CN118282550A

CN118282550A - Clock source determining method, network equipment and network management equipment

Info

Publication number: CN118282550A
Application number: CN202211722475.2A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 吕京飞; 崔延卿; 陈聪; 王锦辉
Original assignee: Huawei Technologies Co Ltd
Current assignee: Huawei Technologies Co Ltd
Priority date: 2022-12-30
Filing date: 2022-12-30
Publication date: 2024-07-02

Abstract

The application provides a clock source determining method, network equipment and network management equipment, wherein the method comprises the following steps: the first network device determines that a first clock, which is a clock source of the first network device, is changed. The first network device determines that the second clock is a clock source of the first network device according to topology information of the transmission network and a clock quality level of at least one network device in the transmission network. The topology information of the transport network indicates a connection relationship of the first network device with at least one network device in the transport network. The method is applied to quickly and accurately determining the clock source to be tracked.

Description

Clock source determining method, network equipment and network management equipment

Technical Field

The present application relates to the field of communications, and in particular, to a method for determining a clock source, a network device, and a network management device.

Background

Currently, clock synchronization techniques may be employed in a transport network to achieve clock synchronization of a plurality of network devices in the transport network. For example, synchronization ethernet (synchronous ethernet, syncE) technology or Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 1588v2 synchronization technology may be employed in a transport network to achieve clock synchronization for a plurality of network devices in the transport network.

In the process of implementing clock synchronization of a plurality of network devices in a transmission network by adopting a clock synchronization technology, how to quickly and accurately determine a clock source to be tracked by each network device is a problem to be solved at present.

Disclosure of Invention

The application provides a clock source determining method, network equipment and network management equipment, which are used for rapidly and accurately determining a clock source needing to be tracked.

In a first aspect, a method for determining a clock source is provided, the method being applied to a first network device in a transport network, the method comprising: the first network device determines that a first clock, which is a clock source of the first network device, is changed. The first network device determines that the second clock is a clock source of the first network device according to topology information of the transmission network and a clock quality level of at least one network device in the transmission network. The topology information of the transport network indicates a connection relationship of the first network device with at least one network device in the transport network.

In the above method, the first network device may acquire topology information of the transmission network and clock quality of each network device. And the clock source to be tracked can be determined according to the topology information of the transmission network and the clock quality of each network device. Compared with the method for determining the clock source provided by the related art, the method provided by the application can be used for determining the clock source to be tracked more quickly and accurately.

In one possible design, the first network device determining that the first clock as the clock source of the first network device changes includes: the first network device determines that the clock quality level of a first clock serving as a clock source of the first network device changes; or the first network device determines that a link failure exists between the first network device and a first clock that is a clock source of the first network device.

In the above-described design, by dividing "the first clock as the clock source of the first network device is changed" into two cases, that is, "the clock quality level of the first clock as the clock source of the first network device is changed" and "there is a link failure between the first network device and the first clock as the clock source of the first network device", the method for determining a clock source provided by the embodiment of the present application can be applied to different network devices (for example, a network device adjacent to a link failure and a network device not adjacent to a link failure).

In one possible design, the topology information of the transmission network includes: port information of network devices passing between the first network device to each of the at least one network device. Wherein the port information includes at least one of a clock priority of the port and whether a clock used by the port can be used as a clock source of other network devices.

In the above design, considering that the clock quality level of each network device in the transmission network is known, the clock source to which the network device will eventually track is determined according to the port information of the network device passing through from the network device to at least one other network device in the transmission network. Wherein the port information includes at least one of a clock priority of the port and whether a clock used by the port can be used as a clock source of other network devices. By the design, the clock source of the network equipment can be determined more efficiently and quickly.

In one possible design, the method further comprises: the first network device receives a first message from a second network device adjacent to the first network device. The first message includes: the clock quality level of one or more network devices themselves in the transport network and the port information of the one or more network devices. The first network device determines topology information of the transmission network according to port information of one or more network devices.

In order to enable each network device in the transmission network to acquire topology information of the transmission network and clock quality levels of other network devices in the transmission network, an information transfer message (such as the first message in the above design) is defined in the embodiment of the present application. The information transfer message may carry the own clock quality level of each network device and the port information of the network device. Furthermore, by means of mutual information transmission messages between network devices, on one hand, each network device can determine the own clock quality level of other network devices; on the other hand, the network devices can determine the port information of other network devices, and further obtain the topology information of the transmission network.

In one possible design, the method further comprises: the first network device adds the clock quality level of the first network device and the port information of the first network device to the first message to obtain a second message. The first network device forwards the second message to a third network device adjacent to the first network device.

In the above design, considering that the manner of forwarding the message between the network devices is considered, when each network device obtains the clock quality level and the port information of the other network devices, a manner similar to a dragon connection may be adopted, and when the first network device receives the first message, the first network device updates the information (i.e. the clock quality level and the port information) of the first network device into the message, and forwards the updated second message to the next hop device. In this way, the next-hop device may determine, according to the received packet, information of each network device including the first network device.

In one possible design, the method further comprises: and after the first network equipment detects that the link fault exists in the transmission network, updating the topology information of the transmission network.

By the design, the topology information of the transmission network recorded by the first network equipment can be consistent with the real-time topology state of the transmission network, so that the clock source of the network equipment can be determined more efficiently and rapidly.

In a second aspect, there is provided a clock management method applied to a network management device in a transmission network, the method comprising: the network management device obtains topology information of the transmission network and a clock quality level of at least one network device in the transmission network, wherein the topology information of the transmission network indicates a connection relationship between a first network device in the transmission network and at least one network device in the transmission network. The network management device sends topology information of the transmission network and its own clock quality level of the at least one network device to the first network device.

In the above method, in order to enable each network device in the transmission network to acquire topology information of the transmission network and a clock quality level of at least one network device in the transmission network, a network management device in the transmission network may acquire the topology information of the transmission network and the clock quality level of at least one network device in the transmission network, and then the network management device sends the acquired topology information of the transmission network and the clock quality level of at least one network device in the transmission network to each network device in the transmission network. In this way, the overhead of the network devices may not be taken up to determine topology information of the transport network and the clock quality level of at least one network device itself in the transport network.

In one possible design, the topology information of the transmission network includes: port information of network devices passing between the first network device to each of the at least one network device. The port information includes at least one of a clock priority of the port and whether a clock used by the port can be a clock source of other network devices.

In one possible design, the method further comprises: the network management equipment updates topology information of the transmission network after detecting that a link fault exists in the transmission network; the network management device sends the updated topology information of the transmission network to the first network device.

In a third aspect, there is provided a first network device comprising: and the detection unit is used for determining that the first clock serving as the clock source of the first network equipment changes. And the processing unit is used for determining the second clock as the clock source of the first network equipment according to the topology information of the transmission network and the clock quality grade of at least one network equipment in the transmission network, wherein the topology information of the transmission network indicates the connection relation between the first network equipment and the at least one network equipment in the transmission network.

In one possible design, the detecting unit, configured to determine that the first clock as the clock source of the first network device changes, includes: the detecting unit is used for determining that the clock quality level of a first clock serving as a clock source of the first network device changes; or the detecting unit is configured to determine that a link failure exists between the first network device and a first clock that is a clock source of the first network device.

In one possible design, the topology information of the transmission network includes: port information of network devices passing between the first network device and each network device in the at least one network device; the port information includes at least one of a clock priority of the port and whether a clock used by the port can be used as a clock source of other network devices.

In one possible design, the first network device further comprises: a transceiver unit, configured to receive a first packet from a second network device adjacent to the first network device, where the first packet includes: the clock quality level of one or more network devices in the transmission network itself and the port information of the one or more network devices; the processing unit is further configured to determine topology information of the transmission network according to port information of the one or more network devices.

In one possible design, the processing unit is further configured to add the clock quality level of the first network device and port information of the first network device to the first packet to obtain a second packet; the transceiver unit is further configured to forward the second packet to a third network device adjacent to the first network device.

In one possible design, the processing unit is further configured to update topology information of the transport network after detecting that a link failure exists in the transport network.

In a fourth aspect, there is provided a network management apparatus including: the processing unit is used for acquiring topology information of the transmission network and the clock quality level of at least one network device in the transmission network, wherein the topology information of the transmission network indicates the connection relation between a first network device in the transmission network and the at least one network device in the transmission network; and the receiving and transmitting unit is used for transmitting the topology information of the transmission network and the clock quality level of the at least one network device to the first network device.

In one possible design, the processing unit is further configured to update topology information of the transport network after detecting that a link failure exists in the transport network; the transceiver unit is further configured to send the updated topology information of the transmission network to the first network device.

In a fifth aspect, there is provided a first network device comprising a processor and an interface through which the processor receives or transmits data, the processor being configured to implement a method as set out in the first aspect or any one of the designs of the first aspect.

In a sixth aspect, there is provided a network management device comprising a processor and an interface, the processor receiving or transmitting data through the interface, the processor being configured to implement the method as set forth in the second aspect or any one of the designs of the second aspect.

In a seventh aspect, there is provided a first network device comprising a processor and a memory having instructions stored therein which, when executed on the processor, implement a method as designed in the first aspect or any one of the first aspects.

In an eighth aspect, there is provided a network management device comprising a processor and a memory having instructions stored therein which, when executed on the processor, implement a method as set out in the second aspect or any one of the designs of the second aspect.

A ninth aspect provides a transmission system comprising a network management device as provided in any of the fourth or fourth aspects or the sixth or eighth aspects and one or more network devices. Wherein the one or more network devices comprise the first network device as provided in any one of the third aspect or any one of the fifth aspect or the seventh aspect.

In a tenth aspect, there is provided a chip comprising a processor and an interface, the processor receiving or transmitting data through the interface, the processor being configured to implement a method as set forth in the first aspect or any one of the designs of the second aspect.

In an eleventh aspect, there is provided a computer readable storage medium having instructions stored therein, which when run on a processor, implement a method as designed in the above first aspect or any one of the first aspects or the above second aspect or any one of the second aspects.

A twelfth aspect provides a computer program product comprising instructions which, when run on a processor, implement a method as designed in any of the above first or second aspects or in any of the above second or second aspects.

Drawings

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

fig. 2 is a schematic structural diagram of another transmission network according to the present application;

fig. 3 is a schematic structural diagram of another transmission network according to the present application;

FIG. 4 is a flow chart of a method for determining a clock source according to the present application;

fig. 5 is a schematic structural diagram of another transmission network according to the present application;

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating another method for determining a clock source according to the present application;

fig. 7 is a schematic structural diagram of another transmission network according to the present application;

FIG. 8 is a schematic flow chart of a clock management method according to the present application;

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

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

fig. 11 is a schematic structural diagram of an electronic device according to the present application;

fig. 12 is a schematic structural diagram of another electronic device according to the present application.

Detailed Description

The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present application. In the embodiments of the present application, the same items or similar items having substantially the same functions and actions are distinguished by the words of "first", "second", etc. for the sake of clarity in describing the embodiments of the present application. It will be appreciated by those of skill in the art that the words "first," "second," and the like do not limit the amount and order of execution, and that the words "first," "second," and the like do not necessarily differ. Meanwhile, in the embodiments of the present application, words such as "exemplary" or "such as" are used to mean serving as examples, illustrations or explanations. Any embodiment or design described herein as "exemplary" or "e.g." in an embodiment should not be taken as preferred or advantageous over other embodiments or designs. Rather, the use of words such as "exemplary" or "such as" is intended to present related concepts in a concrete fashion that may be readily understood.

First, an application scenario of the embodiment of the present application is described:

Currently, in order to realize efficient transmission of data, a clock synchronization technology may be adopted in a transmission network to realize clock synchronization of a plurality of network devices in the transmission network.

Fig. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a transmission network according to an embodiment of the present application. In particular, the transmission network 10 may be a mobile communication network, for example, the transmission network 10 may be a fourth generation mobile communication technology (4th Generation Mobile Communication Technology,4G) network, a 5G network, or the like. In order to achieve efficient transmission of data, frequency synchronization is generally required during data transmission. Taking the example that the base station a forwards data to the base station B through the transmission network 10 in fig. 1, the specific base station a forwards the data to the network device a, the network device a forwards the data to the network device B through the transmission network 10 after receiving the data, and then the network device B forwards the data to the base station B, thereby completing the data transmission. In this process, if the base station a forwards data to the network device a at a frequency of x packets per second, the network device b is required to forward data to the base station b at a frequency of x packets per second.

In order to meet the requirement of frequency synchronization in the data transmission process, a clock synchronization technology is adopted in the related art to realize clock synchronization of a plurality of network devices in a transmission network. And each network device can utilize the tracked clock source to adjust the frequency adopted when transmitting data, so that the effect of frequency synchronization is achieved in the process of transmitting data.

Illustratively, the transport network 10 shown in FIG. 1 includes building integrated timing supply systems (BITS), namely BITS-1 and BITS-2.

Wherein BITS-1 and BITS-2 may track satellite clocks over the air (e.g., satellite clocks of global positioning system (global positioning system, GPS) or beidou satellite navigation system (beidou navigation SATELLITE SYSTEM, abbreviated BDS)), and then each network device in transmission network 10 may achieve clock synchronization of each network device in transmission network 10 by tracking clocks of BITS-1 or BITS-2. For example, in fig. 1, BITS-1 or BITS-2 may send a clock signal to a network device of a core layer, then the network device of the core layer sends the clock signal to a network device of a convergence layer, and then the network device of the convergence layer sends the clock signal to a network device of an access layer, thereby implementing clock synchronization of each network device in the transmission network 10.

In the practical application process, BITS-1 and BITS-2 can be in a primary-backup relationship. That is, under normal operating conditions, clock signals may be sent by BITS-1 to various network devices in transport network 10 for clock synchronization. When BITS-1 is out of operation, then a clock signal is sent by BITS-2 to each network device in transport network 10.

Further, since a plurality of adjacent network devices are generally connected to each network device in the transmission network 10, that is, the network device may acquire a plurality of clock signals through the adjacent network devices. Thus, how to select an appropriate clock source for the network device becomes a problem that needs to be solved at present.

In response to the above-mentioned problems, in the international telecommunications union telecommunication standardization sector (international telecommunication union telecommunication standardization sector, ITU-T) g.781 standard, a method for determining a clock source is provided for a synchronous ethernet (synchronous ethernet, syncE) technology. Specifically, the method mainly comprises the following steps:

first, synchronization status information (synchronization status message, SSM) messages may be sent between adjacent network devices in the transport network. The SSM packet may include a clock quality level of a clock source of a network device that transmits the SSM packet.

Specifically, if the network device tracks clocks of other network devices, the SSM message sent by the network device carries the clock quality level of the clock source tracked by the network device; if the network device does not track clocks of other network devices, that is, the network device adopts its own clock signal as a clock source, the SSM message sent by the network device carries its own clock quality level.

It should be noted that, in the embodiment of the present application, an entity tracked by a network device (the entity may be the network device itself (i.e. according to the clock of the network device itself), or the entity may also be another network device (i.e. track the clock of another network device), etc.) is referred to as a "clock source" of the network device. For example, when network device a performs clock synchronization using a clock signal from adjacent network device B, that is, network device a tracks the clock of network device B, it may be referred to as: the clock source of the network device a is the clock of the network device B. For another example, when a network device does not track other network devices, but uses its own clock signal to synchronize with other network devices, then the clock source of the network device is the clock of the network device itself. Hereinafter, unless otherwise indicated, the above-mentioned understanding can be made with respect to "clock source".

It can be seen that by sending SSM messages between adjacent network devices, each network device can determine the clock quality level of the clock sources of other network devices adjacent thereto.

Each network device then compares the clock quality level of the clock source of the network device adjacent to the network device and the clock quality level of the network device itself based on the received SSM message.

On the one hand, if there is a clock with the highest clock quality level, the network device takes the clock as a clock source so as to perform clock synchronization. On the other hand, if there are a plurality of clocks with the same highest clock quality level, according to the clock priority of each port of the network device connected with the adjacent network device, determining the port with the highest clock priority, and further using the network device connected with the port with the highest clock priority as the clock source. In another aspect, if the clock priorities of the plurality of ports are the same, one port is randomly selected from the ports with the same clock priority, and then the network device connected with the port is used as the clock source.

The method for determining the clock source is described below with reference to examples. Fig. 2 is a schematic structural diagram of a transmission network according to an embodiment of the present application.

Wherein the transmission network 20 comprises at least one SyncE server, the SyncE server 211 and the SyncE server 212 are exemplified in fig. 2. Wherein the function of the SyncE server may be implemented by BITS. In particular, the SyncE server is capable of tracking satellite clocks over the air and providing clock signals for clock synchronization to other network devices in the transport network. For example, the SyncE server has a clock quality level of: quality level-reference clock (QL-PRC) clock signals, whereas the clock quality level of a typical network device (e.g., switch, router, etc.) can generally only reach the quality level-synchronized device clock (QL-SEC) level.

The SyncE server 211 and the SyncE server 212 may be active-standby relationships. I.e. in normal operation, the clock signal for clock synchronization is provided by the SyncE server 211 to other network devices in the transport network. When other network devices in the transport network cannot receive the clock signal from the SyncE server 211, the clock signal may be obtained from the SyncE server 212 for clock synchronization.

In addition, the transport network 20 further includes a plurality of Network Elements (NEs) for forwarding data. The figures illustrate NE221, NE222, NE223, and NE224 as examples. It will be appreciated that in practice, a greater or lesser number of NEs may be included in transport network 20, and embodiments of the present application are not limited thereto.

Wherein NE221 has one end connected to SyncE server 211 and one end connected to NE222. Illustratively, in fig. 2, the clock priority of a port is represented by a number, with smaller numbers representing higher clock priorities. The clock priority of the port connected to the SyncE server 211 on the NE221 is "1", the clock priority of the port connected to the NE222 is "2", that is, the clock priority of the port connected to the SyncE server 211 on the NE221 is higher than the clock priority of the port connected to the NE222.

NE222 is connected to NE221 on one end and NE223 on the other end. Wherein the clock priority of the port to which the NE221 is connected on the NE222 is "1", and the clock priority of the port to which the NE223 is connected is "2", that is, the clock priority of the port to which the NE221 is connected on the NE222 is higher than the clock priority of the port to which the NE223 is connected.

NE223 is connected to NE222 at one end and NE224 at one end. Wherein the clock priority of the port to which the NE222 is connected on the NE223 is "1", and the clock priority of the port to which the NE224 is connected is "2", that is, the clock priority of the port to which the NE222 is connected on the NE223 is higher than the clock priority of the port to which the NE224 is connected.

NE224 has one end connected to NE223 and one end connected to SyncE server 212. Wherein the clock priority of the port connecting to NE223 on NE224 is "1" and the clock priority of the port connecting to SyncE server 212 is "2", i.e. the clock priority of the port connecting to NE223 on NE224 is higher than the clock priority of the port connecting to SyncE server 212.

According to the above method for determining clock source in the related art, it can be confirmed that, in the transmission network shown in fig. 2, the clock synchronization path is: syncE server 211- > NE221- > NE222- > NE223- > NE224.SyncE server 212 may act as a backup clock source for NE224.

For the above method for determining clock source, in the embodiment of the present application, it is considered that: according to the method for determining clock source, the device is usually required to switch clock sources for multiple times, so that the convergence rate of the clock source determining process of each network device in the transmission network is slow, and a lot of time is required to stabilize to the final clock synchronization path.

For example, as shown in (a) of fig. 3, when a link failure occurs in a link between the SyncE server 211 and the NE221 in the transport network 20, the above-described clock source determination method is followed:

First, when a link between the NE221 and the SyncE server 211 fails, the NE221 may lose a clock signal from the SyncE server 211 on the one hand; on the other hand, since the clock source before the NE222 is the clock of the NE221, as shown in (a) of fig. 3, the NE222 may send an unavailable (DNU) signal to the NE221 indicating that the NE221 is not to track the clock of the NE 222. Therefore, no other clock source can be tracked by the NE221 at this time, and the NE221 uses its own clock as the clock source. Thus, NE221 sends out (including sending to NE 222) SSM messages carrying its own clock quality level (e.g., QL-SEC).

Then, since the clock source of the NE222 is the clock of the NE221 at this time, the clock quality level of the clock source of the NE222 is also switched to QL-SEC. Thus, NE222 sends out (including sending to NE 223) SSM messages carrying the clock quality level (e.g., QL-SEC) of the clock source of NE222 (i.e., the clock of NE 221).

Similarly, NE223, upon receiving an SSM message from NE222, also switches the clock quality level to QL-SEC and sends an SSM message carrying the clock quality level QL-SEC of the clock source of NE223 (i.e., the clock of NE 222) to NE 224.

Then, after receiving the SSM packet from the NE223, the NE224 may determine, on the one hand, that the clock quality level of the clock source of the NE223 is QL-SEC according to the SSM packet; on the other hand, NE224 is also able to receive a clock signal (the clock quality level of which is QL-PRC) from SyncE server 212. Thus, NE224 switches the clock source to the clock of the Sync server 212 to which port 2 is connected).

After the NE224 switches the clock source to the clock of the Sync server 212, the NE224 sends SSM messages carrying the clock quality level QL-PRC to the NE223 as shown in fig. 3 (b).

Then, the NE223 determines the clock quality level QL-PRC of the NE224 from the SSM message from the NE224, which is higher than the clock quality level QL-SEC of the NE222, and the NE223 switches the clock source to the clock of the NE224 to which the port 2 is connected. The NE223 then sends SSM messages carrying the clock quality level QL-PRC to the NE 222.

Similarly, NE222 switches the clock source to the clock of NE223 to which port 2 is connected after receiving the SSM message from NE 223. The NE222 then sends SSM messages carrying the clock quality level QL-PRC to the NE 221.

Then, NE221 switches the clock source to the clock of NE222 to which port 2 is connected after receiving the SSM message from NE 222.

To this end, each network device in the transmission network 20 completes the determination of the clock source.

It can be seen that in the above process, more steps are required to stabilize the clock source of each network device to the final clock synchronization path. In practical application scenarios, hundreds or thousands of network devices are often included in the transmission network, so that it takes more time to determine the clock source of each network device.

Aiming at the technical problems, the embodiment of the application provides a method for determining a clock source. In the method, each network device can acquire topology information of a transmission network and clock quality of each network device. And the clock source to be tracked can be determined according to the topology information of the transmission network and the clock quality of each network device.

For example, in the transport network shown in fig. 2, when a link failure occurs between the SyncE server 211 and the NE221, the NE221 is taken as an example. After the NE221 determines that the clock source of the NE221 changes, on one hand, the NE221 may determine, according to the own clock quality of each network device, that the network device with the highest own clock quality level in the current transmission network is the SyncE server 212; on the other hand, the NE221 may also determine a connection relationship between the NE221 and the SyncE server 212 according to topology information of the transport network, that is, the NE221 may connect to the SyncE server 212 through the NE222, the NE223, and the NE 224. That is, NE221 may determine that final NE221 needs to track the clock signal of NE222 to track the clock with the highest level of clock quality.

Thus, NE221 may directly determine the clock of NE222 as the clock source without going through the process of sequentially passing SSM messages with reduced clock quality level to QL-SEC in fig. 3 (a) and sequentially switching the clock sources by the network devices in fig. 3 (b).

Similarly, when the NEs 222, 223 and 224 determine that the clock signals as their clock sources are changed, the NEs 222, 223 and 224 may determine the corresponding clock signals as the respective clock sources according to the topology information of the transmission network and the own clock quality of each network device, respectively.

Compared with the method for determining the clock source provided by the related art, the method for determining the clock source provided by the embodiment of the application can determine the clock signal to be tracked more quickly and accurately.

The method for determining the clock source provided by the embodiment of the application is described in detail below with reference to examples. Taking the transport network 20 shown in fig. 2 as an example, in the case that a link failure occurs between the SyncE server 211 and the NE221 in the transport network 20, as shown in fig. 4, the method may include:

S301, NE221 determines that there is a link failure between NE221 and the clock source that is NE 221.

As is apparent from the above description, the clock source of the NE221 is the clock of the SyncE server 211 in normal cases (for convenience of description, the clock of the SyncE server 211 will be referred to as "clock a" hereinafter). When a link failure occurs between the SyncE server 211 and the NE221 in the transport network 20, the NE221 may determine that a link failure exists between the NE221 and the clock a by detecting an alarm of a corresponding clock signal, or the like.

S302, the NE221 determines the clock b as a clock source of the NE221 according to topology information of the transmission network and a clock quality level of at least one network device in the transmission network.

Illustratively, in fig. 2, the clock quality level of at least one network device in the transmission network may specifically include: NE222, NE223, NE224, and the sync e server 212's own clock quality level. For example, NEs 222, 223 and 224 have their own clock quality level QL-SEC, and SyncE server 212 has its own clock quality level QL-PRC.

It may be appreciated that in the embodiment of the present application, the clock quality level of the clock signal generated by using local hardware (e.g. a quartz resonator, etc.) of the network device, or the clock quality level of the clock signal obtained by adjusting the clock signal generated by using local hardware (e.g. a quartz resonator, etc.) of the network device is referred to as the clock quality level of the network device itself. The above understanding of "self clock quality level" is made below, except where specifically indicated.

In addition, the topology information specifically indicates a connection relationship between the NE221 and at least one network device in the transport network. For example, the topology information described above indicates the connection relationship of the NE221 with the NEs 222, 223, and 224, respectively.

In one implementation, considering that the own clock quality level of each network device in the transport network is known, the clock that the network device will eventually track which port is connected (or, to determine which port is connected to be the clock source) may be determined based on the port information of the network device to the network device through which at least one other network device in the transport network passes. Wherein the port information includes at least one of a clock priority of the port and whether a clock used by the port can be used as a clock source of other network devices.

Thus, the topology information may specifically include: the port information of the NE221 to the network device passing between the network devices of the at least one network device.

For example, in the transport network shown in fig. 2, when a link failure occurs between the SyncE server 211 and the NE221, on the one hand, the NE221 may determine that the own clock quality level QL-PRC of the SyncE server 212 is the highest among the network devices according to the own clock quality levels of at least one network device in the transport network (i.e., the own clock quality levels of the NE222, the NE223, the NE224, and the SyncE server 212).

On the other hand, port information of each network device passing between the NE221 and the SyncE server 212 may specifically include: ports traversed by NEs 221 through 222 (i.e., port 2 on NE221 and port 1 on NE 222), ports traversed by NEs 222 through 223 (i.e., port 2 on NE222 and port 1 on NE 223), ports traversed by NEs 223 through 224 (i.e., port 2 on NE223 and port 1 on NE 224), ports traversed by NEs 221 through 222 (i.e., port 2 on NE221 and port 1 on NE 222), respectively, the corresponding clock priorities of these ports and whether the clocks used by the ports can be used as clock sources for other network devices.

Thus, by the SyncE server 212's own clock quality level QL-PRC being the highest of these network devices, and the port information of each network device passed between the NE221 to the SyncE server 212, the NE221 can determine: when the link between SyncE server 211 and NE221 fails, NE224 will track the clock from SyncE server 212, NE223 will track the clock signal from NE224, and NE222 will track the clock signal from NE 223.

Thus, by tracking the clock from NE222, NE221 can achieve the effect that the clock tracked by NE221 (i.e., the clock source of NE 221) is QL-PRC level clock after the clock synchronization path is stable.

That is, the NE221 may use the clock of the NE222 (i.e., the clock b) as the clock source of the NE221, so that the clock tracked by the NE221 (i.e., the clock source of the NE 221) is the QL-PRC level after the clock synchronization path is stable. In contrast to the method for determining clock sources described in the related art described above, in the method provided in fig. 4, the NE221 can directly determine the clock from the NE222 as the clock source of the NE221, without waiting for the NE224, the NE223 and the NE222 to switch the clock sources after completing the switching, so that the clock source that the NE221 needs to track can be determined quickly and accurately.

In addition, in one implementation manner, in order to enable each network device in the transmission network to obtain topology information of the transmission network and clock quality levels of other network devices in the transmission network, an information transfer message may be defined in the embodiment of the present application.

The information transfer message may carry the own clock quality level of each network device and the port information of the network device. Furthermore, by means of mutual information transmission messages between network devices, on one hand, each network device can determine the own clock quality level of other network devices; on the other hand, the network devices can determine the port information of other network devices, and further obtain the topology information of the transmission network.

It will be appreciated that, in the practical application, the above-mentioned messages carrying the clock quality level of each network device and the port information of the network device may also be referred to as other names besides "information transfer messages". Such as a transfer message or an information bearing message, etc. As long as the message can be used to carry "the own clock quality level of each network device and the port information of the network device", the message can be understood as an "information transfer message" in the embodiment of the present application.

Thus, as shown in fig. 4, the method may further comprise:

S303, NE221 receives a first message a from a neighboring network device (which may be NE222 in this example).

The first packet a may include a clock quality level of one or more network devices in the transmission network and port information of one or more network devices. Wherein, as described above, the port information includes at least one of a clock priority of the port and whether a clock used by the port can be used as a clock source of other network devices.

For example, the first packet a received by the NE221 from the NE222 may include the own clock quality level of the NE222 and port information of the NE 222.

For another example, the first message a received by the NE221 from the NE222 may be an information delivery message that is forwarded to the NE222 by the NE223 and then forwarded to the NE221 by the NE 222. Therefore, the first packet a may further include the own clock quality level of the NE223 and the port information of the NE 223.

For another example, in one aspect, the first message from the NEs 223, 224 may be received by the NE222 first, thereby enabling the NE222 to determine the own clock quality levels and port information of the NEs 223, 224. NE222 may then forward NE222, NE223, and NE 224's own clock quality levels and port information in an information delivery message (i.e., a first message) to NE221. In this way, the first packet a received by the NE221 includes the own clock quality levels and port information of the NEs 222, 223 and 224.

In one implementation, the method further comprises:

s304, the NE221 adds the clock quality level of the NE221 and the port information of the NE221 to the first packet a, so as to obtain a second packet b.

S305, NE221 forwards the second message b to the network device adjacent to NE 221.

Illustratively, as shown in FIG. 5, it is assumed that a NE225 adjacent to NE221 is also included in transport network 20. NE221 may send a second message b to NE225. In this way, after receiving the second packet b, the NE225 may determine, on one hand, the own clock quality level of one or more network devices and one or more network device port information carried in the original first packet a, and on the other hand, the own clock quality level of the NE221 and the NE221 port information.

In the above design, considering that the manner of forwarding the information transfer message between the network devices is considered, when each network device obtains the own clock quality level and port information of the other network devices, a manner similar to a dragon connection may be adopted, and when the NE221 receives the information transfer message, the own information (i.e. the own clock quality level and port information) is updated into the message, and the updated information transfer message is forwarded to the next hop device. In this way, the next hop device can determine information of each network device including the NE221 according to the received packet.

In one implementation, the method further comprises:

s306, the NE221 updates topology information after detecting that there is a link failure in the transport network.

In one possible design, NE221 detecting the presence of a link failure in the transport network may include: NE221 detects a link failure between NE221 and the adjacent network device.

For example, after detecting a link failure between the NE221 and the SyncE server 211, the NE221 may update topology information of the transport network recorded in the NE221 according to the link failure, so as to more accurately determine a clock source of the NE221 according to the updated topology information.

It will be appreciated that the link failure detected by the NE221 may be a link failure caused by a hardware failure of the NE221 itself, or may be a link failure caused by a hardware failure of an adjacent network device (for example, the SyncE server 211), or may be a failure of a transmission medium between the NE221 and the adjacent network device. There may be no limitation in embodiments of the present application as to the type of link failure detected by NE 221.

In another possible design, NE221 detecting the presence of a link failure in the transport network may include: NE221 receives failure identification messages from other network devices.

Illustratively, in the transport network shown in fig. 2, assuming a link failure between NE223 and NE224, NE223 may generate a failure identification message carrying the link failure to a neighboring network device (e.g., NE 222). The NE222 then forwards the failure identification message to the NE221, so that the NE221 can determine that a link failure exists in the transport network according to the failure identification message.

In the above embodiment, the method for determining the clock source provided in the embodiment of the present application is mainly described by taking the workflow of the NE221 adjacent to the link failure after the link failure occurs between the SyncE server 211 and the NE211 in fig. 2 as an example. It can be understood that the method for determining a clock source provided by the embodiment of the present application may also be used in a network device that is not adjacent to a link failure (and may also be understood as including other network devices between the network device and the failed link).

Next, taking the workflow of the NE222 that is not adjacent to the link failure after the link failure occurs between the SyncE server 211 and the NE211 in fig. 2 as an example, the method for determining the clock source provided in the embodiment of the present application will be described.

Specifically, as shown in fig. 6, the method includes:

s401, the NE222 determines that the clock quality level as the clock source of the NE222 changes.

Illustratively, the clock source of NE222 is the clock of NE221 before a link failure occurs between SyncE server 211 and NE 211. When a link failure occurs between the SyncE server 211 and the NE211, if the NE221 follows the clock source determining method in the related art, the NE221 uses its own clock as the clock source, and thus the clock quality level of the clock source of the NE222 changes.

S402, the NE222 determines the clock d as the clock source of the NE221 according to the topology information of the transmission network and the clock quality level of at least one network device in the transmission network.

The process of determining the clock d by the NE222 may refer to the corresponding process of determining the clock b by the NE221 in S302, and is repeated here, which is not described in detail.

It can be seen that, unlike the NE221 which "detects that there is a link failure between the NE221 and the clock signal as the clock source of the NE 221" (i.e., S301), the clock b is newly determined as the clock source of the NE221 (i.e., S302), the following are: in the method shown in fig. 6, the NE222 re-determines the clock d as the clock source of the NE222 after "determining that the clock quality level of the clock signal c as the clock source of the NE222 has changed" (i.e., S402).

Further, the contents of S301 and S401 described above can be summarized as: the first network device determines that a first clock, which is a clock source of the first network device, is changed.

The first network device may be any network device in the transmission network.

Specifically, in one aspect, when the first network device is a network device adjacent to the link failure, the first network device determines that the first clock, which is a clock source of the first network device, changes may be: a link failure is detected between the first network device and a clock source that is the first network device.

On the other hand, when the first network device is a network device that is not adjacent to the link failure, the first network device determines that the first clock, which is the clock source of the first network device, changes, may be: a change in a clock quality level is determined as a clock source of the first network device.

In addition, in one implementation, as shown in fig. 6, the method may further include:

S403, NE222 receives the first message c from the neighboring network device (e.g., receives the first message c from NE 223).

The first message c may include a clock quality level of one or more network devices in the transmission network and one or more network device port information. Wherein, as described above, the port information includes at least one of a clock priority of the port and whether a clock used by the port can be used as a clock source of other network devices.

Specifically, the implementation process of S403 may refer to the corresponding process in S303 above, and the repetition is not described herein.

Additionally, in one implementation, the method may further include:

S404, the NE222 adds the clock quality level of the NE222 and the port information of the NE222 to the first message c to obtain a second message d.

S405, the NE222 forwards the second packet d to a network device adjacent to the NE222 (e.g., sends the second packet d to the NE 221).

Specifically, the implementation process of S404-S405 may refer to the corresponding process in S304-S305 above, and the repetition is not described herein.

Additionally, in one implementation, the method may further include:

s406, the NE222 updates topology information after detecting that there is a link failure in the transport network.

Specifically, the implementation process of S406 may refer to the corresponding process in S306 above, and the details are not repeated here.

In addition, in one embodiment, in order that each network device in the transmission network may acquire topology information of the transmission network and a clock quality level of at least one network device in the transmission network, interaction between a network management device in the transmission network and each network device in the transmission network may be adopted to acquire the topology information of the transmission network and the clock quality level of at least one network device in the transmission network, and then the network management device sends the acquired topology information of the transmission network and the clock quality level of at least one network device in the transmission network to each network device in the transmission network.

Thus, as shown in fig. 7, the transmission network 20 may further include: network management device 230. Wherein the network management device 230 may interact with network devices in the transport network.

Specifically, an embodiment of the present application further provides a clock management method, as shown in fig. 8, where the method may further include:

S501, the network management device 230 acquires topology information of the transmission network and a clock quality level of itself of at least one network device in the transmission network.

Wherein the topology information of the transport network indicates a connection relationship between the first network device and at least one network device in the transport network.

S502, the network management device 230 sends topology information of the transmission network and the clock quality level of the at least one network device to the first network device in the transmission network.

The first network device may be specifically a NE221, a NE222, a NE223, a NE224, or the like, and various network devices of a clock source can be determined by using the method for determining a clock source provided by the embodiment of the present application. The type of the first network device may not be limited in the embodiment of the present application.

In one implementation, the topology information of the transport network includes port information of network devices passing between the first network device to each of the at least one network device.

The type of information included in the port information may refer to the description of the port information in the method for determining the clock source provided above, and the description is not repeated here.

In one implementation, the method may further include:

S503, the network management device 230 updates topology information of the transport network after detecting that there is a link failure in the transport network.

Illustratively, when a link failure occurs in the transport network, the network devices adjacent to the link failure may send a failure identification message to the network management device 230, and the network management device 230 may detect that the link failure exists in the transport network by reading the failure identification message. For example, when a link failure occurs between the NE221 and the SyncE server 211, the NE221 and/or the SyncE server 211 may send a failure identification message to the network management device 230 so that the network management device 230 detects the link failure.

After the network management device 230 detects that a link failure exists in the transport network, topology information of the transport network may be updated according to the link failure. For example, the port information of each network device in the transport network is updated according to the link failure.

S504, the network management device 230 sends the updated topology information of the transmission network to the first network device.

The network management device 230 sends the updated topology information of the transmission network to the first network device, so that the first network device can quickly and accurately determine the clock signal to be tracked according to the updated topology information of the transmission network.

The method for determining a clock source and the method for managing a clock provided in this embodiment are described in detail above with reference to fig. 4 to 8, and various apparatuses and devices corresponding to the methods provided in this embodiment will be described below.

Fig. 9 is a schematic structural diagram of a network device according to this embodiment. Specifically, the network device 60 may be configured to perform the steps performed by the NE221 in fig. 4 or the NE222 in fig. 6 and implement the corresponding functions.

In particular, the network device 60 may include a processing unit 601 and a transceiver unit 602. Wherein:

the processing unit 601 is configured to determine that a first clock serving as a clock source of the network device 60 changes.

The processing unit 601 is further configured to determine, according to topology information of the transmission network and a clock quality level of at least one network device in the transmission network, that the second clock is a clock source of the network device 60. The topology information of the transport network indicates a connection relationship of the network device 60 with the at least one network device in the transport network.

In one possible design, the processing unit 601 is configured to determine that a first clock as a clock source of the network device 60 changes, including:

A processing unit 601, configured to determine that a clock quality level of a first clock serving as a clock source of the network device 60 changes;

Or the processing unit 601 is configured to determine that a link failure exists between the network device 60 and a first clock that is a clock source of the network device 60.

In one possible design, the topology information of the transmission network includes: port information of network devices 60 to network devices passing between each of the at least one network device; the port information includes at least one of a clock priority of the port and whether a clock used by the port can be used as a clock source of other network devices.

In one possible design, network device 60 further includes:

A transceiver 602, configured to receive a first packet from a second network device adjacent to the network device 60, where the first packet includes: the clock quality level of one or more network devices in the transmission network itself and the port information of the one or more network devices;

The processing unit 602 is further configured to determine topology information of the transport network according to port information of the one or more network devices.

In one possible design, the processing unit 601 is further configured to add a clock quality level of the network device 60 and port information of the network device 60 to the first packet to obtain a second packet;

the transceiver 602 is further configured to forward the second packet to a third network device adjacent to the network device 60.

In a possible design, the processing unit 601 is further configured to update topology information of the transport network after detecting that a link failure exists in the transport network.

For a more detailed description of the processing unit 601 and the transceiver unit 602, reference may be made directly to the related description in the method shown in fig. 4 or fig. 6, which is not repeated here.

Fig. 10 is a schematic structural diagram of a network management device according to the present embodiment. Specifically, the network management device 70 may be configured to perform the steps performed by the network management device in fig. 8 and implement corresponding functions.

Specifically, the network management device 70 may include:

A processing unit 701, configured to obtain topology information of the transmission network and a clock quality level of at least one network device in the transmission network, where the topology information of the transmission network indicates a connection relationship between a first network device in the transmission network and the at least one network device in the transmission network;

A transceiver unit 702, configured to send topology information of the transmission network and a clock quality level of the at least one network device to the first network device.

In one possible design, the processing unit 701 is further configured to update topology information of the transport network after detecting that a link failure exists in the transport network;

The transceiver unit 702 is further configured to send the updated topology information of the transmission network to the first network device.

For a more detailed description of the processing unit 701 and the transceiver unit 702, reference may be directly made to the related description in the method shown in fig. 8, which is not repeated here.

Fig. 11 is a schematic structural diagram of an electronic device according to the above method embodiment. In particular, the electronic device 80 may be used to implement the functionality of the NE221 in fig. 4, the NE222 in fig. 6 or the network device 60 in fig. 9, or the electronic device 80 may be used to implement the functionality of the network management device in fig. 8 or fig. 10.

Referring to fig. 11, the electronic device 80 includes: all or part of the hardware in the processor 801, communication interface 802, and memory 803. Where the number of processors 801 in the electronic device 80 may be one or more, one processor is illustrated in fig. 10. In an embodiment of the present application, processor 801, communication interface 802, and memory 803 may be connected via a bus system or otherwise, where connection via bus system 804 is illustrated in FIG. 11.

The processor 801 may be a central processing unit (central processor unit, CPU), a network processor (network processor, NP), or a combination of CPU and NP. The processor 801 may also include a hardware chip. The hardware chip may be an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a programmable logic device (programmable logic device, PLD), or a combination thereof. The PLD may be a complex programmable logic device (complex programmable logic device, CPLD), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) GATE ARRAY, generic array logic (GENERIC ARRAY logic, GAL), or any combination thereof.

The communication interface 802 is used to receive and transmit data, and in particular, the communication interface 802 may include a receiving interface and a transmitting interface. Wherein the receiving interface may be used for receiving data and the transmitting interface may be used for transmitting data. The number of communication interfaces 802 may be one or more.

The memory 803 may include volatile memory (RAM), such as random-access memory (RAM); the memory 803 may also include a non-volatile memory (non-volatile memory), such as a flash memory (flash memory), a hard disk (HARD DISK DRIVE, HDD) or a solid state disk (solid-state drive-STATE DRIVE, SSD); the memory 803 may also include a combination of the above types of memory.

Optionally, the memory 803 stores an operating system and programs, executable modules or data structures, or a subset thereof, or an extended set thereof, wherein the programs may include various operational instructions for implementing various operations. The operating system may include various system programs for implementing various underlying services and handling hardware-based tasks. The processor 801 may read the program in the memory 803 to implement the method provided by the embodiment of the present application.

The memory 803 may be a memory device in the electronic apparatus 80 or may be a memory device independent of the electronic apparatus 80.

The bus system 804 may be a peripheral component interconnect (PERIPHERAL COMPONENT INTERCONNECT, PCI) bus, or an extended industry standard architecture (extended industry standard architecture, EISA) bus, among others. The bus system 3004 may be divided into an address bus, a data bus, a control bus, and the like. For ease of illustration, only one thick line is shown in FIG. 11, but not only one bus or one type of bus.

Fig. 12 is a schematic structural diagram of another electronic device provided in an embodiment of the present application, specifically, the electronic device 90 may be used to implement the functions of the NE221 in fig. 4, the NE222 in fig. 6, or the network device 60 in fig. 9, or the electronic device 80 may be used to implement the functions of the network management device in fig. 8 or fig. 10.

The electronic device 90 includes: a main control board 901 and an interface board 903.

The main control board 901 is also called a main processing unit (main processing unit, MPU) or a routing processing card (route processor card), and the main control board 901 controls and manages various components in the electronic device 90, including routing computation, device management, device maintenance, and protocol processing functions. The main control board 901 includes: a central processor 9011 and a memory 9012.

The interface board 903 is also referred to as a line interface unit card (line processing unit, LPU), line card, or service board. The interface board 903 is used to provide various service interfaces and to implement forwarding of data packets. The service interfaces include, but are not limited to, ethernet interfaces, such as flexible ethernet service interfaces (flexible ETHERNET CLIENTS, flexE Clients), POS (Packet over SONET/SDH) interfaces, and the like. The interface board 903 includes: a central processor 9031, a network processor 9032, an address table entry memory 9034, and a physical interface card (PHYSICAL INTERFACE CARD, PIC) 9033.

The central processor 9031 on the interface board 903 is used to control and manage the interface board 903 and communicate with the central processor 9011 on the main control board 901.

The network processor 9032 is configured to implement forwarding processing of a packet. The network processor 9032 may be in the form of a forwarding chip. Specifically, the processing of the uplink message includes: processing a message input interface and searching a forwarding table; the processing of the downstream message includes forwarding table lookup and the like.

The physical interface card 9033 is used to implement the docking function of the physical layer, from which the original traffic enters the interface board 903, and from which the processed messages are sent out. The physical interface card 9033 includes at least one physical interface, also referred to as a physical port. The physical interface card 9033, also called a daughter card, may be mounted on the interface board 903, and is responsible for converting the photoelectric signal into a message, performing validity check on the message, and forwarding the message to the network processor 9032 for processing. In some embodiments, the central processor 9031 of the interface board 1103 may also perform the functions of the network processor 9032, such as implementing software forwarding based on a general purpose CPU, so that the network processor 9032 is not required in the physical interface card 9033.

Optionally, the electronic device 90 comprises a plurality of interface boards, e.g. the electronic device 90 further comprises an interface board 904, the interface board 904 comprising: a central processor 9041, a network processor 9042, an address table entry memory 9044, and a physical interface card 9043.

Optionally, the electronic device 90 further comprises a switch board 902. Switch fabric 902 may also be referred to as a switch fabric unit (switch fabric unit, SFU). In the case of a first electronic device having a plurality of interface boards 903, the switch board 902 is used to complete data exchange between the interface boards. For example, communication between interface board 903 and interface board 904 may be through switch web 902.

The main control board 901 and the interface board 903 are coupled. For example. The main control board 901, the interface board 903 and the interface board 904 are connected with the system backboard through a system bus to realize intercommunication among the exchange network boards 902. In one possible implementation, an inter-process communication protocol (inter-process communication, IPC) channel is established between the main control board 901 and the interface board 903, and communication is performed between the main control board 901 and the interface board 903 through the IPC channel.

Logically, the electronic device 90 comprises a control plane comprising a main control board 901 and a central processor 9031, and a forwarding plane comprising various components performing forwarding, such as an address table entry memory 9034, a physical interface card 9033, and a network processor 9032. The control plane performs the functions of router, generating forwarding table, processing signaling and protocol message, configuring and maintaining the state of the device, etc., the control plane issues the generated forwarding table to the forwarding plane, and the network processor 9032 performs table lookup forwarding on the message received by the physical interface card 9033 based on the forwarding table issued by the control plane. The forwarding table issued by the control plane may be stored in the address table entry memory 9034. In some embodiments, the control plane and the forwarding plane may be completely separate and not on the same device.

It is understood that the processing unit 802 in the electronic device 80 may correspond to the central processor 9011 or the central processor 9031 in the electronic device 90.

It should be understood that the operations on the interface board 904 are consistent with the operations on the interface board 903 in the embodiment of the present application, and are not repeated for brevity.

It should be understood that the master control board may have one or more pieces, and that the master control board may include a main master control board and a standby master control board when there are more pieces. The more data processing capabilities of the electronic device 90, the more interface boards may be provided. The physical interface card on the interface board may also have one or more pieces. The switching network board may not be provided, or may be provided with one or more blocks, and load sharing redundancy backup can be jointly realized when the switching network board is provided with the plurality of blocks. In the centralized forwarding architecture, the electronic device 90 may not need to exchange network boards, and the interface board bears the processing function of the service data of the entire system. Under the distributed forwarding architecture, the electronic device 90 may have at least one switch fabric, through which data exchange between multiple interface boards is implemented, providing high capacity data exchange and processing capabilities. Therefore, the data access and processing power of the electronic device 90 of the distributed architecture is greater than that of the devices of the centralized architecture. Alternatively, the electronic device 90 may be in the form of only one board card, i.e. there is no switch board, and the functions of the interface board and the main control board are integrated on the one board card, where the central processor on the interface board and the central processor on the main control board may be combined into one central processor on the one board card, so as to perform the functions after stacking the two, and the data exchange and processing capability of the device in this form is low (for example, a low-end switch or a router, etc.). Which architecture is specifically adopted depends on the specific networking deployment scenario.

In some possible embodiments, the electronic device described above may be implemented as a virtualized device. For example, the virtualized device may be a Virtual Machine (VM) running a program for sending message functions, the virtual machine deployed on a hardware device (e.g., a physical server). Virtual machines refer to complete computer systems that run in a completely isolated environment with complete hardware system functionality through software emulation. The virtual machine may be configured as an electronic device. For example, the functionality of the electronic device may be implemented based on a generic physical server in combination with network function virtualization (network functions virtualization, NFV) technology. Those skilled in the art can virtually obtain the electronic device with the above functions on the general physical server by combining the NFV technology through reading the present application, and the details are not repeated here.

It should be noted that, in the embodiment of the present application, the electronic device may be a network device such as a switch, a router, or a part of components on the network device, for example, a board on the network device, a line card, a functional module on the network device, or a chip for implementing the method of the present application, and the embodiment of the present application is not limited specifically. When the electronic device is a chip, the interface circuit in the chip for performing the receiving or transmitting operation in the electronic device may be a processor in the chip for performing the processing operation.

In a specific implementation, the embodiment of the application also provides a chip, which comprises a processor and an interface circuit, wherein the interface circuit is used for receiving the instruction and transmitting the instruction to the processor; and the processor can be used for executing the operation of each electronic device in the communication method. Wherein the processor is coupled to a memory for storing programs or instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the chip to implement the method of any of the method embodiments described above.

Alternatively, the processor in the chip may be one or more. The processor may be implemented in hardware and/or in software. When implemented in hardware, the processor may be a logic circuit, an integrated circuit, or the like. When implemented in software, the processor may be a general purpose processor, implemented by reading software code stored in a memory.

Alternatively, the memory in the chip may be one or more. The memory may be integral with the processor or separate from the processor, and the application is not limited. The memory may be a non-transitory processor, such as a ROM, which may be integrated on the same chip as the processor, or may be separately provided on different chips, and the type of memory and the manner of providing the memory and the processor are not particularly limited in the present application.

The chip may be a field programmable gate array (field programmable GATE ARRAY, FPGA), an application-specific integrated chip (ASIC), a system on chip (SoC), a central processing unit (central processor unit, CPU), a network processor (network processor, NP), a digital signal processing circuit (DIGITAL SIGNAL processor, DSP), a microcontroller (micro controller unit, MCU), a programmable controller (programmable logic device, PLD) or other integrated chip, for example.

Embodiments of the present application also provide a computer readable storage medium comprising instructions or a computer program which, when run on a processor, causes the processor to perform the method provided by the above embodiments.

Embodiments of the present application also provide a computer program product comprising instructions or a computer program which, when run on a processor, cause an electronic device to perform the method provided by the above embodiments.

The terms "first," "second," "third," "fourth" and the like in the description and in the claims and in the above drawings, if any, are used for distinguishing between similar objects and not necessarily for describing a particular sequential or chronological order. It is to be understood that the data so used may be interchanged where appropriate such that the embodiments described herein may be implemented in other sequences than those illustrated or otherwise described herein. Furthermore, the terms "comprises," "comprising," and "having," and any variations thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, system, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of steps or elements is not necessarily limited to those steps or elements expressly listed but may include other steps or elements not expressly listed or inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus.

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

In the several embodiments provided in the present application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, devices, and methods may be implemented in other manners. For example, the above-described apparatus embodiments are merely illustrative, e.g., the division of units is merely a logical service division, and there may be additional divisions in actual implementation, e.g., multiple units or components may be combined or integrated into another system, or some features may be omitted, or not performed. Alternatively, the coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed with each other may be an indirect coupling or communication connection via some interfaces, devices or units, which may be in electrical, mechanical or other form.

The units described as separate units may or may not be physically separate, and units shown as units may or may not be physical units, may be located in one place, or may be distributed over a plurality of network units. Some or all of the units may be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purpose of the embodiment of the present application.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that in one or more of the examples described above, the services described herein may be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented in software, the services may be stored in a computer-readable medium or transmitted as one or more instructions or code on a computer-readable medium. Computer-readable media includes both computer storage media and communication media including any medium that facilitates transfer of a computer program from one place to another. A storage media may be any available media that can be accessed by a general purpose or special purpose computer.

The objects, technical solutions and advantageous effects of the present application have been described in further detail in the above embodiments, and it should be understood that the above are only embodiments of the present application.

The above embodiments are only for illustrating the technical solution of the present application, and not for limiting the same; although the application has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that: the technical scheme described in the foregoing embodiments can be modified or some technical features thereof can be replaced by equivalents; such modifications and substitutions do not depart from the spirit of the application.

Claims

1. A method of determining a clock source, the method being applied to a first network device in a transport network, the method comprising:

the first network device determines that a first clock serving as a clock source of the first network device changes;

The first network device determines a second clock as a clock source of the first network device according to topology information of the transmission network and a clock quality level of at least one network device in the transmission network, wherein the topology information of the transmission network indicates a connection relation between the first network device and the at least one network device in the transmission network.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first network device determining that the first clock as the clock source of the first network device has changed comprises:

The first network device determines that the clock quality level of a first clock serving as a clock source of the first network device changes;

Or the first network device determines that a link failure exists between the first network device and a first clock that is a clock source of the first network device.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the topology information of the transport network comprises: port information of network devices passing between the first network device and each network device in the at least one network device; the port information includes at least one of a clock priority of the port and whether a clock used by the port can be used as a clock source of other network devices.

4. A method according to any one of claims 1-3, wherein the method further comprises:

The first network device receives a first message from a second network device adjacent to the first network device, wherein the first message comprises: the clock quality level of one or more network devices in the transmission network itself and the port information of the one or more network devices;

The first network device determines topology information of the transmission network according to port information of the one or more network devices.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the method further comprises:

The first network device adds the clock quality level of the first network device and the port information of the first network device to the first message to obtain a second message;

The first network device forwards the second message to a third network device adjacent to the first network device.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1-5, further comprising:

and after the first network equipment detects that the link fault exists in the transmission network, the topology information of the transmission network is updated.

7. A clock management method, the method being applied to a network management device in a transport network, the method comprising:

The network management device obtains topology information of the transmission network and a clock quality level of at least one network device in the transmission network, wherein the topology information of the transmission network indicates a connection relationship between a first network device in the transmission network and the at least one network device in the transmission network;

The network management device sends topology information of the transmission network and a clock quality level of the at least one network device itself to the first network device.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the transmitting topology information of the network comprises: port information of network devices passing between the first network device and each network device in the at least one network device; the port information includes at least one of a clock priority of the port and whether a clock used by the port can be used as a clock source of other network devices.

9. The method according to claim 7 or 8, characterized in that the method further comprises:

the network management equipment updates topology information of the transmission network after detecting that a link fault exists in the transmission network;

the network management device sends the updated topology information of the transmission network to the first network device.

10. A first network device, comprising:

a processing unit, configured to determine that a first clock that is a clock source of the first network device changes;

The processing unit is further configured to determine, according to topology information of the transmission network and a clock quality level of at least one network device in the transmission network, that the second clock is a clock source of the first network device, where the topology information of the transmission network indicates a connection relationship between the first network device and the at least one network device in the transmission network.

11. The first network device of claim 10, wherein the processing unit configured to determine that a first clock that is a clock source of the first network device changes comprises:

The processing unit is used for determining that the clock quality level of a first clock serving as a clock source of the first network device changes;

or the processing unit is configured to determine that a link failure exists between the first network device and a first clock that is a clock source of the first network device.

12. The first network device according to claim 10 or 11, wherein the topology information of the transmission network comprises: port information of network devices passing between the first network device and each network device in the at least one network device; the port information includes at least one of a clock priority of the port and whether a clock used by the port can be used as a clock source of other network devices.

13. The first network device of any of claims 10-12, wherein the first network device further comprises:

A transceiver unit, configured to receive a first packet from a second network device adjacent to the first network device, where the first packet includes: the clock quality level of one or more network devices in the transmission network itself and the port information of the one or more network devices;

The processing unit is further configured to determine topology information of the transmission network according to port information of the one or more network devices.

14. The first network device of claim 13, wherein the processing unit is further configured to add a clock quality level of the first network device itself and port information of the first network device to the first packet to obtain a second packet;

the transceiver unit is further configured to forward the second packet to a third network device adjacent to the first network device.

15. The first network device according to any of the claims 10-14, wherein the processing unit is further configured to update topology information of the transport network after detecting that a link failure exists in the transport network.

16. A network management device, the network management device comprising:

The processing unit is used for acquiring topology information of the transmission network and the clock quality level of at least one network device in the transmission network, wherein the topology information of the transmission network indicates the connection relation between a first network device in the transmission network and the at least one network device in the transmission network;

And the receiving and transmitting unit is used for transmitting the topology information of the transmission network and the clock quality level of the at least one network device to the first network device.

17. The network management apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the transmission of topology information of the network includes: port information of network devices passing between the first network device and each network device in the at least one network device; the port information includes at least one of a clock priority of the port and whether a clock used by the port can be used as a clock source of other network devices.

18. The network management device according to claim 16 or 17, wherein the processing unit is further configured to update topology information of the transport network after detecting that a link failure exists in the transport network;

the transceiver unit is further configured to send the updated topology information of the transmission network to the first network device.

19. A first network device comprising a processor and an interface through which the processor receives or transmits data, the processor being configured to implement the method of any of claims 1-6.

20. A network management device comprising a processor and an interface through which the processor receives or transmits data, the processor being configured to implement the method of any of claims 7-9.

21. A transmission system comprising a network management device as provided in any one of claims 16-18 and claim 20 and one or more network devices, wherein the one or more network devices comprise the first network device as provided in any one of claims 10-15 and claim 19.

22. A computer readable storage medium having instructions stored therein which, when executed on a processor, implement the method of any of claims 1-9.

23. A computer program product comprising instructions which, when run on a processor, implement the method of any of claims 1-9.