CN113473441B

CN113473441B - Data forwarding method and device, node equipment and storage medium

Info

Publication number: CN113473441B
Application number: CN202110635828.4A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 向文
Original assignee: Beijing Xiaomi Mobile Software Co Ltd
Current assignee: Beijing Xiaomi Mobile Software Co Ltd
Priority date: 2021-06-08
Filing date: 2021-06-08
Publication date: 2024-02-06
Anticipated expiration: 2041-06-08
Also published as: CN113473441A

Abstract

The disclosure relates to a data forwarding method and apparatus, a node device, and a storage medium, where the data forwarding method is applied to a first node device in a wireless Mesh network, the Mesh network further includes a second node device, a client roams from the first node device to the second node device, and the client is associated to the second node device, and includes: receiving a first data packet sent by a client terminal and forwarded by second node equipment; determining whether associated information corresponding to the client exists in an associated database of the first node equipment according to the first data packet; if the associated information corresponding to the client exists, deleting the associated information from the associated database, and learning to obtain WDS information of the wireless distribution system. Therefore, after the client roams, actions such as association and disconnection of each Mesh device to the client do not need to be informed of each other in time, WDS information can be learned only by sending the first data packet, and the information synchronization flow is simplified.

Description

Data forwarding method and device, node equipment and storage medium

Technical Field

The disclosure relates to the technical field of data updating, and in particular relates to a data forwarding method and device, node equipment and a storage medium.

Background

Wireless Mesh (Mesh) networking has evolved faster in recent years to provide users with better wireless roaming experience among multiple routing devices. The easy Mesh protocol defined by the WiFi alliance at present requires that wireless connections between Mesh devices require data transmission using a four address format. At present, after a client roams, actions such as association and disconnection of each Mesh device in a Mesh network to the client are mutually notified, and according to association and disconnection events of the client, a Wireless Distribution System (WDS) forwarding table learned by each Mesh device through four-address messages is modified to realize correct forwarding of data packets. The method requires a communication mechanism among the Mesh devices, and timely informs about the association and disconnection event of the client, and has complex realization and higher requirement.

Disclosure of Invention

The disclosure provides a data forwarding method and device, node equipment and a storage medium.

According to a first aspect of embodiments of the present disclosure, there is provided a data forwarding method applied to a first node device in a wireless Mesh network, the Mesh network further including a second node device, a client roaming from the first node device to the second node device and the client being associated to the second node device, including:

Receiving a first data packet sent by the client and forwarded by the second node equipment;

determining whether associated information corresponding to the client exists in an associated database of the first node equipment according to the first data packet;

and if the associated information corresponding to the client exists, deleting the associated information from the associated database, and learning to obtain Wireless Distribution System (WDS) information, wherein the WDS information is used for forwarding the data packet sent by the client under the condition that the associated information is not available on the first node equipment.

Optionally, the deleting the association information from the association database includes:

and deleting the association information from the association database under the condition that the association time of the association information is longer than a preset duration, wherein the association time is the time interval between the time established by the association information and the time when the first data packet is received.

Optionally, the WDS information includes: the address of the client, the port addresses of the ports used for data transmission between the second node equipment and the client, and the port addresses of the ports used for data transmission between the first node equipment and the second node equipment.

Optionally, the determining whether the association information corresponding to the client of the first data packet exists in the association database of the first node device includes:

determining whether the association information of the association database of the first node device includes a source address of the first data packet.

Optionally, the association information includes: the address of the client, and the port address of the port used for data transmission between the client transmitting end and the first node device.

According to a second aspect of the embodiments of the present disclosure, there is provided a data forwarding method applied to a first node device in a wireless Mesh network, the Mesh network further including a second node device, a client roaming from the first node device to the second node device and the client being associated to the second node device, including:

receiving a second data packet to be sent to the client;

when determining that the association database of the first node equipment does not have the association information corresponding to the client, sending the second data packet to second node equipment in the Mesh network according to WDS information; the WDS information is used for forwarding the second data packet without the association information on the first node device.

Optionally, the sending the second data packet to a second node device in the Mesh network according to WDS information includes:

determining whether an address contained in WDS information matches an address of the client;

if so, constructing a forwarding message according to the WDS information;

and sending the second data packet to second node equipment in the Mesh network according to the forwarding message.

Optionally, the constructing a forwarding message according to the WDS information includes:

inquiring the WDS information, and constructing a data transmission link from the first node equipment to the client;

determining the port address of a port used for data transmission according to the data transmission link;

and constructing the forwarding message according to the port address.

Optionally, the method further comprises:

when determining that the association database of the first node equipment has the association information corresponding to the client, determining a port associated with the client by the first node equipment and a corresponding port address;

and sending the second data packet to the client based on the port address.

According to a third aspect of embodiments of the present disclosure, there is provided a data forwarding apparatus applied to a first node device in a wireless Mesh network, the Mesh network further including a second node device, a client roaming from the first node device to the second node device and the client being associated with the second node device, including:

The first receiving module is used for receiving a first data packet sent by the client and forwarded by the second node equipment;

the association determining module is used for determining whether association information corresponding to the client exists in an association database of the first node equipment according to the first data packet;

and the learning module is used for deleting the associated information from the associated database and learning to obtain Wireless Distribution System (WDS) information if the associated information corresponding to the client exists, wherein the WDS information is used for forwarding the data packet sent by the client under the condition that the associated information is not available on the first node equipment.

Optionally, the learning module is further configured to:

Optionally, the association determining module is further configured to:

Optionally, the association information includes: the address of the client, and the port address of the port used for data transmission between the client and the first node device.

According to a fourth aspect of embodiments of the present disclosure, there is also provided a data forwarding apparatus applied to a first node device in a wireless Mesh network, the Mesh network further including a second node device, a client roaming from the first node device to the second node device and the client being associated with the second node device, including:

the second receiving module is used for receiving a second data packet to be sent to the client;

a forwarding module, configured to send, when it is determined that the association database of the first node device does not have association information corresponding to the client, the second data packet to a second node device in the Mesh network according to WDS information of a wireless distribution system; the WDS information is used for forwarding the second data packet without the association information on the first node device.

Optionally, the forwarding module includes:

the matching determining module is used for determining whether the address contained in the WDS information is matched with the address of the client;

the construction module is used for constructing a forwarding message according to the WDS information if the WDS information is matched;

and the first sending module is used for sending the second data packet to second node equipment in the Mesh network according to the forwarding message.

Optionally, the building module includes:

the query module is used for querying the WDS information and constructing a data transmission link from the first node equipment to the client;

the first port determining module is used for determining the port address of a port used for data transmission according to the data transmission link;

and the construction submodule is used for constructing the forwarding message according to the port address.

Optionally, the apparatus further comprises:

the second port determining module is used for determining a port and a corresponding port address of the first node equipment associated with the client when determining that the association information corresponding to the client exists in the association database of the first node equipment;

and the second sending module is used for sending the second data packet to the client based on the port address.

According to a fifth aspect of embodiments of the present disclosure, there is provided a node apparatus comprising:

a processor;

a memory for storing processor-executable instructions;

wherein the processor is configured to: the method of any of the above first or second aspects is implemented when executed by executable instructions stored in the memory.

According to a sixth aspect of embodiments of the present disclosure, there is provided a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored therein computer-executable instructions which, when executed by a processor, implement the steps in the method provided in any one of the above-mentioned first or second aspects.

The technical scheme provided by the embodiment of the disclosure can comprise the following beneficial effects:

according to the data forwarding method provided by the embodiment of the disclosure, when the client roams from the first node device to the second node device and the client is associated with the second node device, the first data packet is sent through the second node device, so that after the first data packet is received, the first node device can determine whether association information corresponding to the client exists in an association database of the first node device, if the association information corresponding to the client exists, the fact that the client roams at the moment is indicated, and the association information of the client needs to be deleted from the association database and the corresponding WDS information is learned. On the one hand, after the client roams, the actions of associating and disconnecting the client by each node device (or Mesh device) do not need to be informed of each other in time, and the WDS information can be learned only by sending a first data packet; on the other hand, after the WDS information is learned, accurate data transmission can be performed after roaming based on the learned WDS in subsequent data forwarding.

It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only and are not restrictive of the disclosure.

Drawings

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments consistent with the invention and together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.

Fig. 1 is a flow chart illustrating a data forwarding method according to an exemplary embodiment.

Fig. 2 is an exemplary diagram of a Mesh network, shown according to an exemplary embodiment.

Fig. 3 is a flow chart illustrating a method of forwarding data according to an exemplary embodiment.

Fig. 4 is a flow chart illustrating a method of data forwarding according to an exemplary embodiment.

Fig. 5 is a flow chart illustrating WDS information learning when a client roams, according to an example embodiment.

Fig. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating a structure of a data forwarding apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment.

Fig. 7 is a schematic diagram showing a structure of a data forwarding apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment.

Fig. 8 is a block diagram illustrating a node apparatus or data forwarding device according to an exemplary embodiment.

Detailed Description

Reference will now be made in detail to exemplary embodiments, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. When the following description refers to the accompanying drawings, the same numbers in different drawings refer to the same or similar elements, unless otherwise indicated. The implementations described in the following exemplary examples are not representative of all implementations consistent with the present disclosure. Rather, they are merely examples of apparatus and methods consistent with some aspects of the present disclosure as detailed in the accompanying claims.

An embodiment of the present disclosure provides a data forwarding method, and fig. 1 is a flowchart of a data forwarding method according to an exemplary embodiment, and as shown in fig. 1, the data forwarding method includes the following steps:

step 101, receiving a first data packet sent by a client terminal forwarded by the second node equipment;

step 102, determining whether association information corresponding to the client exists in an association database of the first node equipment according to the first data packet;

and step 103, deleting the associated information from the associated database and learning to obtain WDS information if the associated information corresponding to the client exists, wherein the WDS information is used for forwarding the data packet sent by the client under the condition that the associated information is not available on the first node equipment.

It should be noted that the data forwarding method may be applied to a first node device in the Mesh network, where the first node device is configured to perform forwarding of data for a client accessing the Mesh network.

The Mesh network consists of a wireless access point (WirelessAccessPoint, AP) and a Station (STA); wherein the AP may be a router and the STA may be a client.

And a plurality of APs in the Mesh network form a backbone network, are connected with network lines of a wired network and are responsible for providing multi-hop wireless network connection for clients. Wherein each node (e.g., AP or STA) in the Mesh network can send and receive signals, and each node can communicate directly with one or more peer nodes. The Mesh network has the greatest advantages that: if the nearest AP is congested due to excessive traffic, the data may be automatically rerouted to a neighboring node with less traffic for transmission, e.g., the client may roam from being associated with the first node device to being associated with the second node device. And so on, the data packet can be further routed to the next node closest to the data packet for transmission according to the condition of the network until the final destination is reached. In this way, the data access manner in the Mesh network is also called multi-hop access.

Fig. 2 is an exemplary diagram of a Mesh network according to an exemplary embodiment, and as shown in fig. 2, the Mesh network includes: a first node device 11, a second node device 12, a third node device 13, a first client 21, a second client 22, and a third client 23.

The first node device 11, the second node device 12, and the third node device 13 may all be APs in the Mesh network; the AP may be a device such as a wireless router (including a wireless gateway or wireless bridge), for example.

The first client 21, the second client 22, and the third client 23 may be STAs in the Mesh network; illustratively, the STA may be a mobile electronic device such as a smart phone, a smart watch, or the like.

When the client accesses the Mesh network, the client is associated with one node device (namely AP) in the Mesh network, and the subsequent AP forms a relatively stable forwarding network in a multi-hop interconnection mode, so that data forwarding can be realized based on the forwarding network. When a client associates with a node device (i.e., AP), each AP will record: address of associated client, information of associated interface; wherein the address of the client may be a MAC address. In other embodiments, each AP may also record: and the association time is the time interval between the time of establishing the association information and the time of receiving the first data packet.

As shown in fig. 2, a first client 21 is associated with a first node device 11, a second client 22 is associated with a second node device 12, and a third client 23 is associated with a third node device 13.

In the Mesh network, wireless message data transmitted by links between APs is in a four-address format. The four addresses include: the source MAC address, the sending MAC address in the AP for forwarding the data packet to other APs, the MAC address in the AP for receiving the data packet forwarded by other APs and the destination MAC address.

Each AP uses a three-address format for the port that provides connectivity for the client. The three addresses include: the destination MAC address, the source MAC address, and a received MAC address in the AP from which the packet is received from the client. Alternatively, the three addresses include: the destination MAC address, the source MAC address, and the sending MAC address in the AP that forwards the packet to the client.

Here, the source MAC address is the source address of the packet, which may be referred to as the address from which the packet is generated, and in some embodiments, may be the MAC address of the client, or may be the port address of another AP.

The destination MAC address is the address of the packet that is received, and in some embodiments, the destination MAC address may be the MAC address of the client, or may be the port address of another AP.

For example, as shown in fig. 2, when STA1 wants to send a data packet to STA2, it is necessary to forward data through AP1 and AP2, and at this time, it is necessary to know the port addresses of the ports for data forwarding in AP1 and AP 2.

Taking AP1 as an example, when receiving a data packet sent by STA1, the four address format may be as follows: the source MAC address is the address of STA1, the transmitting MAC address is the address of a four-address port (e.g., the address of a 4-addr-AP1 port) in AP1 for forwarding the data packet to AP2, the receiving MAC address is the address of a four-address port (e.g., the address of a 4-addr-STA2 port) in AP2 for receiving the data packet forwarded by AP1, and the destination MAC address is the address of STA 2.

Taking the AP1 receiving the data packet sent by STA1 as an example, the three address format may be as follows: the destination MAC address is the address of STA2, the receiving MAC address is the address of the three address port (e.g., the address of the 3-addr-AP1 port) of the AP1 for receiving the data packet sent by STA1, and the source MAC address is the address of STA 1. Taking the data packet forwarded by AP2 to STA2 as an example, the three address format may be as follows: the destination MAC address is the address of STA2, the source MAC address is the address of STA1, and the transmit MAC address is the address of the three-address port (e.g., the address of the 3-addr-AP2 port) in AP2 for transmitting the packet.

Here, after each AP receives the data packet, it determines a destination MAC address according to the data packet, and further determines, based on the destination MAC address, whether the data packet needs to be sent from the three-address interface to the client, or send the data packet to other APs through a forwarding message by searching the WDS table.

Illustratively, if the client is directly sent to the client based on the three-address interface, the client is described as the client associated with the AP; if the transmission is based on the manner of forwarding the message, it is indicated that the client is not the client associated with the AP, and the client can be correctly transmitted to the client only by forwarding from other APs.

In the embodiment of the disclosure, if the client does not roam, the addresses of the ports used for performing data transmission and reception are not changed. However, if the client roams, the data forwarding path is changed, and at this time, the data forwarding cannot be performed based on the original WDS information, and at this time, the WDS information needs to be adjusted according to the new connection topology, so that the correct forwarding of the data packet can be ensured.

Thus, the data forwarding method in the embodiment of the present disclosure may be directed to: the client roams from the first node device to the second node device, and the client is related to the scene of the second node device, at this time, the client roams, and then data forwarding based on the original WDS information cannot be performed to the corresponding node device, so that new WDS information needs to be learned.

In some embodiments, the WDS information (i.e., the thus learned WDS information from which the association information was deleted from the association database) includes: the address of the client, the port addresses of the ports used for data transmission between the second node equipment and the client, and the port addresses of the ports used for data transmission between the first node equipment and the second node equipment.

It should be noted that, the port addresses of the ports used for data transmission between the second node device and the client may be a three-address port address in the second node device, where the three-address port address is used for data transmission with the client; the port addresses of the ports used for data transmission between the first node device and the second node device may be four-address port addresses in the second node device.

Here, the address of the client may be a MAC address of the client.

Since the client is associated with the second node device after roaming, if the data transmission link from the client to the first node device is learned, the data packet can be correctly forwarded without the associated information of the client on the first node device. The data transmission link from the client to the first node device may be configured based on a connection relationship between the port addresses of the second node device and the port used for data transmission of the client, the port addresses of the first node device and the port used for data transmission of the second node device, and the address of the client.

Here, a client is an association established with a first node device before the client roams from the first node device to the second node device. And when a client changes from being associated with a first node device to being associated with a second node device, it is indicated that roaming has occurred for the client. At this time, if each AP in the Mesh network notifies the roaming situation of the respective client, many steps are added to the implementation, and a higher communication requirement is required.

In this way, in order to learn current WDS information in time after the client roams, in the embodiment of the present disclosure, after the client roams from the first node device to the second node device and the client is associated with the second node device, the second node device sends a first data packet to each AP located in the Mesh network, and at this time, after the first node device receives the first data packet, the first node device may determine whether there is association information corresponding to the client in its own association database; if the association information corresponding to the client exists, the client is indicated to roam and no association exists with the first node device, then the original association information needs to be deleted, and the subsequent data packet transmission needs to be performed based on the new association information.

Here, the first data packet may be: address resolution protocol ARP messages or broadcast packets.

The first data packet is used for broadcasting and sending through the second node device which is being associated when the client roams from the first node device to the second node device and the client is associated with the second node device. In this way, each AP in the Mesh network can query the association information in its own association database, and if there is association information corresponding to the client, the client roams from itself to the second node device. At this time, the association information of the client needs to be deleted from the association database, so that the current WDS information is learned, and then the data packet can be forwarded based on the learned WDS information.

Therefore, after the client roams, the mode of transmitting the first data packet based on the second node equipment which is currently associated can enable each AP to learn the current WDS information after passing through the first data packet, and the correct forwarding of the data packet can be realized based on the WDS information because the current WDS information reflects the latest association relation between the client and the AP. In addition, the method does not need to send a request message for disconnecting the association relationship after the client roams, and the association establishment with the second node equipment does not need to inform other APs, so that a lot of communication cost can be reduced.

In some embodiments, the determining whether the association information corresponding to the client of the first data packet exists in the association database of the first node device includes:

It should be noted that, the source address of the first data packet is: an address of a client roaming to the second node device.

Here, when the client establishes an association relationship with the first node device, the association information is recorded in the association database of the first node device, and as described above, the association information includes the address of the client. After receiving the first data packet, the first node device determines the source address of the first data packet according to the first data packet, matches the source address of the first data packet with the address included in the association information, and considers that the association information corresponding to the client exists in the association database of the first node device when the first data packet can be matched.

Note that, when the address included in the association device includes the source address of the first packet, it may be considered that the source address of the first packet and the address included in the association information may be matched; but is not limited thereto.

In some embodiments, the association information may include: the address of the client, and the port address of the port used for data transmission between the client and the first node device.

In other embodiments, the association information may further include: and the client establishes association time of the association relationship with the first node equipment.

In some embodiments, said deleting said association information from said association database comprises:

Here, when a client roams from a first node device to a second node device, although the association information needs to be deleted from an association database of the first node device, considering the delay problem of data forwarding before roaming, the present disclosure needs to delete the association information in the association database when the association time between the client and the first node device is longer than a preset duration, so as to reduce the error handling of retransmission services performed by delay.

It should be noted that, because there is a retransmission mechanism in the transmission of the data packet, that is, when the transmission of the data packet is delayed, retransmission is triggered, and then, when the retransmission occurs before the roaming occurs to the client, and after the roaming of the data packet, if it is determined that the association information corresponding to the client exists in the association database of the first node device, deletion of the association information is immediately performed, so that the retransmission of the data packet is affected. Therefore, after judging that the association database of the first node device has association information corresponding to the client, the present disclosure further needs to further judge the association time length of the client and the first node device, and when the association time length is longer than the time length of retransmitting the data packet, deleting the association information from the association database is executed.

Here, the association time is: and a time interval between the moment when the client establishes the association relation with the first node device and the moment when the first data packet is received.

The preset duration is determined according to the duration of the retransmission data packet, and the duration of the retransmission data packet can be set according to the requirement, for example, 3 seconds.

Correspondingly, in other embodiments, when the association time of the association information is less than or equal to the preset duration, the WDS information is not learned first, or the data packet is retransmitted first based on the original WDS information.

The embodiment of the present disclosure further provides a data forwarding method, and fig. 3 is a flowchart of a data forwarding method according to an exemplary embodiment, and as shown in fig. 3, the data forwarding method includes the following steps:

step 301, receiving a second data packet to be sent to a client;

step 302, when it is determined that the association database of the first node device does not have association information corresponding to the client, according to WDS information, a second data packet is sent to a second node device in the Mesh network; the WDS information is used to forward the second data packet without the association information on the first node device.

It should also be noted that the data forwarding method is aimed at: a client roams from the first node device to the second node device, and the client associates with the data forwarding method performed by the second node device.

I.e. as the client has roamed, the first node device learns WDS information based on the first data packet forwarded by the second node device, and when the data packet needs to be forwarded, the method in the embodiments of the disclosure is executed.

The second data packet is a data packet used for information exchange between clients; and the second data packet is a data packet which is prepared to be sent to any client or node equipment in the Mesh network.

The second data packet includes: information to be transferred between the clients; for example, the second data packet may be a WeChat message sent between two mobile terminals.

And after receiving the second data packet, the first node equipment determines whether the association information corresponding to the client exists in an association database of the first node equipment. And under the condition that the association database of the first node equipment does not have the association information corresponding to the client, sending the second data packet to second node equipment in the Mesh network according to the learned WDS information, and then sending the second data packet to the client by the second node equipment.

Here, the association database of the first node device does not have association information corresponding to the client, which means that the client has changed from being associated with the first node device to being associated with the second node device. At this time, if the second data packet is to be sent to the client, the second data packet needs to be sent to the second node device first, and then forwarded to the client by the second node device.

In some embodiments, the sending the second data packet to a second node device in the Mesh network according to WDS information includes:

if so, constructing a forwarding message according to the WDS information;

Here, the WDS information includes: the address of the client, the port addresses of the ports used for data transmission between the second node equipment and the client, and the port addresses of the ports used for data transmission between the first node equipment and the second node equipment.

The forwarding message is used for indicating a data transmission link for forwarding data.

In the embodiment of the disclosure, WDS information is stored in each node device in the Mesh network, when a second data packet is received, the WDS information is queried, whether an address included in the WDS information matches with an address of the client is determined, if the address matches with the address of the client, a data transmission link from the first node device to the client is considered to exist, and when it is determined that the address included in the WDS information matches with the address of the client, a forwarding message is constructed, and the second data packet is sent to the second node device in the Mesh network through the forwarding message.

In some embodiments, the constructing a forwarding message according to the WDS information includes:

and constructing a forwarding message according to the port address.

Here, when the WDS information is queried and a data transmission link that can be transmitted from the first node device to the client is found by each port address and destination address in the WDS information, in order to achieve transmission of the second data packet from the first node device to the second node device, it is necessary to further determine the port address of the port for transmission of the second data packet from the first node device to the second node device. After the port address is obtained, a forwarding message can be constructed according to the port address and the destination address.

Here, it should be noted that, if the address included in the WDS information does not match the address of the client, the steps in the embodiment of fig. 1 may be executed, that is, the first data packet may be sent to the node device in the Mesh network through the second node device; the first data packet may be an address resolution protocol ARP packet or a broadcast packet; a first node device positioned in the Mesh network receives the first data packet and determines whether associated information corresponding to the client exists in an associated database of the first node device according to the first data packet; and if the associated information corresponding to the client exists, deleting the associated information from the associated database, and learning to obtain WDS information. After the WDS information is obtained through learning, a data transmission link from the first node device to the client can be obtained, so that the second data packet can be sent to the second node device in the Mesh network according to the WDS information, and the purpose of data forwarding is achieved.

In some embodiments, the method further comprises:

and sending the second data packet to the client based on the port address.

It should be noted that, when the first node device determines that the association information corresponding to the client exists in the association database of the first node device, it means that the client has an association relationship with the first node device at present, and when the destination address of the second data packet is the client, the second data packet may be sent to the client directly based on the port associated with the client by the first node device and the corresponding port address.

Here, when the client has an association relationship with the first node device, the interface of data transmission between them is a three-address format used. Then, the sending the second data packet to the client based on the port address may be: and transmitting the second data packet to the client through a three-address format based on the port address.

The embodiment of the disclosure further provides a data forwarding method, and fig. 4 is a flowchart of a data forwarding method according to an exemplary embodiment, and as shown in fig. 4, the data forwarding method is applied to a first node device in a Mesh network, where each node device (AP) in the Mesh network is connected by WDS information, and wireless packet data transmitted by a link of each node device is in a four-address format. Each AP uses a three address format for wireless data communication for an AP interface that provides connectivity for common clients. When the AP associates the clients, the AP records the association time of each client and records the addresses of the corresponding clients; when a disconnection association request of an associated client is received, responding to the disconnection association request, clearing the address of the associated client, and clearing data cached for the client.

The data forwarding method comprises the following steps:

in step 401, an association status of the client with the first node device is determined.

The association state includes: the association or the disassociation.

Step 402, modifying the association information in the association database of the first node device according to the association state.

When the association state is replaced each time, the association information in the association database is correspondingly modified, and the accuracy of the association state between the node equipment and the client is maintained.

Step 403, a first data packet forwarded by the second node device is received.

Here, the data transmitted between the node devices is in a four-address format, the four addresses including: source MAC address, transmit MAC address, receive MAC address, and destination MAC address. The first packet received in step 403 is a four address packet because it was forwarded from the second node device.

Step 404, determining whether the association information of the association database of the first node device includes the source address of the first data packet.

Here, the source address of the first packet is the address of the client where roaming occurs.

If the association information of the association database of the first node device includes the source address of the first data packet, the process goes to step 405.

If the association information of the association database of the first node device does not include the source address of the first data packet, the process goes to step 407.

Step 405, determining whether the association time of the association information is greater than a preset duration.

If the association time is greater than the predetermined duration, go to step 406.

If the association time is less than or equal to the preset duration, go to step 409.

And step 406, deleting the associated information corresponding to the client from the associated database.

Step 407, learn WDS information.

Go to step 408 or 410.

Step 408, updating the WDS forwarding table based on the plurality of WDS information.

Here, the WDS forwarding table includes WDS information between a plurality of client to node devices.

Here, the WDS forwarding table is used to determine whether the address contained in the WDS information matches the address of the client in the subsequent step 413.

Step 409, the WDS information is not learned.

Turning to step 410.

Here, the data forwarding is directly performed based on the original WDS information.

Step 410, a data forwarding step is performed.

It should be noted that, when association information corresponding to the client exists in the association database of the first node device, and association time of the association information is longer than a preset duration, the association information is deleted from the association database, new WDS information is learned and obtained, and then a data forwarding step is executed based on the new WDS information. And when the association time of the associated information is less than or equal to the preset duration, the WDS information is not learned, and the data forwarding is directly carried out based on the original WDS information.

In step 411, a second data packet to be sent to the client is received.

The second data packet is to be sent to the client terminal where roaming occurs. Wherein the client roams from a first node device to a second node device.

Step 412, determining whether there is association information corresponding to the client in the association database of the first node device.

If the association information corresponding to the client is not available, the process goes to step 413.

If there is the association information corresponding to the client, go to step 416.

Step 413, determining whether the address contained in the WDS information matches the address of the client.

And step 414, if the data packets are matched, constructing a forwarding message according to the WDS information, and sending the second data packets to second node equipment in the Mesh network according to the forwarding message.

Here, the data forwarding between the node devices is performed based on the four-address format, and then the second data packet is sent to the second node device in the form of the four-address format.

If not, step 415 is performed to find the destination address of the second packet based on the ARP mechanism.

Here, the destination address of the second data packet is the address of the client.

In the above embodiment, the ARP mechanism is a process that, after the client roams from the first node device to the second node device and the client is associated with the second node device, the second node device broadcasts the first data packet to each node device in the Mesh network, so that the first node device located in the Mesh network may receive the first data packet sent by the client and forwarded by the second node device, and learn to obtain WDS information, and obtain the address of the client.

Step 416, determining a port and a corresponding port address associated with the client by the first node device, and transmitting the second data packet to the client based on the port address.

Here, the second data packet is transmitted to the client in a three-address format.

When the client roams, the client needs to learn to obtain the roamed WDS information, and performs data forwarding based on the roamed WDS information, so as to achieve the purpose of accurate forwarding.

It should be noted that, the steps 401 to 410 are: a client roams from the first node device to the second node device, and after the client associates with the second node device, the client performs a learning process of WDS information. Step 411 to step 416, a process of forwarding a data packet (e.g., a second data packet) to the client.

Here, the learning principle mechanism of the WDS information may be (taking the first node device as an example):

the first node device checks whether the source address (i.e. the address of the client) of the first data packet of four addresses received from the data transmission link (wireless WDS interface) of the Mesh network matches an address in the associated client list of the first node device, and if not, records [ client MAC (source MAC), TA (transmit MAC), receive interface address ]. If the client is matched, checking the association time of the matched client, and if the association time is too short, not learning WDS information; and if the client is matched and the association time is longer, deleting the association information corresponding to the client from the association database, and learning WDS information.

The data forwarding mechanism of the node device in the Mesh network may be (taking the first node device as an example):

the first node device checks the destination MAC of the received second data packet, and if the destination MAC is the address of the client associated with the current device, sends the second data packet to the corresponding client from the three-address wireless interface associated with the client in three addresses. If not (the destination MAC is not the client associated with the first node device), searching whether the MAC in the WDS table is matched, if so, constructing a forwarding message according to WDS information in the WDS table, and sending the forwarding message to the second node device from the corresponding WDS wireless interface. If the address of the client is still not matched, an ARP message or a broadcast packet is sent to search the address of the corresponding client and learn the address.

The present disclosure also provides the following embodiments:

fig. 5 is a flow chart illustrating WDS information learning when a client roams, as shown in fig. 5, according to an exemplary embodiment:

when a client (STA 1) associates with a first node device (AP 1), the AP1 records association information [ STA1MAC,3-addr-AP1] of the STA1 in an association database of the client, wherein the STA1MAC is address information of the STA1, and the 3-addr-AP1 is a port address of an association port between the STA1 and the AP 1. At this time, the data sent to STA1 by AP1 is directly sent to STA1 through the 3-addr-AP1 port in the form of a three-address wireless data message.

When STA1 roams, STA1 does not send a message to AP1 to Disassociate (Deauth/associate). After STA1 successfully associates with the second node device (AP 2) (i.e., from associating with AP1 to associating with AP 2), AP2 records the association information [ STA1MAC,3-addr-AP2 ]; wherein STA1MAC is address information of STA1, and 3-addr-AP2 is a port address of an associated port between STA1 and AP 2.

STA1, after connecting to AP2 (successful association with AP 2), will reacquire the IP or send an ARP message (i.e., send the first packet). Thus, a corresponding first data packet is received on a 4-addr-AP1 interface on the AP1, and according to a learning mechanism, if the AP1 finds that the association information [ STA1MAC,3-addr-AP1] of the STA1 still exists in an association database of the AP1, but if the association time of the association information is long, the association information is removed, and the WDS table item [ STA1MAC,4-addr-STA2MAC,4-addr-AP 1] of the WDS information is learned; wherein STA1MAC is address information of STA1, 4-addr-STA2MAC is a port address (transmission address) of a port for data transmission on AP2, and 4-addr-AP1 is a port address (reception address) of a port for data reception on AP 1.

Furthermore, when the AP1 receives the second data packet sent to the STA1, according to the forwarding mechanism, the AP1 has no association information of the STA1, so the WDS forwarding table is searched, and after the WDS forwarding table is searched, the second data packet is sent to the AP2 from the 4-addr-AP1 interface in a four-address message.

After receiving the second data packet, the AP2 matches the destination address of the second data packet, and when finding that the destination MAC address matches the client list in the association database of the AP2, directly sends the second data packet to the STA1 from the 3-addr-AP2 interface.

As such, the data forwarding method of the embodiment of the present disclosure: on the one hand, after the client roams, the actions of associating, disconnecting and the like of the client by each AP do not need to be mutually informed in time, and the WDS information can be learned only by sending a first data packet. On the other hand, the data can be accurately sent after roaming based on the learned WDS in the subsequent data forwarding, so that the purpose of data forwarding is achieved.

The present disclosure further provides a data forwarding device, fig. 6 is a schematic structural diagram of a data forwarding device, as shown in fig. 6, where the data forwarding device 600 includes:

A first receiving module 601, configured to receive a first data packet sent by the client and forwarded by the second node device;

an association determining module 602, configured to determine, according to the first data packet, whether association information corresponding to the client exists in an association database of the first node device;

and a learning module 603, configured to delete association information corresponding to the client from the association database if the association information exists, and learn to obtain WDS information of a wireless distribution system, where the WDS information is used to forward a data packet sent by the client when the association information is not available on the first node device.

The data forwarding device is applied to first node equipment in a wireless Mesh network, the Mesh network further comprises second node equipment, a client roams from the first node equipment to the second node equipment, and the client is associated to the second node equipment.

In some embodiments, the learning module is further to:

In some embodiments, the WDS information includes: the address of the client, the port addresses of the ports used for data transmission between the second node equipment and the client, and the port addresses of the ports used for data transmission between the first node equipment and the second node equipment.

In some embodiments, the association determination module is further configured to:

In some embodiments, the association information includes: the address of the client, and the port address of the port used for data transmission between the client and the first node device.

The present disclosure further provides a data forwarding device, fig. 7 is a schematic structural diagram of a data forwarding device, as shown in fig. 7, where the data forwarding device 700 includes:

a second receiving module 701, configured to receive a second data packet to be sent to the client;

a forwarding module 702, configured to send, when it is determined that the association database of the first node device does not have association information corresponding to the client, the second data packet to a second node device in the Mesh network according to WDS information of a wireless distribution system; the WDS information is used for forwarding the second data packet without the association information on the first node device.

In some embodiments, the forwarding module includes:

In some embodiments, the building block comprises:

In some embodiments, the apparatus further comprises:

and the second sending module is used for sending the second data packet to the client based on the port address. The specific manner in which the various modules perform the operations in the apparatus of the above embodiments have been described in detail in connection with the embodiments of the method, and will not be described in detail herein.

Fig. 8 is a block diagram illustrating a node apparatus or data forwarding device 1800, according to one exemplary embodiment. For example, apparatus 1800 may be a mobile phone, a computer, a digital broadcast terminal, a messaging device, a game console, a tablet device, a medical device, an exercise device, a personal digital assistant, or the like.

Referring to fig. 8, apparatus 1800 may include one or more of the following components: a processing component 1802, a memory 1804, a power component 1806, a multimedia component 1808, an audio component 1810, an input/output (I/O) interface 1812, a sensor component 1814, and a communication component 1816.

The processing component 1802 generally controls overall operation of the device 1800, such as operations associated with display, telephone calls, data communications, camera operations, and recording operations. The processing component 1802 may include one or more processors 1820 to execute instructions to perform all or part of the steps of the methods described above. In addition, the processing component 1802 may also include one or more modules that facilitate interactions between the processing component 1802 and other components. For example, the processing component 1802 may include a multimedia module to facilitate interaction between the multimedia component 1808 and the processing component 1802.

The memory 1804 is configured to store various types of data to support operations at the apparatus 1800. Examples of such data include instructions for any application or method operating on the device 1800, contact data, phonebook data, messages, images, video, and the like. The memory 1804 may be implemented by any type or combination of volatile or nonvolatile memory devices such as Static Random Access Memory (SRAM), electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory (EEPROM), erasable Programmable Read Only Memory (EPROM), programmable Read Only Memory (PROM), read Only Memory (ROM), magnetic memory, flash memory, magnetic disk, or optical disk.

The power components 1806 provide power to the various components of the device 1800. The power assembly 1806 may include: a power management system, one or more power sources, and other components associated with generating, managing, and distributing power for the device 1800.

The multimedia component 1808 includes a screen that provides an output interface between the device 1800 and the user. In some embodiments, the screen may include a Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) and a Touch Panel (TP). If the screen includes a touch panel, the screen may be implemented as a touch screen to receive input signals from a user. The touch panel includes one or more touch sensors to sense touches, swipes, and gestures on the touch panel. The touch sensor may sense not only the boundary of a touch or slide action, but also the duration and pressure associated with the touch or slide operation. In some embodiments, the multimedia component 1808 includes a front-facing camera and/or a rear-facing camera. The front camera and/or the rear camera may receive external multimedia data when the device 1800 is in an operational mode, such as a shooting mode or a video mode. Each front camera and/or rear camera may be a fixed optical lens system or have focal length and optical zoom capabilities.

The audio component 1810 is configured to output and/or input audio signals. For example, the audio component 1810 includes a Microphone (MIC) configured to receive external audio signals when the device 1800 is in an operational mode, such as a call mode, a recording mode, and a speech recognition mode. The received audio signals may be further stored in the memory 1804 or transmitted via the communication component 1816. In some embodiments, audio component 1810 also includes a speaker for outputting audio signals.

The I/O interface 1812 provides an interface between the processing component 1802 and a peripheral interface module, which may be a keyboard, click wheel, buttons, or the like. These buttons may include, but are not limited to: homepage button, volume button, start button, and lock button.

The sensor assembly 1814 includes one or more sensors for providing status assessment of various aspects of the apparatus 1800. For example, the sensor assembly 1814 may detect the on/off state of the device 1800, the relative positioning of the components, such as the display and keypad of the device 1800, the sensor assembly 1814 may also detect the change in position of the device 1800 or one component of the device 1800, the presence or absence of user contact with the device 1800, the orientation or acceleration/deceleration of the device 1800, and the change in temperature of the device 1800. The sensor assembly 1814 may include a proximity sensor configured to detect the presence of nearby objects without any physical contact. The sensor assembly 1814 may also include a light sensor, such as a CMOS or CCD image sensor, for use in imaging applications. In some embodiments, the sensor assembly 1814 may also include an acceleration sensor, a gyroscopic sensor, a magnetic sensor, a pressure sensor, or a temperature sensor.

The communication component 1816 is configured to facilitate communication between the apparatus 1800 and other devices, either wired or wireless. The device 1800 may access a wireless network based on a communication standard, such as WiFi, 2G, or 3G, or a combination thereof. In one exemplary embodiment, the communication component 1816 receives broadcast signals or broadcast related information from an external broadcast management system via a broadcast channel. In one exemplary embodiment, the communication component 1816 further includes a Near Field Communication (NFC) module to facilitate short range communications. For example, the NFC module may be implemented based on Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology, infrared data association (IrDA) technology, ultra Wideband (UWB) technology, bluetooth (BT) technology, or other technologies.

In an exemplary embodiment, the apparatus 1800 may be implemented by one or more Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs), digital Signal Processors (DSPs), digital Signal Processing Devices (DSPDs), programmable Logic Devices (PLDs), field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs), controllers, microcontrollers, microprocessors, or other electronic elements for executing the methods described above.

In an exemplary embodiment, a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium is also provided, such as memory 1804, including instructions executable by processor 1820 of apparatus 1800 to perform the above-described methods. For example, the non-transitory computer readable storage medium may be ROM, random Access Memory (RAM), CD-ROM, magnetic tape, floppy disk, optical data storage device, etc.

A non-transitory computer readable storage medium, which when executed by a processor, enables the execution of the above-described method.

Other embodiments of the disclosure will be apparent to those skilled in the art from consideration of the specification and practice of the disclosure disclosed herein. This disclosure is intended to cover any adaptations, uses, or adaptations of the disclosure following the general principles of the disclosure and including such departures from the present disclosure as come within known or customary practice within the art to which the disclosure pertains. It is intended that the specification and examples be considered as exemplary only, with a true scope and spirit of the disclosure being indicated by the following claims.

It is to be understood that the present disclosure is not limited to the precise arrangements and instrumentalities shown in the drawings, and that various modifications and changes may be effected without departing from the scope thereof. The scope of the present disclosure is limited only by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A data forwarding method, applied to a first node device in a wireless Mesh network, the Mesh network further comprising a second node device, a client roaming from the first node device to the second node device and the client being associated to the second node device, comprising:

if associated information corresponding to the client exists, deleting the associated information from the associated database and learning to obtain Wireless Distribution System (WDS) information when the associated time of the associated information is longer than a preset duration, wherein the WDS information is used for forwarding a data packet sent by the client when the associated information is not available on the first node equipment, and the associated time is a time interval between the time established by the associated information and the time when the first data packet is received.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the WDS information comprises: the address of the client, the port addresses of the ports used for data transmission between the second node equipment and the client, and the port addresses of the ports used for data transmission between the first node equipment and the second node equipment.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining whether association information corresponding to the client of the first data packet exists in the association database of the first node device comprises:

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the association information comprises: the address of the client, and the port address of the port used for data transmission between the client and the first node device.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the method further comprises:

receiving a second data packet to be sent to the client;

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the sending the second data packet to a second node device in the Mesh network based on WDS information comprises:

If so, constructing a forwarding message according to the WDS information;

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the constructing a forwarding message based on the WDS information comprises:

and constructing the forwarding message according to the port address.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the method further comprises:

and sending the second data packet to the client based on the port address.

9. A data forwarding apparatus, applied to a first node device in a wireless Mesh network, the Mesh network further comprising a second node device, a client roaming from the first node device to the second node device and the client being associated with the second node device, comprising:

the learning module is used for deleting the associated information from the associated database and learning to obtain Wireless Distribution System (WDS) information if the associated information corresponding to the client exists, wherein the WDS information is used for forwarding a data packet sent by the client under the condition that the associated information does not exist on the first node equipment;

the learning module is further configured to:

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the WDS information comprises: the address of the client, the port addresses of the ports used for data transmission between the second node equipment and the client, and the port addresses of the ports used for data transmission between the first node equipment and the second node equipment.

11. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the association determination module is further configured to:

12. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the association information comprises: the address of the client, and the port address of the port used for data transmission between the client and the first node device.

13. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the apparatus further comprises:

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the forwarding module comprises:

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the build module comprises:

16. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the apparatus further comprises:

17. A node device, comprising:

a processor and a memory for storing executable instructions capable of executing on the processor, wherein:

a processor is arranged to execute the executable instructions, which when executed, perform the steps of the method provided in any of the preceding claims 1 to 8.

18. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium having stored therein computer executable instructions which when executed by a processor perform the steps of the method provided in any one of the preceding claims 1 to 8.