KR101788402B1 - Method and system for performing service function chaining - Google Patents

Abstract

A method and system for performing a Service Function Chaining (SFC) in an SDN environment is disclosed. A method of performing SFC (Service Function Chaining) by a network device includes: checking a Service Function Path (SFP) for a packet received at a network device; Determining on the SFP a Service Function (SF) to which the received packet should pass; And processing the received packet based on whether the function of the SF is necessary. Therefore, the method and system for performing SFC according to the embodiment of the present invention as described above can be classified into mandatory SF and optional SF based on the function of SF or the setting for SFC, and based on this classification, .

Description

[0001] METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR PERFORMING SERVICE FUNCTION CHAINING [0002]

The present invention relates to software defined networking (SDN), and more particularly, to a method and system for performing Service Function Chaining (SFC) in an SDN environment.

In order to build a future-oriented network and service infrastructure, interest in network openness and virtualization has increased, and technology supporting Software Defined Networking (SDN) and network function virtualization (NFV) There is a lot of discussions on this issue.

In addition, a service chaining or a service function chaining (SFC) technique (hereinafter, referred to as " SFC technology ") that selectively combines and executes necessary network functions according to traffic to implement a single network service Interest) is increasing.

Generally, a network service is provided as a combination of network devices that implement one or more network component functions. These network component functions are installed in various network layers and locations such as firewall (firewall), DPI (Deep Packet Inspection) and DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) and NAT (Network Address Translation) .

Particularly, SFC technology is mainly discussed in the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) standardization group of SFC Working Group (WG).

However, the technology to classify the functions of the SF (Service Function) to implement the user-oriented SFC is insufficient. Especially, when the failure occurs in the SF and the failure occurs in the SF, There is a problem that a phenomenon occurs.

In order to solve the above problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a method of performing SFC in an SDN environment.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a system for performing SFC in an SDN environment.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of performing SFC (Service Function Chaining) by a network device, comprising: checking a Service Function Path (SFP) for a packet received in a network device; Determining on the SFP a Service Function (SF) to which the received packet should pass; And processing the received packet based on whether the function of the SF is necessary.

Here, the SFP may be set by a controller that controls a network device for SFC.

Here, the step of processing the received packet may include stopping the delivery of the received packet when the failure of the SF occurs, confirming that the function of the failed SF is necessary, Lt; / RTI >

Here, the processing of the received packet may deliver the received packet according to the path recalculated by the controller that received the failure.

Here, the processing of the received packet may bypass the failed SF by confirming that the function of the failed SF is not essential when the SF fails.

In this case, when the failure occurs in the SF, the processing of the received packet may be performed in accordance with the confirmation that the backup SF to replace the failed SF is set.

Here, in the process of processing the received packet, it is confirmed that a backup SF to replace the failed SF is not set when a failure occurs in the SF, so that it can be confirmed whether or not the function of the failed SF is essential .

Here, the processing of the received packet may determine whether the function of the SF is necessary according to the SFC applied to the received packet.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of performing SFC (Service Function Chaining) by a controller, comprising: setting a Service Function Path (SFP) in a network device based on a topology DB; Receiving event information generated in a SF (Service Function) on the SFP from the network device; And controlling the network device according to whether the function of the SF in which the event occurs is indispensable or not and the received event information.

Here, the step of controlling the network device may include receiving event information corresponding to a failure occurring in the SF, calculating a new SFP as the function of the failed SF is confirmed to be essential, And setting a new SFP to the network device.

Here, the step of calculating the new SFP may calculate a new SFP considering whether to set a backup SF to replace the failed SF.

Here, the step of controlling the network device may include receiving event information corresponding to a failure occurring in the SF, controlling the failed SF to be bypassed because it is determined that the function of the failed SF is not essential .

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an SFC performing system including: a controller for determining a Service Function Path (SFP) based on a topology DB; And a network device that processes the received packet according to the SFP determined by the controller, and processes the received packet according to event information generated in the SF to process the received packet and whether the function of the SF is essential.

In this case, when a failure occurs in the SF, the network device can transmit the received packet to the backup SF because it is determined that the backup SF to replace the failed SF is set.

Here, when a failure occurs in the SF, the network device can notify the controller of the information about the failed SF because the backup SF to replace the failed SF is not set and the function of the failed SF is determined to be indispensable have.

Here, the controller can recalculate a new SFP to process the received packet corresponding to the reception of the information on the failed SF, and set a new recalculated SFP on the network device.

Here, when the failure occurs in the SF, the network device bypasses the failed SF because the backup SF to replace the failed SF is not set and it is determined that the function of the failed SF is not essential. .

The method and system for performing SFC according to the embodiment of the present invention can be classified into Mandatory SF and Optional SF based on the function of SF or the setting for SFC, .

In addition, it is possible to effectively prevent the interruption of the transmission of the entire traffic due to the failure of the SF.

1 is an exemplary diagram illustrating a system for performing an SFC according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is an exemplary diagram illustrating a network service header for implementing an SFC according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is an exemplary diagram for explaining a case where a failure occurs in an SFC environment according to an embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a flowchart illustrating a method of performing an SFC of a controller according to an embodiment of the present invention.
5 is a flowchart illustrating a method of performing an SFC according to an embodiment of the present invention, with reference to a controller.
6 is a flowchart illustrating a method of performing a SFC according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
7 is a flowchart illustrating a method of overcoming a failure when there is a backup SF to replace a failed SF according to an embodiment of the present invention.
8 is a flowchart for explaining a method of overcoming a failure when there is no backup SF to replace the failed SF according to the embodiment of the present invention.

While the invention is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments thereof are shown by way of example in the drawings and will herein be described in detail. It should be understood, however, that the invention is not intended to be limited to the particular embodiments, but includes all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the invention. Like reference numerals are used for like elements in describing each drawing.

The terms first, second, A, B, etc. may be used to describe various elements, but the elements should not be limited by the terms. The terms are used only for the purpose of distinguishing one component from another. For example, without departing from the scope of the present invention, the first component may be referred to as a second component, and similarly, the second component may also be referred to as a first component. And / or < / RTI > includes any combination of a plurality of related listed items or any of a plurality of related listed items.

It is to be understood that when an element is referred to as being "connected" or "connected" to another element, it may be directly connected or connected to the other element, . On the other hand, when an element is referred to as being "directly connected" or "directly connected" to another element, it should be understood that there are no other elements in between.

The terminology used in this application is used only to describe a specific embodiment and is not intended to limit the invention. The singular expressions include plural expressions unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. In the present application, the terms "comprises" or "having" and the like are used to specify that there is a feature, a number, a step, an operation, an element, a component or a combination thereof described in the specification, But do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, or combinations thereof.

Unless defined otherwise, all terms used herein, including technical or scientific terms, have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. Terms such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries are to be interpreted as having a meaning consistent with the contextual meaning of the related art and are to be interpreted as either ideal or overly formal in the sense of the present application Do not.

Hereinafter, the controller referred to in the present invention means a functional entity that controls related components (e.g., switches, routers, etc.) to stably provide an SDN or SFC service. And the like. For example, a controller means a controller functional entity defined by ONF, IETF, ETSI, and / or ITU-T.

The network device referred to in the present invention refers to a functional element that substantially forwards, switches, or routes traffic (or packets). The network device includes switches, routers, and routers defined by ONF, IETF, ETSI, and / or ITU- A switch element, a router element, a forwarding element, and an SFF (Service Function Forwarder).

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is an exemplary diagram for explaining a system for performing an SFC according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is an exemplary view for explaining a network service header for implementing an SFC according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Service Function Chaining (SFC) is a concept that enables network user traffic to selectively pass through functions required by the user among network services such as NAT, Firewall, and IPS, and these services may operate on a physical server It may also run on a virtual machine. Therefore, SFC can be understood as a concept closely related to NFV (Network Function Virtualization).

The concept for implementing SFC is as follows.

SF (Service Function) can be understood as a functional block for processing received packets, and can operate on a protocol stack of various layers. SF is a logical structure, which may mean a virtual element embedded in a physical network component. Further, a plurality of SFs can be embedded in one network configuration. For example, SF may refer to a concept element that performs a firewall, an Intrusion Prevention System (IPS), a Deep Packet Inspection (DPI), and a Network Address Translation (NAT) function. In addition, duplicate SF instances may exist in the same SFC domain.

The SFF (Service Function Forwarder) performs the function of delivering the received packet to the SF. That is, the SFF can transmit a traffic or a packet to at least one SF according to the information transmitted in the SFC encapsulation. In addition, the SFF can perform a function of transmitting a packet to another SFF.

The SFP (Service Function Path) may mean an actual network path through which a packet is transmitted to implement an abstract SFC. A plurality of SFFs and a plurality of SFs may exist on the SFP.

SFC Encapsulation provides minimum SFP Identification. In addition, SFC Encapsulation is used in SFC-aware functions such as SFF and SFC aware SF. It is not used for packet transmission in general network domain, and can transmit data plane context information (metadata) in addition to SFP ID.

A Classifier may mean a functional element that performs Classification or Service Classification. Here, Classification may refer to a process of classifying traffic into service / service units according to policies and classifying service functions (SFs) used by customers according to a profile. That is, Classification can be performed through identification of forwarding policy, user and network profile suitable for traffic.

An SFC-enabled domain may refer to a network area that implements an SFC, and may be limited to a single network management domain.

Referring to FIG. 1, an SFC may be implemented by interfacing a controller 100 with an SFC Classifier Node 200, a plurality of SFFs 300, and a plurality of SFs 400 located in an SFC-enabled Domain.

The controller 100 may control an SFC Classifier Node 200, a plurality of SFFs 300, and a plurality of SFs 400 located in an SFC-enabled Domain. For example, the controller 100 may set the SFP to the SFC-enabled domain through the SFC Classifier Node 200. [

The controller 100 includes a monitoring unit 110 for monitoring status information of the SFC Classifier Node 200, a plurality of SFFs 300 and a plurality of SFs 400, A Path Determination Unit 120 for determining the path and a Path Setup Unit 130 for setting the determined path in the SFC-enabled Domain.

The SFC-enabled Domain can process the received packet based on the SFP set by the controller 100.

In detail, a structure for performing service classification in an SFC-enabled domain is as follows.

When the user's traffic enters the SFC-enabled domain, the service classifier node 200 performing the service classification function classifies the traffic into a customer / service unit according to a predetermined policy, and transmits SF 400) and specify a path via the SF instance of the current SFC-enabled domain.

Next, FIG. 2 shows a network service header (NSH) for implementing an SFC. That is, the NSH can be encapsulated by adding information such as Service Path ID, Service Index, and Metadata as shown in FIG. Here, the Service Path ID means information for identifying the SFP, the Service Index can mean information for identifying a network service, and the metadata can mean various context information.

Therefore, since the NSH specifies the order of the SFs 400 and the SFs 400 to which the corresponding packet should pass, the SFFs 300 can transmit SFs (SFs) 400).

3 is an exemplary diagram for explaining a case where a failure occurs in an SFC environment according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 3, a packet entering an SFC-enabled Domain may be classified by an SFC Classifier Node 200 serving as a Service Classification.

The controller 100 generates an SFPID (Service Function Path ID) for identifying the SFs (e.g., NAT, Firewall, IPS) to which the packet should actually pass in order to provide the services used by the corresponding customer according to the Profile of the customer, -enabled Applies to the domain.

The controller 100 may add the SFPID to the SFC rules (e.g., NSH) for packet delivery to the first SFF 310, the second SFF 320, and the third SFF 300, respectively.

For example, a case where a packet is set by the SFPID abcd to pass through the first SF 410 -> the third SF 430 -> the fourth SF 440 will be described as follows.

The SFC Classifier Node 200 may forward the packet to the first SFF 310.

The first SFF 310 may forward the packet to the first SF 410 and may forward the packet processed by the first SF 410 to the second SFF 320.

The second SFF 320 may forward the packet to the third SF 430 and may forward the packet processed by the third SF 430 to the third SFF 330.

The third SFF 330 may forward the packet to the fourth SF 440 and the packet processed by the fourth SF 440 may be delivered to the general network period. Here, the SFC header can be removed before being transmitted to the general network section.

That is, the packets received by the SFC Classifier Node 200 are transmitted to the first SFF 310, the first SF 410, the second SFF 320, the third SF 430, and the third SFF 330 ) -> the fourth SF 440.

In this case, a failure may occur in the first SF 410, and if the first SF 410 fails, the packet transmission itself may be interrupted. That is, even if a failure occurs in any SF among a plurality of SFs 410, 420, 430, and 440 on the SFP, the entire network service is interrupted.

Also, in the SFC-enabled domain, packets are routed based on SFCID and Index, which are SFC header information, so that it is difficult to use the existing L3 and L2 failure recovery techniques.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a method of performing an SFC of a controller according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a method of performing an SFC according to an embodiment of the present invention. 4, the interlocking operation between the controller and the network devices (the first SFF and the second SFF) will be described with reference to FIG. 5, in conjunction with FIGS. 4 and 5, The SFC performing method according to the present invention will be described.

Referring to FIG. 4, the controller can set the SFP in the network device (S410). At this time, the controller can identify the SF to be passed through the packet based on the customer profile, determine the SFP to be processed by referring to the topology DB, and set the determined SFP to the network device.

In addition, the controller can check whether or not there is a backup SF, and when there is a backup SF, the controller can add a path corresponding to the backup SF.

Therefore, in step S410, the controller can set the SFP to the SFF 300, which is a network device, based on the topology DB.

The method by which the controller performs the SFC by referring to FIG. 5 will be described in more detail.

The controller may generate a forwarding rule and a backup path based on a customer profile or the like (S510). Here, the forwarding rule can be understood as a concept corresponding to the SFP.

The controller can set the generated forwarding rule and backup path to the first SFF and the second SFF (S521, S522, S531, S532). Here, the first SFF and the second SFF correspond to a network device.

The first SFF may forward the packet to the corresponding SF according to the forwarding rule set by the controller (S540). If the first SFF detects that a failure has occurred in the SF to which the packet is transmitted (S550), the first SFF can notify the controller of the failure (S560). That is, the SFF can transmit event information generated in the SF connected to the SFF to the controller. Referring again to FIG. 4, after performing the step of setting the SFP (S410), the controller sends event information generated from the network device (for example, the first SFF) (S420) of receiving the event information (S420). After step S420, the controller performs step S430 of controlling the network device according to whether the function of the SF in which the event occurs is indispensable or not and the received event information.

The controller can check whether the failed SF performs the required function and whether there is an SF to replace (S570).

Here, the mandatory function SF is referred to as Mandatory SF, and the non-mandatory function optional function SF can be named as optional SF.

For example, Mandatory SF means SF which performs functions essential for the service such as NAT, and Optional SF means SF which performs functions that are not essential for the service such as firewall, IPS and the like.

Furthermore, according to the simple function of SF, it is possible to set Mandatory SF and optional SF for each SFC in advance, instead of distinguishing Mandatory SF from Optional SF.

The controller can notify the operator that the failed SF is performing the essential function and that the packet processing is no longer possible if it is determined that there is no replacement SF (S571). Furthermore, the controller may generate a new forwarding rule at the same time that the failed SF performs the required function, and if it is determined that there is no replacement SF there, the controller notifies the operator.

In addition, if it is determined that the failed SF does not perform the required function or that there is an SF to replace it (S573), the controller can generate a new forwarding rule (S573) and set it in the first SFF and the second SFF (S581, S582). That is, in step S431, the controller determines whether the SF in which the failure event has occurred is a Mandatory SF that performs a mandatory function. If the SF is a SF , A new SFP is calculated (S432), and the calculated new SFP can be set in the network device (S433). At this time, the setting of the new SFP can be performed by setting the forwarding rule according to the new SFP as in the above-described step S410 of FIG. 4 and steps S521, S522, S531, and S532 of FIG. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S431 that the SF in which the failure event has occurred is not an SF that performs a mandatory function, the controller may control to bypass the failed SF in step S444.

Therefore, the controller sets the Service Function Path (SFP) on the network device based on the topology DB, receives the event information generated in the SF (Service Function) on the SFP from the network device, And control the network device according to the received event information.

6 is a flowchart illustrating a method of performing a SFC according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 6, a network device (e.g., SFF) may receive a packet and perform S610 of ascertaining an SFP for the received packet. At this time, the network device can transmit to the SF according to the forwarding rule path corresponding to the SFP. At this time, the confirmed SFP can be set by the operation of the controller described with reference to FIG. In addition, the network device (e.g., SFF) may perform step S620 of determining on the identified SFP the SF to which the packet received in step S610 is to pass. Next, the network device may perform processing (S630) of the received packet based on whether the function of the SF is necessary.

In step S630, the network device SFF may detect whether a failure has occurred in the SF to which the packet is transmitted (S631). If it is confirmed in step S631 that the SFF has failed in the SF, it can be confirmed in step S632 whether the failed SF is an SF that performs an essential function.

On the other hand, if it is determined in step S631 that the failed SF is detected and that there is a backup SF to replace the failed SF, regardless of whether the failed SF is an SF performing the essential function, The packet may also be forwarded to the backup SF.

In addition, in FIG. 6, after detecting the occurrence of the failure, it is first checked whether the failed SF is an SF that performs a mandatory function. However, the SFF determines that there is no backup SF to replace the failed SF Thereafter, it is possible to check whether the function of the failed SF is essential.

If it is determined in step S632 that the function of the failed SF is indispensable, the SFF can stop the transmission of the received packet and inform the controller controlling the network device of the occurrence of the failure (S633) If it is determined that the function is not essential, the failed SF can be bypassed (S635). Meanwhile, after step S633, the network device may be configured to forward the received packet according to the path recalculated by the controller notified of the failure (S634).

The SFF can determine whether the corresponding SF is the last SF for the SFC.

If it is determined that the corresponding SF is the last SF, the SFF can remove the SFC header according to the end of the SFC.

Also, if the SFF determines that the SF is not the last SF, it can forward the packet to the next SFF.

6, the network device confirms a Service Function Path (SFP) for a received packet, determines a Service Function (SF) to be passed through the received packet on the SFP, The received packet can be processed based on whether the function is necessary or not.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart for explaining a method of overcoming a failure when there is a backup SF to replace a failed SF according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating a method of replacing a failed SF according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a method for overcoming a failure when a backup SF does not exist. FIGS. 7 and 8 are flowcharts for explaining the SFC method of the controller described in FIG. 4 and the SFC method of the network device illustrated in FIG. 6 from the viewpoint of the entire SFC system.

First, referring to FIG. 7, an SFC performing method when there is a backup SF to replace a failed SF is as follows. That is, a case where there is a first SF (backup) to replace the first SF in which a failure occurs will be described.

The controller can generate a forwarding rule and a backup path based on a customer profile or the like (S710). Here, the forwarding rule can be understood as a concept corresponding to the SFP.

The controller can set the generated forwarding rule and backup path to the first SFF and the second SFF (S721, S722, S731, S732).

The first SFF may forward the packet to the first SF according to the forwarding rule set by the controller (S740). If the first SFF detects that a failure occurs in the first SF to which the packet is transmitted (S750), the packet can be forwarded to the first SF (backup) to replace the first SF (S760).

The first SF (backup) may perform processing corresponding to the first SF in the packet, and may update the service index or the like included in the SFC header (S770). That is, the first SF (backup) can modify the service index of the SFC header to the Index for the next SF. For example, if the service index of the first failed SF is 5 and the service index of the second SF is 4, the service index for the current packet can be modified to 4.

In addition, the first SF (backup) can forward the packet processed by itself to the first SFF again (S771).

The first SFF can check whether the first SF is the last SF for the SFC (S780).

If it is determined that the first SF is the last SF, the first SFF may remove the SFC header according to the end of the SFC (S781).

If it is determined that the first SF is not the last SF, the first SFF can deliver the packet to the second SFF, which is the next SFF (S783), and the second SFF transfers the packet received from the first SFF to the second SF (S785).

Next, referring to FIG. 8, the SFC performing method in the case where there is no backup SF to replace the failed SF is as follows. That is, a case where there is no backup SF to replace the first SF in which the failure occurs will be described.

The controller can generate a forwarding rule and a backup path based on a customer profile or the like (S810). Here, the forwarding rule can be understood as a concept corresponding to the SFP.

The controller can set the generated forwarding rule and backup path to the first SFF and the second SFF (S821, S822, S831, S832).

The first SFF may forward the packet to the first SF according to the forwarding rule set by the controller (S840).

The first SFF may detect a failure in the first SF to which the packet is transmitted (S850).

If it is determined that there is no backup SF to replace the failed first SF, the first SFF can check whether the function of the first failed SF is essential (S860).

If the first SFF determines that the function of the failed SF is not essential, it may bypass the failed SF. That is, the first SFF forwards the packet to the second SFF (S863), and the second SFF can forward the packet to the second SF (S865).

Also, the first SFF can check whether the first SF is the last SF for the SFC (S870).

If it is determined that the first SF is the last SF, the first SFF may remove the SFC header according to the end of the SFC (S871).

If it is determined that the first SF is not the last SF, the first SFF can forward the packet to the second SFF, which is the next SFF (S873), and the second SFF can forward the packet received from the first SFF to the second SF (S875).

In addition, if it is determined that the function of the first SF in which the failure occurs is indispensable, the first SFF can inform the controller of the occurrence of the failure (S861), and the controller can notify the operator of the failure (S880).

In addition, the controller that has received the information on the fault condition can generate a new forwarding rule (S881) and can set it in the first SFF and the second SFF (S891, S892).

Referring again to FIG. 3, the SFC performing system according to the embodiment of the present invention may include a controller and a network device (or SFF).

The controller 100 can determine the Service Function Path (SFP) based on the topology DB.

The network device processes the received packet according to the SFP determined by the controller 100, and can process the received packet according to whether event information generated in the SF to process the received packet and the function of the SF is essential.

For example, when a failure occurs in the SF, the network device can forward the received packet to the backup SF as it is determined that the backup SF to replace the failed SF is set.

In addition, when a failure occurs in the SF, the network device can notify the controller of the information about the failed SF because the backup SF to replace the failed SF is not set and it is determined that the function of the failed SF is essential. Here, the controller may recalculate a new SFP to process the received packet in response to receiving the information about the failed SF, and may set a new recalculated SFP on the network device.

In addition, when a failure occurs in the SF, the network device can bypass the failed SF because it is determined that the backup SF to replace the failed SF is not set and the function of the failed SF is not essential have.

Although the configuration of the SFC performing system according to the embodiment of the present invention has been described with respect to each constituent unit for convenience of explanation, at least two of the constituent units may be combined to form one constituent unit or one constituent unit may be constituted by a plurality of constituent units It is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments, but, on the contrary, is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

In addition, the operation of the SFC performing method according to the embodiment of the present invention can be implemented as a computer-readable program or code on a computer-readable recording medium. A computer-readable recording medium includes all kinds of recording apparatuses in which data that can be read by a computer system is stored. The computer-readable recording medium may also be distributed and distributed in a networked computer system so that a computer-readable program or code can be stored and executed in a distributed manner.

The method and system for performing SFC according to the embodiment of the present invention can be classified into Mandatory SF and Optional SF based on the function of SF or the setting for SFC, have.

In addition, it is possible to effectively prevent the interruption of the transmission of the entire traffic due to the failure of the SF.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the present invention without departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention as defined by the following claims It can be understood that

100: Controller 110: Monitoring Unit
120: Path Determination Unit 130: Path Setup Unit
200: SFC Classifier Node 300: SFF
310: 1st SFF 320: 2nd SFF
330: Third SFF 400: SF
410: first SF 420: second SF
430: third SF 440: fourth SF

Claims (17)

A method for performing SFC (Service Function Chaining) by a network device,
Confirming a Service Function Path (SFP) for a packet received at the network device;
Determining on the SFP a Service Function (SF) to which the received packet should pass; And
Processing the received packet based on whether the function of the SF is essential,
Wherein processing the received packet comprises:
And determines whether the function of the SF is essential according to the SFC applied to the received packet. The method according to claim 1,
In the SFP,
Wherein the SFC is set by a controller for controlling the network device for the SFC. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein processing the received packet comprises:
Wherein when the failure occurs in the SF, it is confirmed that the function of the failed SF is necessary, and the transmission of the received packet is stopped, and the failure is informed to the controller that controls the network device. Way. The method of claim 3,
Wherein processing the received packet comprises:
And the received packet is delivered according to the path recalculated by the controller that received the fault. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein processing the received packet comprises:
And bypassing the failed SF when it is determined that the function of the failed SF is not essential when the failure occurs in the SF. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein processing the received packet comprises:
Wherein when the failure occurs in the SF, the received packet is delivered to the set backup SF as it is confirmed that a backup SF to replace the failed SF is set. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein processing the received packet comprises:
Wherein if it is determined that a failure has occurred in the SF, it is confirmed that a backup SF to replace the failed SF is not set, and that the function of the failed SF is essential. delete A method for performing SFC (Service Function Chaining) by a controller,
Setting a service function path (SFP) in a network device based on a topology DB;
Receiving event information generated in a SF (Service Function) on the SFP from the network device; And
And controlling the network device according to whether the function of the SF in which the event occurs is essential and the received event information,
Wherein the controlling the network device comprises:
Wherein the control unit receives the event information corresponding to the fault occurring in the SF and controls to bypass the faulted SF by confirming that the function of the faulted SF is not essential. The method of claim 9,
Wherein the controlling the network device comprises:
Receiving event information corresponding to a failure occurring in the SF and calculating a new SFP according to the confirmation that the function of the failed SF is essential; And
And setting the new SFP to the network device. The method of claim 10,
The step of calculating the new SFP comprises:
Wherein the new SFP is calculated in consideration of whether or not to set a backup SF to replace the failed SF. delete A controller for determining a Service Function Path (SFP) based on the topology DB; And
And a network device that processes the received packet according to the SFP determined by the controller, and processes the received packet according to event information generated in the SF to process the received packet and whether the function of the SF is necessary ,
The network device comprising:
Characterized in that when a failure occurs in the SF, a backup SF to replace the failed SF is not set, and the failed SF is bypassed according to the determination that the function of the failed SF is not essential. The SFC performing system. 14. The method of claim 13,
The network device comprising:
Wherein when the failure occurs in the SF, the backup SF is determined to be set as a backup SF to replace the failed SF, and the received SF is delivered to the backup SF. 14. The method of claim 13,
The network device comprising:
And notifies the controller of information on the failed SF when it is determined that the backup SF to replace the failed SF is not set and the function of the failed SF is essential when the failure occurs in the SF , SFC performance system. 16. The method of claim 15,
The controller comprising:
Recalculating a new SFP to process the received packet corresponding to receipt of information about the failed SF, and setting the recalculated new SFP to the network device. delete

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