in the application scenario, a first device (equivalent to device 3 in fig. 4) connected to a first terminal and a second device (equivalent to device y in fig. 4) of a second network communicate with each other, wherein the first device and the second device correspond to different UPF entities. It is understood that the first device and the second device belong to the same virtual network group. The communication process of the first device and the second device mainly comprises the following steps.

Step S901: and the first equipment sends a data frame to the first terminal, wherein the destination MAC address of the data frame is the MAC address of the second equipment.

Step S902: and the first terminal adds a VLAN header in the data frame and then sends the data frame to the UPF entity through the access network. And the VLAN header is the VLAN identification of the virtual network group corresponding to the first equipment.

Step S903: and the first UPF entity matches the destination MAC address of the data frame according to the message detection rule and executes a forwarding rule to forward the data frame to the second UPF entity.

Step S904: and the second UPF entity matches the destination MAC address of the data frame according to the message detection rule and executes a forwarding rule to forward the data frame to the second network.

Step S905: and after receiving the data frame, the second network deletes the VLAN head and sends the data frame with the VLAN head deleted to the second equipment.

Example 5:

referring to fig. 10, a schematic view of another application scenario provided in the embodiment of the present application is shown. As shown in fig. 10, in this application scenario, a first terminal of a first network (equivalent to terminal 3 in fig. 4) and a second device of a second network (equivalent to device x in fig. 4) communicate with each other. It can be understood that the first terminal is a first device, where the first device and the second device correspond to different UPF entities, the first device corresponds to a second UPF entity, and the second device corresponds to a first UPF entity. It is understood that the first device and the second device belong to the same virtual network group. The communication process of the first device and the second device mainly comprises the following steps.

Step S1001: and the first equipment sends a data frame to a second UPF entity through an access network, wherein the destination MAC address of the data frame is the MAC address of the second equipment. .

Step S1002: and the second UPF entity matches the destination MAC address of the data frame according to the message detection rule and executes a forwarding rule to forward the data frame to the first UPF entity.

Step S1003: and after the VLAN head is added in the data frame by the first UPF entity, the forwarding rule is executed to forward the data frame to the second network according to the target MAC address of the message detection rule matching data frame.

Step S1004: and after receiving the data frame, the second network deletes the VLAN head and sends the data frame with the deleted VLAN head to the second equipment. Example 6:

referring to fig. 11, a schematic view of another application scenario provided in the embodiment of the present application is shown. As shown in fig. 11, in this application scenario, a first terminal of a first network (corresponding to terminal 3 in fig. 4) communicates with all other devices in the virtual network group. In fig. 11, a second device 1 and a second device 2 connected to a third terminal, a second device 3 connected to the second terminal, and a second device 4 of a second network are shown. It can be understood that the first terminal is a first device, where the first device corresponds to the second UPF entity, and the second device 1, the second device 2, the second device 3, and the second device 4 correspond to the second UPF entity. The communication process of the first device and the second device mainly comprises the following steps.

Step S1101: and the first equipment sends a data frame to the second UPF entity through the access network, wherein the destination MAC address of the data frame is a broadcast address, namely the MAC addresses of all the other equipment except the first equipment in the virtual network group.

Step S1102: and the second UPF entity matches the destination MAC address of the data frame according to the message detection rule and executes a forwarding rule to forward the data frame to the first UPF entity.

Step S1103: and after the first UPF entity adds the VLAN header in the data frame, the first UPF entity matches the destination MAC address of the data frame according to the message detection rule and executes the forwarding rule to forward the data frame to the second terminal, the third terminal and the second network.

Step S1104: after receiving the data frame, the second terminal deletes the VLAN header and sends the data frame with the VLAN header deleted to the second device 3; after receiving the data frame, the third terminal deletes the VLAN header and sends the data frame with the VLAN header deleted to the second device 1 and the second device 2; and after receiving the data frame, the second network deletes the VLAN header and sends the data frame with the VLAN header deleted to the second device 4.

It should be noted that examples 1 to 6 are only some possible implementations listed in the present application, and should not be taken as limiting the scope of protection of the present application.

In a specific implementation, an embodiment of the present application further provides a communication system, where the communication system includes a processor; a memory; and a computer program, wherein the computer program is stored in the memory, the computer program includes instructions that, when executed, cause the communication system to perform some or all of the steps in the above method embodiments, and for brevity of description, the description is not repeated herein.

In specific implementation, the present application further provides a computer storage medium, where the computer storage medium may store a program, and the program may include some or all of the steps in the embodiments provided in the present application when executed. The storage medium may be a magnetic disk, an optical disk, a read-only memory (ROM) or a Random Access Memory (RAM).

In specific implementation, the embodiment of the present application further provides a computer program product, where the computer program product includes executable instructions, and when the executable instructions are executed on a computer, the computer is caused to execute some or all of the steps in the foregoing method embodiments.

In the embodiments of the present application, "at least one" means one or more, "a plurality" means two or more. "and/or" describes the association relationship of the associated objects, and means that there may be three relationships, for example, a and/or B, and may mean that a exists alone, a and B exist simultaneously, and B exists alone. Wherein A and B can be singular or plural. The character "/" generally indicates that the former and latter associated objects are in an "or" relationship. "at least one of the following" and similar expressions refer to any combination of these items, including any combination of singular or plural items. For example, at least one of a, b, and c may represent: a, b, c, a-b, a-c, b-c, or a-b-c, wherein a, b, c may be single or multiple.

Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the various elements and algorithm steps described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented as electronic hardware, computer software, or combinations of electronic hardware. Whether such functionality is implemented as hardware or software depends upon the particular application and design constraints imposed on the technical 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 invention.

It can be clearly understood by those skilled in the art that, for convenience and simplicity of description, the specific working processes of the above-described systems, apparatuses and units may refer to the corresponding processes in the foregoing method embodiments, and are not described herein again.

In the several embodiments provided by the present invention, any function, if implemented in the form of a software functional unit and sold or used as a separate product, may be stored in a computer readable storage medium. Based on such understanding, the technical solution of the present invention may be embodied in the form of a software product, which is stored in a storage medium and includes instructions for causing a computer device (which may be a personal computer, a server, or a network device) to execute all or part of the steps of the method according to the embodiments of the present invention. And the aforementioned storage medium includes: various media capable of storing program codes, such as a usb disk, a removable hard disk, a read-only memory (ROM), a Random Access Memory (RAM), a magnetic disk, or an optical disk.

The above description is only an embodiment of the present invention, and any person skilled in the art can easily conceive of changes or substitutions within the technical scope of the present invention, and all the changes or substitutions should be covered within the protection scope of the present invention. The protection scope of the present invention shall be subject to the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A method of communication, applied to a first network, the method comprising:

wherein the first device and the second device belong to the same virtual network group, and the first device and/or the second device do not belong to the first network;

before the UPF entity of the first network sends the data frame to the second device according to the destination MAC address and the packet matching/forwarding rule, the method further includes:

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first device is communicatively connected to a first terminal of the first network, and a User Plane Function (UPF) entity of the first network receives the data frame sent by the first device, and the method comprises:

the first terminal receives a data frame sent by the first equipment;

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first device belongs to a second network, and a User Plane Function (UPF) entity of the first network receives a data frame sent by the first device, and the method comprises:

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the second device is communicatively connected to a second terminal of the first network, and the UPF entity of the first network sends the data frame to the second device according to the destination MAC address and the packet matching/forwarding rule, including:

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the second device belongs to a second network, and the transmitting the data frame to the second device by the UPF entity of the first network according to the destination MAC address and the packet matching/forwarding rule comprises:

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the destination MAC address is a broadcast address.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first device matches a first UPF entity and the second device matches a second UPF entity;

8. A communication system, comprising:

a processor;

a memory;

and a computer program, wherein the computer program is stored in the memory, the computer program comprising instructions that, when executed by the communication system, cause the communication system to perform the method of any of claims 1-7.

9. A computer-readable storage medium, comprising a stored program, wherein the program, when executed, controls an apparatus on which the computer-readable storage medium resides to perform the method of any one of claims 1-7.