CN114945001A - Method and device for configuring bit string - Google Patents

Abstract

The application provides a method and a device for configuring a bit string, wherein the method is applied to a bit index explicit copy BIER network and comprises the following steps: the control equipment acquires a bit string, wherein the bit string is used for indicating at least one bit forwarding exit router BFER for receiving the multicast message; and the control equipment sends the bit string and multicast source group information corresponding to the multicast message to a bit forwarding entry router BFIR. The technical scheme provided by the application can realize active planning and presetting of the multicast service.

Description

Method and device for configuring bit string

The present application claims priority of chinese patent application entitled "a method and apparatus for deploying BIER multicast" filed by the chinese patent office on 10/02/2021, application number 202110184058.6, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

Technical Field

The present application relates to the field of network communications, and in particular, to a method and apparatus for configuring a bit string.

Background

A Bit Index Explicit Replication (BIER) technique is a multicast forwarding technique for performing explicit replication based on a bit index. In the process of forwarding the BIER, a Bit Forwarding Ingress Router (BFIR) needs to explicitly send a multicast packet to which bit forwarding egress routers (bfrs), and a set of these bfrs may be represented by a bit string (bit string). The bit string is determined by the BFIR (which may also be referred to as a multicast root node) from the BFER that sent the multicast join request. Thus, a BIER tunnel for sending a multicast join request needs to be created in advance between the BFIR and the BFER, and the BFER sends BIER information to the BFIR corresponding to the multicast source needing to join, so that the BFIR generates a forwarding table entry for forwarding the BIER multicast packet according to the obtained BIER information. However, the current method for the BFIER to obtain the BIER information needs to consume more network resources, and the configuration efficiency needs to be improved.

Disclosure of Invention

The application provides a method and a device for configuring a bit string, which can save network resources and improve configuration efficiency.

In a first aspect, a method for configuring a bit string is provided, and the method is applied to a bit index explicit replication BIER network, and includes: the control equipment acquires a bit string, wherein the bit string is used for indicating at least one bit forwarding exit router BFER for receiving the multicast message; and the control equipment sends the bit string and multicast source group information corresponding to the multicast message to a forwarding entry router BFIR.

In the above technical solution, the control device may obtain the bit string and send the bit string to the BFIR. Therefore, on one hand, the bit string is directly issued to the BFIR after being determined by the control equipment, the BFIR is not required to be determined according to the BFER which sends the multicast adding request, a BIER tunnel is not required to be established between the BFIR and the BFER in advance, network resources are saved, and configuration efficiency is improved; on the other hand, the control device may also actively plan and preset the multicast service for the requirements of management, security, and the like.

With reference to the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, the control device obtains the at least one BFER corresponding to the multicast source group information; the control equipment acquires a bit forwarding router identifier (BFR ID) distributed by each BFER in the at least one BFER; and the control equipment acquires the bit string based on the allocated BFR ID of each BFER.

With reference to the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, the method further includes: the control equipment acquires attribute information of any BFER in the at least one BFER; the control equipment allocates BFR ID for any BFER based on the attribute information of any BFER; and the control equipment transmits the BFR ID to any BFER.

In the above technical solution, the control device may automatically allocate a BFR ID to any of the BFERs, so that the control device may obtain the bit string according to the BFR ID allocated to each BFER receiving the multicast packet. Therefore, after each BFER is online, the corresponding BFR ID can be automatically allocated to the BFER, and manual configuration one by one is not needed, so that the deployment and maintenance cost can be saved, and the deployment, operation and maintenance efficiency of the service can be improved.

With reference to the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, the control device determines an identification set based on a correspondence relationship and attribute information of the any BFER, the correspondence relationship including the identification set and the attribute information of the any BFER, the identification set including one or more BFR IDs; and the control equipment acquires the BFR ID of any BFER based on the identification set, wherein the BFR ID of any BFER is the unallocated BFR ID in the identification set.

With reference to the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, the identification set further includes an allocation status of each of the one or more BFR IDs.

With reference to the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, the attribute information of any BFER is used to indicate an attribute of a network to which the any BFER belongs, or the attribute information of any BFER is used to indicate a network location to which the any BFER belongs, or the attribute information of any BFER is used to indicate a group of BFERs to which the any BFER belongs.

In a second aspect, a method for obtaining a correspondence relationship is provided, where the method is applied to a bit-indexed explicit replication BIER network, and includes: a bit forwarding entry router BFIR receives a bit string sent by a control device and multicast source group information corresponding to a multicast message, wherein the bit string is used for indicating at least one bit forwarding exit router BFER for receiving the multicast message; and the BFIR acquires a corresponding relation based on the bit string and the multicast source group information, wherein the corresponding relation comprises the bit string and the multicast source group information.

With reference to the second aspect, in certain implementations of the second aspect, the method further includes: the BFIR sends a request to the control device, the request requesting allocation of a bit forwarding router identification (BFR ID); and the BFIR receives a BFR ID sent by the controller, wherein the BFR ID is the BFR ID allocated to the BFIR by the controller based on the request of the BFIR.

With reference to the second aspect, in certain implementations of the second aspect, the request further includes a parameter for representing attribute information of the BFIR.

With reference to the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the attribute information of the BFIR is used to indicate an attribute of a network to which the BFIR belongs, or the attribute information of the BFIR is used to indicate a network location to which the BFIR belongs, or the attribute information of the BFIR is used to indicate a BFER group to which the BFIR belongs.

With reference to the second aspect, in certain implementations of the second aspect, the method further includes: the BFIR receives the multicast message, wherein the multicast message comprises the multicast source group information; the BFIR acquires a BIER message based on the multicast source group information and the corresponding relation, wherein the BIER message comprises the bit string and the multicast message; and the BFIR transmits the BIER message to the at least one BFER based on the bit string.

The beneficial effects of the second aspect and any one of the possible implementation manners of the second aspect correspond to the beneficial effects of the first aspect and any one of the possible implementation manners of the first aspect, and therefore, the detailed description is omitted here.

In a third aspect, an apparatus for configuring a bit string is provided, where the apparatus is provided in a control device, and includes: the device comprises a processing module and a sending module. The processing module is used for acquiring a bit string, and the bit string is used for indicating at least one bit forwarding exit router BFER for receiving the multicast message; and the sending module is used for sending the bit string and the multicast source group information corresponding to the multicast message to a forwarding entry router BFIR.

With reference to the third aspect, in some implementations of the third aspect, the processing module is specifically configured to: acquiring the at least one BFER corresponding to the multicast source group information; acquiring a bit forwarding router identifier (BFR ID) distributed by each BFER in the at least one BFER; and acquiring the bit string based on the allocated BFR ID of each BFER.

With reference to the third aspect, in certain implementations of the third aspect, the processing module is further configured to: acquiring attribute information of any BFER in the at least one BFER; allocating a BFR ID for said any BFER based on attribute information of said any BFER; the sending module is further configured to send the BFR ID to the any BFER.

With reference to the third aspect, in some implementations of the third aspect, the processing module is specifically configured to: determining an identification set based on a corresponding relation and the attribute information of any BFER, wherein the corresponding relation comprises the identification set and the attribute information of any BFER, and the identification set comprises one or more BFR IDs; and acquiring the BFR ID of any BFER based on the identification set, wherein the BFR ID of any BFER is the unallocated BFR ID in the identification set.

With reference to the third aspect, in certain implementations of the third aspect, the identification set further includes an allocation status of each of the one or more BFR IDs.

With reference to the third aspect, in certain implementations of the third aspect, the attribute information of any BFER is used to indicate an attribute of a network to which the any BFER belongs, or the attribute information of any BFER is used to indicate a network location to which the any BFER belongs, or the attribute information of any BFER is used to indicate a BFER group to which the any BFER belongs.

In a fourth aspect, a device for obtaining a corresponding relationship is provided, where the device is disposed in a bit forwarding entry router BFIR, and includes: the device comprises a receiving module and a processing module. The receiving module is used for receiving a bit string sent by the control equipment and multicast source group information corresponding to the multicast message, wherein the bit string is used for indicating at least one bit forwarding outlet router BFER for receiving the multicast message; the processing module is configured to obtain a corresponding relationship based on the bit string and the multicast source group information, where the corresponding relationship includes the bit string and the multicast source group information.

With reference to the fourth aspect, in certain implementations of the fourth aspect, the apparatus further includes: a sending module, configured to send a request to the control device, where the request is used to request an allocation bit forwarding router identifier (BFR ID); the receiving module is further configured to receive a BFR ID sent by the controller, where the BFR ID is a BFR ID allocated to the BFIR by the controller based on the request of the BFIR.

With reference to the fourth aspect, in some implementations of the fourth aspect, the request further includes a parameter for representing attribute information of the BFIR.

With reference to the fourth aspect, in some implementations of the fourth aspect, the attribute information of the BFIR is used to indicate an attribute of a network to which the BFIR belongs, or the attribute information of the BFIR is used to indicate a network location to which the BFIR belongs, or the attribute information of the BFIR is used to indicate a BFER group to which the BFIR belongs.

With reference to the fourth aspect, in some implementation manners of the fourth aspect, the receiving module is further configured to receive the multicast packet, where the multicast packet includes the multicast source group information; the processing module is further configured to obtain a BIER packet based on the multicast source group information and the correspondence, where the BIER packet includes the bit string and the multicast packet; and the sending module is further used for sending the BIER message to the at least one BFER based on the bit string.

In a fifth aspect, an apparatus for configuring a bit string is provided, where the apparatus is provided in a control device, and has a function of implementing a method for configuring a bit string in the first aspect or any implementation manner of the first aspect. The function can be realized based on hardware, and can also be realized by executing corresponding software based on hardware. The hardware or software includes one or more modules corresponding to the functions described above.

In one possible design, the structure of the apparatus includes a processor configured to support the apparatus to perform the corresponding functions of the above method.

The apparatus may also include a memory, coupled to the processor, that retains program instructions and data necessary for the apparatus.

In another possible design, the apparatus includes: a processor, a transmitter, a receiver, a random access memory, a read only memory, and a bus. The processor is coupled to the transmitter, the receiver, the random access memory and the read only memory through the bus respectively. When the device needs to be operated, the device is guided to enter a normal operation state by starting a basic input/output system solidified in a read-only memory or a bootloader guiding system in an embedded system. After the device enters a normal operation state, an application program and an operating system are run in the random access memory, so that the processor executes the method of the first aspect or any possible implementation manner of the first aspect.

In a sixth aspect, an apparatus for configuring a bit string is provided, where the apparatus is disposed in a control device, and includes: the main control board and the interface board, further, can also include the exchange network board. The apparatus is configured to perform the method of the first aspect or any possible implementation manner of the first aspect. In particular, the apparatus comprises means for performing the method of the first aspect or any possible implementation of the first aspect for configuring a bit string.

It should be noted that there may be one or more main control boards, and when there are multiple main control boards, the main control boards may include a main control board and a standby main control board. The interface board may have one or more blocks, the more interface boards are provided the more data processing capacity of the apparatus is. There may also be one or more physical interface cards on an interface board. The exchange network board may not have, or may have one or more blocks, and when there are more blocks, the load sharing redundancy backup can be realized together. Under the centralized forwarding architecture, the device can be used without a switching network board, and an interface board bears the processing function of the service data of the whole system. Under the distributed forwarding architecture, the device can have at least one exchange network board, and the exchange of data among a plurality of interface boards is realized through the exchange network board, so that the large-capacity data exchange and processing capacity is provided. Therefore, the data access and processing capabilities of the apparatus in the distributed architecture are greater than those of the devices in the centralized architecture. Which architecture is specifically adopted depends on the specific networking deployment scenario, and is not limited herein.

In a seventh aspect, an apparatus for configuring a bit string is provided, where the apparatus is disposed in a control device and includes a control module and a first forwarding sub-device. The first forwarding sub-apparatus comprises: the interface board further can also comprise a switching network board. The first forwarding sub-device is configured to execute the function of the interface board in the sixth aspect, and further, may also execute the function of the switch web board in the sixth aspect. The control module includes a receiver, a processor, a transmitter, a random access memory, a read only memory, and a bus. The processor is coupled to the receiver, the transmitter, the random access memory and the read only memory through the bus respectively. When the control module needs to be operated, the control module is guided to enter a normal operation state by starting a basic input/output system solidified in a read-only memory or a bootloader guiding system in an embedded system. After the control module enters a normal operation state, the application program and the operating system are operated in the random access memory, so that the processor executes the functions of the main control board in the sixth aspect. In practice, the apparatus may comprise any number of interfaces, processors or memories.

In an eighth aspect, a device for acquiring a corresponding relationship is provided, where the device is provided in a BFIR and has a function of implementing a method for acquiring a corresponding relationship in any implementation manner of the second aspect or the second aspect. The function can be realized based on hardware, and can also be realized by executing corresponding software based on hardware. The hardware or software includes one or more modules corresponding to the functions described above.

In one possible design, the structure of the apparatus includes a processor configured to support the apparatus to perform the corresponding functions of the above method.

The apparatus may also include a memory, coupled to the processor, that retains program instructions and data necessary for the apparatus.

In another possible design, the apparatus includes: a processor, a transmitter, a receiver, random access memory, read only memory, and a bus. The processor is coupled to the transmitter, the receiver, the random access memory and the read only memory through the bus respectively. When the device needs to be operated, the device is guided to enter a normal operation state by starting a basic input/output system solidified in a read-only memory or a bootloader guiding system in an embedded system. After the device enters a normal operation state, the application program and the operating system are run in the random access memory, so that the processor executes the method of the second aspect or any possible implementation manner of the second aspect.

In a ninth aspect, an apparatus for obtaining a corresponding relationship is provided, where the apparatus is located in the BFIR, and includes: the main control board and the interface board, further, can also include the exchange network board. The apparatus is configured to execute the method for obtaining the corresponding relationship in the second aspect or any possible implementation manner of the second aspect. In particular, the apparatus includes means for performing the method of the second aspect or any possible implementation manner of the second aspect to obtain the correspondence.

It should be noted that there may be one or more main control boards, and when there are multiple main control boards, the main control boards may include a main control board and a standby main control board. The interface board may have one or more blocks, the more interface boards are provided the more data processing capacity of the apparatus is. There may also be one or more physical interface cards on an interface board. The exchange network board may not have one or more blocks, and when there are more blocks, the load sharing redundancy backup can be realized together. Under the centralized forwarding architecture, the device can be used without a switching network board, and an interface board bears the processing function of the service data of the whole system. Under the distributed forwarding architecture, the device can have at least one exchange network board, and the exchange of data among a plurality of interface boards is realized through the exchange network board, so that the large-capacity data exchange and processing capacity is provided. Therefore, the data access and processing capabilities of the apparatus in the distributed architecture are greater than those of the devices in the centralized architecture. Which architecture is specifically adopted depends on a specific networking deployment scenario, and is not limited herein.

In a tenth aspect, an apparatus for obtaining a corresponding relationship is provided, and the apparatus is provided in the BFIR and includes a control module and a first forwarding sub-device. The first forwarding sub-apparatus comprises: the interface board further can also comprise a switching network board. The first forwarding sub-device is configured to execute the function of the interface board in the eighth aspect, and further, may also execute the function of the switching network board in the eighth aspect. The control module includes a receiver, a processor, a transmitter, a random access memory, a read only memory, and a bus. The processor is coupled to the receiver, the transmitter, the random access memory and the read only memory through the bus respectively. When the control module needs to be operated, the control module is guided to enter a normal operation state by starting a basic input/output system solidified in a read-only memory or a bootloader guiding system in an embedded system. After the control module enters a normal operation state, the application program and the operating system are operated in the random access memory, so that the processor executes the functions of the main control board in the eighth aspect. In practice, the apparatus may comprise any number of interfaces, processors or memories.

In an eleventh aspect, there is provided a computer program product comprising: computer program code which, when run on a computer, causes the computer to perform the method as described above in relation to the first aspect or any one of the possible implementations of the first aspect.

In a twelfth aspect, there is provided a computer program product comprising: computer program code for causing a computer to perform the method of any of the second aspects or possible implementations of the second aspect described above, when the computer program code runs on a computer.

In a thirteenth aspect, there is provided a computer readable medium having program code stored thereon, which when run on a computer causes the computer to perform the method of the first aspect or any one of the possible implementations of the first aspect. These computer-readable memories include, but are not limited to, one or more of the following: read-only memory (ROM), Programmable ROM (PROM), Erasable PROM (EPROM), Flash memory, Electrically EPROM (EEPROM), and hard drive (hard drive).

In a fourteenth aspect, a computer readable medium is provided, having program code stored thereon, which when run on a computer causes the computer to perform the method of any of the second or fourth aspects described above. These computer-readable memories include, but are not limited to, one or more of the following: read-only memory (ROM), Programmable ROM (PROM), Erasable PROM (EPROM), Flash memory, Electrically EPROM (EEPROM), and hard drive (hard drive).

In a fifteenth aspect, a chip is provided, where the chip includes a processor and a data interface, where the processor reads instructions stored in a memory through the data interface to perform the method of the first aspect or any one of the possible implementation manners of the first aspect. In a specific implementation process, the chip may be implemented in the form of a Central Processing Unit (CPU), a Micro Controller Unit (MCU), a microprocessor unit (MPU), a Digital Signal Processor (DSP), a system on chip (SoC), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), or a Programmable Logic Device (PLD).

In a sixteenth aspect, a chip is provided, where the chip includes a processor and a data interface, and where the processor reads instructions stored in a memory through the data interface to perform the method of the second aspect or any one of the possible implementations of the second aspect. In a specific implementation process, the chip may be implemented in the form of a Central Processing Unit (CPU), a Micro Controller Unit (MCU), a Micro Processing Unit (MPU), a Digital Signal Processor (DSP), a system on chip (SoC), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), or a Programmable Logic Device (PLD).

A seventeenth aspect provides a system, where the system includes the apparatus for configuring a bit string in any one of the foregoing possible implementations of the third aspect or the third aspect, and/or the apparatus for obtaining a corresponding relationship in any one of the foregoing possible implementations of the fourth aspect or the fourth aspect.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a schematic networking diagram of a BIER technology provided in an embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 2 is a schematic flow chart of a method for configuring a bit string according to an embodiment of the present application.

FIG. 3 is a schematic flow chart diagram of a method for automatically allocating a BFR ID to a BFER according to an embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 4 is a schematic structural diagram of an apparatus 400 for configuring a bit string according to an embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 5 is a schematic structural diagram of an apparatus 500 for acquiring a correspondence relationship according to an embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 6 is a schematic hardware structure diagram of an apparatus 2000 for configuring a bit string according to an embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 7 is a schematic hardware structure diagram of another apparatus 2100 for configuring a bit string according to an embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 8 is a schematic hardware structure diagram of an apparatus 2200 for obtaining a correspondence according to an embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 9 is a schematic hardware structure diagram of another apparatus 2300 for obtaining a correspondence according to an embodiment of the present application.

Detailed Description

The technical solution in the present application will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

This application is intended to present various aspects, embodiments or features around a system comprising a number of devices, components, modules, and the like. It is to be understood and appreciated that the various systems may include additional devices, components, modules, etc. and/or may not include all of the devices, components, modules etc. discussed in connection with the figures. Furthermore, a combination of these schemes may also be used.

In addition, in the embodiments of the present application, words such as "exemplary", "for example", etc. are used to mean serving as examples, illustrations or explanations. Any embodiment or design described herein as "exemplary" is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other embodiments or designs. Rather, the term using examples is intended to present concepts in a concrete fashion.

In the embodiments of the present application, "corresponding" and "corresponding" may be sometimes used in a mixed manner, and it should be noted that the intended meaning is consistent when the difference is not emphasized.

The network architecture and the service scenario described in the embodiment of the present application are for more clearly illustrating the technical solution of the embodiment of the present application, and do not form a limitation on the technical solution provided in the embodiment of the present application, and it can be known by a person skilled in the art that the technical solution provided in the embodiment of the present application is also applicable to similar technical problems along with the evolution of the network architecture and the appearance of a new service scenario.

Reference throughout this specification to "one embodiment" or "some embodiments," or the like, means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in one or more embodiments of the present application. Thus, appearances of the phrases "in one embodiment," "in some embodiments," "in other embodiments," or the like, in various places throughout this specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment, but rather "one or more but not all embodiments" unless specifically stated otherwise. The terms "comprising," "including," "having," and variations thereof mean "including, but not limited to," unless expressly specified otherwise.

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: including the presence of a alone, a and B together, and B alone, where a and B may be singular or plural. The character "/" generally indicates that the former and latter associated objects are in an "or" relationship. "at least one of the following" or similar expressions refer to any combination of these items, including any combination of the singular or plural items. For example, at least one (one) of a, b, or c, may represent: a, b, c, a-b, a-c, b-c, or a-b-c, wherein a, b, c may be single or multiple.

Multicast (multicast) is a data transmission method for transmitting data to a plurality of receivers on a Transmission Control Protocol (TCP)/Internet Protocol (IP) network in an efficient manner at the same time by using one multicast address. The multicast source sends a multicast stream to the multicast group members in the multicast group through the link in the network, and the multicast group members in the multicast group can all receive the multicast stream. A Bit Index Explicit Replication (BIER) technique is a multicast forwarding technique for performing explicit replication based on a bit index. As shown in fig. 1, a router supporting the BIER technology is called a bit-forwarding router (BFR), and the BFR may receive and forward BIER packets. One multicast forwarding domain consisting of one or more BFRs as described above is called BIER domain. At the entry of the BIER domain, the BFR that BIER encapsulates the multicast packet is called a bit forwarding entry router (BFIR). At the exit of the BIER domain, the BFR decapsulating the multicast packet from the BIER packet is called a Bit Forwarding Egress Router (BFER). It should be understood that the BFIR and BFER in the BIER domain may be referred to as an edge BFR in the BIER domain, where a unique BFR identifier (BFR ID) needs to be configured for the edge BFR. In the process of forwarding the BIER, the BFIR needs to specify which BFERs the multicast packet is to be sent to, a set of these BFERs may be represented by a bit string (bit string), and a position or an index of each bit in the bit string represents a BFR ID of an edge BFR. The BFIR encapsulates the bit string in a BIER head of the multicast message to obtain a BIER message, the BFR replicates the BIER message according to the bit string, and finally the BIER message is sent to the BFER indicated by the bit string.

In a related technical scheme, the bit string is determined by the BFIR according to the BFER sending the multicast join request. Thus, on one hand, a BIER tunnel needs to be created in advance between the BFIR and the BFER; on the other hand, the multicast service is obtained by the authorized user actively initiating a request to the upstream BFIR, and is not actively planned and preset.

In view of this, the embodiments of the present application provide a method for configuring a bit string, which is helpful to improve configuration efficiency and save network resources. In addition, the multicast service can be actively planned and preset according to the requirements of management, safety and the like.

Fig. 2 is a schematic flow chart of a method for configuring a bit string according to an embodiment of the present application, which may be applied in a BIER network. As shown in FIG. 2, the method may include steps 210 and 220, which are described in detail below in relation to steps 210 and 2230, respectively.

Step 210: the control device obtains a bit string indicating at least one BFER for receiving the multicast packet.

The control device may be an independent controller, or a forwarding device in a network, or a forwarding device in a BIER domain, which is not specifically limited in this application.

The control device may obtain a bit string indicating at least one BFER receiving the multicast packet. As an example, in a possible implementation manner, the control device may obtain at least one BFER corresponding to the multicast source group information of the multicast packet, obtain a BFR ID allocated to each BFER in the at least one BFER, and obtain the bit string based on the BFR ID allocated to each BFER. It should be understood that the multicast source group information includes a source group (S, G) of a multicast packet, or Virtual Private Network (VPN) information and a source group (S, G) of the multicast packet, and this embodiment of the present application is not specifically limited to this. A specific implementation of the control device to obtain the bit string is described in detail below with reference to a specific example.

For example, for the requirements of management, security, etc., table 1 shows active planning and presetting for different multicast services.

Table 1 planning of multicast services

Taking a multicast service a as an example, determining that the multicast service a needs to be pushed to an urban and western area based on table 1, and acquiring, by the control device, a BFR ID allocated to each BFER in at least one BFER in the urban and western area, and acquiring the bit string based on the BFR ID allocated to each BFER. The method for the control device to allocate the BFR ID to the BFER will be described in detail below with reference to fig. 3, and will not be described herein again.

Step 220: and the control equipment sends the bit string and the multicast source group information corresponding to the multicast message to the BFIR.

After determining the bit string, the control device may send the bit string and the multicast source group information corresponding to the multicast packet to the BFIR, so that the BFIR may obtain a corresponding relationship based on the bit string and the multicast source group information, where the corresponding relationship includes a corresponding relationship between the bit string and the multicast source group information. Optionally, the control device may also send information related to BIER encapsulation to the BFIR, for example, sub-domain (SD), Bit String Length (BSL), Set Identifier (SI), and the like.

Optionally, in some embodiments, the BFIR may further receive a multicast packet sent by a multicast source, where the multicast packet includes multicast source group information, and the BFIR obtains a bit string corresponding to the multicast source group information based on the multicast source group information and the correspondence. The BFIR can perform BIER encapsulation on the multicast message to obtain a BIER message, wherein the BIER message comprises the received bit string and the multicast message, and the BIER message is sent to at least one BFER based on the bit string. For example, after receiving information sent by the control device, the BFIR directly encapsulates the bit string into the BIER message if the bit string is the first bit string corresponding to the set. For another example, if the bit string is not the first bit string corresponding to the set, performing a logical and operation on the newly issued bit string and the original bit string, which is equivalent to adding leaf node information in the newly issued bit string to the existing bit string, and encapsulating the bit string obtained after the logical and operation into the BIER message.

In the above technical solution, the control device may obtain the bit string and send the bit string to the BFIR. Therefore, on one hand, the bit strings are directly issued to the BFIR after being determined by the control equipment, the BFIR is not required to be determined according to the BFER for sending the multicast adding request, a BIER tunnel is not required to be established between the BFIR and the BFER in advance, and the configuration efficiency can be improved and the network resources can be saved; on the other hand, the control device may also actively plan and preset the multicast service for the requirements of management, security, and the like.

Optionally, in some embodiments, the control device may further automatically allocate a BFR ID to any of the BFRs, so that the control device may obtain the bit string according to the BFR ID allocated to each BFER receiving the multicast packet. Therefore, after each BFER is online, the corresponding BFR ID can be automatically distributed to the BFER, and manual configuration one by one is not needed, so that the deployment and maintenance cost can be saved, and the deployment, operation and maintenance efficiency of the service can be improved. The following detailed description is provided in conjunction with the specific example in fig. 3, and it should be understood that the example in fig. 3 is only for assisting the person skilled in the art in understanding the embodiments of the present application, and the embodiments of the present application are not limited to the specific values or specific scenarios illustrated. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various equivalent modifications or variations are possible in light of the following examples given in FIG. 3, and such modifications and variations are intended to be included within the scope of embodiments of the present application.

Fig. 3 is a schematic flow chart of a method for automatically allocating BFR IDs for BFERs according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG. 3, the method may include steps 310 and 330, and the steps 310 and 330 are described in detail below.

Step 310: the control device acquires attribute information of the BFER.

As an example, the attribute information of the BFER is used to indicate an attribute of a network to which the BFER belongs, or indicate a network location to which the BFER belongs, or indicate a BFER group to which any BFER belongs, which is not specifically limited in this embodiment of the present application.

Step 320: the control device allocates a BFR ID for the BFER based on attribute information of the BFER.

The control device may determine an identification set based on a correspondence including the identification set and attribute information of the BFER and the attribute information of the BFER, the identification set including one or more BFR IDs. And acquiring the BFR ID of the BFER based on the identification set, wherein the BFR ID is the unallocated BFR ID in the identification set. Optionally, in some embodiments, the identification set further includes an allocation status for each of the one or more BFR IDs. A specific implementation of the control device allocating a BFR ID to a BFER based on its attribute information is described in detail below with reference to a specific example.

For example, table 2 shows the correspondence between the management area and the network structure of a certain city. Table 3 shows the BFR ID identification set in a planned urban network. Table 4 shows the BFR ID identification set corresponding to street 1 in a city and western region.

TABLE 2 correspondence between management areas and network structures of a city

Table 3 planned BFR ID identification set in certain urban network

TABLE 4 BFR ID identification set corresponding to city western region street 1

Index	BFR-ID	Device management address	Application time	Time of release	Current state
						1	1	10.101.1.2	2019.5.6		Use of
2	2	10.101.1.3	2019.5.6		Use of
						3	3	10.101.1.4	2019.5.6		Use of
4	4	0		2020.12.12	Free up
						5	5	10.101.1.5	2019.5.6		Use of
6	6	10.101.1.6	2019.9.6	2020.12.12	Holding
						7	7	10.101.1.6	2020.10.10		Use of
8	8	10.101.1.7	2020.10.10		Use of
						……	……
50	50	0			Free up
						51	20				Total number of uses

After a certain BFER comes online, a corresponding set of identities may be determined based on the network location to which the BFER belongs. For example, the BFER is accessed to the upper line through the access ring 1 of the aggregation ring 1, and the network location of the BFER is the street 1 of the urban western region as determined by table 2. The control device may also allocate a BFR ID to the BFER according to the BFR ID identification set corresponding to city west street 1 shown in table 4. As shown in table 4, the control device may allocate an idle BFR ID to the BFER according to the allocation status of each BFR ID in table 4, for example, the allocated BFR ID is 4.

Optionally, the BFR ID identification set shown in table 4 may also record the usage time, release time, allocation status, etc. of each BFR ID. For example, when a certain BFER comes online, the control device may allocate an idle BFR ID for the certain BFER, record information such as an address of the BFER that allocates the BFR ID, an allocated time of the BFR ID, and a current state, and refresh the number of actually occupied BFR IDs corresponding to the BFR ID identification set in fig. 3. For another example, when a certain BFER goes offline, the control device is notified, and the control device refreshes the corresponding BFR ID use state to be maintained according to the device information, and records the offline time. And when the BFER is on-line again in the holding time, the BFR-ID is continuously allocated to the BFER, and when the holding time is exceeded, the BFR ID is released to be idle, and the BFR ID can be continuously used for a subsequent new on-line device.

Step 330: the control device transmits the assigned BFR ID to the BFER.

In a possible implementation manner, after acquiring the BFR ID of the BFER, the control device may send the BFR ID to the BFER. In another possible implementation, after the BFER comes online, a request may be sent to the control device, where the request is for allocation of a BFR ID, and the control device may send the BFR ID to the BFER according to the request. Optionally, the request sent by the BFER to the control device further comprises a parameter for representing attribute information of said BFER. For a description of the specific related attribute information, refer to the description in step 310, and are not described herein again.

In the above technical solution, the control device may automatically allocate a BFR ID to any of the BFRs, so that the control device may obtain the bit string according to the BFR ID allocated to each BFER receiving the multicast packet. Therefore, after each BFER is online, the corresponding BFR ID can be automatically allocated to the BFER, and manual configuration one by one is not needed, so that the deployment and maintenance cost can be saved, and the deployment, operation and maintenance efficiency of the service can be improved.

In 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 each process should be determined by its function and inherent logic, and should not constitute any limitation to the implementation process of the embodiments of the present application.

The method provided by the embodiment of the present application is described in detail above with reference to fig. 1 to 3, and the embodiment of the apparatus of the present application is described in detail below with reference to fig. 4 to 9. The description of the method embodiments corresponds to the description of the apparatus embodiments, so that reference is made to the method embodiments above for parts which are not described in detail.

Fig. 4 is a schematic structural diagram of an apparatus 400 for configuring a bit string according to an embodiment of the present application, where the apparatus 400 is disposed in a control device. The apparatus 400 for configuring a bit string shown in fig. 4 may perform the corresponding steps of the method for configuring a bit string of the above-described embodiments. As shown in fig. 4, the apparatus 400 includes: a processing module 410 and a sending module 420. The processing module 410 is configured to obtain a bit string, where the bit string is used to indicate at least one bit forwarding exit router BFER that receives the multicast packet; the sending module 420 is configured to send the bit string and the multicast source group information corresponding to the multicast packet to a forwarding ingress router BFIR.

Optionally, the processing module 410 is specifically configured to: acquiring the at least one BFER corresponding to the multicast source group information; acquiring a bit forwarding router identifier BFR ID allocated to each BFER in the at least one BFER; and acquiring the bit string based on the allocated BFR ID of each BFER.

Optionally, the processing module 410 is further configured to: acquiring attribute information of any BFER in the at least one BFER; allocating a BFR ID to said any BFER based on attribute information of said any BFER; the sending module 420 is further configured to send the BFR ID to the any BFER.

Optionally, the processing module 410 is specifically configured to: determining an identification set based on a corresponding relation and the attribute information of any BFER, wherein the corresponding relation comprises the identification set and the attribute information of any BFER, and the identification set comprises one or more BFR IDs; and acquiring the BFR ID of any BFER based on the identification set, wherein the BFR ID of any BFER is the unallocated BFR ID in the identification set.

Optionally, the identification set further includes an allocation status for each of the one or more BFR IDs.

Optionally, the attribute information of any BFER is used for indicating an attribute of a network to which the any BFER belongs, or the attribute information of any BFER is used for indicating a network location to which the any BFER belongs, or the attribute information of any BFER is used for indicating a group of BFERs to which the any BFER belongs.

Fig. 5 is a schematic structural diagram of an apparatus 500 for acquiring a correspondence relationship according to an embodiment of the present application, where the apparatus 500 is provided in the BFIR. The apparatus 500 for obtaining correspondence shown in fig. 5 may perform corresponding steps in the method for obtaining correspondence described above. As shown in fig. 5, the apparatus 500 includes: a receiving module 510 and a processing module 520. The receiving module 510 is configured to receive a bit string sent by a control device and multicast source group information corresponding to a multicast packet, where the bit string is used to indicate at least one bit forwarding exit router BFER that receives the multicast packet; the processing module 520 is configured to obtain a corresponding relationship based on the bit string and the multicast source group information, where the corresponding relationship includes the bit string and the multicast source group information.

Optionally, the apparatus 500 further comprises: a sending module 530, configured to send a request to the control device, where the request is used to request an allocation bit forwarding router identification BFR ID; the receiving module 510 is further configured to receive a BFR ID sent by the controller, where the BFR ID is a BFR ID allocated to the BFIR by the controller based on the request of the BFIR.

Optionally, the request further includes a parameter for representing attribute information of the BFIR.

Optionally, the attribute information of the BFIR is used to indicate an attribute of a network to which the BFIR belongs, or the attribute information of the BFIR is used to indicate a network location to which the BFIR belongs, or the attribute information of the BFIR is used to indicate a BFER group to which the BFIR belongs.

Optionally, the receiving module 510 is further configured to receive the multicast packet, where the multicast packet includes the multicast source group information; the processing module 520 is further configured to obtain a BIER packet based on the multicast source group information and the corresponding relationship, where the BIER packet includes the bit string and the multicast packet; a sending module 530, further configured to send the BIER packet to the at least one BFER based on the bit string.

Fig. 6 is a schematic hardware structure diagram of an apparatus 2000 for configuring a bit string according to an embodiment of the present application, where the apparatus 2000 is disposed in a control device. The apparatus 2000 for configuring a bit string shown in fig. 6 may perform the method for configuring a bit string of the above-described embodiment. As shown in fig. 6, the apparatus 2000 includes a processor 2001, a memory 2002, an interface 2003, and a bus 2004. Wherein the interface 2003 may be implemented by wireless or wired means, specifically a network card. The processor 2001, the memory 2002, and the interface 2003 are connected by a bus 2004. The interface 2003 may specifically include a transmitter and a receiver for controlling the device to implement the above-described transceiving. The processor 2001 is configured to execute the processing performed by the control device in the above-described embodiment. The memory 2002 includes an operating system 20021 and an application 20022 for storing programs, codes, or instructions that when executed by a processor or hardware device may perform the BFIR-related processes of the method embodiments. Alternatively, the memory 2002 may include a read-only memory (ROM) and a Random Access Memory (RAM). Wherein the ROM includes a basic input/output system (BIOS) or an embedded system; the RAM includes an application program and an operating system. When the control equipment needs to be operated, the boot control equipment is started through a BIOS (basic input output System) solidified in a ROM (read only memory) or a bootloader boot system in an embedded system, and enters a normal operation state. After the control device enters a normal operation state, the application program and the operating system in the RAM are operated, thereby completing the processing procedures related to the control device in the method embodiment. Fig. 6 shows only a simplified design of the means 2000 for configuring a bit string. In practice, the apparatus may comprise any number of interfaces, processors or memories.

Fig. 7 is a schematic hardware configuration diagram of another apparatus 2100 for configuring a bit string according to an embodiment of the present application, where the apparatus 2100 is disposed in a control device. The apparatus 2100 for configuring a bit string shown in fig. 7 may perform the method for configuring a bit string of the above-described embodiment. As shown in fig. 7, the apparatus 2100 includes: a main control board 2110, an interface board 2130, a switch board 2120 and an interface board 2140. The main control board 2110, the interface boards 2130 and 2140, and the switch board 2120 are connected to the system backplane through the system bus to realize intercommunication. The main control board 2110 is used for completing functions such as system management, device maintenance, and protocol processing. The switch network board 2120 is used to complete data exchange between interface boards (interface boards are also called line cards or service boards). The interface boards 2130 and 2140 are used to provide various service interfaces (e.g., POS interface, GE interface, ATM interface, etc.) and implement forwarding of packets. The interface board 2130 may include a central processor 2131, a forwarding entry memory 2134, a physical interface card 2133, and a network processor 2132. The central processing unit 2131 is used for controlling and managing the interface board and communicating with the central processing unit on the main control board. The forwarding entry storage 2134 is used for storing entries, for example, the corresponding relationship in the foregoing. Physical interface card 2133 is used to complete the reception and transmission of traffic. In the embodiment of the present application, operations on the interface board 2140 are the same as those of the interface board 2130, and for brevity, are not described again. The apparatus 2100 for configuring a bit string in this embodiment may correspond to the functions of the method embodiments and/or various steps performed in the method embodiments, which are not described herein again.

In addition, it should be noted that there may be one or more main control boards, and when there are multiple main control boards, the main control board may include an active main control board and a standby main control board. The interface board may have one or more blocks, and the stronger the data processing capability of the control device, the more interface boards are provided. There may also be one or more physical interface cards on an interface board. The exchange network board may not have one or more blocks, and when there are more blocks, the load sharing redundancy backup can be realized together. Under the centralized forwarding architecture, the control device does not need a switching network board, and the interface board undertakes the processing function of the service data of the whole system. The control equipment can have at least one exchange network board under the distributed forwarding architecture, and the exchange of data among a plurality of interface boards is realized through the exchange network board, so that the exchange and processing capacity of large-capacity data is provided. Therefore, the data access and processing capabilities of the control devices of the distributed architecture are greater than those of the devices of the centralized architecture. Which architecture is specifically adopted depends on the specific networking deployment scenario, and is not limited herein.

Fig. 8 is a schematic hardware configuration diagram of an apparatus 2200 for acquiring a correspondence according to an embodiment of the present application, where the apparatus 2200 is provided in the BFIR. The apparatus 2200 for acquiring correspondence shown in fig. 8 may perform the corresponding steps performed by the BFIR in the method of the above embodiment. As shown in fig. 8, the apparatus 2200 includes a processor 2201, a memory 2202, an interface 2203, and a bus 2204. The interface 2203 may be implemented by wireless or wired means, and specifically may be a network card. The processor 2201, memory 2202, and interface 2203 are connected by a bus 2204. The interface 2203 may specifically include a transmitter and a receiver for BFIR to implement the above-mentioned transceiving. The processor 2201 is configured to perform the processing performed by the BFIR in the above embodiments. The memory 2202 includes an operating system 22021 and application programs 22022 to store programs, code, or instructions that when executed by a processor or hardware device may perform the BFIR-related processes of the method embodiments. Optionally, the memory 2202 may include read-only memory (ROM) and Random Access Memory (RAM). Wherein the ROM includes a basic input/output system (BIOS) or an embedded system; the RAM includes an application program and an operating system. When the BFIR needs to be operated, the BFIR is guided to enter a normal operation state by starting through a BIOS (basic input output System) solidified in a ROM (read only memory) or a bootloader guide system in an embedded system. After the BFIR enters a normal operation state, the application program and the operating system in the RAM are operated, thereby completing the processing procedures related to the BFIR in the method embodiment. Fig. 8 merely shows a simplified design of the means 2200 for obtaining correspondence. In practice, the apparatus may comprise any number of interfaces, processors or memories.

Fig. 9 is a schematic hardware configuration diagram of another apparatus 2300 for obtaining a correspondence according to an embodiment of the present application, where the apparatus 2300 is provided in the BFIR. The apparatus 2300 for acquiring correspondence shown in fig. 9 may perform the corresponding steps performed by the BFIR in the method of the above-described embodiment. As shown in fig. 9, the apparatus 2300 includes: a main control board 2310, an interface board 2330, a switching network board 2320 and an interface board 2340. The main control board 2310, the interface boards 2330 and 2340, and the switching network board 2320 are connected with the system backplane through a system bus to realize intercommunication. The main control board 2310 is used for performing functions such as system management, device maintenance, and protocol processing. The switch network board 2320 is used for completing data exchange between interface boards (the interface boards are also called line cards or service boards). The interface boards 2330 and 2340 are used to provide various service interfaces (e.g., POS interface, GE interface, ATM interface, etc.) and implement forwarding of data packets. Interface board 2330 may include a central processor 2331, a forwarding entry memory 2334, a physical interface card 2333, and a network processor 2332. The central processor 2331 is used to control and manage the interface board and communicate with the central processor on the main control board. Forwarding entry store 2334 is used to store entries, e.g., the correspondence above. Physical interface card 2133 is used to complete the reception and transmission of traffic. In the embodiment of the present application, operations on the interface board 2340 are the same as those of the interface board 2330, and for brevity, are not described again. The apparatus 2300 for obtaining the corresponding relationship in this embodiment may correspond to the functions and/or various steps implemented in the foregoing method embodiments, and will not be described herein again.

An embodiment of the present application further provides a computer-readable medium, which stores program codes, and when the computer program codes are run on a computer, the computer is caused to execute the method executed by the control device. These computer-readable memories include, but are not limited to, one or more of the following: read-only memory (ROM), Programmable ROM (PROM), Erasable PROM (EPROM), Flash memory, Electrically EPROM (EEPROM), and hard drive (hard drive).

Embodiments of the present application further provide a computer-readable medium, which stores program code and when the computer program code runs on a computer, causes the computer to execute the method performed by the BFIR. These computer-readable memories include, but are not limited to, one or more of the following: read-only memory (ROM), Programmable ROM (PROM), Erasable PROM (EPROM), Flash memory, Electrically EPROM (EEPROM), and hard drive (hard drive).

The embodiment of the present application further provides a chip, which is applied to a control device, and the chip includes: the chip comprises at least one processor, at least one memory and an interface circuit, wherein the interface circuit is responsible for information interaction between the chip and the outside, the at least one memory, the interface circuit and the at least one processor are interconnected through lines, and instructions are stored in the at least one memory; the instructions are executable by the at least one processor to perform operations of the control device in the methods of the various aspects described above. In a specific implementation process, the chip may be implemented in the form of a Central Processing Unit (CPU), a Micro Controller Unit (MCU), a Micro Processing Unit (MPU), a Digital Signal Processor (DSP), a system on chip (SoC), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), or a Programmable Logic Device (PLD).

The embodiment of the present application further provides a chip, which is applied to the BFIR, and the chip includes: the chip comprises at least one processor, at least one memory and an interface circuit, wherein the interface circuit is responsible for information interaction between the chip and the outside, the at least one memory, the interface circuit and the at least one processor are interconnected through lines, and instructions are stored in the at least one memory; the instructions are executable by the at least one processor to perform the operations of the method BFIR of the above aspects. In a specific implementation process, the chip may be implemented in the form of a Central Processing Unit (CPU), a Micro Controller Unit (MCU), a microprocessor unit (MPU), a Digital Signal Processor (DSP), a system on chip (SoC), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), or a Programmable Logic Device (PLD).

The embodiment of the present application further provides a computer program product, which is applied to a control device, and the computer program product includes a series of instructions, when executed, to perform the operations of the control device in the method of the above aspects.

The embodiment of the present application further provides a computer program product, which is applied in the BFIR, and the computer program product includes a series of instructions, when executed, to perform the operations of the BFIR in the method of the above aspects.

An embodiment of the present application further provides a system, including: the control device and the BFIR.

The multicast source group information mentioned in the embodiments of the present application includes one or more of multicast source information and multicast group information.

Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the various illustrative elements and algorithm steps described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein may be implemented as electronic hardware, or combinations of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether such functionality is implemented as hardware or software depends upon the particular application and design constraints imposed on the implementation. Skilled artisans may implement the described functionality in varying ways for each particular application, but such implementation decisions should not be interpreted as causing a departure from the scope of the present application.

It is clear to those skilled in the art that, for convenience and brevity of description, the specific working processes of the above-described systems, apparatuses and units may refer to the corresponding processes in the foregoing method embodiments, and are not described herein again.

In the several embodiments provided in the present application, it should be understood that the disclosed system, apparatus and method may be implemented in other ways. For example, the above-described apparatus embodiments are merely illustrative, and for example, the division of the units is only one logical division, and other divisions may be realized in practice, for example, a plurality of units or components may be combined or integrated into another system, or some features may be omitted, or not executed. In addition, the shown or discussed mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection may be an indirect coupling or communication connection through some interfaces, devices or units, and may be in an electrical, mechanical or other form.

The units described as separate parts may or may not be physically separate, and parts displayed as units may or may not be physical units, may be located in one place, or may be distributed on a plurality of network units. Some or all of the units can be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purpose of the solution of the embodiment.

In addition, functional units in the embodiments of the present application may be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit may exist alone physically, or two or more units are integrated into one unit.

The functions, if implemented in the form of software functional units and sold or used as a stand-alone product, may be stored in a computer readable storage medium. Based on such understanding, the technical solutions of the present application or portions thereof that substantially contribute to the prior art may be embodied in the form of a software product, which is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions for causing a computer device (which may be a personal computer, a server, or a network device) to execute all or part of the steps of the methods described in the embodiments of the present application. And the aforementioned storage medium includes: various media capable of storing program codes, such as a usb disk, a removable hard disk, a read-only memory (ROM), a Random Access Memory (RAM), a magnetic disk, or an optical disk.

The above description is only for the specific embodiments of the present application, but the scope of the present application is not limited thereto, and any person skilled in the art can easily conceive of the changes or substitutions within the technical scope of the present application, and shall be covered by the scope of the present application. Therefore, the protection scope of the present application shall be subject to the protection scope of the claims.

Claims (22)

1. A method for configuring a bit string, the method being applied to a bit-indexed explicit replication BIER network, comprising:

the control equipment acquires a bit string, wherein the bit string is used for indicating at least one bit forwarding exit router BFER for receiving the multicast message;

and the control equipment sends the bit string and multicast source group information corresponding to the multicast message to a forwarding entry router BFIR.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the controlling device obtaining the bit string comprises:

the control device acquires the at least one BFER corresponding to the multicast source group information;

the control equipment acquires a bit forwarding router identifier (BFR ID) distributed by each BFER in the at least one BFER;

and the control equipment acquires the bit string based on the allocated BFR ID of each BFER.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the method further comprises:

the control equipment acquires attribute information of any BFER in the at least one BFER;

the control equipment allocates BFR ID for any BFER based on the attribute information of any BFER;

and the control equipment transmits the BFR ID to any BFER.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the control device allocating a BFR ID for the any BFER based on attribute information of the any BFER comprises:

the control equipment determines an identification set based on a corresponding relation and the attribute information of any BFER, wherein the corresponding relation comprises the identification set and the attribute information of any BFER, and the identification set comprises one or more BFR IDs;

and the control equipment acquires the BFR ID of any BFER based on the identification set, wherein the BFR ID of any BFER is the unallocated BFR ID in the identification set.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the identification set further comprises an allocation status for each of the one or more BFR IDs.

6. The method according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the attribute information of any BFER is used for representing the attribute of the network to which the any BFER belongs, or the attribute information of any BFER is used for representing the network location to which the any BFER belongs, or the attribute information of any BFER is used for representing the BFER group to which the any BFER belongs.

7. A method for obtaining a corresponding relation, wherein the method is applied to a bit-indexed explicit replication BIER network, and comprises the following steps:

a bit forwarding entry router BFIR receives a bit string sent by a control device and multicast source group information corresponding to a multicast message, wherein the bit string is used for indicating at least one bit forwarding exit router BFER for receiving the multicast message;

and the BFIR acquires a corresponding relation based on the bit string and the multicast source group information, wherein the corresponding relation comprises the bit string and the multicast source group information.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

the BFIR transmitting a request to the control device, the request requesting allocation of a bit forwarding router identification (BFR ID);

the BFIR receives a BFR ID sent by the controller, the BFR ID being a BFR ID allocated to the BFIR by the controller based on a request from the BFIR.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the request further comprises a parameter for indicating attribute information of the BFIR.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the attribute information of the BFIR is used to indicate an attribute of a network to which the BFIR belongs, or the attribute information of the BFIR is used to indicate a network location to which the BFIR belongs, or the attribute information of the BFIR is used to indicate a BFER group to which the BFIR belongs.

11. The method according to any one of claims 7 to 10, further comprising:

the BFIR receives the multicast message, wherein the multicast message comprises the multicast source group information;

the BFIR acquires a BIER message based on the multicast source group information and the corresponding relation, wherein the BIER message comprises the bit string and the multicast message;

and the BFIR transmits the BIER message to the at least one BFER based on the bit string.

12. An apparatus for configuring a bit string, the apparatus being provided in a control device, comprising:

a processing module, configured to obtain a bit string, where the bit string is used to indicate at least one bit forwarding exit router BFER that receives a multicast packet;

and the sending module is used for sending the bit string and the multicast source group information corresponding to the multicast message to a forwarding entry router BFIR.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the processing module is specifically configured to:

acquiring the at least one BFER corresponding to the multicast source group information;

acquiring a bit forwarding router identifier (BFR ID) distributed by each BFER in the at least one BFER;

and acquiring the bit string based on the allocated BFR ID of each BFER.

14. The apparatus of claim 12 or 13, wherein the processing module is further configured to:

acquiring attribute information of any BFER in the at least one BFER;

allocating a BFR ID for said any BFER based on attribute information of said any BFER;

the sending module is further configured to send the BFR ID to the any BFER.

15. The apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the processing module is specifically configured to:

determining an identification set based on a corresponding relation and the attribute information of any BFER, wherein the corresponding relation comprises the identification set and the attribute information of any BFER, and the identification set comprises one or more BFR IDs;

and acquiring the BFRID of any BFER based on the identification set, wherein the BFRID of any BFER is an unallocated BFR ID in the identification set.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the identification set further comprises an allocation status for each BFR ID in the one or more BFRIDs.

17. The apparatus according to claim 14 or 15, wherein the attribute information of any BFER is used for indicating an attribute of a network to which the any BFER belongs, or the attribute information of any BFER is used for indicating a network location to which the any BFER belongs, or the attribute information of any BFER is used for indicating a BFER group to which the any BFER belongs.

18. An apparatus for obtaining a correspondence relationship, wherein the apparatus is disposed in a Bit Forwarding Ingress Router (BFIR), and comprises:

a receiving module, configured to receive a bit string sent by a control device and multicast source group information corresponding to a multicast packet, where the bit string is used to indicate at least one bit forwarding exit router BFER that receives the multicast packet;

and the processing module is used for acquiring a corresponding relation based on the bit string and the multicast source group information, wherein the corresponding relation comprises the bit string and the multicast source group information.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, further comprising:

a sending module, configured to send a request to the control device, where the request is used to request an allocation Bit Forwarding Router Identity (BFRID);

the receiving module is further configured to receive a BFR ID sent by the controller, where the BFR ID is a BFRID allocated by the controller for the BFIR based on the request of the BFIR.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the request further comprises a parameter for representing attribute information of the BFIR.

21. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the attribute information of the BFIR is used to indicate an attribute of a network to which the BFIR belongs, or wherein the attribute information of the BFIR is used to indicate a network location to which the BFIR belongs, or wherein the attribute information of the BFIR is used to indicate a group of BFERs to which the BFIR belongs.

22. The apparatus of any one of claims 18 to 21,

the receiving module is further configured to receive the multicast packet, where the multicast packet includes the multicast source group information;

the processing module is further configured to obtain a BIER packet based on the multicast source group information and the correspondence, where the BIER packet includes the bit string and the multicast packet;

and the sending module is further used for sending the BIER message to the at least one BFER based on the bit string.

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