CN114884875A

CN114884875A - Data transmission method and device

Info

Publication number: CN114884875A
Application number: CN202110082610.0A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 彭涛; 余舟毅; 花荣荣; 王晓凯
Original assignee: Huawei Technologies Co Ltd
Current assignee: Huawei Technologies Co Ltd
Priority date: 2021-01-21
Filing date: 2021-01-21
Publication date: 2022-08-09
Also published as: WO2022156423A1

Abstract

The application discloses a data transmission method and device, and relates to the field of communication. The method comprises the following steps: and after obtaining the first instruction, the control plane network element skips the step of sending a deletion instruction to the first user plane network element, and sends a user table entry to the second user plane network element according to the first instruction, wherein the deletion instruction is used for instructing the first user plane network element to delete the user table entry on the first user plane network element. Compared with the method that when the control plane network element notifies the second user plane network element to process the data packet of the user, the user table entry stored by the first user plane network element is deleted; after the control plane network element sends the user table entry to the second user plane network element, the user table entry in the first user plane network element is not deleted yet, and the first user plane network element can send the data packet to the server according to the user table entry, so that the loss of user side flow is avoided.

Description

Data transmission method and device

Technical Field

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

Background

In the process that a user accesses a server through a network by using a terminal device, a Broadband Network Gateway (BNG) is used for completing functions of user authentication, access control, traffic scheduling and the like. With the advent of various internet services, in order to improve the bandwidth of the BNG and the capability of processing the number of user sessions, a Software Defined Network (SDN) technology and a Network Function Virtualization (NFV) technology may be adopted to divide the BNG into a control plane network element and a user plane network element, where the control plane network element is used to implement a control function of the BNG, and the user plane network element is used to implement an encapsulation and a data forwarding function of the BNG, so that decoupling of the control function and the forwarding function, decoupling of software and hardware, and flexibility and expandability in deploying the BNG are improved.

In general, one control plane network element may manage multiple user plane network elements. If the priority of the user is changed, the control plane network element may adjust a first user plane network element that processes a packet of the user to a second user plane network element. However, when the control plane network element notifies the second user plane network element to process the data packet of the user and a mechanism for processing the data packet of the user is not completely established, the user table entry stored in the first user plane network element is deleted, so that both the first user plane network element and the second user plane network element cannot process the data packet of the user, and the phenomenon of packet loss occurs. Therefore, how to avoid packet loss in the data transmission process is an urgent problem to be solved at present.

Disclosure of Invention

The application provides a data transmission method and a data transmission device, which solve the problem of packet loss in a data transmission process.

In order to achieve the purpose, the technical scheme is as follows:

in a first aspect, the present application provides a data transmission method applied to a communication network, where the communication network includes a first user plane network element, a second user plane network element, and a control plane network element, the control plane network element is connected to the first user plane network element and the second user plane network element, respectively, and the method is executed by the control plane network element, and the method includes: and after the control plane network element obtains the first instruction, skipping the step of sending a deleting instruction to the first user plane network element, and sending the user table entry to the second user plane network element according to the first instruction. The first instruction is used for instructing to switch the user table entry of the terminal equipment from the first user plane network element to the second user plane network element; the deleting instruction is used for indicating the first user plane network element to delete the user table entry on the first user plane network element; the user table entry can be used for a data packet sent by the user plane network element verification terminal device to the server. Because the first user plane network element and the second user plane network element both maintain the user table entries, under the state that the terminal device is accessed to the interface corresponding to the first user plane network element but is not accessed to the interface corresponding to the second user plane network element, the data packet sent by the terminal device to the server and the data packet sent by the server to the terminal device can be forwarded by the first user plane network element, so that the packet loss in the data transmission process is avoided.

In an example, the handover network element establishes a first tunnel with the first user plane network element through the first interface, the terminal device accesses the interface corresponding to the first user plane network element but does not access the interface corresponding to the second user plane network element, the terminal device sends a data packet to the server through the first tunnel to the first user plane network element, and the first user plane network element sends the data packet to the server according to the user table entry. The data packet sent by the server to the terminal equipment is sent to the first user plane network element by the server according to the first user route, the first user plane network element is sent to the terminal equipment through the first tunnel, and the first user route is issued by the first user plane network element.

In a possible implementation manner, the communication network may further include a switching network element and a decision network element, where the decision network element is connected to the control plane network element and the switching network element, respectively, and after the control plane network element sends the user table entry to the second user plane network element according to the first instruction, the data transmission method may further include: and the control plane network element informs the decision network element to send a second instruction to the switching network element, wherein the second instruction instructs the switching network element to access the terminal equipment to an interface corresponding to the second user plane network element. For example, the control plane network element sends a response message of the first instruction to the decision network element, so that the decision network element sends a second instruction to the switching network element after receiving the response message, so that the switching network element accesses the terminal device to the interface corresponding to the second user plane network element according to the second instruction, and the second instruction is determined according to the service level protocol and/or the load condition of the communication network. Because the second user plane network element maintains the user table entry, after the terminal equipment is accessed to the interface corresponding to the second user plane network element, the data packet sent by the terminal equipment to the server can be forwarded by the second user plane network element, so that the packet loss of the data packet at the user side in the data transmission process is avoided; the data packet sent by the server to the terminal equipment can be forwarded by the first user plane network element, so that the data packet loss at the network side in the data transmission process is avoided.

In an example, the switching network element establishes a second tunnel with the second user plane network element through the second interface, the second user plane network element receives the user table entry sent by the control plane network element, the terminal device accesses the second interface, the data packet sent by the terminal device to the server is sent to the second user plane network element by the terminal device through the second tunnel, and the second user plane network element sends to the server according to the user table entry.

In another example, the second user plane network element receives the user table entry, the terminal device accesses the interface corresponding to the second user plane network element, but the second user plane network element does not issue a route to the outside, the server sends a data packet to the terminal device to the first user plane network element according to the first user route, and the first user plane network element sends the data packet to the terminal device through the first tunnel.

In another possible implementation manner, after the control plane network element notifies the decision network element to send the second instruction, the data transmission method may further include: and the control plane network element sends a route issuing instruction to the second user plane network element. The route issuing instruction may instruct the second user plane network element to issue a user route to the server, where the user route is used for the server to determine a forwarding path of a data packet sent by the server to the terminal device.

In an example, the second user plane network element receives a user table entry sent by the control plane network element, the terminal device accesses the second interface, the second user plane network element issues a second user route to the server, a data packet sent by the terminal device to the server is sent to the second user plane network element by the terminal device through the second tunnel, the second user plane network element is sent to the server according to the user table entry, the data packet sent by the server to the terminal device is sent to the second user plane network element by the server, and the second user plane network element is sent to the terminal device through the second tunnel, so that user plane network element switching in a data transmission process is completed, and packet loss of a user side and a network side is avoided in a switching process of the user plane network element.

In another possible implementation manner, after the control plane network element notifies the decision network element to send the second instruction, the data transmission method may further include: and the control plane network element sends a deletion instruction to the first user plane network element. After the first user plane network element receives the deletion instruction sent by the control plane network element, the first user plane network element deletes the user table entry stored by the first user plane network element, so that the data required for maintenance of the first user plane network element is reduced, the load of the communication network is reduced, and the data transmission efficiency of the communication network is improved.

In a second aspect, the present application provides a data transmission method, applied to a communication network, where the communication network includes a first user plane network element, a second user plane network element, a control plane network element, a decision network element, and a switching network element, the control plane network element is connected to the decision network element, the first user plane network element, and the second user plane network element, respectively, and the decision network element is connected to the switching network element, where the method is performed by the decision network element, and the method includes: the decision network element generates a first instruction according to the service level protocol and/or the load condition of the communication network and sends the first instruction to the control plane network element; and after the decision network element receives the response message of the first instruction, generating a second instruction and sending the second instruction to the switching network element. The first instruction is used to instruct the control plane network element to switch the user table entry of the terminal device from the first user plane network element to the second user plane network element, the response message indicates that the control plane network element has sent the user table entry to the second user plane network element, and the second instruction is used to instruct the switching network element to access the terminal device to the interface corresponding to the second user plane network element.

In a possible situation, the second user plane network element receives the user table entry sent by the control plane network element, the terminal device does not access the interface corresponding to the second user plane network element, and the data packet sent by the terminal device to the server is encapsulated and forwarded by the first user plane network element.

In another possible situation, the second user plane network element receives the user table entry sent by the control plane network element, the terminal device accesses the interface corresponding to the second user plane network element, and the data packet sent to the server by the terminal device is encapsulated and forwarded by the second user plane network element, so that the data packet sent to the server by the terminal device is not lost due to switching of the user plane network element, and the user side traffic packet loss is avoided.

In one possible implementation manner, the data transmission method may further include: and the decision network element generates a third instruction and sends the third instruction to the switching network element after the preset timer is overtime, and the third instruction instructs the switching network element to disconnect the interface corresponding to the terminal equipment and the first user plane network element. For example, the preset timer may be a process, or a timing component; the timeout time may be set to 10 seconds, 5 seconds, etc.

In one example, the third instruction may be incorporated in the second instruction, for example, the incorporated second instruction instructs the handover network element to access the communication device to the second interface, and delete the binding of the communication device to the first interface after the timer expires (e.g., 5 seconds, 8 seconds, 10 seconds, etc.).

In a third aspect, the present application provides a communication data transmission method applied to a communication network, where the communication network includes a first user plane network element, a second user plane network element, a control plane network element, a decision network element, and a switching network element, the control plane network element is connected to the decision network element, the first user plane network element, and the second user plane network element, respectively, and the decision network element is connected to the switching network element, and the data transmission method includes: the decision network element generates a first instruction according to the service level protocol and/or the load condition of the communication network and sends the first instruction to the control plane network element, wherein the first instruction can be used for instructing the control plane network element to switch the user table entry of the terminal equipment from the first user plane network element to the second user plane network element; the control plane network element obtains a first instruction, skips the step of sending a deleting instruction to the first user plane network element, and sends a user table entry to the second user plane network element according to the first instruction, wherein the deleting instruction is used for indicating the first user plane network element to delete the user table entry on the first user plane network element; after sending the user table entry to the second user plane network element according to the first instruction, the control plane network element also sends a response message to the decision network element, wherein the response message represents that the control plane network element has sent the user table entry to the second user plane network element; after receiving the response message, the decision network element generates a second instruction and sends the second instruction to the switching network element, wherein the second instruction is used for instructing the switching network element to access the terminal equipment to an interface corresponding to a second user plane network element; and the switching network element accesses the terminal equipment to an interface corresponding to the second user plane network element according to the second instruction.

In a possible implementation manner, after the control plane network element notifies the decision network element to send the second instruction, the data transmission method further includes: and the control plane network element sends a route issuing instruction to the second user plane network element, and the route issuing instruction indicates the second user plane network element to issue a route to the terminal equipment.

In another possible implementation manner, after the control plane network element notifies the decision network element to send the second instruction, the data transmission method further includes: and the control plane network element sends a deletion instruction to the first user plane network element.

In another possible implementation manner, the data transmission method further includes: and the decision network element generates a third instruction and sends the third instruction to the switching network element after the preset timer is overtime, and the third instruction instructs the switching network element to disconnect the terminal equipment from the interface corresponding to the first user plane.

In a fourth aspect, the present application provides a communication network, where the communication network includes a first user plane network element, a second user plane network element, a control plane network element, a decision-making network element, and a switching network element, the control plane network element is connected to the decision-making network element, the first user plane network element, and the second user plane network element, respectively, and the decision-making network element is connected to the switching network element. The decision network element is configured to generate a first instruction according to the service level protocol and/or the load condition of the communication network, and send the first instruction to the control plane network element, where the first instruction is used to instruct the control plane network element to switch the user table entry of the terminal device from the first user plane network element to the second user plane network element. The control plane network element is used for acquiring a first instruction, skipping the step of sending a deletion instruction to the first user plane network element, and sending a user table entry to the second user plane network element according to the first instruction, wherein the deletion instruction is used for indicating the first user plane network element to delete the user table entry on the first user plane network element; after sending the user table entry to the second user plane network element according to the first instruction, the control plane network element is further configured to send a response message to the decision network element, where the response message indicates that the control plane network element has sent the user table entry to the second user plane network element. And the decision network element is further configured to generate a second instruction and send the second instruction to the switching network element after receiving the response message, where the second instruction is used to instruct the switching network element to access the terminal device to the interface corresponding to the second user plane network element. And the switching network element is used for accessing the terminal equipment to an interface corresponding to the second user plane network element according to the second instruction.

In a possible implementation manner, the control plane network element is further configured to send a route issuing instruction to the second user plane network element, where the route issuing instruction indicates that the second user plane network element issues a route to the terminal device.

In another possible implementation manner, the control plane network element is further configured to issue a deletion instruction to the first user plane network element.

In another possible implementation manner, the decision network element is further configured to generate a third instruction, where the third instruction instructs the switching network element to disconnect the interface corresponding to the first user plane from the terminal device; the decision network element is further configured to send a third instruction to the handover network element after the preset timer expires.

In a fifth aspect, the present application provides a communication device, and reference may be made to the description of any one of the first aspects for advantageous effects, which are not described herein again. The communication device has the functionality to implement the actions in the method instance of any of the above first aspects. The functions can be realized by hardware, and the functions can also be realized by executing corresponding software by hardware. The hardware or software includes one or more modules corresponding to the above-described functions. In one possible design, the communication apparatus is applied to a communication network, where the communication network includes a first user plane network element, a second user plane network element, and a control plane network element, the control plane network element is connected to the first user plane network element and the second user plane network element, respectively, and the communication apparatus is configured to perform a function of the control plane network element, and the communication apparatus includes: a receiving and sending module and a processing module. The receiving and sending module is used for obtaining a first instruction, wherein the first instruction is used for instructing the control plane network element to switch the user table entry of the terminal equipment from the first user plane network element to the second user plane network element; the processing module is configured to skip the step of sending a deletion instruction to the first user plane network element, and send a user entry to the second user plane network element according to the first instruction, where the deletion instruction is used to instruct the first user plane network element to delete the user entry on the first user plane network element.

In a possible implementation manner, the communication network further includes a switching network element and a decision network element, and the decision network element is connected to the control plane network element and the switching network element, respectively. The transceiver module is further configured to notify the decision network element to send a second instruction to the switching network element, where the second instruction instructs the switching network element to access the terminal device to the interface corresponding to the second user plane network element.

In another possible implementation manner, the transceiver module is further configured to send a route issuing instruction to the second user plane network element, where the route issuing instruction indicates that the second user plane network element issues a route to the terminal device.

In another possible implementation manner, the transceiver module is further configured to send a deletion instruction to the first user plane network element.

In a sixth aspect, the present application provides a communication device, and beneficial effects may be found in the description of any one of the second aspects, which is not described herein again. The communication device has the functionality to implement the actions in the method instance of any of the second aspects described above. The functions can be realized by hardware, and the functions can also be realized by executing corresponding software by hardware. The hardware or software includes one or more modules corresponding to the above-described functions. In one possible design, the communication device is applied to a communication network, where the communication network includes a first user plane network element, a second user plane network element, a control plane network element, a decision-making network element, and a switching network element, and the control plane network element is connected to the decision-making network element, the first user plane network element, and the second user plane network element, respectively, and the communication device is configured to implement the function of the decision-making network element, and the communication device includes: a receiving and sending module and a processing module. The processing module is used for generating a first instruction according to a service level protocol and/or a load condition of a communication network, wherein the first instruction is used for instructing a control plane network element to switch a user table entry of the terminal equipment from a first user plane network element to a second user plane network element; the receiving and sending module is used for sending a first instruction to the control plane network element; the receiving and sending module is further configured to generate a second instruction after the receiving and sending module receives a response message of the first instruction, where the response message indicates that the control plane network element has sent the user table entry to the second user plane network element, and the second instruction is used to instruct the switching network element to access the terminal device to an interface corresponding to the second user plane network element; the transceiver module is further configured to send a second instruction to the handover network element.

In a possible implementation manner, the processing module is further configured to generate a third instruction, where the third instruction instructs the switching network element to disconnect the interface corresponding to the terminal device and the first user plane network element; the transceiver module is further configured to send a third instruction to the handover network element after the preset timer expires.

In a seventh aspect, the present application provides a network device, including: a processor and a memory, the memory being configured to store computer instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the network device to perform the operational steps of the data transmission method of any one of the possible implementations of the first aspect and the first aspect, or any one of the possible implementations of the second aspect and the second aspect, or any one of the possible implementations of the third aspect and the third aspect.

In an eighth aspect, the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium, in which a computer program or instructions are stored, and when the computer program or instructions are executed by a network device, the computer program or instructions implement the operation steps of the data transmission method in any one of the possible implementations of the first aspect and the first aspect, or any one of the possible implementations of the second aspect and the second aspect, or any one of the possible implementations of the third aspect and the third aspect.

In a ninth aspect, the present application provides a computer program product for causing a computing device to perform the operational steps of the data transmission method of any one of the possible implementations of the first aspect and the first aspect, or any one of the possible implementations of the second aspect and the second aspect, or any one of the possible implementations of the third aspect and the third aspect, when the computer program product is run on a computer.

In a tenth aspect, the present application provides a chip, including a memory and a processor, where the memory is used to store computer instructions, and the processor is used to call and execute the computer instructions from the memory to perform the operation steps of the method in the first aspect and any possible implementation manner of the first aspect, or any possible implementation manner of the second aspect and the second aspect, or the data transmission method in any possible implementation manner of the third aspect and the third aspect.

The present application can further combine to provide more implementations on the basis of the implementations provided by the above aspects.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication network according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 2 is a schematic structural diagram of another communication network provided in an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 3 is a schematic flowchart of a data transmission method according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 4 is a schematic diagram of a user plane network element according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 5 is a schematic flowchart of another data transmission method according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 6 is a schematic flowchart of another data transmission method according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 7 is a schematic diagram illustrating an effect of data transmission according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 8 is a schematic flowchart of another data transmission method according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 9 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 10 is a schematic structural diagram of a network device according to an embodiment of the present application.

Detailed Description

Embodiments of the present application will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Fig. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication network according to an embodiment of the present application, where the communication network includes at least one terminal (e.g., terminals 111 to 116 shown in fig. 1) and a server 130. The terminal can access the server 130 through a network. The network may be an Internet Service Provider (ISP) network. An ISP is an operator that provides internet access services, information services, and value added services to a large number of users, and an ISP network may include at least one network device (such as network device 122 and network device 123 shown in fig. 1).

A terminal (terminal) may also be referred to as a terminal equipment, a User Equipment (UE), a Mobile Station (MS), a Mobile Terminal (MT), etc.

In some embodiments, the terminal may be a mobile phone (e.g., terminal 111 and terminal 116 shown in fig. 1), a tablet (e.g., terminal 112 shown in fig. 1), a computer with wireless transceiving function (e.g., terminal 113 shown in fig. 1), a Personal Communication Service (PCS) phone (e.g., terminal 114 shown in fig. 1), a desktop computer (e.g., terminal 115 shown in fig. 1), a Virtual Reality (VR) terminal device, an Augmented Reality (AR) terminal device, a wireless terminal in industrial control (industrial control), a wireless terminal in self 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 safety (transportation safety), a wireless terminal in smart city (smart city), a wireless terminal in smart home (smart home), and the like.

In other embodiments, the terminal may also be a home gateway. The home gateway may be, for example, an Optical Network Terminal (ONT). Illustratively, the network device 121 as shown in fig. 1 may be an optical network terminal. The optical network terminal can access user equipment such as a PC (personal computer), a mobile phone and the like to the Internet. The home gateway may transmit data of the following services: internet access services (e.g., interactive network television services including home gateway supporting video on demand, live broadcast services, remote education, etc.), online game services (e.g., game terminals conducting game services through home gateway), Internet Protocol (IP) telephony, video surveillance services, etc. As another example, the home gateway may also enable home control and security service management over a remote network. For example, a user owning a home gateway may access automated lighting, heating, and security systems, etc. of an area covered by the home gateway during work or outages. The embodiment of the present application does not limit the specific technology and the specific device form adopted by the terminal.

The network device may be a route forwarding device, for example, the route forwarding device may be a router or a switch (e.g., the network device 123 shown in fig. 1), which may be a Core Router (CR), a Provider Edge (PE), or the like. The network device may also be a BNG or a Broadband Remote Access Server (BRAS), etc.

The terminal can access the server using the network device. For example, in a room as shown in fig. 1, a first user may utilize a terminal 111 to establish a communication connection with a network device 121 using wireless-fidelity (WIFI) technology, so that the terminal 111 transmits a data packet to the server 130. For another example, in the basketball court shown in fig. 1, the second user may also utilize the terminal 116 to establish a communication connection with a Radio Access Network (RAN) (not shown) using a mobile communication technology to access the server 130.

The server 130 may be an application server or an authentication and authorization server. The server 130 may provide video services, game services, messaging services, music services, authentication and authorization services, and the like. In one example, the functionality of multiple services may be integrated on the server 130, for example, gaming services and music services may be deployed on the server 130. In another example, the server 130 may also integrate functions of partial services, for example, a partial service of a game service and a partial service of a video service are deployed on the server 130. The server 130 may also provide multiple virtual machines using virtualization technologies, with the virtual machines providing various services. The embodiment of the present application does not limit the deployment form of the service.

The network device is connected to the server 130 by wireless or wired means. Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram, and other devices, not shown in fig. 1, may also be included in the communication network. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the number of terminal devices, network devices, and servers included in the communication network.

In order to improve the bandwidth of the BNG and the capability of processing the number of user sessions, the network device provided by the ISP may be virtualized by using SDN and NFV technologies, so as to obtain a plurality of virtualized network elements. Fig. 2 is a schematic structural diagram of another communication network provided in an embodiment of the present application, and as shown in fig. 2, the communication network includes an access network element 210, a handover network element 220, at least two user plane network elements (e.g., a first user plane network element 231, a second user plane network element 232, and a third user plane network element 233 shown in fig. 2), a control plane network element 240, a decision network element 250, and an authentication network element 260.

The access network element 210 is configured to implement a function provided by AN Access Network (AN) device, and may converge data packets of multiple terminals on a convergence router provided by AN ISP. In some examples, the AN device may be a wired device, e.g., AN ONT. In other examples, the AN device may be a wireless device, e.g., a base station.

The switching network element 220 is used to implement the functions provided by the aggregation router. Virtualizing a physical port (interface) on a convergence router may obtain a plurality of interfaces (combining interfaces) for establishing a communication tunnel with a user plane network element. The communication tunnel may be a Virtual Local Area Network (VLAN) tunnel, a virtual extensible local area network (VXLAN) tunnel, or a Virtual Private Network (VPN) tunnel. By way of example, three interfaces are shown in FIG. 2: a first interface 221, a second interface 222, and a third interface 223. The switching network element 220 establishes a communication tunnel with the user plane network element deployed on the BNG through these three interfaces. Specifically, the switching network element 220 establishes a first tunnel V1 for communication with the first user plane network element 231 through the first interface 221, establishes a second tunnel V2 for communication with the second user plane network element 232 through the second interface 222, and establishes a third tunnel V3 for communication with the third user plane network element 233 through the third interface 223.

In some embodiments, a first tunnel V1 may be used to transport packets for a first user, a second tunnel V2 may be used to transport packets for a second user, and a third tunnel V3 may serve as a backup communication tunnel for the first user and the second user. As shown in fig. 1, the first user may refer to all users accessing the network from the network device 121, and the second user may refer to a user accessing the network using the terminal 116.

The user plane network element is configured to implement a data encapsulation and forwarding function provided by a BNG or a virtual broadband network gateway (vBNG). For example, the first user plane network element 231 shown in fig. 2 may generate a user table entry according to the network information sent by the control plane network element 240, where the user table entry may include IP information of the terminal 111 used by the first user, a Media Access Control (MAC) address of the network device 121, and the like.

In one possible design, at least one route forwarding device may exist between a network device deploying a user plane network element and a server, and the user plane network element encapsulates and forwards a data packet and has the route forwarding device to forward the data packet again to the server.

In another possible design, no route forwarding device may exist between the network device deploying the user plane network element and the server. For example, the network device deploying the user plane network element is connected to the server through a physical medium, and the network device deploying the user plane network element sends data to the server.

The control plane network element 240 is used to implement the control functions provided by the BNG or the vBNG. For example, the control plane network element may control operations of various network protocols, such as Open Shortest Path First (OSPF), Address Resolution Protocol (ARP), Spanning Tree Protocol (STP), and the like. In some examples, the control plane network element may also provide network information and user table entries needed by the user plane network element to encapsulate and forward data.

For example, the user management functions of multiple Broadband Remote Access Servers (BRAS) are extracted, and the user management functions of multiple BRASs are centralized to obtain a Control Plane (CP); the reserved forwarding function on each BRAS is used as a User Plane (UP).

In a first possible design, the UP may be a legacy hardware network device, referred to as a physical user plane (pUP).

In a second possible design, the CP and the UP may be virtual network elements, for example, the UP is deployed on an X86 server as a virtual network element, and may be referred to as a virtual user plane (vUP); as another example, the CP runs on an X86 server, which may be referred to as a virtual broadband network gateway control plane (vBNG-CP), and one vBNG-CP may manage multiple pucs and vUP.

The CP may implement the functions of the control plane network element, such as dial-up protocol management, user plane management, user management, address management, authentication management, and the like.

The UP may implement the functions of the user plane network element described above, such as access list control, route management, label management, forwarding management, and quality of service (QoS) management, etc.

The decision network element 250 may comprise an SDN network element for implementing functions provided by an SDN controller, which may implement flow control functions of the SDN. For specific functions and implementation of the SDN controller, reference may be made to the description of the prior art, which is not repeated in this application.

The decision network element 250 may further include a migration network element, where the migration network element is configured to implement a function of a user-plane selection function (USF) component, and may receive access line information of a corresponding user, which is sent by the control plane network element 240. For example, the access line information includes an Identification (ID) of an access network device (e.g., a switch or an optical line terminal) of the access network accessed by the user, VLAN information where the terminal used by the user is located, and logical interface information (e.g., VLAN information of the interface) on the access network device.

As an optional implementation manner, the control plane network element, the SDN network element, and the migration network element may be respectively disposed on different physical network devices, or may be disposed on the same physical network device. The specific deployment forms and the deployment positions of the SDN network elements, the decision network elements and the control plane network elements are not limited.

The authentication network element 260 is configured to implement functions provided by an authentication server (radius server), for example, the authentication network element 260 may implement functions such as verification of user dialing and security authentication.

For example, as shown in fig. 2, a first user sends a dialing protocol packet to the access network element 210 through a terminal, and the first user sends the dialing protocol packet to the first user plane network element 231 through the first tunnel by the switching network element 220, the first user plane network element 231 sends the dialing protocol packet to the control plane network element 240, and the authentication network element 260 receives the dialing protocol packet forwarded by the control plane network element 240 and then verifies the dialing protocol packet, determines that the first user is a valid user, and allows the terminal device to be online.

Fig. 1 and fig. 2 are only schematic diagrams provided in the embodiment of the present application, and the communication network may further include other terminals, network devices, and network elements, which are not shown in fig. 1 and fig. 2. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the number of network devices, terminals, and network elements included in the communication network.

In the current technical solution, in order to implement data transmission and migration of a communication device, in a state where the communication device accesses a first interface of a switching network element, that is, the communication device used by a first user accesses a server through a first tunnel, and the communication device has not been switched from the first interface to a second interface, a user table entry in a first user plane network element has been deleted, so that the first user plane network element cannot continue to use the user table entry to check a data packet from the communication device, and the first user plane network element does not forward the data packet; moreover, since the terminal has not accessed the second interface, the second user plane network element cannot receive the data packet from the communication device, so that the server cannot receive the data packet from the communication device, that is, the user side traffic is lost.

The communication device according to the embodiment of the present application may be any one of the terminals 111 to 116 and the network device 121 shown in fig. 1.

In order to avoid a loss of traffic on the side of a user and to at least address the deficiencies of the background art, an embodiment of the present application provides a data transmission method, which is applied to a communication network, and includes: and after obtaining the first instruction, the control plane network element skips the step of sending a deletion instruction to the first user plane network element, and sends a user table entry to the second user plane network element according to the first instruction, wherein the deletion instruction is used for instructing the first user plane network element to delete the user table entry on the first user plane network element. The first instruction is used for instructing the control plane network element to switch the user table entry of the terminal device from the first user plane network element to the second user plane network element, the deletion instruction is used for instructing the first user plane network element to delete the user table entry on the first user plane network element, and the user table entry is used for verifying the data packet sent by the communication device to the server.

In the data transmission method provided by the embodiment of the application, since the first user plane network element maintains the user table entry, in the state that the communication device is accessed to the first interface, the data packet sent to the server by the communication device is sent to the first user plane network element by the communication device through the first tunnel, and the first user plane network element sends the data packet to the server according to the user table entry; the data packet sent by the server to the communication equipment is sent to the first user plane network element by the server according to the first user route, and is sent to the communication equipment by the first user plane network element through the first tunnel, and the first user route is issued by the first user plane network element. That is, in a state that the communication device accesses the first interface, the first user plane network element may receive a data packet sent by the communication device through the first tunnel; after the control plane network element sends the user table entry to the second user plane network element, the user table entry maintained by the first user plane network element is not deleted, and the first user plane network element can send the data packet to the server according to the user table entry, so that the loss of the user side flow is avoided.

Next, as shown in fig. 3, fig. 3 is a schematic flowchart of a data transmission method according to an embodiment of the present application. The network elements included in the communication network shown in fig. 2 are taken as an example for explanation. Assuming that the communication device accesses the first interface of the handover network element, and the first user uses the communication device to access the network through the first tunnel, the data transmission method provided in the embodiment of the present application includes the following steps.

S301, the communication equipment sends a user dialing protocol message to a control plane network element.

In some embodiments, the subscriber dialing Protocol packet may be a Protocol packet for implementing subscriber authentication based on an extension option header (DHCP) of a Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP), that is, an IPoE packet.

In other embodiments, the user dialing protocol packet may also be a point-to-point protocol over ethernet (PPPoE) packet.

It is understood that the data packet or data packet sent by the communication device to the server may be forwarded through the access network element. For example, the access network element may be deployed on an ONT, the communication device may be a desktop computer, and the data packet sent by the desktop computer is sent to the server through the ONT and other network devices. Although the access network element 210 shown in fig. 2 is not shown in fig. 3, those skilled in the art should understand that the data packet or data packet sent by the communication device to the server can be forwarded by the access network element.

In a possible scenario, the user dialing protocol packet sent by the communication device to the control plane network element may be sent by the communication device to the access network element, and the access network element sends the user dialing protocol packet to the first user plane network element through the first tunnel, and then the first user plane network element sends the user dialing protocol packet to the control plane network element.

S302, the control plane network element analyzes the user dialing protocol message to obtain a user account.

For example, the user account may be a user name, an Identity Document (ID), and the like. Illustratively, the user account indicates that the user using the communication device is the first user.

S303, the control plane network element sends the user account to the authentication network element.

The authentication network element maintains a service-level agreement (SLA) mapping relationship of each user account. The SLA mapping relationship represents the corresponding relationship between the user account and the corresponding SLA information. SLA information may include minimum bandwidth allocated to a user, user bandwidth limits, number of users that a single server can serve simultaneously, dial-in access availability, and traffic priority of users, among other things.

S304, the authentication network element sends SLA information associated with the user account to the control plane network element.

For example, the authentication network element may search for SLA information corresponding to the user account in the SLA mapping relationship, and send the SLA information to the control plane network element. Illustratively, the SLA information includes a traffic priority of the first user indicating a packet forwarding priority between the communication device used by the first user and the visited server (e.g., server 130 shown in fig. 1).

S305, the control plane network element forwards the SLA information to the decision network element.

S306, the decision network element sends a first instruction to the control plane network element.

The first instruction indicates a target user plane network element that forwards a data packet between the communication device and the server. In this embodiment, it is assumed that the first instruction indicates that the target user plane network element is the second user plane network element.

In a first possible design, the decision network element maintains a correspondence between SLA information and a level of the user plane network element. And the decision network element generates a first instruction according to the SLA information received from the control plane network element and the control plane network element. For example, as shown in fig. 4, the transmission level of the first user plane network element is a first level, and the transmission levels of the second user plane network element and the third user plane network element are a second level. For example, the transmission level may be determined by payment information of the first user, where the payment information may be a payment amount that the first user pays to the ISP in a charging period, after the charging period of the ISP is updated, the payment information indicates that the payment amount of the first user increases in a new charging period, the authentication network element updates the SLA information of the first user, the decision network element determines that a user plane network element corresponding to the communication device used by the first user is updated to a second level after the update, and then the first instruction indicates that the target user plane network element of the first user may be any one user plane network element in the second level, such as a second user plane network element and a third user plane network element shown in fig. 4. In another example, if the payment information indicates that the payment amount of the first subscriber decreases in the new charging period, the decision network element is updated to a user plane network element with a lower level than the first level.

In a second possible design, the decision network element further maintains load information of each user plane network element in the communication network, where the load information may be used to determine whether the user plane network element is in an overload state, delay information of the user plane network element, and the like. The decision network element generates a first instruction according to the load condition of the communication network. For example, the load information may include information such as a maximum transmission bandwidth, an occupied bandwidth, and a remaining bandwidth of the user plane network element, as shown in fig. 4, the maximum transmission bandwidth of the first user plane network element is 50 mbits, the occupied bandwidth is 30 mbits, and the remaining bandwidth is 20 mbits; the maximum transmission bandwidth of the second user plane network element is 100 megabits, the occupied bandwidth is 10 megabits, and the residual bandwidth is 90 megabits; and the maximum transmission bandwidth of the third user plane network element is 100 megabits, the occupied bandwidth is 70 megabits, and the residual bandwidth is 30 megabits. Assuming that the bandwidth required by the communication device is 30 mbits, in one embodiment, if the "allocate on demand" principle is used, the first instruction indicates that the target user plane network element of the first user is a third user plane network element; in another embodiment, for example, using the "best performance" principle, the first instruction indicates that the target user plane network element of the first user is the second user plane network element.

In a third possible design, the first instruction is generated by the decision network element according to the SLA information of the first user and the load condition of the communication network. For example, after the charging period of the ISP is updated, the target user plane network element of the first user is adjusted to the user plane network element of the second level, and because the remaining bandwidth of the second user plane network element in the user plane network element of the second level is larger, the first instruction indicates that the target user plane network element of the first user is the second user plane network element.

The foregoing examples are merely possible embodiments provided by the present application, and do not represent limitations of the present application, for example, when the communication device generates a data packet, the decision network element may further determine, according to the current time, a user plane network element for the communication device to transmit the data packet.

And S307, the control plane network element sends the user table entry to the second user plane network element according to the first instruction.

The user table entry includes user information of the user, for example, the user information may be IP information and MAC address of the communication device used by the first user.

The user entry may be used to verify that the communication device sent the data packet to the server. For example, the second user plane network element checks whether the data packet from the communication device is a data packet sent by a legal user according to the user table entry, and if the data packet from the communication device is a legal data packet, the second user plane network element encapsulates and forwards the data packet.

The user table entry may be generated by the control plane network element according to the user information of the legal user maintained by the control plane network element. For example, the control plane network element maintains user information of a valid user, and if the control plane network element receives the first instruction sent by the decision network element and the control plane network element determines that the first user using the communication device is a valid user, the control plane network element sends a user table entry to the second user plane network element, and the second user plane network element can check whether a data packet from the communication device is valid according to the user table entry.

Referring to fig. 3, under the first condition, that is, in a state that the second user plane network element receives the user table entry sent by the control plane network element, and the communication device is accessed to the first interface but the communication device is not accessed to the second interface, the data transmission method provided in the embodiment of the present application further includes the following steps.

S308, the communication equipment sends the first data packet to the switching network element.

In this context, the first data packet refers to a data packet transmitted by the communication device to the server.

S309, the switching network element sends the first data packet to the first user plane network element through the first tunnel.

Under the first condition, the first user plane network element also maintains the user table entry of the first user, and the switching network element can send the first data packet to the first user plane network element through the first tunnel, so that the first user plane network element can verify the first data packet according to the user table entry, and package and forward the first data packet after the verification is successful.

S310, the first user plane network element sends a first data packet to the server.

Therefore, in a state where the second user plane network element receives the user table entry sent by the control plane network element, and the communication device has access to the first interface but has not access to the second interface, because the first user plane network element maintains the user table entry of the first user, the first user plane network element may continue to receive the first data packet (user side traffic) from the communication device by using the first tunnel, and the first user plane network element may further send the first user plane network element to the server when determining that the first data packet is a data packet sent by a legitimate user according to the user table entry, thereby avoiding a traffic packet loss on the user side in a data transmission process.

In a possible scenario, after receiving the user entry, the second user plane network element may further send a response message to the control plane network element, so that the control plane network element notifies the decision network element to start the interface switching process after receiving the response message, where the response message indicates that the control plane network element has sent the user entry to the second user plane network element.

In the current technical solution, although the second user plane network element stores the user table entry of the first user sent by the control plane network element, the second user plane network element does not yet issue a user route to the server, so that when the server sends a data packet (network side traffic) to the communication device, the data packet is still sent to the first user plane network element, and the communication device is already disconnected from the first interface corresponding to the first tunnel, so that the data packet sent by the server to the first user plane network element cannot be transmitted to the communication device, which results in a packet loss of the network side traffic.

In the data transmission method provided in this embodiment of the present application, after receiving the user table entry sent by the control plane network element, the second user plane network element further connects to the first interface, as shown in fig. 3, the data transmission method provided in this embodiment of the present application may further include the following steps.

And S311, the first user plane network element receives the second data packet sent by the server.

In this context, the second data packet refers to a data packet transmitted by the server to the communication device.

And S312, the first user plane network element sends a second data packet to the switching network element.

The second data packet is sent by the first user plane network element to the handover network element through the first tunnel.

S313, the switching network element forwards the second data packet to the communication device.

Because the first user plane network element also maintains the user table entry of the first user, the server maintains the first user route issued by the first user plane network element, and the switching network element does not delete the binding between the communication device and the first interface, the second data packet sent to the communication device by the server is still encapsulated and forwarded to the switching network element by the first user plane network element, and the switching network element sends the second data packet sent by the server to the communication device, so that the loss of the second data packet sent to the communication device by the server is avoided, namely, the loss of network side flow in the data transmission process is avoided.

In order to implement a data packet forwarded by a second user plane network element, an embodiment of the present application provides a possible embodiment, and as shown in fig. 5, after the second user plane network element receives a user table entry sent by a control plane network element, a communication device accesses a first interface, but does not access a second interface, the data transmission method provided in the embodiment of the present application further includes the following steps.

S314, the decision network element sends a second instruction to the switching network element.

And the decision network element generates a second instruction according to the service level protocol of the first user and/or the load condition of the communication network. For example, the second instruction may be generated by the control plane network element according to the service level protocol and the load condition of the communication network after receiving the response message sent by the decision network element.

The second instruction is an interface switch instruction corresponding to the first instruction. For example, if the first instruction indicates that the target user plane network element of the first user is the second user plane network element, the second instruction indicates that the communication device accesses the second interface corresponding to the second tunnel.

For another example, if the first instruction indicates that the target user plane network element of the first user is a third user plane network element, the second instruction indicates that the communication device accesses a third interface corresponding to the third tunnel.

In an example, the decision network element further maintains interface information corresponding to each user plane network element, where the interface information includes a physical port where the interface is located and address information of the interface, and for example, assuming that the interface belongs to a physical port (e.g., a LAN port of a router), the interface and the corresponding address information are shown in table 1 below.

TABLE 1

User plane network element number	Interface serial number	Address information
			First user plane network element	First interface	192.168.1.0/24
Second user plane network element	Second interface	192.168.2.0/24
			Third user plane network element	Third interface	192.168.3.0/24

In this embodiment of the application, a second instruction is taken as an example to instruct the communication device to access the second interface corresponding to the second tunnel, but in another example, the second instruction may also instruct the handover network element to delete the binding between the communication device and the first interface after a certain time (for example, 5 seconds, 8 seconds, 10 seconds, and the like) when the communication device accesses the second interface.

And S315, the switching network element accesses the communication equipment to the second interface according to the second instruction.

For example, after receiving the second instruction, the switching network element determines, according to the second instruction, that the address information of the second interface is "192.168.2.0/24", and binds the interface of the first user (e.g., the VLAN port of the communication device) to the address information.

In a state that the second user plane network element receives the user table entry sent by the control plane network element and the communication device accesses the second interface, as shown in fig. 5, after S315, the data transmission method provided in the embodiment of the present application further includes the following steps.

S316, the communication device sends the first data packet to the handover network element.

And S317, the switching network element sends the first data packet to the second user plane network element through the second tunnel.

The second user plane network element may verify the first data packet according to the user table entry, and encapsulate and forward the first data packet after the verification is successful.

S318, the second user plane network element sends the first data packet to the server.

When the communication equipment is not accessed to the second interface, a first data packet sent by the communication equipment is encapsulated and forwarded by the first user plane network element; and under the state that the communication equipment is accessed to the second interface, the first data packet sent by the communication equipment is encapsulated and forwarded by the second user plane network element, so that the first data packet sent by the communication equipment to the server is not lost due to switching of the user plane network element, and the flow packet loss at the user side is avoided. Because the second user plane network element does not issue the user route to the server, the second data packet sent by the server to the communication device is still forwarded by the first user plane network element, so that the packet loss of the network side traffic is avoided.

In the data transmission process, in order to switch the user plane network element for forwarding the second data packet to the second user plane network element, the control plane network element may control the second user plane network element to issue a user route to the server, so that in the switching process of the user plane network element, packet loss of network side traffic is avoided, which is described by taking communication between the server shown in fig. 5 and the user plane network element through the forwarding device as an example. As shown in fig. 6, after S318 mentioned above, the data transmission method provided in the embodiment of the present application further includes the following steps.

S319, the control plane network element sends a route issuing instruction to the second user plane network element.

The route issuing instruction may be issued after the control plane network element interacts with the decision network element and confirms that the communication device is accessed to the second interface. For example, after the switching network element accesses the communication device to the second interface, the switching network element may send a response message (the response message indicates that the communication device accesses the second interface) to the decision network element, so that the decision network element interacts with the control plane network element after receiving the response message, and the control plane network element sends the routing release instruction.

The route issuing instruction instructs the second user plane network element to issue a route to the terminal device. For example, the route issuing instruction may instruct the second user-plane network element to issue a user route to the forwarding device, where the user route is used for the server to determine the forwarding path of the second packet.

And S320, the second user plane network element issues the second user route to the forwarding equipment according to the route issuing instruction.

The second subscriber route instructing server determines a forwarding path for the second packet. For example, the second subscriber route instructs the server to send the second data packet to the second subscriber plane network element.

The forwarding device may be a device having a route forwarding function, such as a router, a switch, a server, etc.

S321, the server sends a second data packet to the second user plane network element according to the second user route.

For example, in a state where the second user route indicates that the second data packet is encapsulated and forwarded by the second user plane network element, the server sends the second data packet to the forwarding device according to the user route, and the forwarding device forwards the second data packet to the second user plane network element.

S322, the second user plane network element forwards the second data packet to the handover network element through the second tunnel.

For example, since the handover network element establishes the second tunnel with the second user plane network element through the second interface, and the second data packet includes the address information of the communication device used by the first user, the second user plane network element may send the second data packet to the handover network element through the second tunnel according to the address information.

S323, the switching network element forwards the second data packet to the communication device.

Since the communication device is accessed to the second interface, after receiving the second data packet through the second tunnel, the switching network element may send the second data packet to the communication device according to the address information in the second data packet.

In a conventional technical solution, in a state where a switching network element switches a communication device from a first interface to a second interface and a second user plane network element receives a user table entry sent by a control plane network element, the second user plane network element may not send a new user route (second user route), a server still sends a second data packet according to an original user route (first user route), and the first user route indicates that the second data packet is encapsulated and forwarded by the first user plane network element, however, the switching network element has deleted the binding between the communication device and the first interface, which causes that the first user plane network element cannot send the second data packet to the communication device, and a network side flow packet loss occurs.

In contrast, in the data transmission method provided in the embodiment of the present application, since the switching network element does not yet delete the binding between the communication device and the first interface when the communication device is in the state of accessing the second interface, the first user plane network element may continue to receive the second data packet sent by the server according to the first user route, and the first user plane network element may also send the second data packet to the communication device according to the destination address in the second data packet; the control plane network element also sends a route issuing instruction to the second user plane network element so that the forwarding network element of the second data packet is switched from the first user plane network element to the second user plane network element after the second user plane network element issues the second user route to the forwarding device, and the network side flow packet loss is avoided.

In a state where the second data packet is switched to the second user plane network element for forwarding, the first data packet sent by the communication device to the server is forwarded by the second user plane network element, and for a specific process, reference is made to the relevant explanations of S316 to S318, which is not described herein again.

In order to reduce the load of the communication network, as shown in fig. 6, in a state that the switching network element accesses the communication device to the second interface, the second user-plane network element issues the second user route to the server, and the routing table of the forwarding device converges, as shown in fig. 5, the data transmission method provided in the embodiment of the present application further includes the following steps.

S324, the control plane network element sends a delete instruction to the first user plane network element.

The deleting instruction is used for instructing the first user plane network element to delete the user table entry on the first user plane network element.

The routing table convergence refers to a process that after the topological structure of the communication network changes, the routing table is reestablished, sent and learned until the routing table is stable, and all relevant devices in the communication network are informed of the change, namely, the behavior of finding a substitute route through recalculating the route caused by the network topology change.

In the data transmission method provided in the embodiment of the present application, after a forwarding network element of a forwarding device that converges into a second data packet switches from a first user plane network element to a second user plane network element, the forwarding device reestablishes a behavior of a data transmission path between a server and the second user plane network element.

And S325, the first user plane network element deletes the user table entry stored in the first user plane network element according to the deletion instruction.

The first user plane network element deletes the user table entries stored by the first user plane network element, so that the data required to be maintained by the first user plane network element is reduced, the load of the communication network is reduced, and the data transmission efficiency of the communication network is improved.

In order to avoid the communication device receiving invalid data sent by another device, such as a data packet with a virus, please continue to refer to fig. 6, the data transmission method provided in the embodiment of the present application further includes the following steps.

S326, the decision network element generates a third instruction.

The third instruction instructs the switching network element to disconnect the interface corresponding to the first user plane network element from the communication device.

The third instruction is determined according to the service level protocol of the first user and/or the load condition of the communication network, and is an interface switching instruction corresponding to the first instruction. For example, in a state that the communication device accesses the first user plane network element, if the first instruction indicates that the target user plane network element of the first user is the second user plane network element, the third instruction indicates that the communication device disconnects the first interface corresponding to the first tunnel.

S327, the decision network element sends a third instruction to the handover network element after the preset timer expires.

The timer mentioned above may be configured to start timing at a time when the decision network element sends the second instruction to the handover network element, for example, 5 seconds, 10 seconds, and the like, and after a preset time is reached, the decision network element sends the third instruction to the handover network element.

As a possible implementation manner, the decision network element includes a migration network element and an SDN network element, and with respect to the above S326 and S327, it may include: the migration network element generates a third instruction according to the service level protocol of the first user and/or the load condition of the communication network, the migration network element sends the third instruction to the SDN network element after a preset timer is overtime, and the SDN network element sends the third instruction to the switching network element.

S328, the switching network element disconnects the communication device from the first interface according to the third instruction.

The second instruction and the third instruction are both interface switching instructions corresponding to the first instruction, and in the above embodiment provided by the present application, the second instruction is taken as an interface access instruction, and the third instruction is taken as an interface disconnection instruction for explanation and explanation, in another example, the third instruction may be merged into the second instruction, for example, the merged second instruction instructs the switching network element to access the communication device to the second interface, and after a certain time (for example, 5 seconds, 8 seconds, 10 seconds, and the like), the binding between the communication device and the first interface is deleted.

In order to avoid packet loss of network side traffic, another possible implementation manner is provided in this embodiment of the present application, that is, accessing the communication device to all interfaces of the switching network element, and setting a check-free process for the communication device, where the check-free process indicates that the communication device does not check a data packet from any user plane network element, and then the second data packet sent by the server may be forwarded through any user plane network element in the communication network, and the communication device may receive the data packet sent by any user plane network element, so that packet loss of network side traffic in a data transmission process is avoided.

In order to facilitate understanding of the data transmission method provided by the above-mentioned embodiment of the present application, on the basis of the communication network provided by fig. 2, a data transmission schematic is provided, as shown in fig. 7, where a solid arrow represents a transmission path of a data packet (first data packet) sent by the communication device to the server, and a dotted arrow represents a transmission path of a data packet (second data packet) sent by the server to the communication device, and a data transmission process of the present application includes a plurality of states.

In the first state, that is, in a state where the second user plane network element receives the user table entry sent by the control plane network element, the communication device has access to the first interface but does not have access to the second interface, as shown in fig. 7 (a), both the first data packet and the second data packet are forwarded via the first user plane network element. For details, please refer to the above descriptions of S308 to S313, which are not described herein.

In the second state, that is, when the second user plane network element receives the user table entry sent by the control plane network element, the communication device accesses the second interface, and the second user plane network element has not yet issued the state of the second user route, as shown in (b) in fig. 7, the first data packet is forwarded via the second user plane network element, and the specific process refers to the related descriptions of S314 to S318; the second data packet is forwarded through the first user plane network element, and the specific process refers to the related descriptions of S311 to S313.

In the third state, that is, when the second user plane network element receives the user table entry sent by the control plane network element, the communication device accesses the second interface, and the second user plane network element issues the state of the second user route to the outside, as shown in (c) in fig. 7, both the first data packet and the second data packet are forwarded through the second user plane network element. For a detailed process, please refer to the related descriptions of S316-S318 and S321-S323, which are not repeated herein.

By using the data transmission method provided in the embodiment of the present application, in the data transmission process, no matter whether the data transmission method is in any one of the first state to the third state, the first data packet and the second data packet are forwarded by the user plane network element, so that the packet loss of the user side traffic and the packet loss of the network side traffic are avoided.

The foregoing embodiment is only one possible specific implementation manner provided by the present application, and does not represent a limitation to the present application, where the control plane network element, the first user plane network element, and the second user plane network element shown in fig. 2 are taken as examples, as shown in fig. 8, fig. 8 is a schematic flow diagram of another data transmission method provided by the embodiment of the present application, and the data transmission method may include the following steps.

And S810, the control plane network element obtains the first instruction.

In a possible situation, the first instruction is determined according to a service level protocol of the first user and/or a load condition of the communication network, the user table entry is used for verifying a data packet sent by the terminal device to the server, and for related contents of the first instruction and the user table entry, reference is made to the related descriptions of S306 to S307, which is not repeated.

In another possible situation, the first instruction may also be generated by the control plane network element for maintaining the first user plane network element, for example, if the control plane network element determines that the working time of the first user plane network element is longer, the first instruction is generated, and the user table entry is sent to the second user plane network element, so as to switch the user plane for forwarding the data packet between the terminal device and the server to the second user plane network element.

As an optional implementation manner, the first instruction may also be sent by an operator according to a management requirement of the ISP network, for example, the management requirement may be to close a network device that deploys the first user plane network element, and the like.

After S810, the control plane network element skips the step of issuing the deletion instruction to the first user plane network element, and performs S820.

And S820, the control plane network element sends the user table entry to the second user plane network element according to the first instruction.

In a first possible scenario, the meaning that the control plane network element skips sending the deletion instruction to the first user plane network element may be understood as that the control plane network element does not send the deletion instruction to the first user plane network element when the communication network is in the first state. For example, the first state may be that the control plane network element sends the user table entry to the second user plane network element, but the terminal device does not access the interface corresponding to the second user plane network element.

In a second possible scenario, the meaning that the control plane network element skips sending the deletion instruction to the first user plane network element may also be understood as that the control plane network element sends the deletion instruction to the first user plane network element after the communication network switches from the first state to the second state. For example, the second state may be that the control plane network element sends the user table entry to the second user plane network element, and confirms that the terminal device accesses the interface corresponding to the second user plane. For another example, the second state may also be that the control plane network element confirms that the data packet sent by the terminal device to the server is forwarded by the second user plane network element, and the second user plane network element issues a route to the outside. For another example, the server is described as performing communication with the user plane network element through the forwarding device, and the second state may also be that the control plane network element confirms that the data packet sent to the server by the terminal device is forwarded by the second user plane network element, the second user plane network element issues a route to the outside, and the routing table of the forwarding device converges. For the content of routing table convergence, please refer to the related description of S324, which is not repeated.

In a third possible scenario, the meaning that the control plane network element skips sending the deletion instruction to the first user plane network element may also be understood that the control plane network element does not send the deletion instruction to the first user plane network element when the communication network is in any state.

In the data transmission method provided by the embodiment of the application, in a state where the communication device is accessed to the interface corresponding to the first user plane network element, the first user plane network element may receive a data packet sent by the communication device; and under the state that the control plane network element sends the user table entry to the second user plane network element, the user table entry maintained by the first user plane network element is skipped to be deleted, so that the first user plane network element can send the data packet to the server according to the user table entry, and the loss of the user side flow is avoided.

In addition, because the server maintains the first user route issued by the first user plane network element, and the communication device also accesses the interface corresponding to the first user plane network element, the server still encapsulates and forwards the second data packet sent to the communication device by the first user plane network element according to the first user route, and after the switching network element receives the second data packet forwarded by the first user plane network element, the switching network element sends the second data packet to the communication device, thereby avoiding the packet loss of network side traffic.

It is understood that, in order to implement the functions of the above embodiments, the network device includes a corresponding hardware structure and/or software module for performing each function. Those of skill in the art will readily appreciate that the various illustrative elements and method steps described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein may be implemented as hardware or combinations of hardware and computer software. Whether a function is performed as hardware or computer software driven hardware depends on the particular application scenario and design constraints imposed on the solution.

Fig. 9 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present application. These communication devices can be used to implement the functions of the network devices or the network elements in the above method embodiments, and therefore, the beneficial effects of the above method embodiments can also be achieved. In the embodiment of the present application, the communication apparatus 900 may be any one of the network devices 121 to 123 shown in fig. 1, may be the server 130, or may be a module (e.g., a chip) applied to a network device.

As shown in fig. 9, the communication device 900 includes a processing module 910 and a transceiver module 920. The communication apparatus 900 is configured to implement the functions of each network element in the method embodiments shown in fig. 3, fig. 5, fig. 6 or fig. 8.

When the communication apparatus 900 is used to implement the function of the control plane network element in the method embodiment shown in fig. 3: the transceiver module 920 is configured to execute the above S303, S305, and S307; the processing module 910 is configured to execute the above S302.

When the communication apparatus 900 is used to implement the function of the decision network element in the method embodiment shown in fig. 3: the transceiver module 920 is configured to perform the above S306.

The above steps are also executed in fig. 5 and fig. 6, and are not described in detail later.

When the communication apparatus 900 is used to implement the function of the control plane network element in the method embodiment shown in fig. 5: the transceiver module 920 is further configured to execute the above S314.

When the communication apparatus 900 is used to implement the function of the control plane network element in the method embodiment shown in fig. 6: the transceiving module 920 is configured to perform the above S319 and S324.

When the communication apparatus 900 is used to implement the function of the decision network element in the method embodiment shown in fig. 6: the processing module 910 is further configured to execute the above S326, and the transceiver module 920 is further configured to execute the above S327.

When the communication apparatus 900 is used to implement the function of the control plane network element in the method embodiment shown in fig. 8: the processing module 910 is further configured to execute the above S810, and the transceiver module 920 is configured to execute the above S820.

More detailed descriptions about the processing module 910 and the transceiver module 920 can be directly obtained by referring to the related descriptions in the method embodiments shown in fig. 3, fig. 5, fig. 6, or fig. 8, which are not repeated herein.

In some cases, the communication device 900 may further implement the functions of the above-mentioned switching network element, the first user plane network element, the second user plane network element, the communication device, the forwarding device, and the server, and the specific description may be directly obtained by referring to the related description in the method embodiments shown in fig. 3, fig. 5, fig. 6, or fig. 8, which is not repeated herein.

Fig. 10 is a schematic structural diagram of a network device according to an embodiment of the present application, where the network device 1000 includes a processor 1010 and a communication interface 1020. Processor 1010 and communication interface 1020 are coupled to one another. It is to be appreciated that the communication interface 1020 can be a transceiver or an input-output interface. Optionally, the network device 1000 may further include a memory 1030 for storing instructions executed by the processor 1010 or for storing input data required by the processor 1010 to execute the instructions or for storing data generated by the processor 1010 after executing the instructions.

When the network device 1000 is used to implement the methods shown in fig. 3, fig. 5, fig. 6, or fig. 8, the processor 1010 is configured to perform the functions of the processing module 910, and the communication interface 1020 is configured to perform the functions of the transceiver module 920.

The specific connection medium among the communication interface 1020, the processor 1010 and the memory 1030 is not limited in the embodiments of the present application. In the embodiment of the present application, the communication interface 1020, the processor 1010 and the memory 1030 are connected by a bus 1040 in fig. 10, the bus is represented by a thick line in fig. 10, and the connection manner between other components is merely illustrative and not limited thereto. The bus may be divided into an address bus, a data bus, a control bus, etc. For ease of illustration, only one thick line is shown in FIG. 10, but this is not intended to represent only one bus or type of bus.

The memory 1030 may be used for storing software programs and modules, such as program instructions/modules corresponding to the data transmission method provided in the embodiments of the present application, and the processor 1010 executes the software programs and modules stored in the memory 1030, thereby executing various functional applications and data processing. The communication interface 1020 may be used for communicating signaling or data with other devices. The network device 1000 may have multiple communication interfaces 1020 in this application.

The Memory may be, but is not limited to, a Random Access Memory (RAM), a Read Only Memory (ROM), a Programmable Read-Only Memory (PROM), an Erasable Read-Only Memory (EPROM), an electrically Erasable Read-Only Memory (EEPROM), and the like.

The processor may be an integrated circuit chip having signal processing capabilities. The Processor may be a general-purpose Processor including a Central Processing Unit (CPU), a Network Processor (NP), etc.; but may also be a Digital Signal Processor (DSP), an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) or other Programmable logic device, discrete Gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, etc.

The method steps in the embodiments of the present application may be implemented by hardware, or may be implemented by software instructions executed by a processor. The software instructions may consist of corresponding software modules that may be stored in RAM, flash memory, ROM, PROM, EPROM, EEPROM, registers, hard disk, a removable disk, a CD-ROM, or any other form of storage medium known in the art. An exemplary storage medium is coupled to the processor such the processor can read information from, and write information to, the storage medium. Of course, the storage medium may also be integral to the processor. The processor and the storage medium may reside in an ASIC. In addition, the ASIC may reside in a network device or a terminal device. Of course, the processor and the storage medium may reside as discrete components in a network device or a terminal device.

In the above embodiments, the implementation may be wholly or partially realized by software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented in software, may be implemented in whole or in part in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer programs or instructions. When the computer program or instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, the processes or functions described in the embodiments of the present application are performed in whole or in part. The computer may be a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, computer network, network appliance, user equipment, or other programmable device. The computer program or instructions may be stored in a computer readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer readable storage medium to another computer readable storage medium, for example, the computer program or instructions may be transmitted from one website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center by wire or wirelessly. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer or a data storage device such as a server, data center, etc. that integrates one or more available media. The usable medium may be a magnetic medium, such as a floppy disk, a hard disk, a magnetic tape; or optical media such as Digital Video Disks (DVDs); it may also be a semiconductor medium, such as a Solid State Drive (SSD).

In the embodiments of the present application, unless otherwise specified or conflicting with respect to logic, the terms and/or descriptions in different embodiments have consistency and may be mutually cited, and technical features in different embodiments may be combined to form a new embodiment according to their inherent logic relationship.

The terms "first," "second," and "third," etc. in the description and claims of this application and the above-described drawings are used for distinguishing between different objects and not for limiting a particular order.

In the embodiments of the present application, words such as "exemplary" or "for example" are used to mean serving as an example, instance, or illustration. Any embodiment or design described herein as "exemplary" or "e.g.," is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other embodiments or designs. Rather, use of the word "exemplary" or "such as" is intended to present concepts related in a concrete fashion.

In 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, meaning that there may be three relationships, e.g., a and/or B, which may mean: a exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, and B exists alone, wherein A and B can be singular or plural. In the text description of the present application, the character "/" generally indicates that the former and latter associated objects are in an "or" relationship.

It is to be understood that the various numerical references referred to in the embodiments of the present application are merely for descriptive convenience and are not intended to limit the scope of the embodiments of the present application. The sequence numbers of the above-mentioned processes do not mean the execution sequence, and the execution sequence of the processes should be determined by their functions and inherent logic.

Claims

1. A data transmission method, applied to a communication network, where the communication network includes a first user plane network element, a second user plane network element, and a control plane network element, and the control plane network element is connected to the first user plane network element and the second user plane network element, respectively, and the method is performed by the control plane network element, and the method includes:

the control plane network element obtains a first instruction, where the first instruction is used to instruct the control plane network element to switch a user table entry of a terminal device from the first user plane network element to the second user plane network element;

and the control plane network element skips the step of sending a deletion instruction to the first user plane network element, and sends the user table entry to the second user plane network element according to the first instruction, wherein the deletion instruction is used for instructing the first user plane network element to delete the user table entry on the first user plane network element.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the communication network further includes a handover network element and a decision network element, the decision network element is connected to the control plane network element and the handover network element, respectively, and after the control plane network element sends the user table entry to the second user plane network element according to the first instruction, the method further includes:

and the control plane network element informs the decision network element to send a second instruction to the switching network element, wherein the second instruction instructs the switching network element to access the terminal equipment to an interface corresponding to the second user plane network element.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein after the control plane network element notifies the decision network element to send the second instruction, the method further comprises:

and the control plane network element sends a route issuing instruction to the second user plane network element, wherein the route issuing instruction indicates that the second user plane network element issues a route to the terminal equipment.

4. The method according to claim 2 or 3, wherein after the control plane network element notifies the decision network element to send the second instruction, the method further comprises:

and the control plane network element sends the deleting instruction to the first user plane network element.

5. A data transmission method, applied to a communication network, where the communication network includes a first user plane network element, a second user plane network element, a control plane network element, a decision network element, and a handover network element, where the control plane network element is connected to the decision network element, the first user plane network element, and the second user plane network element, respectively, and the decision network element is connected to the handover network element, and the method is executed by the decision network element, and the method includes:

the decision network element generates a first instruction according to a service level protocol and/or a load condition of the communication network, where the first instruction is used to instruct the control plane network element to switch a user table entry of a terminal device from the first user plane network element to the second user plane network element;

the decision network element sends the first instruction to the control plane network element;

after the decision network element receives a response message of the first instruction, generating a second instruction, where the response message indicates that the control plane network element has sent the user table entry to the second user plane network element, and the second instruction is used to instruct the switching network element to access the terminal device to an interface corresponding to the second user plane network element;

and the decision network element sends the second instruction to the switching network element.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

the decision network element generates a third instruction, and the third instruction instructs the switching network element to disconnect the interface corresponding to the terminal device and the first user plane network element;

and the decision network element sends the third instruction to the switching network element after a preset timer is overtime.

7. A communication data transmission method, applied to a communication network, where the communication network includes a first user plane network element, a second user plane network element, a control plane network element, a decision network element, and a handover network element, the control plane network element is connected to the decision network element, the first user plane network element, and the second user plane network element, respectively, and the decision network element is connected to the handover network element, the method includes:

the decision network element generates a first instruction according to a service level protocol and/or a load condition of the communication network, and sends the first instruction to the control plane network element, where the first instruction is used to instruct the control plane network element to switch a user table entry of a terminal device from the first user plane network element to the second user plane network element;

the control plane network element obtains the first instruction, skips the step of sending a deletion instruction to the first user plane network element, and sends the user table entry to the second user plane network element according to the first instruction, wherein the deletion instruction is used for instructing the first user plane network element to delete the user table entry on the first user plane network element; after sending the user table entry to the second user plane network element according to the first instruction, sending a response message to the decision network element, where the response message indicates that the control plane network element has sent the user table entry to the second user plane network element;

after receiving the response message, the decision network element generates a second instruction, and sends the second instruction to the switching network element, where the second instruction is used to instruct the switching network element to access the terminal device to an interface corresponding to a second user plane network element;

and the switching network element accesses the terminal equipment to an interface corresponding to a second user plane network element according to the second instruction.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein after the control plane network element notifies the decision network element to send the second instruction, the method further comprises:

9. The method of claim 7, wherein after the control plane network element notifies the decision network element to send the second instruction, the method further comprises:

10. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

the decision network element generates a third instruction, and the third instruction instructs the switching network element to disconnect the terminal device from the interface corresponding to the first user plane;

11. A communication network, wherein the communication network comprises a first user plane network element, a second user plane network element, a control plane network element, a decision-making network element and a switching network element, the control plane network element is connected to the decision-making network element, the first user plane network element and the second user plane network element respectively, and the decision-making network element is connected to the switching network element;

the decision network element is configured to generate a first instruction according to a service level protocol and/or a load condition of the communication network, and send the first instruction to the control plane network element, where the first instruction is used to instruct the control plane network element to switch a user table entry of a terminal device from the first user plane network element to the second user plane network element;

the control plane network element is configured to obtain the first instruction, skip the step of sending a deletion instruction to the first user plane network element, and send the user table entry to the second user plane network element according to the first instruction, where the deletion instruction is used to instruct the first user plane network element to delete the user table entry on the first user plane network element; after sending the user table entry to the second user plane network element according to the first instruction, the control plane network element is further configured to send a response message to the decision network element, where the response message indicates that the control plane network element has sent the user table entry to the second user plane network element;

the decision network element is further configured to generate a second instruction after receiving the response message, and send the second instruction to the switching network element, where the second instruction is used to instruct the switching network element to access the terminal device to an interface corresponding to a second user plane network element;

and the switching network element is configured to access the terminal device to an interface corresponding to a second user plane network element according to the second instruction.

12. The communication network according to claim 11, wherein the control plane network element is further configured to send a route issuing instruction to the second user plane network element, where the route issuing instruction instructs the second user plane network element to issue a route to the terminal device.

13. The communication network according to claim 11, wherein the control plane network element is further configured to issue the deletion instruction to the first user plane network element.

14. The communication network according to claim 11, wherein the decision network element is further configured to generate a third instruction, where the third instruction instructs the switching network element to disconnect the terminal device from the interface corresponding to the first user plane;

the decision network element is further configured to send the third instruction to the handover network element after a preset timer expires.

15. A network device, comprising: a processor and a memory for storing computer instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the network device to perform the method of any of claims 1-10.

16. A computer-readable storage medium, in which a computer program or instructions is stored which, when executed by a network device, implements the method of any one of claims 1-10.