CN115459870A

CN115459870A - Time synchronization method, device, electronic equipment and storage medium

Info

Publication number: CN115459870A
Application number: CN202110565668.0A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 韩俊华
Original assignee: ZTE Corp
Current assignee: ZTE Corp
Priority date: 2021-05-24
Filing date: 2021-05-24
Publication date: 2022-12-09
Also published as: WO2022247478A1

Abstract

The embodiment of the invention relates to a network synchronization technology and discloses a time synchronization method, a time synchronization device, electronic equipment and a storage medium. In the invention, the time synchronization method comprises the following steps: acquiring network element information of a time synchronization network; dividing a time synchronization network into a plurality of layers of subnets from high to low according to the network element information; generating port configuration information of each network element of the time synchronization network according to the division result; the port configuration information is used for indicating the time service relationship between the network element and the adjacent network element; and correspondingly issuing the port configuration information of each network element to each network element. The time synchronization method of the invention can reduce the fault related range, reduce the fault positioning difficulty and reduce the maintenance cost of the time synchronization network.

Description

Time synchronization method, device, electronic equipment and storage medium

Technical Field

The embodiment of the application relates to the field of network synchronization, and in particular, to a time synchronization method, a time synchronization device, an electronic device, and a storage medium.

Background

With the rapid development of networks, time synchronization protocols such as Precision Time Protocol (PTP) have gained more and more attention and are widely used. Operators at home and abroad continuously use a PTP protocol to perform time synchronization, and gradually replace a mode of performing time synchronization by using a global positioning system (GPS for short).

In the related time synchronization network, the network scale is large, the networking topology relationship is complex, when one time synchronization network element or a link connecting two time synchronization network elements fails, all the time synchronization network elements connected with the network element or the link are affected, a large amount of alarms are generated in the whole time synchronization network, great difficulty is brought to fault location, and further recalculation and adjustment of a time synchronization path in a large range of the time synchronization network are caused.

Therefore, the related time synchronization method has the following problems: the time synchronization network has large wave and range after fault, large difficulty in fault positioning and high maintenance cost.

Disclosure of Invention

The embodiments of the present application mainly aim to provide a time synchronization method, an apparatus, an electronic device, and a storage medium, which can reduce a fault related range, reduce a fault location difficulty, and reduce a time synchronization network maintenance cost.

In order to achieve the above object, an embodiment of the present application provides a time synchronization method, including: acquiring network element information of a time synchronization network; dividing a time synchronization network into a plurality of layers of sub-networks from high to low according to the network element information; each subnet except the last layer subnet is a ring-shaped subnet, each subnet is respectively connected with one or more next-layer subnets, each subnet and the next-layer subnet are provided with at least one shared network element, and each subnet unidirectionally provides time to the next-layer subnet through the shared network element; the number of the highest-level subnets in the multilayer subnets is greater than or equal to 1, the highest-level subnets comprise a master time source network element of the time synchronization network, the master time source network element is connected with a master clock of the time synchronization network, and time service is obtained from the master clock; generating port configuration information of each network element of the time synchronization network according to the division result; the port configuration information is used for indicating the time service relationship between the network element and the adjacent network element; and correspondingly issuing the port configuration information of each network element to each network element.

In order to achieve the above object, an embodiment of the present application further provides a time synchronization apparatus, including: the acquisition module is used for acquiring network element information of the time synchronization network; the generation module is used for dividing the time synchronization network into a plurality of layers of subnets from high to low according to the network element information and generating port configuration information of each network element of the time synchronization network according to a division result; each layer of subnets except the last layer of subnets is connected with one or more next-layer subnets, each layer of subnets is a ring-shaped subnet, each layer of subnets and the next-layer subnets are provided with at least one shared network element, each layer of subnets unidirectionally time service to the next-layer subnets through the shared network elements, each layer of subnets comprises at least one highest-layer subnet, each highest-layer subnet comprises a master time source network element of a time synchronization network, the master time source network element unidirectionally time service to the highest-layer subnets through the master time source network element, the master time source network element is connected with a master clock of the time synchronization network, time service is obtained from the master clock, and port configuration information is used for indicating the time service relationship between the network elements and adjacent network elements; and the issuing module is used for correspondingly issuing the port configuration information of each network element to each network element.

To achieve the above object, an embodiment of the present application further provides an electronic device, including: at least one processor; a memory communicatively coupled to the at least one processor; the memory stores instructions executable by the at least one processor to enable the at least one processor to perform the time synchronization method described above.

To achieve the above object, an embodiment of the present application further provides a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program, and the computer program is executed by a processor to implement the time synchronization method.

According to the time synchronization method, the time synchronization network is divided into a plurality of layers of subnets from high to low, a plurality of subnets exist in each layer of subnet, wherein each subnet except the last layer of subnet is a ring-shaped subnet, each subnet is respectively connected with one or more next-layer subnets, unidirectional time service is provided to the next-layer subnet, and the next-layer subnet cannot provide time service to the next-layer subnet.

Drawings

FIG. 1 is a flow chart of a method for time synchronization according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 2 is a diagram of a time synchronization apparatus and a time synchronization network element according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 3 is a schematic diagram of a multi-layer subnet provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 4 is a topology diagram of a PTN network to which multiple layers of subnets are applied according to an embodiment of the present invention;

figure 5 is a schematic diagram of a port configuration of a network element according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a flow chart of a method for time synchronization according to another embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 7 is a schematic structural diagram of a time synchronization apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 8 is a schematic structural diagram of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed Description

To make the objects, technical solutions and advantages of the embodiments of the present application clearer, the embodiments of the present application will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, it will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that in the examples of the present application, numerous technical details are set forth in order to provide a better understanding of the present application. However, the technical solution claimed in the present application can be implemented without these technical details and various changes and modifications based on the following embodiments. The following embodiments are divided for convenience of description, and should not constitute any limitation to the specific implementation manner of the present application, and the embodiments may be mutually incorporated and referred to without contradiction.

The embodiment of the invention relates to a time synchronization method, as shown in fig. 1, specifically comprising:

step 101, obtaining network element information of a time synchronization network;

step 102, dividing a time synchronization network into a plurality of layers of sub-networks from high to low according to network element information; each subnet except the last layer subnet is a ring-shaped subnet, each subnet is respectively connected with one or more next-layer subnets, each subnet and the next-layer subnet have at least one shared network element, and each subnet unidirectionally provides time for the next-layer subnet through the shared network element; the number of the highest-layer subnets in the multilayer subnets is greater than or equal to 1, the highest-layer subnets comprise a main time source network element of a time synchronization network, the main time source network element is connected with a main clock of the time synchronization network, and time service is obtained from the main clock;

103, generating port configuration information of each network element of the time synchronization network according to the division result; the port configuration information is used for indicating the time service relationship between the network element and the adjacent network element;

and 104, correspondingly sending the port configuration information of each network element to each network element.

The time synchronization method of the embodiment is applied to management equipment of a time synchronization network such as network management equipment and a cloud server, and the management equipment is in communication connection with each network element node of the time synchronization network to manage each network element node. The embodiment can be used for any time synchronization network management scene. In any Network such as a Packet Transport Network (PTN), an IP Radio Access Network (IPRAN), or an Optical Transport Network (OTN), the method provided in the present invention can be used to perform hierarchical domain-division management of a time synchronization Network as long as the time synchronization function is enabled.

As shown in fig. 2, the management device of the time synchronization network may communicate with each time synchronization network element node to manage each time synchronization network element node, and different time synchronization network element nodes are connected through a physical link. The time synchronization network is a time synchronization network formed by connecting different network elements with physical links through specific physical ports in order to realize time synchronization. The management equipment of the time synchronization network is responsible for acquiring the network element information of the time synchronization network, generating the configuration information of each network element in the multilayer sub-network of the time synchronization network and transmitting the configuration information to the corresponding network element. Each network element can realize the function of time synchronization network classification and domain division based on the relevant configuration information issued by the management equipment of the time synchronization network. A time synchronization network is provided with a master time source network element which is connected with a clock of the time synchronization network, time service is obtained from the master clock, and each network element of the time synchronization network directly or indirectly obtains the time service from the master time source network element, so that the aim of time synchronization of the whole network is fulfilled.

Taking a PTN network as an example, the PTN network is a packet transport network implemented based on MPLS-TP standard, and generally adopts an IEEE1588v2 protocol to implement time synchronization and provide a time synchronization signal to a base station. IEEE1588V2 is a PTP protocol, and realizes that time information is transmitted from a node with a GPS receiving function to a node without a GPS in a boundary clock mode. In a time synchronization network using the PTP protocol, each network element node contains a model of a real-time clock. The IEEE1588 standard divides clocks within the entire network into two categories: an Ordinary Clock (OCs) and a Boundary Clock (BC). The OC has only one PTP communication port, while the BC has a plurality of PTP communication ports, and each PTP port is capable of independent PTP communication. The PTP communication port is configured with the time service relationship between the OC or BC node and the adjacent network element nodes connected through the PTP communication port. The OC is used as a main clock to provide a time source or as the last-level terminal in a time synchronization network to obtain time service from other network elements, but cannot be used as an intermediate node to time service other nodes. The BC has a plurality of PTP physical communication ports connected with the network, each PTP port is the same as the PTP port of the OC, one port is terminated after receiving the PTP message of the upstream network element, and then a new PTP message is generated and transmitted downwards. Wherein, the port in the Slave state (representing that the clock is synchronized through the port) obtains the time of the Grandmaster clock through the interaction of the PTP messages, and synchronizes the local clock; the local time is resynchronized to the other clocks through the Master port (indicating that this port is used to synchronize the other clocks). If the port is in the Passive state, it indicates that the port is not available.

In the existing time synchronization network, the BC needs to generate a new PTP message according to the PTP message received from the upstream and transmit the new PTP message downward. Therefore, when a time synchronization network element or a link connecting two time synchronization network elements fails, a BC cannot acquire correct time service, and cannot send a correct PTP message to a downstream network element to perform correct time service, so that a downstream BC cannot continue to perform correct time service to a BC further downstream, because the connection relationship of the entire time synchronization network is complicated, a failure may spread to various directions, a large-scale network element generates an alarm in the entire time synchronization network, which may bring great difficulty to fault location.

The time synchronization method of the embodiment divides the time synchronization network into a plurality of layers of subnets from high to low, each layer of subnet has a plurality of subnets, wherein each subnet except the last layer of subnet is a ring-shaped subnet, each subnet is respectively connected with one or more next-layer subnets, and unidirectional time service is provided to the next-layer subnet, because the next-layer subnet cannot provide time service to the next-layer subnet, if a fault occurs in the time synchronization subnet, the fault only affects downstream network elements of fault-associated network elements, and does not affect other subnets and upper-layer subnets in the same layer, when the fault occurs in the time synchronization network, the fault can be directly positioned in the highest layer in the fault layer, so that the fault affecting range is reduced, the fault positioning difficulty is reduced, and only the time synchronization path of the subnet where the fault exists needs to be recalculated and adjusted, so that the lower layer does not need to change the path when the shared network element obtains the correct time service, so that the recalculation and adjustment of the time synchronization path in the large range are not needed, and the maintenance cost of the time synchronization network is reduced.

The following describes the implementation details of the time synchronization method of the present embodiment in detail, and the following is only provided for the convenience of understanding and is not necessary for implementing the present embodiment.

In step 101, the management device receives network element information reported by each network element node of the time synchronization network, so as to obtain the network element information of the time synchronization network, where the network element information may be time physical port and link information corresponding to each network element, identification information of each network element, a communication address of each network element, and the like.

In step 102, the management device divides the time synchronization network into multiple layers of subnets from high to low according to the network element information, specifically, the management device generates a topology map of the time synchronization network according to the network element information, and divides the time synchronization network into multiple layers of subnets from high to low according to the topology map. Wherein, one subnet corresponds to a management domain, the divided multilayer subnets are shown in fig. 3, each subnet except the last layer subnet is a ring-shaped subnet, each subnet is respectively connected with one or more next-layer subnets, each subnet and the next-layer subnet have at least one shared network element, and each subnet unidirectionally provides time to the next-layer subnet through the shared network element; subnets at lower levels cannot time to higher level subnets or to time subnets at the same level. The number of the highest-layer subnets in the multilayer subnets is greater than or equal to 1, the highest-layer subnets comprise a main time source network element of the time synchronization network, the main time source network element is connected with a main clock of the time synchronization network, and time service is obtained from the main clock. As shown in fig. 3, the subnet X and the subnet Z are the first-tier subnets, and the subnet Y is the second-tier subnet. The topological graph is obtained by abstracting the whole time synchronization network, and comprises nodes and edges. The nodes corresponding to the time-synchronized network element nodes can be of different types, and the edges are correspondingly connected with the links between the two network elements, so that the corresponding edge attributes (such as the length of the optical fibers) can be increased.

In one example, the shared network element is a time source network element of a next layer of sub-network; other network elements except the time source network element in the ring-shaped subnet acquire time service from one adjacent network element, and switch the time service direction after the correct time service cannot be acquired, and acquire time service from another adjacent network element.

Specifically, as shown in fig. 3, the network element 1 is a master time source network element, the subnet X and the subnet Z are the first-tier subnets with the highest hierarchy, the subnet T and the subnet Y are the second-tier subnets connected to the subnet X, the subnet W and the subnet V are the second-tier subnets connected to the subnet Z, the subnet S is the third-tier subnet connected to the subnet T, the subnet R is the third-tier subnet connected to the subnet Y and is a non-ring-type subnet, and the subnet U is the third-tier subnet connected to the subnet V. The network element 2 is a shared network element of the subnet X and the subnet Y, wherein the subnet Y is a subnet at a lower layer of the subnet X, and therefore, the network element 2 is a time source network element of the subnet Y, and the network element 5 and the network element 6 connected to the network element 2 in the subnet Y are unidirectionally time-served, and the network element 5 and the network element 6 cannot time-served to the network element 2. Network element 2 must obtain time service from the network elements adjacent to subnet X, i.e. network element 3 or network element 4. Two network elements are connected by a standby link in a subnet without a time service relation, so that the situation that one network element in the subnet acquires time service from two upstream network elements is avoided, and when the time service direction needs to be switched, the standby link is enabled to enable the network element to acquire time service from the other direction. This spare link may exist between any two connected network elements in the ring subnet.

In each network element, the algorithm can be set to control the network element to switch the time service direction and obtain the time service from another adjacent network element when the network element cannot obtain the correct time service. The configuration of the ports of the network element connected with the upstream network element and the downstream network element can be exchanged by changing the configuration of the ports of the network element connected with the adjacent network element, and the time service is obtained from the original downstream network element and is provided for the original upstream network element. And the downstream network element, the upstream network element and the network element connected with the downstream network element correspondingly switch the time service direction, so that other network elements except the network element directly related to the fault in the ring-shaped subnet can obtain correct time service.

In this embodiment, because other network elements in the ring-shaped subnet except the time source network element obtain time service from one adjacent network element, and switch the time service direction after correct time service cannot be obtained, and obtain time service from another adjacent network element, the shared network element is the time source network element of the next-layer subnet, but obtain time service from the adjacent network element of the present-layer subnet, when a fault occurs, the fault only affects the network element in the next-layer subnet from which time service is obtained, but does not affect other network elements in the subnet of the hierarchy where the fault is located, thereby further reducing the fault coverage and reducing the fault location difficulty and maintenance cost.

In an example, the management device may divide the time synchronization network into multiple layers of subnets from high to low by receiving the multiple layers of subnet division information sent by the client, and may also obtain the multiple layers of subnet division information input by the user through a configuration interface provided by the time synchronization apparatus. The method mainly depends on knowledge and experience of customers, combines a network hierarchical structure (such as a core layer, a convergence layer and an access layer), divides a time synchronization network into different levels, and then configures the level to which a time synchronization node belongs and a corresponding sub-network through manual configuration. The method has large workload, depends on artificial experience knowledge, is only suitable for the condition of simple network structure, and generally has difficulty in obtaining optimal grading and domain division depending on artificial planning when the network structure is complex.

In one example, the management device divides the time synchronization network into multiple layers of subnets from high to low by: s1, with a main time source network element as a starting point, traversing each edge to search for an optimal search ring which can return to the starting point along the other edge, wherein the number of the optimal search rings is more than or equal to 1, the network elements passed by the search rings are free network elements which are not divided into any sub-networks, and each optimal search ring is taken as a highest-level sub-network; s2, traversing other network elements except the main time source network element of the highest-level sub-network to be new starting points, traversing each edge of the new starting points to search for an optimal search ring which can return to the new starting point along the other edge, and taking each optimal search ring returning to the new starting point as a second-level sub-network; s3, traversing all the currently obtained subnets of the last layer, taking other network elements except the time source network element as new starting points, traversing all the edges of the new starting points to search for the optimal search ring capable of returning to the new starting points along the other edge, taking the optimal search ring returning to the new starting points as the next layer of subnets, and repeatedly executing S3 until the optimal search ring cannot be formed; and if a new starting point has a search path which cannot form the search circle, taking the search path as a last-layer subnet.

Specifically, the management device may use a time synchronization network intelligent hierarchical algorithm to divide the hierarchical subnets into a plurality of layers according to the topological graph, where the algorithm steps are as follows:

the method comprises the following steps: and taking the main time source network element as a starting node, starting searching from the starting node along one direction from one edge in the graph, finding out the optimal search circle which can pass through at least one network element and return to the starting node through the other edge of the starting node, and taking the optimal search circle as a subnet with one level. A level of one indicates the highest. In this way all edges of the search start node are traversed, so that if the start node connects multiple network elements simultaneously, multiple time subnets of one level may be found.

Step two: and sequentially traversing the subnetworks with the lowest hierarchy at present, taking each other network element as an initial node, starting searching along one edge in the graph in one direction, finding out the optimal search circle which can pass through at least one network element and return to the initial node through the other edge of the initial node, and taking the optimal search circle as the next-layer subnet.

Step three: and repeating the second step until all the nodes of the time synchronization network are divided into the time subnets of the corresponding hierarchy. Generally, a ring networking or Mesh networking is usually adopted, based on the above steps, all nodes are divided into time subnets of corresponding levels, and step four may not be executed.

Step four: if there is a node which is not divided into the corresponding hierarchical sub-network by adopting the steps, and the network is usually in a chain or tree-shaped network topological structure, starting from the adjacent node of the node which is divided into the sub-network, the rest nodes are used as the sub-network of the next hierarchical level, and all nodes on the chain or tree-shaped network connected with the rest nodes are used as the sub-network of the next hierarchical level. Until all nodes are divided onto the time subnets of the corresponding hierarchy, i.e., there are no free nodes in the time synchronization network that are not divided into any subnet.

Further, when calculating the optimal search circle, the management device calculates the optimal search circle based on the number of hops passed by the search circle (i.e., the number of nodes or edges passed by the search circle), and in principle, the less the number of hops passed, the optimal search circle is obtained. If there is a case where the two search round hops are the same. Then the types of different network element nodes are compared, and in principle, the higher the processing performance of the network element equipment type is, the optimal search circle passing through the network element node is. If the two search circles have the same hop count and the network elements passing through have the same type, the length of the link or the available bandwidth is compared, and in principle, the shorter the length of the edge or the larger the available bandwidth is, the optimal time synchronization path passing through the edge is obtained, and the search circle is further optimal.

In this embodiment, the optimal search circle is the search circle with the smallest number of free network elements, that is, the number of network elements in the search circle is as small as possible, so that the number of divided levels is as large as possible, the divided levels are finer, the fault coverage is further reduced, and the fault positioning difficulty and the maintenance cost are reduced.

In another example, after obtaining the first optimal search circle, that is, a subnet with one hierarchy, the management device may continue to divide the subnet with the next hierarchy along the nodes on the subnet until the subnet with the last hierarchy is divided, then divide the subnet with one hierarchy from the master time source network element, and continue to divide the subnets with the next hierarchy from the master time source network element until the network element connected to the master time source network element and no free network element exists in the time synchronization network.

In one example, the PTN network implements time synchronization of all network element devices in an IEEE1588v 2PTP protocol, and provides time information to the base station. If the user selects a method based on manual planning and manual configuration, the management equipment provides an interface for the user to select how many levels of time synchronization subnets to create, provides an interface for the user to select which network elements belong to which level, and divides the time synchronization network into multiple layers of subnets from high to low according to the selection information of the user. As shown in fig. 4, the middle of the graph is a time synchronization network, which is composed of a master clock, a core layer, a convergence layer, routes of an access layer, and two or three layers of bridge points. The time synchronization network has fewer network elements, the topology is simple, and the time synchronization network can be divided into a plurality of sub-networks as shown in the figure, wherein the time synchronization network is divided into 3 levels, the highest level I corresponds to a core layer, the level II corresponds to a convergence layer, and the level III corresponds to an access layer. There are 1 time subnet of level one, 1 time subnet of level two, and 2 time subnets of level three. Meanwhile, the manual configuration can only realize one-way time service from the high-level time subnet to the low-level time subnet, and is realized by specifically setting the configuration of network element time ports which belong to the high-level time subnet and the low-level time subnet, and the port on the side of the low-level time subnet is set as a forced Master, so that reverse time service is avoided. In the figure, besides the network elements of the multi-layer sub-network, there is also a master clock, which is connected to a network element device on the core layer side (i.e. master time source network element), which is time-synchronized by a GPS. The rightmost side in the figure is a service layer of the PTN Network, which may include Network elements such as a Radio Network Controller (RNC), a Base Station Controller (BSC), a Mobile Management Entity (MME), a Serving GateWay (SGW), a GateWay GSN (GGSN), and an Access GateWay (AGW). The leftmost side is the NodeB, the Enb base station, the enterprise or factory building network equipment and the like which are connected with each route of the access stratum.

If the user selects to automatically complete the time synchronization network classification based on the algorithm, the management device automatically completes the time synchronization network classification and domain division configuration based on the algorithm. The specific algorithm steps are as described above. Based on the algorithm of the invention, the time synchronization network is also divided into three levels, wherein the time subnets of the first level are 1, the time subnets of the second level are 1, the time subnets of the third level are 2, the result of the manual planning is basically consistent, and the specific network element setting is also basically consistent.

In another example, a time synchronization method for an ip ran network is provided for a scenario of an ip ran network time synchronization network. The IPRAN is an end-to-end service bearing Network which is based on an IP/MPLS protocol and a key technology, mainly faces to mobile service bearing, provides two-layer and three-layer channel service bearing, and relies on a china telecommunication Next generation bearing Network (CN 2 for short) backbone layer by taking province as a unit. The IPRAN network mainly comprises an access layer, a convergence layer and a core layer, wherein the core layer is divided into a metropolitan area core layer and a provincial core layer. The IPRAN network also typically uses IEEE1588v2 protocol to achieve time synchronization, and provides a time synchronization signal to the base station. The PTN and the IPRAN are realized by adopting an IEEE1588v2 protocol, and the networking architectures of the PTN and the IPRAN are similar. Therefore, the technical solution for the time synchronization method of the ip ran network is basically the same as that of the time synchronization method of the PTN network, and is not described again.

In step 103, the management device generates port configuration information of each network element of the time synchronization network according to the division result; the port configuration information is used for indicating the time service relationship between the network element and the adjacent network element.

Specifically, the management device may generate the port configuration information by acquiring manual configuration information sent by the client, or may automatically generate the port configuration information after hierarchical division.

Taking the BC and OC configuration manner in fig. 5 as an example, for each network element, port configuration is performed to generate port configuration information of each network element. As shown in fig. 5, BC1 (i.e., boundary Clock-1) is connected to OC1, i.e., boundary Clock-1 (Grandmaster), via link 1, OC2, i.e., boundary Clock-2, via link 2, BC2, i.e., boundary Clock-2, via link 3, BC2 is connected to OC3 Boundary Clock-3 via link 4, and OC4 Boundary Clock-4 via link 5, respectively. Wherein, BC1 is a downstream network element of OC1, is an upstream network element of OC2, BC2, and BC2 is an upstream network element of OC3 and OC 4. The port of OC1 connected with BC1 is configured as Master (i.e. M), the port of BC1 connected with OC1 is configured as Slave (i.e. S) to indicate that OC1 time service to BC1 through link 1, and BC1 obtains time service from OC1 through link 1. The port connected with the OC2 in the BC1 is configured as a Master (i.e., M), the port connected with the BC1 in the OC2 is configured as a Slave (i.e., S), so as to indicate that BC1 time service to OC2 through the link 2, and OC2 obtains time service from BC1 through the link 2. The port in BC1 connected with BC2 is configured as Master (i.e., M), the port in BC2 connected with BC1 is configured as Slave (i.e., S), so as to indicate that BC1 time signals BC2 through link 3, and BC2 obtains time signals from BC1 through link 3. The port of BC2 connected to OC3 is configured as Master (i.e., M), the port of OC3 connected to BC2 is configured as Slave (i.e., S), so as to indicate that BC2 is time-service to OC3 through link 4, and OC3 is time-service acquired from BC2 through link 4. The port of BC2 connected to OC4 is configured as Master (i.e., M), the port of OC4 connected to BC2 is configured as Slave (i.e., S), so as to indicate that BC2 is time-service to OC4 through link 5, and OC4 is time-service acquired from BC2 through link 5. Wherein the Grandmaster's clock is synchronized to a specified time source (e.g., GPS). The

paths

1,2,3,4 and 5 may include transparent transmission clocks, the transparent transmission clocks transmit PTP messages without considering port states, and each clock in the figure is a router device.

In one example, the management device further stores the obtained network element information of the time synchronization network and the generated multilayer subnet structure of the time synchronization network, and after the generated port configuration information of each network element, the management device temporarily stores the port configuration information of each network element in a memory, and persistently stores the port configuration information in a database or a file for subsequent operations such as issuing and modifying. Alternative databases include common relational databases such as PostgreSQL, mySQL, oracle, etc., or graph databases Neo4j, orientDB, etc.

In one example, if the management device receives fault information reported by a network element, the port configuration information of the network element which cannot acquire correct time service is updated, and the network element switching time service direction which cannot acquire correct time service is indicated; and sending the updated port configuration information to the network element which cannot acquire correct time service.

Specifically, the network element that finds the self time synchronization function fault may report the fault information to the management device, or a downstream network element of the fault network element may report the fault information to the management device after receiving the error time service. When the fault occurs in the link between the two network elements, the downstream network element in the link may report the fault information to the management device. After receiving the fault information, the management device updates the port configuration information of the fault network element or the fault associated network element according to the subnet division result, so that the management device switches the time service direction and acquires the time service from another adjacent network element in the ring-shaped subnet.

In this embodiment, the management device changes the port configuration information of the fault-related network element, switches the time service direction, reduces the fault coverage, and reduces the fault location difficulty and the maintenance cost.

In step 104, the management device correspondingly issues the port configuration information of each network element to each network element. Specifically, the management device may respectively and correspondingly send the port configuration information of each network element to each network element in a message form.

After receiving the issued configuration information, each network element can take effect according to the issued configuration information, and the time port is set to force the configuration of the master to take effect, so that the condition that the time service is provided from the low-level time subnet to the high-level time subnet can not occur, and the function of grading and zoning the time synchronization network is completed.

In one example, the highest-level subnet includes a standby time source network element of the time synchronization network, where the standby time source network element is connected to a standby clock of the time synchronization network, and the standby time source network element is configured to obtain time service from a network element of the subnet where the standby time source network element is located, that is, the standby time source network element is connected to the standby clock of the time synchronization network through a standby link, and when the main clock normally operates, the standby time source network element does not enable the standby link between the standby time source network element and the standby clock to obtain time service, but obtains time service through an adjacent network element in the subnet where the standby time source network element is located. The time synchronization method further comprises: if the master clock fails, the management equipment changes the standby time source network element into the master time source network element, updates port configuration information of each network element of the subnet where the standby time source network element is located, and indicates each network element of the subnet where the standby time source network element is located to update the time service relationship with the adjacent network element; and correspondingly transmitting the updated port configuration information to each network element of the subnet where the standby time source network element is located. When the main clock fails, the standby link between the standby time source network element and the standby clock is enabled, the management equipment changes the standby time source network element into the main time source network element, and the standby time source network element provides unidirectional time for the adjacent network element.

In this embodiment, because the standby time source network element is in the highest-level subnet, and each highest-level subnet is connected to the master time source network element, the standby time source network element can provide a time source for the subnet by changing the configuration of each network element of the subnet where the standby time source network element is located, and each network element changes the time service relationship with the adjacent network element and can still obtain correct time service, and the master time source network element can also obtain correct time service from the adjacent network element and serve as a shared network element of the subnet where the standby time source network element is located and other highest-level subnets to provide unidirectional time service to other highest-level subnets.

In another embodiment of the present invention, as shown in fig. 6, the time synchronization method further includes: after step 104, step 105 may be further included, if the network element change information of the time synchronization network is received, re-dividing the time synchronization network according to the obtained network element information of the time synchronization network after the change;

step 106, updating the port configuration information of each network element according to the re-division result;

and step 107, correspondingly issuing the updated port configuration information of each network element to each network element.

The network element change information of the time synchronization network may be reported from each network element to the management device, and includes newly added network element information, deleted network element information, or network element link change information. If one or some nodes are added or deleted in the time synchronization network, the management equipment collects relevant information, updates the information of time synchronization network elements and links, automatically triggers the generation of each network element configuration of the time synchronization network, generates the latest configuration of the network element nodes, and sends the updated configuration of the network elements to the network element nodes for effectiveness.

In this embodiment, by receiving the network element change information of the time synchronization network, re-dividing the time synchronization network according to the obtained network element information of the time synchronization network after the change, updating the port configuration information of each network element according to the re-division result, and correspondingly issuing the updated port configuration information of each network element to each network element, when the structure of the time synchronization network changes, a multi-layer subnet can be updated, so that each network element obtains a correct time service.

An embodiment of the present invention further relates to a time synchronization apparatus as shown in fig. 7, including:

an acquisition module 701, configured to acquire network element information of a time synchronization network;

a generating module 702, configured to divide the time synchronization network into multiple sub-networks from high to low according to the network element information, and generate port configuration information of each network element of the time synchronization network according to a division result; each layer of subnets except the last layer of subnets is connected with one or more next-layer subnets, each layer of subnets is a ring-shaped subnet, each layer of subnets and the next-layer subnets are provided with at least one shared network element, each layer of subnets unidirectionally time service to the next-layer subnets through the shared network elements, each layer of subnets comprises at least one highest-layer subnet, each highest-layer subnet comprises a master time source network element of a time synchronization network, the master time source network element unidirectionally time service to the highest-layer subnets through the master time source network element, the master time source network element is connected with a master clock of the time synchronization network, time service is obtained from the master clock, and port configuration information is used for indicating the time service relationship between the network elements and adjacent network elements;

the issuing module 703 is configured to correspondingly issue the port configuration information of each network element to each network element.

In an example, in the multi-layer subnet generated by the generating module 702, the shared network element is a time source network element of a next-layer subnet; other network elements except the time source network element in the ring-shaped subnet acquire time service from one adjacent network element, and switch the time service direction after the correct time service cannot be acquired, and acquire time service from another adjacent network element.

In one example, the time synchronization apparatus further includes a storage module, configured to store the acquired network element information of the time synchronization network and the generated multi-layer subnet structure of the time synchronization network, and persistently store all the acquired network elements and link information of the time synchronization network in a database or a file, so that relevant information can be read when needed.

In an example, the generating module 702 is further configured to, if the fault information reported by the network element is received, update the port configuration information of the network element that cannot acquire the correct time service, and indicate that the network element that cannot acquire the correct time service switches the time service direction. The issuing module 703 is further configured to issue the updated port configuration information to a network element that cannot acquire correct time service.

In one example, the generating module 702 is further configured to perform the following steps to divide the time synchronization into multiple layers of subnets from high to low: s1, with a main time source network element as a starting point, traversing each edge to search for an optimal search ring which can return to the starting point along the other edge, wherein the number of the optimal search rings is more than or equal to 1, the network elements passed by the search rings are free network elements which are not divided into any sub-networks, and each optimal search ring is taken as a highest-level sub-network; s2, traversing other network elements except the main time source network element of the highest-layer subnet as new starting points, traversing each edge of the new starting points to search for an optimal search circle which can return to the new starting point along another edge, and taking each optimal search circle which returns to the new starting point as a second-layer subnet; s3, traversing all the currently obtained subnets of the last layer, taking other network elements except the time source network element as new starting points, traversing all the edges of the new starting points to search for the optimal search ring which can return to the new starting point along another edge, taking the optimal search ring returning to the new starting point as a next-layer subnet, and repeatedly executing S3 until the optimal search ring cannot be formed; if a search path which cannot form a search circle exists at the new starting point, the search path is taken as a last-layer sub-network.

In one example, the optimal search circle is the search circle with the least number of free cells.

In one example, the highest-level sub-network comprises a standby time source network element of the time synchronization network; the standby time source network element is connected with a standby clock of the time synchronization network; the standby time source network element is set to obtain time service from the network element of the subnet in which the standby time source network element is located; the generating module 702 is further configured to, when the master clock fails, change the standby time source network element to the master time source network element, update port configuration information of each network element of the subnet in which the standby time source network element is located, and indicate each network element of the subnet in which the standby time source network element is located to update the time service relationship with the adjacent network element; the issuing module 703 is further configured to correspondingly issue the updated port configuration information to each network element of the subnet where the standby time source network element is located.

In one example, the time synchronization apparatus further includes an interface module, configured to provide presentation of an interface of the time synchronization network, display topology information of the hierarchical domains of the time synchronization network, and provide the interface for a user to operate, where the user may manually configure, for example, setting configuration information of a time port, and the like, to complete manual configuration of the hierarchical domains of the time synchronization network.

In an example, the collecting module 701 is further configured to receive network element change information of the time synchronization network, and generate the generating module 702, and is further configured to, after receiving the network element change information of the time synchronization network, re-divide the time synchronization network according to the obtained network element information of the time synchronization network after the change; updating the port configuration information of each network element according to the re-division result; the issuing module 703 is further configured to correspondingly issue the updated port configuration information of each network element to each network element.

The embodiment of the present invention further relates to an electronic device, as shown in fig. 8, including: at least one processor 801; a memory 802 communicatively coupled to the at least one processor; the memory 802 stores instructions executable by the at least one processor 801, and the instructions are executed by the at least one processor 801 to perform the time synchronization method.

Where the memory 802 and the processor 801 are coupled by a bus, the bus may comprise any number of interconnected buses and bridges that couple one or more of the various circuits of the processor 801 and the memory 802 together. The bus may also connect various other circuits such as peripherals, voltage regulators, power management circuits, and the like, which are well known in the art, and therefore, will not be described any further herein. A bus interface provides an interface between the bus and the transceiver. The transceiver may be one element or a plurality of elements, such as a plurality of receivers and transmitters, providing a means for communicating with various other apparatus over a transmission medium. Information processed by the processor 801 may be transmitted over a wireless medium through an antenna, which may receive information and transmit information to the processor 801.

The processor 801 is responsible for managing the bus and general processing and may also provide various functions including timing, peripheral interfaces, voltage regulation, power management, and other control functions. And memory 802 may be used to store information used by the processor in performing operations.

Embodiments of the present invention also relate to a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program. The computer program realizes the above-described method embodiments when executed by a processor.

That is, as can be understood by those skilled in the art, all or part of the steps in the method according to the above embodiments may be implemented by a program instructing related hardware, where the program is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions to enable a device (which may be a single chip, a chip, or the like) or a processor (processor) to execute all or part of the steps in the method according to the embodiments of the present application. And the aforementioned storage medium includes: a U-disk, a removable hard disk, a Read-Only Memory (ROM), a Random Access Memory (RAM), a magnetic disk or an optical disk, and other various media capable of storing program codes.

It will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that the foregoing embodiments are specific embodiments for practicing the invention, and that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention in practice.

Claims

1. A method of time synchronization, comprising:

acquiring network element information of a time synchronization network;

dividing the time synchronization network into a plurality of layers of sub-networks from high to low according to the network element information; each subnet except the last layer subnet is a ring-shaped subnet, each subnet is respectively connected with one or more next-layer subnets, each subnet and the next-layer subnet have at least one shared network element, and each subnet unidirectionally provides time for the next-layer subnet through the shared network element; the number of the highest-layer subnets in the multilayer subnets is greater than or equal to 1, the highest-layer subnets comprise a main time source network element of the time synchronization network, and the main time source network element is connected with a main clock of the time synchronization network and acquires time service from the main clock;

generating port configuration information of each network element of the time synchronization network according to the division result; the port configuration information is used for indicating the time service relationship between the network element and the adjacent network element;

and correspondingly issuing the port configuration information of each network element to each network element.

2. The time synchronization method according to claim 1, wherein the common network element is the time source network element of the next layer subnet;

and other network elements except the time source network element in the ring-shaped subnet acquire time service from one adjacent network element, and switch the time service direction after the correct time service cannot be acquired, and acquire time service from another adjacent network element.

3. The method for time synchronization according to claim 2, further comprising:

if fault information reported by a network element is received, updating the port configuration information of the network element which can not acquire correct time service, and indicating the network element which can not acquire correct time service to switch the time service direction;

and sending the updated port configuration information to the network element which can not acquire correct time service.

4. The time synchronization method according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the dividing the time synchronization network into a plurality of layers of sub-networks from high to low comprises:

s1, with the main time source network element as a starting point, traversing each side to search for an optimal search circle which can return to the starting point along the other side, wherein the number of the optimal search circles is more than or equal to 1, the network element passed by the search circle is a free network element which is not divided into any sub-network, and each optimal search circle is taken as each highest-level sub-network;

s2, traversing other network elements of the highest-layer sub-network except the main time source network element as new starting points, traversing each edge of the new starting points to search for an optimal search circle which can return to the new starting points along another edge, and taking each optimal search circle which returns to the new starting points as a second-layer sub-network;

s3, traversing all the currently obtained subnets of the last layer, taking other network elements except the time source network element as the new starting point, traversing all the edges of the new starting point to search for an optimal search circle which can return to the new starting point along another edge, taking all the optimal search circles returning to the new starting point as the next layer of subnets, and repeatedly executing the S3 until the optimal search circle cannot be formed;

the optimal search circle comprises at least three network elements;

and if the new starting point has a search path which cannot form the search circle, taking the search path as a last-layer sub-network.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the optimal search circle is the search circle passing through the fewest number of free cells.

6. The time synchronization method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the highest-level sub-network comprises a standby time source network element of the time synchronization network; the standby time source network element is connected with a standby clock of the time synchronization network; the standby time source network element is set to obtain time service from the network element of the subnet in which the standby time source network element is located;

the method further comprises the following steps: if the master clock fails, changing the standby time source network element into the master time source network element, updating port configuration information of each network element of a subnet where the standby time source network element is located, and indicating each network element of the subnet where the standby time source network element is located to update the time service relationship with the adjacent network element;

and correspondingly issuing the updated port configuration information to each network element of the subnet where the standby time source network element is located.

7. The time synchronization method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the method further comprises:

if receiving the network element change information of the time synchronization network, re-dividing the time synchronization network according to the acquired network element information of the changed time synchronization network;

updating the port configuration information of each network element according to the re-division result;

and correspondingly issuing the updated port configuration information of each network element to each network element.

8. A time synchronization apparatus, comprising:

the acquisition module is used for acquiring network element information of the time synchronization network;

a generating module, configured to divide the time synchronization network into multiple layers of subnets from high to low according to the network element information, and generate port configuration information of each network element of the time synchronization network according to a division result; each layer of subnets except the last layer of subnets is connected with one or more next-layer subnets, each layer of subnets is a ring-shaped subnet, each layer of subnets and the next-layer subnets have at least one shared network element, each layer of subnets unidirectionally provides time to the next-layer subnets through the shared network elements, each layer of subnets comprises at least one highest-layer subnet, each highest-layer subnet comprises a master time source network element of the time synchronization network, the master time source network element unidirectionally provides time to the highest-layer subnets through the master time source network element, the master time source network element is connected with a master clock of the time synchronization network, time is obtained from the master clock, and port configuration information is used for indicating the time relationship between the network element and an adjacent network element;

and the issuing module is used for correspondingly issuing the port configuration information of each network element to each network element.

9. An electronic device, comprising:

at least one processor;

a memory communicatively coupled to the at least one processor;

the memory stores instructions executable by the at least one processor to enable the at least one processor to perform the method of time synchronization of any one of claims 1 to 7.

10. A computer-readable storage medium, in which a computer program is stored which, when being executed by a processor, carries out the method for time synchronization according to any one of claims 1 to 7.