WO2023185235A1

WO2023185235A1 - Packet forwarding method, apparatus and system

Info

Publication number: WO2023185235A1
Application number: PCT/CN2023/073738
Authority: WO
Inventors: 胡志波; 杨平安; 李振斌; 夏阳; 陈新隽
Original assignee: 华为技术有限公司
Priority date: 2022-04-02
Filing date: 2023-01-29
Publication date: 2023-10-05

Abstract

The present application belongs to the technical field of communications. Provided are a packet forwarding method, apparatus and system. In the solution provided in the present application, a node can determine a forwarding table entry according to a first segment identification in a DA field of a first packet so as to determine a forwarding behavior, and forward, according to the forwarding behavior, a second packet obtained on the basis of the first packet. Since a DA field of the second packet also comprises the first segment identification, a node that has received the second packet can also determine a forwarding table entry according to the first segment identification, and determine a corresponding forwarding behavior. That is, the first segment identification can guide forwarding behaviors of a plurality of nodes. On this basis, if the plurality of nodes all need to execute a specific operation on a received packet, it is necessary to ensure that forwarding behaviors of the nodes that are guided by the first segment identification all comprise the specific operation. Therefore, there is no need to respectively allocate a segment identification to each node, thereby effectively reducing the operation complexity during packet forwarding.

Description

Message forwarding method, device and system

This application claims the priority of the Chinese patent application with application number 202210351055.1 and the invention title "A New Data Plane Programming Method" submitted on April 2, 2022, as well as the application number submitted on June 10, 2022 It is the priority of the Chinese patent application 202210658325.3 with the invention title "Message Forwarding Method, Device and System", the entire content of which is incorporated into this application by reference.

Technical field

The present application relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a message forwarding method, device and system.

Background technique

SRv6 is a segment routing (segment routing) forwarding technology based on Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6). A segment routing header (SRH) is inserted into the SRv6 message. The SRH includes a segment list. The segment list is used to carry the segment identification (SID) of the node in the forwarding path of the message. Among them, SID is a special IPv6 address that has both the routing capabilities of ordinary IPv6 addresses and the unique behavioral capabilities of SRv6.

Each node that supports SRv6 (SRv6 node for short) in the network maintains a local SID table. The local SID table includes multiple SIDs and the behavior corresponding to each SID. After receiving the message, if the SRv6 node detects that the value of the destination address (DA) field of the message matches a certain SID in the local SID table, the SRv6 node will perform the behavior corresponding to the SID. This behavior usually includes Update the value of the DA field based on the segment list. Afterwards, the SRv6 node can forward the packet to the next hop node.

In some scenarios, each node in the forwarding path needs to perform a specific operation on the received packet. For example, all nodes use a specified network slice, such as network slice 1, to forward the packet. According to the traditional SRv6 network programming method, a specific SID needs to be defined for each node in the forwarding path. The specific SID indicates that network slice 1 is used to forward the packet. For example, define SID 1, SID 2, and SID 3 respectively for node 1, node 2, and node 3 in the forwarding path. SID 1 is the SID of node 1, which is used to indicate that network slice 1 is used to forward packets, and SID 2 is the SID of node 2. SID is used to indicate that network slice 1 is used to forward packets. SID 3 is the SID of node 3 and is used to indicate that network slice 1 is used to forward packets.

The head node of the forwarding path can insert an SRH into the message. The segment list of the SRH records the specific SIDs of the nodes in the forwarding path, such as SID 1, SID 2 and SID 3. Correspondingly, the node that receives the message can use the specified network slice, such as network slice 1, to forward the message based on the specific SID. However, the above packet forwarding method requires defining a specific SID for each node in the forwarding path, which has high operational complexity and low efficiency.

Contents of the invention

This application provides a message forwarding method, device and system, which can solve the technical problem of high complexity of message forwarding caused by defining SID for each node separately.

In the first aspect, a message forwarding method is provided, which is applied to the first node. The method includes: receiving a first message, where the DA field of the first message includes a first segment identifier. The forwarding entry is determined according to the first segment identifier, the forwarding entry includes the forwarding behavior corresponding to the first segment identifier, and the first segment identifier is a locally instantiated segment identifier of the first node. Afterwards, the second message is forwarded to the second node according to the forwarding behavior. The second message is obtained based on the first message, and the DA field of the second message includes the first segment identifier.

Wherein, the first segment identifier in the second message is used to instruct the second node to search for a forwarding entry based on the first segment identifier, which is also a local identifier of the second node. The instantiated segment identifier.

Since the DA field of the second message also includes the first segment identifier, the node that receives the second message can also determine the forwarding entry based on the first segment identifier to determine the corresponding forwarding behavior. That is to say, the first segment of identification can guide the forwarding behavior of multiple nodes. Based on this, if multiple nodes need to perform a specific operation on the received message, then the forwarding behavior of each node guided by the first segment of the identifier can include the specific operation. This eliminates the need to allocate segment identifiers to each node, effectively simplifying the operational complexity of packet forwarding.

Optionally, the forwarding behavior does not include updating the value of the segment left (SL) field. It can be understood that in the SRv6 system, if a node updates the value of the SL field, it needs to update the value of the DA field based on the updated value of the SL field. Since the forwarding behavior corresponding to the first segment identifier does not include updating the value of the SL field, updating the DA field can be avoided, thereby ensuring that the DA field of the second message also includes the first segment identifier.

Optionally, the forwarding behavior does not include stripping off the outer IPv6 header of the first message. Since the DA field of the first message is included in the outer IPv6 header, the forwarding behavior does not include stripping off the outer IPv6 header. In other words, the first node is not a network egress node.

Optionally, both the first packet and the second packet may include an outer IPv6 header, and the outer IPv6 header includes a DA field. For example, the outer IPv6 header may include an IPv6 basic header and an IPv6 extension header, and the DA field is included in the IPv6 basic header.

Optionally, both the first message and the second message may be SRv6 messages, and the SRv6 messages include SRH. The first segment identifier is included in the segment list of the SRH.

The solution provided by this application can enable the nodes in the message forwarding system to process the SRv6 message according to the traditional SRv6 message processing method by carrying the first segment identifier in the SRH segment list. For example, a node can copy the first segment identifier in the segment list to the DA field based on the value of the SL field. It can be seen from this that the solution provided by this application can be effectively compatible with traditional SRv6 technology.

Optionally, the segment list may include multiple first segment identifiers, and a second segment identifier may be included between two adjacent first segment identifiers, and the first segment identifier may be different from the second segment identifier. The second segment of the identifier may be a common SID, and the common SID may be used only to guide the forwarding behavior of one node. For example, the common SID may be a virtual private network (VPN) SID.

In the solution provided by this application, if the forwarding behavior performed by multiple consecutive nodes in the message forwarding system needs to include the same sub-behavior (such as encrypted forwarding), the same sub-behavior can be directed through a first segment identifier in the segment list. sub-behavior. If multiple nodes that need to execute the same sub-behavior are not completely consecutive, you can set multiple first segment identifiers in the segment list and insert a second segment identifier between two adjacent first segment identifiers. The second segment identifies the SIDs of other nodes that do not need to perform the same sub-behavior. Based on this, some nodes in the message forwarding system can perform the same sub-behavior under the guidance of the first identifier, and other nodes can perform other forwarding behaviors under the guidance of the second identifier.

Optionally, the forwarding behavior corresponding to the first segment identifier may include at least one of the following sub-behaviors: slice resource forwarding based on a specified network slice; forwarding based on allocated network resources; encrypted forwarding; and forwarding after traffic statistics.

Since the first segment identifier can guide the forwarding behavior of multiple nodes, the first segment identifier can also be called a global segment identifier (global SID, GSID or GID). The method provided by this application can indicate different forwarding behaviors through different GIDs, thereby effectively improving the flexibility of message forwarding processing.

Optionally, the forwarding behavior corresponding to the first segment identification may include: forwarding based on the specified next hop address. Since multiple nodes in the packet forwarding system forward packets based on the first identifier of the DA field, the first identifier can also indicate the next hop address to ensure reliable forwarding of the message. And, for different nodes, the first segment identifies the next hop indicated The address is different.

Optionally, the method may also include: obtaining the first segment identifier and the forwarding behavior, and adding a forwarding entry in the forwarding table, where the forwarding entry includes the first segment identifier and the forwarding behavior.

The node that receives the first message can use the first segment identifier as an index to search the forwarding table to accurately determine the forwarding entry and thereby determine the forwarding behavior.

Optionally, the process of obtaining the first segment identifier and forwarding behavior may include: receiving the first segment identifier and forwarding behavior issued by the controller; or, obtaining the statically configured first segment identifier and forwarding behavior. Among them, static configuration may refer to manual configuration by operation and maintenance personnel in the node.

In the second aspect, a message forwarding method is provided, which is applied to the first node. The method includes: obtaining the first segment identifier and the forwarding behavior corresponding to the first segment identifier, and adding a forwarding entry in the forwarding table, where the forwarding entry includes the first segment identifier and the forwarding behavior. Afterwards, the message is forwarded to the second node according to the forwarding entry. The forwarding behavior does not include updating the value of the DA field in the outer IPv6 header of the message, and does not include stripping off the outer IPv6 header, and the first segment identifier is a locally instantiated segment identifier of the first node.

Since the forwarding behavior does not include updating the value of the DA field and stripping off the outer IPv6 header, it can be ensured that the DA field of the message sent by the node also includes the first segment identifier. Correspondingly, the node that receives the message can also perform the same forwarding behavior based on the first segment identifier in the DA field. Since the solution provided by this application does not need to allocate segment identifiers to each node in the message forwarding system, it effectively simplifies the operational complexity of message forwarding.

Optionally, the process for a node to obtain the first segment identifier and the forwarding behavior corresponding to the first segment identifier may include: receiving the first segment identifier and the forwarding behavior corresponding to the first segment identifier issued by the controller; or, obtaining the statically configured The first segment identifier and the forwarding behavior corresponding to the first segment identifier.

Optionally, the outer IPv6 header may include: an IPv6 basic header and/or an IPv6 extension header.

Optionally, the DA field may be included in the IPv6 basic header.

Optionally, the forwarding behavior does not include updating the value of the SL field.

Optionally, the forwarding behavior may include: forwarding based on a specified next hop address.

Optionally, the forwarding behavior may include at least one of the following sub-behaviors: slice resource forwarding based on a specified network slice; forwarding based on allocated network resources; encrypted forwarding; and forwarding after traffic statistics.

Optionally, the process of the first node forwarding the message to the second node according to the forwarding table may include: receiving the first message, the DA field of the first message including the first segment identifier. Afterwards, the forwarding table entry is determined based on the first segment identifier to determine the forwarding behavior, and the second message is forwarded based on the forwarding behavior. The second message is obtained based on the first message, and the DA field of the second message includes the first segment identifier.

In the third aspect, a message forwarding method is provided, which is applied to a message forwarding system. The message forwarding system includes a first node and a second node. The method includes: a first node receives a first message, and the DA field of the first message includes a first segment identifier; the first node determines a first forwarding entry based on the first segment identifier, so as to obtain the first forwarding entry from the first forwarding entry. Determine the first forwarding behavior corresponding to the first segment identifier, and forward the second message to the second node according to the first forwarding behavior. The second message is obtained based on the first message. The second node receives the second message, and the DA field of the second message includes the first segment identifier. Afterwards, the second node determines a second forwarding entry based on the first segment identifier, determines the second forwarding behavior corresponding to the first segment identifier from the second forwarding entry, and forwards the third message according to the second forwarding behavior. . The third message is obtained based on the second message. Wherein, the first segment identifier is a locally instantiated segment identifier of the first node, and is a locally instantiated segment identifier of the second node.

In the solution provided by this application, both the first node and the second node can perform forwarding behavior according to the first segment identifier in the DA field, that is, one first segment identifier can guide the forwarding behavior of multiple nodes. Based on this, if multiple nodes need to receive If the received packet performs a specific operation, then the forwarding behavior of each node guided by the first segment identification only needs to include the specific operation. This eliminates the need to allocate segment identifiers to each node, effectively simplifying the operational complexity of packet forwarding.

Optionally, the first forwarding behavior does not include updating the value of the SL field.

Optionally, the second forwarding behavior and the first forwarding behavior may include the same sub-behavior, and the DA field of the third message also includes the first segment identifier. That is, neither the first node nor the second node updates the value of the DA field.

Optionally, the same sub-behavior may include at least one of the following sub-behaviors: slice resource forwarding based on specified network slices; forwarding based on allocated network resources; encrypted forwarding; forwarding after traffic statistics.

Optionally, the second forwarding behavior does not include: updating the value of the SL field.

Optionally, the DA field of the third message does not include the first segment identifier, and accordingly, the second forwarding behavior includes updating the value of the SL field.

Optionally, the third message does not include a DA field, and accordingly, the second forwarding behavior includes stripping off the outer IPv6 header.

Optionally, the first forwarding behavior may include: forwarding based on the first next hop address; the second forwarding behavior may include: forwarding based on the second next hop address. Wherein, the second next hop address is different from the first next hop address.

Optionally, both the first message and the second message may include an SRH, and the segment list of the SRH includes the first segment identifier.

The fourth aspect provides a message forwarding method, which is applied to the controller in the message forwarding system. The method includes: delivering a first segment identifier and a first forwarding behavior corresponding to the first segment identifier to a first node in the message forwarding system, and delivering the first segment identifier to a second node in the message forwarding system. , and the second forwarding behavior corresponding to the first paragraph identification. The first forwarding behavior does not include updating the value of the DA field, and does not include stripping off the outer IPv6 header.

Optionally, the second forwarding behavior includes the same sub-behavior as the first forwarding behavior.

Optionally, the same sub-behavior includes at least one of the following sub-behaviors: slice resource forwarding based on a specified network slice; forwarding based on allocated network resources; encrypted forwarding; and forwarding after traffic statistics.

Optionally, the first forwarding behavior includes: forwarding based on the first next hop address; the second forwarding behavior includes: based on the second next hop address. Wherein, the second next hop address is different from the first next hop address.

Optionally, the process of delivering the first segment identifier and the forwarding behavior corresponding to the first segment identifier to the node in the message forwarding system may include: based on the network configuration (NETCONF) protocol or the border gateway protocol (border gateway) protocol, BGP), delivers the first segment identifier and the forwarding behavior corresponding to the first segment identifier to the nodes in the message forwarding system.

In the fifth aspect, a message forwarding method is provided, which method includes: encapsulating SRH in the message and sending the message. The segment list of the SRH includes the first segment identifier. This message enables at least two nodes in the message forwarding system to determine the forwarding entry based on the first segment identifier in the DA field of the message, so as to determine the forwarding behavior corresponding to the first segment identifier from the forwarding entry. , and forward the message according to the forwarding behavior. Wherein, the first segment identifier is a locally instantiated segment identifier of each node in the at least two nodes. This method can be executed by the SRv6 network entry node.

Optionally, the segment list may include a first segment identifier. Alternatively, the segment list may include multiple first segment identifiers, and a second segment identifier may be included between two adjacent first segment identifiers. Among them, the first paragraph of identification is different from the second paragraph of identification.

A sixth aspect provides a network device, which may be a node or a controller in a message forwarding system. Furthermore, the network device includes at least one module, and the at least one module can be used to implement the message forwarding method provided in any of the above aspects.

A seventh aspect provides a network device, which may be a node or a controller in a message forwarding system. Furthermore, the network device includes: a memory, a processor, and a computer program stored in the memory and capable of running on the processor. When the processor executes the computer program, the message forwarding method provided in any of the above aspects is implemented.

In an eighth aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided. Instructions are stored in the computer-readable storage medium. When the instructions are run on a computer, they cause the computer to execute the message forwarding method provided in any of the above aspects.

A ninth aspect provides a computer program product containing instructions. When the computer program product is run on a computer, it causes the computer to execute the message forwarding method provided in any of the above aspects.

In a tenth aspect, a message forwarding system is provided. The message forwarding system includes a plurality of nodes; at least two nodes among the plurality of nodes are used to implement as provided in any one of the above-mentioned first to third aspects. message forwarding method.

Optionally, the system may also include: a controller; the controller may be used to implement the message forwarding method provided in the fourth aspect.

Optionally, at least one node among the plurality of nodes may also be used to implement the message forwarding method provided in the fifth aspect.

An eleventh aspect provides a chip, which can be used to implement the message forwarding method provided in any of the above aspects.

To sum up, this application provides a message forwarding method, device and system. In the solution provided by this application, the node can determine the forwarding entry according to the first segment identifier in the DA field of the first message to determine the forwarding behavior, and forward the second message obtained from the first message according to the forwarding behavior. . Since the DA field of the second message also includes the first segment identifier, the node that receives the second message can also determine the forwarding entry based on the first segment identifier to determine the corresponding forwarding behavior. That is to say, the first segment of identification can guide the forwarding behavior of multiple nodes. Based on this, if multiple nodes need to perform a specific operation on the received message, then the forwarding behavior of each node guided by the first segment of the identifier can include the specific operation. This eliminates the need to allocate segment identifiers to each node, effectively simplifying the operational complexity of packet forwarding.

Description of drawings

Figure 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a message forwarding system provided by an embodiment of the present application;

Figure 2 is a schematic structural diagram of an SRv6 message provided by an embodiment of the present application;

Figure 3 is a schematic structural diagram of another message forwarding system provided by an embodiment of the present application;

Figure 4 is a flow chart of a message forwarding method provided by an embodiment of the present application;

Figure 5 is a flow chart of another message forwarding method provided by an embodiment of the present application;

Figure 6 is a flow chart of yet another message forwarding method provided by an embodiment of the present application;

Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of the data structure of a first segment identifier provided by an embodiment of the present application;

Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of forwarding entries of each node in a message forwarding system provided by an embodiment of the present application;

Figure 9 is a schematic diagram of a message forwarding process provided by an embodiment of the present application;

Figure 10 is a schematic diagram of another message forwarding process provided by an embodiment of the present application;

Figure 11 is a flow chart of yet another message forwarding method provided by an embodiment of the present application;

Figure 12 is a schematic structural diagram of a first node provided by an embodiment of the present application;

Figure 13 is a schematic structural diagram of another first node provided by an embodiment of the present application;

Figure 14 is a schematic structural diagram of a second node provided by an embodiment of the present application;

Figure 15 is a schematic structural diagram of a controller provided by an embodiment of the present application;

Figure 16 is a schematic structural diagram of a third node provided by an embodiment of the present application;

Figure 17 is a schematic structural diagram of a network device provided by an embodiment of the present application;

Figure 18 is a schematic structural diagram of another network device provided by an embodiment of the present application.

Detailed ways

The message forwarding method, device and system provided by the embodiments of the present application will be introduced in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Figure 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a message forwarding system provided by an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 1, the message forwarding system may include multiple nodes 01, and communication connections are established between the multiple nodes 01. Among them, each node 01 can be a device with a packet forwarding function, such as a router or a switch, and each node 01 can also be called a network device.

For example, node 01 may be a provider (provider, P) device or a provider edge (provider edge, PE) device. If node 01 is a PE device, as shown in Figure 1, the PE device can be connected to the user terminal through customer edge (CE) device 02. The CE device 02 is used to provide network access services for user terminals. Among them, the user terminal can also be called user equipment, which can be a residential gateway (RGW), a mobile phone, a laptop or a desktop computer.

Optionally, as shown in Figure 1, the message forwarding system may also include a controller 03. The controller 03 is connected to at least one node 01 and is used to manage and control the node 01 to which it is connected. The controller 03 may be a network controller, for example, a software defined network (SDN) controller.

In this embodiment of the present application, the message forwarding system may be an SRv6 system, and the messages forwarded by each node in the SRv6 system are SRv6 messages. Figure 2 is a schematic structural diagram of an SRv6 message provided by an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 2, the SRv6 message includes: IPv6 header, SRH and payload. Among them, the IPv6 header includes the following fields: version (version), traffic class (TC), flow label (flow label), payload length (payload length), next header (next header), hop limit (hop limit), source address (source address, SA) and DA.

SRH includes the following fields: next header, extension header length (Hdr Ext Len), routing header type (routing type), SL, last entry, flags, tag, Segment list and optional TLV. Among them, the segment list includes segment list [0] to segment list [n], a total of n+1 identification fields (n can be an integer greater than or equal to 1), and each identification field is used to carry a node in the message forwarding path. SID, which can be the IPv6 address of the node. Please refer to Table 1 for the length and meaning of each field in the SRH.

Table 1

It can be understood that during the process of message forwarding, node 01 can update the value of the DA field of the message based on the SID indicated by the SL field. The content in the SRH is equivalent to the computer program, and the segment list [0] to segment list [n] are equivalent to the contents of the computer program. multiple instructions, and the first instruction to be executed in the computer program is segment list [n]. The SL field in SRH is equivalent to the pointer of the computer program, which always points to the currently executing instruction. Before the message is forwarded, the value of the SL field can be initialized to n. After each instruction is executed, the value of the SL field can be decremented by 1 (that is, SL-- is executed), so that the SL field points to the next instruction to be executed. Through the above method, end-to-end forwarding of messages can be achieved.

For example, referring to Figure 3, assume that the forwarding path of the SRv6 message is: Node A→Node B→Node C→Node D→Node G. Among them, node A, node B, node D and node G all support SRv6 technology, while node C does not support SRv6 technology. Then node A, as the ingress node, can insert SRH into the SRv6 message. The SRH is encapsulated with the segment list <G::, D::, B::>. Among them, G:: is the SID of node G, D:: is the SID of node D, and B:: is the SID of node B. Before forwarding the message, node A can initialize the value of the SL field to 2. Then, node A can copy the SID in the segment list indicated by the SL field, that is, B:: in segment list [2], to the DA field in the IPv6 header. Afterwards, node A can forward the SRv6 packet to node B.

After receiving the SRv6 message, Node B can search the local SID table based on the value of the DA field in the IPv6 header. Since the value of the DA field can hit the local SID table of node B, node B can decrement the value of the SL field by 1 and add the SID in the segment list indicated by the updated SL field, that is, the SID in the segment list [1] D::Copied to the DA field in the IPv6 header. Afterwards, node B can forward the SRv6 packet to node C.

After node C receives the SRv6 message, since node C does not support SRv6 technology, it does not need to process SRH. Instead, it can directly query the routing table based on the DA in the IPv6 header and forward the SRv6 message to node D.

After receiving the SRv6 message, node D can search the local SID table based on the DA in the IPv6 header. Since the DA can hit the local SID table of node D, node D can decrement the value of the SL field by 1 and add the SID in the segment list indicated by the updated SL field, that is, G:: in segment list [0]. Copied to the DA in the IPv6 header. Since the value of the updated SL field is 0, node D can eject the SRH and forward the SRv6 message of the ejected SRH to node G.

The embodiment of the present application provides a message forwarding method, which can be applied to the first node and the second node in the message forwarding system such as shown in Figure 1 or Figure 3. The first node and the second node may be any two adjacent nodes in the message forwarding system. Referring to Figure 4, the method includes:

Step 101: The first node receives a first message, and the DA field of the first message includes a first segment identifier.

The first node may be a head node or an intermediate node in the message forwarding system. If the first node is an intermediate node, the first node can receive the first message sent by other nodes (for example, the head node) in the message forwarding system, and the DA field of the first message includes the first segment identifier.

If the first node is the head node in the message forwarding system, also called an ingress node or a source node, the first node can receive the first message sent by the CE device or the user terminal, and can forward the first message to the first node. The value of the DA field of the message is updated to the first segment identifier. For example, the first node may first encapsulate the SRH in the first message, and the segment list of the SRH includes the first segment identifier. For example, the value of the last identifier field in the segment list is the first segment identifier. Afterwards, the first node can copy the first segment identifier in the segment list to the DA field.

Step 102: The first node determines a first forwarding entry based on the first segment identifier, and determines a first forwarding behavior corresponding to the first segment identifier from the first forwarding entry.

In this embodiment of the present application, a forwarding table, also called a forward information database (FIB), is stored in the first node. The forwarding table may include a local segment identifier (local SID) table, and the first forwarding entry in the forwarding table records the first segment identifier and the first forwarding behavior corresponding to the first segment identifier. After receiving the first message, the first node can search its forwarding table according to the first segment identifier in the DA field of the first message to determine the first forwarding table entry, and then determine the first forwarding table entry from the first forwarding table entry. The first segment identifies the corresponding first forwarding behavior. Among them, the first segment is identified as the first node A locally instantiated SRv6SID. The first forwarding entry may also be called a forwarding entry or a FIB entry, which can represent a locally instantiated SRv6 SID.

The first forwarding behavior may include: forwarding based on a first next hop (NHP) address, and the next hop address may be the identifier of the outbound interface (out interface) of the first node. The first forwarding behavior may also include at least one of the following sub-behaviors: slice resource forwarding based on a specified network slice; forwarding based on allocated network resources; encrypted forwarding; and forwarding after traffic statistics.

Among them, the encrypted forwarding can be media access control security (media access control security, MACsec) encrypted forwarding. Network resources may at least include: bandwidth resources of interfaces used to forward packets. Optionally, network resources of different sizes can be represented by different queues. Correspondingly, forwarding messages based on allocated network resources can also be understood as: forwarding messages based on allocated queues.

It can be understood that the first forwarding behavior listed above is only a partial example, and the embodiment of the present application does not limit the type of the first forwarding behavior.

Step 103: The first node forwards the second message to the second node according to the first forwarding behavior, and the second message is obtained based on the first message.

After the first node determines the first forwarding behavior, it can forward the second message obtained based on the first message to the second node according to the first forwarding behavior. Wherein, the second node is the node indicated by the first next hop address. It can be understood that the second node may be an intermediate node or an egress node in the message forwarding system.

Step 104: The second node receives the second message, and the DA field of the second message includes the first segment identifier.

In this embodiment of the present application, the DA field of the second message received by the second node also includes the first segment identifier. That is to say, when the first node obtains the second message based on the first message, it does not update the value of the DA field of the message. Alternatively, it can be understood that the first forwarding behavior does not include updating the value of the DA field.

It can be understood that the DA field is generally included in the outer IPv6 header of the first message, and the node in the message forwarding system usually updates the value of the SL field based on the updated value of the SL field. The value of the DA field. Based on this, in order to determine that the second message forwarded by the first node includes the DA field, the first forwarding behavior may not include updating the value of the SL field, and may not include stripping off the outer IPv6 header.

Step 105: The second node determines a second forwarding entry based on the first segment identifier, and determines a second forwarding behavior corresponding to the first segment identifier from the second forwarding entry.

The second node also stores a forwarding table, and the second forwarding entry in the forwarding table of the second node records the first segment identifier and the second forwarding behavior corresponding to the first segment identifier. After receiving the second message, the second node can search its forwarding table according to the first segment identifier in the DA field of the second message to determine the second forwarding table entry, and then obtain the second forwarding table entry from the second forwarding table entry. Determine the second forwarding behavior corresponding to the second segment identifier. The first segment identifier is a locally instantiated SRv6 SID of the second node, or it can be understood that the second forwarding entry indicates a locally instantiated SRv6 SID. The second forwarding behavior may include: forwarding based on a second next hop address, where the second next hop address is different from the first next hop address.

As an optional implementation manner, the first forwarding behavior and the second forwarding behavior may include the same sub-behavior. The same sub-behavior may include at least one of the following sub-behaviors: slice resource forwarding based on a specified network slice; forwarding based on allocated network resources; encrypted forwarding; and forwarding after traffic statistics. For example, except for the indicated next hop address, the first forwarding behavior and the second forwarding behavior may be the same, and the second forwarding behavior does not include updating the value of the DA field.

As another optional implementation manner, the first forwarding behavior and the second forwarding behavior may not include the same sub-behavior. For example, the second forwarding behavior may include updating the value of the DA field, or stripping the outer IPv6 header, or updating the value of the SL field. value. Moreover, the second forwarding behavior does not include any of the following sub-behaviors: forwarding based on slice resources of a specified network slice; forwarding based on allocated network resources; forwarding with encryption; and forwarding after traffic statistics.

Step 106: The second node forwards the third message according to the second forwarding behavior, and the third message is obtained based on the second message.

After the second node determines the second forwarding behavior, it can forward the third message obtained based on the second message according to the second forwarding behavior. For example, the second node may forward the message to the node indicated by the second next hop address.

If the second forwarding behavior includes the same sub-behavior as the first forwarding behavior, and the second forwarding behavior does not include updating the value of the DA field, then the DA field of the third message also includes the first segment identifier.

If the second forwarding behavior and the first forwarding behavior do not include the same sub-behavior, and the second forwarding behavior includes updating the value of the DA field, then the DA field of the third message does not include the first segment identifier. Alternatively, if the second forwarding behavior includes stripping the outer IPv6 header, the third message does not include the DA field.

Based on the above steps, it can be seen that the DA fields of the first message and the second message both carry the first segment identifier, and the first segment identifier can guide the forwarding behavior of multiple nodes. Based on this, the first segment identification may also be called GSID or GID. Since the first segment of the identifier can guide the forwarding behavior of the node, the first segment of the identifier may also be called a forwarding instruction or a behavior instruction. Wherein, both the first message and the second message include an outer IPv6 header, and the outer IPv6 header includes a DA field.

It can be understood that the message forwarding system in the embodiment of the present application may be a system that supports SRv6 technology, and the above-mentioned first message and the second message may both be SRv6 messages. Both the above-mentioned first node and the second node may be SRv6 segment endpoint nodes (Segment Endpoint nodes), which may be referred to as Endpoint nodes for short.

To sum up, the embodiment of the present application provides a message forwarding method. The first node can determine the forwarding entry according to the first segment identifier in the DA field of the first message to determine the first forwarding behavior, and forward the second message obtained from the first message according to the first forwarding behavior. Since the DA field of the second message also includes the first segment identifier, the second node that receives the second message can also determine the forwarding entry based on the first segment identifier to determine the second forwarding behavior and perform the second forwarding behavior. forwarding behavior. If both the first node and the second node are required to perform a specific operation on the received message, then both the first forwarding behavior and the second forwarding behavior include the specific operation. Since the method provided by the embodiment of the present application can guide the forwarding behavior of multiple nodes through a first segment identifier carried in the DA field, there is no need to allocate segment identifiers to each node respectively, thereby effectively simplifying the operational complexity of message forwarding. .

The embodiment of the present application provides another message forwarding method, which can be applied to the controller, the first node and the second node in the message forwarding system such as shown in Figure 1 or Figure 3. The first node and the second node may be any two adjacent nodes in the message forwarding system. Referring to Figure 5, the method includes:

Step 201: The controller delivers the first segment identifier and the first forwarding behavior corresponding to the first segment identifier to the first node.

In this embodiment of the present application, the controller may deliver configuration information to the first node through a network configuration protocol or a border gateway protocol. The configuration information includes a first segment identifier and a first forwarding behavior corresponding to the first segment identifier. The first forwarding behavior does not include updating the value of the DA field and does not include stripping the outer IPv6 header.

The outer IPv6 header may include an IPv6 basic header and/or an IPv6 extension header, and the DA field may be included in the IPv6 basic header. The IPv6 basic header may also be called IPv6 fixed header.

Step 202: The controller delivers the first segment identifier and the second forwarding behavior corresponding to the first segment identifier to the second node.

For the implementation process of step 202, please refer to step 201. Furthermore, the second forwarding behavior may include the same sub-behavior as the first forwarding behavior. For example, the second forwarding behavior does not include updating the value of the DA field and does not include stripping the outer IPv6 header. Alternatively, the second forwarding behavior may not include the same sub-behavior as the first forwarding behavior. For example, the second forwarding behavior may include updating the value of the DA field, or including stripping off the outer IPv6 header.

Step 203: The first node adds a first forwarding entry to its forwarding table, where the first forwarding entry includes a first segment identifier and a first forwarding behavior.

After receiving the configuration information issued by the controller, the first node can add a first forwarding entry to its forwarding table based on the configuration information. The first forwarding entry includes a first segment identifier and a first forwarding behavior. The first segment identification is a locally instantiated SRv6 SID of the first node.

Step 204: The second node adds a second forwarding entry to its forwarding table. The second forwarding entry includes the first segment identifier and the second forwarding behavior.

The first segment is identified as a locally instantiated SRv6SID of the second node. The implementation process of step 204 may refer to the above-mentioned step 203.

Step 205: The first node forwards the message to the second node according to the first forwarding entry.

After receiving the message, the first node can forward the message to the second node according to the first forwarding entry. For the implementation process of step 205, reference may be made to the relevant descriptions of steps 101 to 103 in the embodiment shown in FIG. 4 .

Step 206: The second node forwards the message according to the second forwarding entry.

For the implementation process of step 206, reference may be made to the relevant descriptions of steps 104 to 106 in the embodiment shown in FIG. 4 .

It can be understood that at least one of the above steps 201 and 202 can be deleted according to circumstances. Correspondingly, the first node and/or the second node can obtain the first segment identifier and the corresponding forwarding behavior through other methods. For example, the first node and/or the second node can obtain the statically configured first segment identifier and the corresponding forwarding behavior.

To sum up, the embodiment of the present application provides a message forwarding method. The controller can deliver the first segment identifier and the corresponding first forwarding behavior to the first node, and deliver the second segment identifier and the corresponding second forwarding behavior to the second node. The first node and the second node can then add the configuration information issued by the controller to the forwarding entry in the forwarding table, and forward the message based on the forwarding entry. Since the first segment identifier in the configuration information delivered by the controller to different nodes is the same, the first segment identifier can guide the forwarding behavior of different nodes. If both the first node and the second node are required to perform a specific operation on the received message, then both the first forwarding behavior and the second forwarding behavior include the specific operation. Since the method provided by the embodiment of the present application does not need to allocate segment identifiers to each node, it effectively simplifies the operational complexity of message forwarding.

The embodiment of the present application provides yet another message forwarding method, which can be applied to a message forwarding system such as that shown in Figure 1 or Figure 3 . Moreover, the embodiment of the present application takes the third node as the head node, the first node as the intermediate node, and the second node as the intermediate node or the tail node as an example for description. Referring to Figure 6, the method includes:

Step 301: The controller delivers the first segment identifier and the first forwarding behavior corresponding to the first segment identifier to the first node.

In this embodiment of the present application, the controller can deliver configuration information to the first node through the NETCONF protocol or BGP. The configuration information includes a first segment identifier and a first forwarding behavior corresponding to the first segment identifier. The first forwarding behavior does not include updating the value of the DA field and does not include stripping the outer IPv6 header. The DA field may refer to the DA field in the outer IPv6 header, for example, it may be the DA field in the IPv6 basic header in the outer IPv6 header.

It can be understood that, for the scenario where the first node is an Endpoint node in the SRv6 system, if the first node updates the value of the SL field in the SRH, it can update the value of the DA field based on the updated value of the SL field. Based on this, the above first forwarding behavior may not include: updating the value of the SL field.

Optionally, the first forwarding behavior may include: forwarding based on the first next hop address. Furthermore, the first forwarding behavior may also include at least one of the following sub-behaviors: slice resource forwarding based on a specified network slice; forwarding based on allocated network resources; encrypted forwarding; and forwarding after traffic statistics.

Based on the above example of the first forwarding behavior, it can be seen that the first segment identifier has at least one of the following functions: 1. A segment of the identifier is associated with a network slice and can instruct the packet to be forwarded based on the slice resources of the associated network slice. 2. The first segment of the identifier is associated with an action of allocating network resources (such as bandwidth) and can instruct the forwarding interface of the message. Reserve designated network resources; 3. The first segment of the identifier can instruct the encrypted forwarding of the message; 4. The first segment of the identifier is associated with a traffic statistics action and can instruct the statistics of the data flow to which the message belongs. forwarded later.

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of the data structure of a first segment identifier provided by an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG. 7 , the first segment identifier may include: a locator field and a function field. The value of the locator field may be a public prefix, which is not used to indicate any node in the system. For example, the public prefix can be used to indicate the aggregate address of the packet forwarding system. It can be seen from this that the values of the locator fields in different GIDs issued by the controller are the same. Correspondingly, when the values of the function fields in the GIDs are different values, different forwarding behaviors can be indicated. For example, when the value of this function field is 100, it can indicate encrypted forwarding; when the value of this function field is 200, it can indicate slice resource forwarding based on the specified network slice; when the value of this function field is 300, it can indicate based on allocation. forwarding of network resources.

Optionally, as shown in Figure 7, the first segment of identification may also include: parameters (arguments, Args) field. Correspondingly, when the values of the parameter field and/or the function field in the GID are different values, different forwarding behaviors can be indicated.

Step 302: The controller delivers the first segment identifier and the second forwarding behavior corresponding to the first segment identifier to the second node.

For the implementation process of step 302, please refer to step 301. As a first optional implementation manner, the second forwarding behavior and the first forwarding behavior may include the same sub-behavior. The same sub-behavior may include at least one of the following sub-behaviors: slice resource forwarding based on a specified network slice; forwarding based on allocated network resources; encrypted forwarding; and forwarding after traffic statistics. Moreover, the second forwarding behavior may also include: forwarding based on the second next hop address.

In this first optional implementation, as a possible example, except for the indicated next hop address, the first forwarding behavior and the second forwarding behavior may include the same other sub-behaviors. . Correspondingly, the second forwarding behavior also does not include updating the value of the DA field, and does not include stripping the outer IPv6 header. Wherein, for the scenario where the second node is an Endpoint node in the SRv6 system, the second forwarding behavior may not include: updating the value of the SL field.

As another possible example, the next hop addresses indicated by the first forwarding behavior and the second forwarding behavior are different, and other sub-behaviors included in the two are partly the same and partly different. For example, in addition to the same sub-behaviors mentioned above, the second forwarding behavior may also include one of the following sub-behaviors: updating the value of the DA field, stripping off the outer IPv6 header, and updating the value of the SL field.

In a second optional implementation, the second forwarding behavior may not include the same sub-behavior as the first forwarding behavior. For example, the second forwarding behavior may include updating the value of the DA field, or including stripping the outer IPv6 layer. head. Moreover, the second forwarding behavior does not include any of the following sub-behaviors: forwarding based on slice resources of a specified network slice; forwarding based on allocated network resources; forwarding with encryption; and forwarding after traffic statistics. Wherein, for the scenario where the second node is an Endpoint node in the SRv6 system, the second forwarding behavior may include: updating the value of the SL field.

Step 303: The controller delivers the first segment identifier and the third forwarding behavior corresponding to the first segment identifier to the third node.

The third node is the head node in the message forwarding system. In the embodiment of this application, if the head node is required to also perform corresponding forwarding behavior based on the first segment identifier, the controller can also issue the first segment identifier and the third forwarding corresponding to the first segment identifier to the head node. Behavior.

The third forwarding behavior and the first forwarding behavior may include the same sub-behavior. The same sub-behavior may include at least one of the following sub-behaviors: slice resource forwarding based on a specified network slice; forwarding based on allocated network resources; encrypted forwarding; and forwarding after traffic statistics. Moreover, the third forwarding behavior may also include: forwarding based on the third next hop address. For example, except for the indicated next hop address, the third forwarding behavior and the first forwarding behavior may include the same other sub-behaviors.

It can be understood that, for the scenario where the third node is the head node in the SRv6 system, the controller can also deliver an SRv6 policy (policy) to the third node. The SRv6policy includes the SID of the node in the forwarding path of the message, and the SID of the node in the forwarding path includes the first segment identifier. The third node can encapsulate SRH in the message based on the SRv6 policy, and the segment list of the SRH includes the SID of the node in the forwarding path.

It can also be understood that the controller does not need to perform the above steps 301 to 303. Correspondingly, the above-mentioned first segment identifier and the forwarding behavior corresponding to the first segment identifier may also be statically configured in each node. For example, operation and maintenance personnel can manually configure the first segment of identifiers in each node and the forwarding behavior corresponding to the first segment of identifiers.

Step 304: The first node adds a first forwarding entry to its forwarding table, where the first forwarding entry includes a first segment identifier and a first forwarding behavior.

After the first node obtains the configuration information issued by the controller or statically configured, it can add a first forwarding table entry in its forwarding table based on the configuration information. The first forwarding entry includes a first segment identifier and a first forwarding behavior. Among them, the forwarding table in the first node is also called FIB. The forwarding table may include a local segment identification table, and the first segment identification in the forwarding table is a locally instantiated SRv6 SID of the first node.

For example, referring to Figure 8, assume that the first node is node 2, the first segment identifier (i.e. GID) in the configuration information it receives is A1::1, and the first forwarding behavior includes: based on the first next hop address O2 forwarding, and slice resource forwarding based on the specified network slice S1. Then the first forwarding table entry added by node 2 in its forwarding table may include GID: A1::1, the first next hop address O2 corresponding to the GID, and the network slice S1. Referring to Figure 8, it can be seen that in the packet forwarding system, the slicing resources between nodes may include: network slice 1, network slice 2, and network slice 3.

It can be understood that the forwarding table of the first node may include multiple forwarding table entries, and each forwarding table entry includes a segment identifier (such as a GID) and a forwarding behavior corresponding to the segment identifier. As an example, the forwarding table of the first node can be as shown in Table 2. Referring to Table 2, the forwarding behavior corresponding to each GID includes: forwarding based on the specified next hop address, and other sub-behaviors. Among them, the forwarding behavior corresponding to the segment identifier B1::1 includes: forwarding based on the next hop address O0, and encrypted forwarding. The forwarding behavior corresponding to the segment identifier D1::1 includes: forwarding based on the next hop address O0, encrypted forwarding, and forwarding based on allocated network resources.

Table 2

Step 305: The second node adds a second forwarding entry to its forwarding table. The second forwarding entry includes the first segment identifier and the second forwarding behavior.

The first segment is identified as a locally instantiated SRv6SID of the second node. The implementation process of step 305 may refer to the above-mentioned step 304. For example, as shown in Figure 8, assuming that the second node is node 3, the first segment identifier (i.e. GID) in the configuration information it receives is A1::1, and the second forwarding behavior includes: based on the second next Hop address O3 forwarding, and slice resource forwarding based on the specified network slice S1. Then the second forwarding table entry added by node 3 in its forwarding table may include GID: A1::1, the second next hop address O3 corresponding to the GID, and the network slice S1.

Or, assuming that the second node is node 5, the first segment identifier in the configuration information it receives is A1::1, and the second forwarding behavior includes: SL--, and updating the value of the DA field. As shown in Figure 8, the second forwarding entry added by node 5 in its forwarding table may include GID: A1::1, the second forwarding behavior corresponding to the GID: SL--, and the updated DA field value. Among them, SL-- refers to decrementing the value of the SL field by 1.

Step 306: The third node adds a third forwarding entry to its forwarding table. The third forwarding entry includes the first segment identifier and the third forwarding behavior.

The first segment identifier may be a locally instantiated SRv6 SID of the third node. The implementation process of step 306 may also refer to the above-mentioned step 304. For example, continue to refer to Figure 8, assuming that the third node is node 1, and the first segment identifier in the configuration information it receives is A1::1. The third forwarding behavior includes: forwarding based on the third next hop address O1, And slice resource forwarding based on the specified network slice S1. Then the third forwarding table entry added by node 1 in its forwarding table may include GID: A1::1, the third next hop address O1 corresponding to the GID, and the network slice S1.

Step 307: The third node encapsulates the SRH in the received message, and the segment list of the SRH includes the first segment identifier.

In the embodiment of this application, the third node serves as the head node and can introduce specified traffic to the SRv6 policy based on the traffic diversion policy issued by the controller (or statically configured). If the third node determines that the message it receives belongs to the specified traffic, it can encapsulate SRH in the received message. The SRH includes a segment list, and the segment list includes a first segment identifier.

In a first possible implementation manner, the segment list may include a first segment identifier, and the first segment identifier can guide the forwarding behavior of multiple consecutive nodes in the message forwarding system. Furthermore, the position of the first segment identifier in the segment list may be determined based on the position of the first node among the plurality of consecutive nodes.

For example, referring to Figure 9, assume that the first segment of the identifier is used to guide the forwarding behavior from node 1 to node 5, because the first node (i.e., node 1) among the five consecutive nodes is the head node of the message forwarding system. , so the last identification field in the segment list can identify this first segment. Or, referring to Figure 10, assume that the first segment of the identifier is used to guide the forwarding behavior from node 3 to node 5, because the first node (i.e. node 3) among the three consecutive nodes is the third node in the message forwarding system. node, so the penultimate identification field in the segment list can be the identity of the first segment.

In a second possible implementation manner, the segment list may include multiple first segment identifiers, and a second segment identifier may be included between two adjacent first segment identifiers. The second segment identifier is different from the first segment identifier. For example, the second segment identifier may be a common SID, and the common SID is only used to guide the forwarding behavior of a node. In this implementation, each first segment identifier can guide the forwarding behavior of one node in the message forwarding system, or the forwarding behavior of multiple consecutive nodes. Furthermore, one or more common SIDs may be included between two adjacent first segment identifiers.

It can be understood that when multiple discontinuous nodes in the message forwarding system need to perform the same sub-behavior, the second implementation method can be used to set multiple identical first segment identifiers in the segment list. Among them, multiple nodes that need to execute the same sub-behavior can be identified by the first segment of identifiers, and nodes that do not need to execute the same sub-behavior can be identified by using the second segment of identifiers (ie, common SIDs).

For example, referring to Figure 10, assume that the message forwarding system includes node 1 to node 7, and requires nodes 3 to 5, and node 7 to perform the same sub-behavior, for example, all perform encrypted forwarding. Then node 1 serves as the head node and can encapsulate SRH in the packet. The segment list of this SRH includes: SID2, B1::1, SID6, B1::1. Among them, SID2 is the SID of node 2, which is used to guide the forwarding behavior of node 2; SID6 is the SID of node 6, which is used to guide the forwarding behavior of node 6. The first segment identifier (GID) B1::1 between SID2 and SID6 is used to guide node 3 to node 5 to perform encrypted forwarding, and the first segment identifier B1::1 after SID6 is used to guide node 7 to perform encrypted forwarding. .

Among them, SID2 and SID6 are both common SIDs. The forwarding behaviors guided by this common SID can include: END, END.X, END.DT4 or END.DT6 and other behaviors. Among them, the behavior of END can include: if the value of the SL field is not 0, then Decrement the value of the SL field by 1 and copy the value of the segment list [SL] to the DA field in the IPv6 header. On the basis of the END behavior, the behavior of END.X may also include: forwarding the packet to the specified neighbor node.

Step 308: The third node copies the first segment identifier in the segment list to the DA field of the message to obtain the first message.

In this embodiment of the present application, if the last identifier field in the segment list is the first segment identifier, the third node can copy the first segment identifier to the DA field of the message to obtain the first message.

For example, referring to Figure 9, assuming that the third node is node 1, node 1 can copy GID: A1::1 to the DA field in the outer IPv6 header (eg, IPv6 basic header).

Step 309: The third node determines a third forwarding entry based on the first segment identifier, and determines a third forwarding behavior corresponding to the first segment identifier from the third forwarding entry.

The third node can also search its forwarding table using the first segment identifier in the DA field as an index to determine the third forwarding entry, and determine the third forwarding behavior corresponding to the first segment identifier from the third forwarding entry. .

For example, referring to Figure 8, node 1 searches its forwarding table based on GID: A1::1, and the determined third forwarding behavior may include: forwarding based on the third next hop address O1, and slicing based on the specified network slice S1 Resource forwarding.

It can be understood that after receiving the message, the nodes in the message forwarding system (including the first node, the second node and the third node) do not need to first determine whether the value of the DA field in the message is an ordinary IPv6 address or an IPv6 address. GID. Therefore, when the node determines the forwarding entry based on the first segment identifier in the DA field, it does not need to identify each field in the first segment identifier, but can determine the forwarding entry using the entire first segment identifier as an index.

Step 310: The third node forwards the first message to the first node according to the third forwarding behavior.

In this embodiment of the present application, after the third node determines the third forwarding behavior, it can forward the first message to the first node according to the third forwarding behavior. Wherein, the first node is the node indicated by the third next hop address.

For example, referring to Figures 8 and 9, node 1 can forward the first message to node 2 through the slice resources of network slice S1 based on the third next hop address O1.

It can be understood that the above steps 309 and 310 can be deleted according to the situation. For example, if the third node does not need to perform the forwarding behavior indicated by the first segment identifier, the third node can directly forward the first message to the first node.

Alternatively, if the next-hop node of the third node does not need to perform the forwarding behavior indicated by the first segment identifier (that is, the next-hop node is not the first node), then the last identifier field in the segment list of the SRH can be The common SID of the next hop node. Correspondingly, in the above step 308, the third node can copy the common SID to the DA field of the message, and forward the message directly to the next hop node.

For example, as shown in Figure 10, assuming that neither node 1 nor node 2 needs to perform the forwarding behavior guided by the first segment identifier: B1::1, then node 1 has the last identifier in the SRH segment list encapsulated in the message. The field can be the SID of node 2: SID2. Before forwarding the message, node 1 can initialize the value of the SL field to 3 and copy the SID2 indicated by SL=3 to the DA field in the IPv6 header. Afterwards, node 1 can forward the message to node 2. After receiving the message, node 2 can determine the forwarding entry based on SID2 in the DA field. Since SID2 can hit the forwarding table of node 2, node 2 can decrement the value of the SL field by 1 and copy the GID:B1::1 indicated by the updated value of the SL field (that is, SL=2) to the DA field. , get the first message. Afterwards, node 2 can forward the first message to the first node, that is, node 3.

Step 311: The first node determines the first forwarding entry based on the first segment identifier, and determines the first forwarding behavior corresponding to the first segment identifier from the first forwarding entry.

After receiving the first message, the first node can use the first segment identifier of the DA field in the first message as an index to search the forwarding table of the first node to determine the first forwarding entry, and select the first forwarding entry from the first forwarding table. The first forwarding behavior corresponding to the first segment identifier is determined. The first forwarding behavior may include: forwarding based on the first next hop address. The first forwarding behavior may also include At least one of the following sub-behaviors: slice resource forwarding based on a specified network slice; forwarding based on allocated network resources; encrypted forwarding; forwarding after traffic statistics.

For example, referring to Figure 8, assuming that the first node is node 2, node 2 searches its forwarding table according to GID: A1::1, and the determined first forwarding behavior may include: forwarding based on the first next hop address O2, And slice resource forwarding based on the specified network slice S1.

Step 312: The first node forwards the second message to the second node according to the first forwarding behavior.

After the first node determines the first forwarding behavior, it can forward the second message obtained based on the first message to the second node according to the first forwarding behavior. Wherein, the second node is the node indicated by the first next hop address. The DA field of the second message also includes the first segment identifier. That is to say, when the first node obtains the second message based on the first message, it does not update the value of the DA field of the message. Alternatively, it can be understood that the first forwarding behavior does not include updating the value of the DA field and does not include stripping the outer IPv6 header. If the first node is an Endpoint node in the SRv6 system, it can be understood that the first forwarding behavior does not include updating the value of the SL field.

For example, referring to Figures 8 and 9, node 2 can forward the second message to node 3 through the slice resources of network slice S1 based on the first next hop address O2. Moreover, the value of the DA field of the second message forwarded by node 2 is still A1::1. Alternatively, referring to Figure 10, node 3 may encrypt and forward the second message to node 4. Moreover, the value of the DA field of the second message forwarded by node 3 is still B1::1, and the value of the SL field in the SRH is still 2.

Step 313: The second node determines the second forwarding entry based on the first segment identifier, and determines the second forwarding behavior corresponding to the first segment identifier from the second forwarding entry.

After receiving the second message, the second node can use the first segment identifier in the DA field of the second message as an index to search the forwarding table of the second node to determine the second forwarding entry, and obtain the second forwarding entry from the second node. The second forwarding behavior corresponding to the second segment identifier is determined in the forwarding table entry. Wherein, the second forwarding behavior may include: forwarding based on a second next hop address, where the second next hop address is different from the first next hop address.

Referring to the above step 302, it can be seen that in the first implementation manner, except for the indicated next hop address, the first forwarding behavior and the second forwarding behavior may include the same other sub-behaviors. The same sub-behavior may include at least one of the following sub-behaviors: slice resource forwarding based on a specified network slice; forwarding based on allocated network resources; encrypted forwarding; and forwarding after traffic statistics.

In the second implementation manner, the next hop addresses indicated by the first forwarding behavior and the second forwarding behavior are different, and other sub-behaviors included in the two are partly the same and partly different. For example, in addition to the same sub-behaviors mentioned above, the second forwarding behavior may also include one of the following sub-behaviors: updating the value of the DA field, stripping off the outer IPv6 header, and updating the value of the SL field.

In a third implementation manner, the second forwarding behavior may not include the same sub-behavior as the first forwarding behavior. For example, the second forwarding behavior may include updating the value of the DA field, or including stripping the outer IPv6 header. Moreover, the second forwarding behavior does not include any of the following sub-behaviors: forwarding based on the specified next hop address, forwarding based on the slice resources of the specified network slice; forwarding based on the allocated network resources; encrypted forwarding; forwarding after traffic statistics .

It can be understood that when multiple consecutive nodes in the message forwarding system are required to all perform the same sub-behavior (for example, all perform encrypted forwarding), if the second node is an intermediate node among the multiple consecutive nodes, then the second node Except for the indicated next hop address, the second forwarding behavior and the first forwarding behavior may include the same other sub-behaviors.

If the second node is the last node among the multiple consecutive nodes, the next hop address indicated by the second forwarding behavior and the first forwarding behavior are different, and the second forwarding behavior includes the same sub-behavior as mentioned above, It may also include: updating the value of the DA field, or updating the value of the SL field. Or, if the last node is the tail node in the message forwarding system, then In addition to the same sub-behaviors mentioned above, the second forwarding behavior may also include: stripping off the outer IPv6 header.

If the second node is the next-hop node of the last node among the multiple consecutive nodes, the second forwarding behavior and the first forwarding behavior may not include the same sub-behavior. For example, the second forwarding behavior may include: updating the value of the DA field or updating the value of the SL field. Or, if the next hop node is the tail node in the message forwarding system, the second forwarding behavior may include: stripping off the outer IPv6 header.

Step 314: The second node forwards the third message according to the second forwarding behavior.

After the second node determines the second forwarding behavior, it can forward the third message obtained based on the second message according to the second forwarding behavior. For example, the second node may forward the third message to the node indicated by the second next hop address.

For the first implementation manner in step 313 above, the second node will not update the value of the DA field in the second message. Correspondingly, the DA field in the third message forwarded by the second node still includes the first segment identifier.

For example, referring to Figures 8 and 9, assuming that the second node is node 3, node 3 can use the slice resources of network slice S1 to forward the third message to node 4, and the value of the DA field in the third message is still A1::1.

For the second implementation method in step 313 above, in addition to performing the same sub-behavior as the first node, the second node also updates the value of the DA field in the second message, or directly strips off the outer IPv6 header. Wherein, if the second node updates the value of the DA field in the second message, the DA field of the third message forwarded by the second node does not include the first segment identifier. If the second node strips off the outer IPv6 header of the second message, the third message forwarded by the second node does not include the DA field.

For example, referring to Figure 10, assume that the second forwarding behavior includes: SL--, and encrypted forwarding. Then node 5 can update the value of the SL field in the second message, and update the value of the DA field to SID6 based on the updated value of the SL field (that is, SL=1), to obtain the third message. Afterwards, node 5 can encrypt and forward the third message to node 6, and the SID of node 6 is SID6.

For the third implementation method in step 313 above, the second node will not perform the same sub-behavior as the first node, and the second node will also update the value of the DA field in the second message, or directly strip off the outer IPv6 head.

For example, referring to Figures 8 and 9, assume that the second node is node 5, and the second forwarding behavior includes: SL--, and updating the value of the DA field. Then node 5 can update the value of the SL field in the second message, and update the value of the DA field to SID6 based on the updated value of the SL field, to obtain the third message. Afterwards, node 5 can forward the third message to node 6.

Based on the above description, it can be seen that in the solution provided by the embodiment of the present application, the first segment of the identifier can guide multiple nodes in the message forwarding system to perform the same sub-behavior. Therefore, the controller can deliver configuration information to the multiple nodes respectively, and in the configuration information delivered by the controller to different nodes, except for different next hop addresses, other information can be the same. Correspondingly, the multiple nodes can all perform the methods shown in step 305, step 311 and step 312.

As a possible example, multiple nodes that need to perform the same sub-behavior may be multiple nodes that are continuously arranged in the message forwarding path, and the multiple nodes that are continuously arranged may be identified by a GID in the segment list. For example, referring to Figure 8 and Figure 9, the nodes that need to perform the same sub-behavior (for example, forwarding messages using the network resources of network slice S1) are node 1 to node 4. The nodes 1 and 4 can be configured by one of the segment lists. GID: A1::1 to identify.

As another possible example, multiple nodes that need to perform the same sub-behavior may not be completely consecutively arranged in the packet forwarding path. That is, there may be two spaced nodes among the plurality of nodes, and there is at least one other node between the two spaced nodes that does not need to perform the same sub-behavior. Moreover, in the segment list, multiple consecutive nodes that need to execute the same sub-behavior can be identified by a GID in the segment list, and other nodes that do not need to execute the same sub-behavior can be identified by ordinary SIDs.

For example, referring to Figure 10, nodes that need to perform the same sub-behavior (eg, encrypted forwarding) include nodes 3 to 5, and node 7. Then in the segment list, the above-mentioned nodes 3 to 5 can be identified by one GID: B1::1, and node 7 can be identified by another GID: B1::1. Moreover, between the two GIDs is the SID of node 6 that does not need to perform encrypted forwarding: SID6.

Based on the segment list shown in Figure 10, node 3 and node 4 can encrypt and forward the message under the guidance of GID: B1::1, and will not update the value of the DA field in the message. Node 5 can encrypt and forward the message under the guidance of GID: B1::1, and update the value of the DA field in the message to SID6. After node 6 receives the message, since the value of the DA field: SID6 can hit the forwarding table of node 6, node 6 can decrement the value of the SL field by 1 and change the value of the updated SL field (i.e. SL=0 ) indicated by GID: B1::1 is copied to the DA field. Afterwards, node 6 can forward the message to node 7. Node 7 can then perform encrypted forwarding based on the GID:B1::1 in the DA field.

Based on the above analysis, it can be seen that by carrying the first segment identifier (ie, GID) in the SRH segment list, the nodes in the message forwarding system can process the SRv6 message according to the traditional SRv6 message processing method. For example, a node can copy the first segment identifier in the segment list to the DA field based on the value of the SL field. As a result, the compatibility of the solution provided by the embodiments of the present application is effectively improved.

Moreover, since multiple nodes that need to perform the same sub-behavior and are arranged continuously can be identified by a first segment identifier in the segment list, the length of the segment list (ie, the stack depth) can be effectively shortened. Furthermore, the size of the packet can be effectively reduced and the forwarding rate of the packet can be improved.

It can be understood that the sequence of steps in the message forwarding method provided by the embodiments of the present application can be adjusted appropriately, and the steps can also be increased or decreased accordingly according to the situation. For example, the execution order of the above steps 301 to 303 can be adjusted according to the situation. Alternatively, at least one of the above-mentioned steps 301 to 303 can be deleted according to circumstances. Alternatively, the above-mentioned steps 308 and 309 can be deleted according to the situation, that is, the third node, as the head node, does not need to perform forwarding behavior under the guidance of the first segment identifier.

The embodiment of the present application provides yet another message forwarding method. This method can be applied to the first node in the message forwarding system such as shown in Figure 1 or Figure 3. The first node can be a message forwarding system. Head node or intermediate node. Referring to Figure 11, the method includes:

Step 401: The first node receives a first message, and the DA field of the first message includes a first segment identifier.

The implementation process of step 401 may refer to the above-mentioned step 101.

Step 402: The first node determines a forwarding entry based on the first segment identifier, and the forwarding entry includes the forwarding behavior corresponding to the first segment identifier.

In this embodiment of the present application, a forwarding table is stored in the first node, and the forwarding entry in the forwarding table records the first segment identifier and the forwarding behavior corresponding to the first segment identifier. After receiving the first message, the first node can search its forwarding table according to the first segment identifier in the DA field of the first message to determine the forwarding table entry, and then determine the first segment from the forwarding table entry. Identifies the corresponding forwarding behavior. The first segment identifier may be a locally instantiated SRv6 SID of the first node. The implementation process of this step 402 may refer to the above-mentioned step 102.

Step 403: The first node forwards the second message to the second node according to the forwarding behavior, and the second message is obtained based on the first message.

After the first node determines the forwarding behavior, it can forward the second message obtained based on the first message to the second node according to the forwarding behavior. The implementation process of step 403 may refer to the above-mentioned step 103.

To sum up, the embodiment of the present application provides a message forwarding method. The first node can determine the forwarding entry according to the first segment identifier in the DA field of the first message to determine the first forwarding behavior, and forward the second message obtained from the first message according to the first forwarding behavior. Since the DA field of the second message also includes the first segment identifier, the second node that receives the second message can also determine the forwarding entry based on the first segment identifier to determine the second forwarding behavior and perform the second forwarding behavior. forwarding behavior. If both the first node and the second node are required to perform a specific operation on the received message, then both the first forwarding behavior and the second forwarding behavior include the specific operation. Since the method provided by the embodiment of this application can carry a The first segment identifier guides the forwarding behavior of multiple nodes, so there is no need to assign segment identifiers to each node separately, which effectively simplifies the operational complexity of message forwarding.

Figure 12 is a schematic structural diagram of a first node provided by an embodiment of the present application. The first node can be applied to a message forwarding system such as that shown in Figure 1, and can implement the steps performed by the first node in the above method embodiment. step. Referring to Figure 12, the first node includes:

The receiving module 501 is configured to receive a first message, where the DA field of the first message includes a first segment identifier. For the functional implementation of the receiving module 501, please refer to the relevant descriptions of step 101 and step 310 in the above method embodiment.

The determination module 502 is configured to determine a forwarding entry based on the first segment identifier, the forwarding entry includes the forwarding behavior corresponding to the first segment identifier, and the first segment identifier is a locally instantiated segment of the first node. logo. For the functional implementation of the determination module 502, please refer to the relevant descriptions of step 102 and step 311 in the above method embodiment.

The forwarding module 503 is configured to forward a second message according to the forwarding behavior. The second message is obtained based on the first message, and the DA field of the second message includes the first segment identifier. For the functional implementation of the forwarding module 503, please refer to the relevant descriptions of step 103 and step 312 in the above method embodiment.

Optionally, the forwarding behavior does not include updating the value of the SL field. Moreover, the forwarding behavior does not include stripping off the outer IPv6 header of the first message.

Optionally, both the first packet and the second packet include an outer IPv6 header, and the outer IPv6 header includes a DA field.

Optionally, the first message and the second message are both SRv6 messages, the SRv6 message includes an SRH, and the segment list of the SRH includes the first segment identifier.

Optionally, the segment list includes multiple first segment identifiers, and a second segment identifier is included between two adjacent first segment identifiers, and the first segment identifier is different from the second segment identifier.

Optionally, the forwarding behavior includes at least one of the following sub-behaviors: forwarding based on slice resources of a specified network slice; forwarding based on allocated network resources; forwarding with encryption; and forwarding after traffic statistics.

Optionally, the forwarding behavior includes: forwarding based on the specified next hop address.

Optionally, continuing to refer to Figure 12, the first node may also include:

Obtaining module 504 is used to obtain the first segment identifier and the forwarding behavior. For the functional implementation of the acquisition module 504, please refer to the relevant descriptions of step 201 and step 301 in the above method embodiment.

Adding module 505 is used to add a forwarding entry to the forwarding table, where the forwarding entry includes the first segment identifier and the forwarding behavior. For the functional implementation of the adding module 505, please refer to the relevant descriptions of steps 203 and 304 in the above method embodiment.

Optionally, the obtaining module 504 may be used to: receive the first segment identification and forwarding behavior issued by the controller; or obtain the statically configured first segment identification and forwarding behavior.

To sum up, the first node provided by the embodiment of the present application can determine the forwarding entry according to the first segment identifier in the DA field of the first message to determine the first forwarding behavior, and forward the message sent by the first forwarding behavior according to the first forwarding behavior. The first message gets the second message. Since the DA field of the second message also includes the first segment identifier, the second node that receives the second message can also determine the forwarding entry based on the first segment identifier to determine the second forwarding behavior and execute the third forwarding behavior. 2. Forwarding behavior. If both the first node and the second node are required to perform a specific operation on the received message, then both the first forwarding behavior and the second forwarding behavior include the specific operation. Since the DA field carries a first segment identifier that can guide the forwarding behavior of multiple nodes, there is no need to allocate segment identifiers to each node separately, thus effectively simplifying the operational complexity of message forwarding.

Figure 13 is a schematic structural diagram of another first node provided by an embodiment of the present application. This first node can be applied to a message forwarding system such as that shown in Figure 1, and can implement the execution of the first node in the above method embodiment. A step of. As shown in Figure 13, the first node includes:

The acquisition module 601 is used to obtain the first segment identifier and the forwarding behavior corresponding to the first segment identifier. For the functional implementation of the acquisition module 601, please refer to the relevant descriptions of step 201 and step 301 in the above method embodiment.

Adding module 602 is used to add a forwarding entry in the forwarding table. The forwarding entry includes the first segment identifier and the forwarding behavior. The forwarding behavior does not include the value of the DA field in the outer IPv6 header of the update message, and does not This includes stripping off the outer IPv6 header, and the first segment identifier being a locally instantiated segment identifier of the first node. For the functional implementation of the adding module 602, please refer to the relevant descriptions of steps 203 and 304 in the above method embodiment.

The forwarding module 603 is used to forward the message according to the forwarding entry. For the functional implementation of the forwarding module 603, please refer to the relevant description of step 205 in the above method embodiment.

Optionally, the acquisition module 601 can be used to: receive the first segment identifier issued by the controller and the forwarding behavior corresponding to the first segment identifier; or, obtain the statically configured first segment identifier and the forwarding behavior corresponding to the first segment identifier. forwarding behavior.

Optionally, the outer IPv6 header includes: IPv6 basic header and/or IPv6 extension header. The DA field is included in the IPv6 basic header.

Optionally, the forwarding behavior may include: forwarding based on a specified next hop address. Furthermore, the forwarding behavior may also include at least one of the following sub-behaviors: slice resource forwarding based on a specified network slice; forwarding based on allocated network resources; encrypted forwarding; and forwarding after traffic statistics.

Optionally, the forwarding module 603 can be used to: receive a first message, the DA field of the first message includes the first segment identifier; determine the forwarding entry according to the first segment identifier to determine the forwarding behavior; and Forward the second message according to the forwarding behavior. The second message is obtained based on the first message, and the DA field of the second message also includes the first segment identifier. For the functional implementation of the forwarding module 603, reference can also be made to the relevant descriptions of steps 101 to 103 and steps 310 to 312 in the above method embodiment.

To sum up, the first node provided by the embodiment of the present application can add the first segment identifier and the corresponding first forwarding behavior to its forwarding entry, and forward the message according to the forwarding entry. Since the forwarding behavior corresponding to the first segment identifier does not include updating the value of the DA field in the outer IPv6 header of the message, and does not include stripping the outer IPv6 header, it is possible to ensure that the DA field in the message sent by the first node Also include this first paragraph of identification. Correspondingly, the node that receives the message can perform forwarding behavior under the guidance of the first segment identifier. Since the first segment identifier can guide the forwarding behavior of multiple nodes, there is no need to allocate segment identifiers to each node, which effectively simplifies the operational complexity of message forwarding.

Figure 14 is a schematic structural diagram of a second node provided by an embodiment of the present application. The second node can be applied to a message forwarding system such as that shown in Figure 1, and can implement the steps performed by the second node in the above method embodiment. step. Referring to Figure 14, the second node includes:

The receiving module 701 is configured to receive a second message forwarded by the first node according to the first forwarding behavior, where the DA field of the second message includes a first segment identifier. Wherein, the second message is obtained based on the first message received by the first node, the DA field of the first message includes the first segment identifier, and the first forwarding behavior is performed by the first node based on the first segment identifier. Determined from the first forwarding entry of the first node. For the functional implementation of the receiving module 701, please refer to the relevant descriptions of steps 104 and 312 in the above method embodiment.

The determining module 702 is configured to determine a second forwarding entry according to the first segment identifier, so as to determine the second forwarding behavior corresponding to the first segment identifier from the second forwarding entry. For the functional implementation of the determination module 702, please refer to the relevant descriptions of step 105 and step 313 in the above method embodiment.

The forwarding module 703 is configured to forward the third message according to the second forwarding behavior, and the third message is obtained based on the second message. For the functional implementation of the forwarding module 703, please refer to the relevant descriptions of step 106 and step 314 in the above method embodiment.

Optionally, the first forwarding behavior does not include updating the value of the SL field. The second forwarding behavior includes the same sub-behavior as the first forwarding behavior, and the DA field of the third message includes the first segment identifier.

Optionally, the DA field of the third message does not include the first segment identifier, and the second forwarding behavior may include updating the value of the SL field.

Optionally, the third message does not include a DA field, and the second forwarding behavior may include stripping the outer IPv6 header.

Optionally, the first forwarding behavior may include: forwarding based on the first next hop address; the second forwarding behavior may include: forwarding based on the second next hop address. The second next hop address is different from the first next hop address.

Optionally, both the first message and the second message include an SRH, and the segment list of the SRH includes the first segment identifier.

To sum up, in the solution provided by the embodiment of the present application, the DA field in the packets received by the first node and the second node both includes the first segment identifier. Correspondingly, both nodes can determine the forwarding behavior corresponding to the first segment identifier by determining the forwarding table entry, and execute the forwarding behavior. Since different nodes in the message forwarding system can perform forwarding behaviors under the guidance of the same first segment identifier, there is no need to assign segment identifiers to each node respectively, thus effectively simplifying the operational complexity of message forwarding.

Figure 15 is a schematic structural diagram of a controller provided by an embodiment of the present application. The controller can be applied to a message forwarding system such as that shown in Figure 1, and can implement the steps performed by the controller in the above method embodiment. As shown in Figure 15, the controller includes:

The first sending module 801 is configured to deliver the first segment identifier and the first forwarding behavior corresponding to the first segment identifier to the first node in the message forwarding system. For the functional implementation of the first sending module 801, please refer to the relevant descriptions of step 201 and step 301 in the above method embodiment.

The second sending module 802 is configured to deliver the first segment identifier and the second forwarding behavior corresponding to the first segment identifier to the second node in the message forwarding system. For the functional implementation of the second sending module 802, please refer to the relevant descriptions of steps 202 and 302 in the above method embodiment.

The first forwarding behavior does not include updating the value of the DA field, and does not include stripping off the outer IPv6 header.

Optionally, the first forwarding behavior includes: forwarding based on a first next hop address; the second forwarding behavior includes: based on a second next hop address, the second next hop address being different from the first next hop address .

Optionally, both the first sending module 801 and the second sending module 802 can be used to: deliver the first segment identifier to the node in the message forwarding system based on the NETCONF protocol or BGP, and the first segment identifier corresponding to forwarding behavior.

To sum up, the controller provided by the embodiment of the present application can deliver the first segment identifier and the corresponding first segment to the first node. forwarding behavior, and deliver the second segment identifier and the corresponding second forwarding behavior to the second node. The first node and the second node can then add the configuration information issued by the controller to the forwarding table entry, and forward the message based on the forwarding table entry. Since the first segment identifier in the configuration information delivered by the controller to different nodes is the same, the first segment identifier can guide the forwarding behavior of different nodes. If both the first node and the second node are required to perform a specific operation on the received message, then both the first forwarding behavior and the second forwarding behavior include the specific operation. Since the controller provided by the embodiment of the present application does not need to allocate segment identifiers to each node, it effectively simplifies the operational complexity of message forwarding.

Figure 16 is a schematic structural diagram of a third node provided by an embodiment of the present application. The third node can be the head node in the message forwarding system such as shown in Figure 1, and can implement the third node in the above method embodiment. The steps the node performs. As shown in Figure 16, the third node includes:

The encapsulation module 901 is used to encapsulate the SRH in the message, and the segment list of the SRH includes the first segment identifier. For the functional implementation of the encapsulation module 901, please refer to the relevant description of step 307 in the above method embodiment.

The sending module 902 is used to send the message so that at least two nodes in the message forwarding system determine the forwarding entry according to the first segment identifier in the DA field of the message to determine the corresponding first segment identifier. forwarding behavior, and forward the message according to this forwarding behavior. For the functional implementation of the sending module 902, please refer to the relevant descriptions of steps 308 to 310 in the above method embodiment.

Optionally, the segment list includes a first segment identifier. Alternatively, the segment list includes multiple first segment identifiers, and a second segment identifier is included between two adjacent first segment identifiers, and the first segment identifier is different from the second segment identifier.

To sum up, the third node provided by the embodiment of the present application can encapsulate the SRH in the message, and the segment list of the SRH includes the first segment identifier. Since the first segment identifier can be carried in the DA field of the message to guide the forwarding behavior of multiple nodes, there is no need to allocate segment identifiers to each node, which effectively simplifies the operational complexity of message forwarding.

Those skilled in the art can clearly understand that for the convenience and simplicity of description, the specific working processes of the controller, each node and each module described above can be referred to the corresponding processes in the foregoing method embodiments, and will not be described again here. .

It should be understood that the controller and each node provided by the embodiment of the present application can also be implemented by an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) or a programmable logic device (PLD). The above-mentioned PLD It can be a complex programmable logical device (CPLD), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), a general array logic (GAL) or any combination thereof. In addition, the message forwarding method provided by the above method embodiment can also be implemented through software. When the message forwarding method provided by the above method embodiment is implemented through software, the functional modules in the controller and each node can also be software modules.

Figure 17 is a schematic structural diagram of a network device provided by an embodiment of the present application. The network device can be applied to a system such as that shown in Figure 1, and the network device can be a controller or any node in the system, for example, it can be a first node, a second node, or a third node. Referring to Figure 17, the network device includes: a processor 1001, a memory 1002, a network interface 1003 and a bus 1004.

Among them, the computer program 10021 is stored in the memory 1002, and the computer program 10021 is used to implement various application functions. The processor 1001 is configured to execute the computer program 10021 to implement the message forwarding method provided by the above method embodiment and applied to the first node, the second node, the third node or the controller.

The processor 1001 can be a central processing unit (CPU). The processor 1001 can also be other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSP), ASICs, FPGAs, graphics processing units, etc. processor (graphics processing unit, GPU) or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, etc. A general purpose processor can be a microprocessor or any conventional processor.

Memory 1002 may be volatile memory or non-volatile memory, or may include both volatile and non-volatile memory. Among them, non-volatile memory can be read-only memory (ROM), programmable ROM (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (erasable PROM, EPROM), electrically removable memory. Erase electrically programmable read-only memory (EPROM, EEPROM) or flash memory. Volatile memory can be random access memory (RAM), which is used as an external cache. By way of illustration, but not limitation, many forms of RAM are available, such as static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (synchronous DRAM, SDRAM), double data rate synchronous dynamic random access memory (double data date SDRAM, DDR SDRAM), enhanced synchronous dynamic random access memory (enhanced SDRAM, ESDRAM), synchronous link dynamic random access memory (synchlink DRAM, SLDRAM) ) and direct memory bus random access memory (direct rambus RAM, DR RAM).

There may be multiple network interfaces 1003, and the network interface 1003 is used to implement communication connections with other devices (which may be wired or wireless). Among them, in this embodiment of the present application, the network interface 1003 is used to send and receive messages. Among them, other devices may be terminals, servers, VMs and other devices or other network devices.

The bus 1004 is used to connect the processor 1001, the memory 1002 and the network interface 1003. Furthermore, in addition to the data bus, the bus 1004 may also include a power bus, a control bus, a status signal bus, etc. However, for the sake of clarity, the various buses are labeled as bus 1004 in the figure.

If the network device is the first node, the processor 1001 is configured to receive the first message through the network interface 1003. The DA field of the first message includes the first segment identifier, and is configured to determine the first segment according to the first segment identifier. Forwarding entry, to determine the forwarding behavior corresponding to the first segment identifier from the first forwarding entry; and for forwarding the second message through the network interface 1003 according to the forwarding behavior. The second message is obtained based on the first message, and the DA field of the second message includes a first segment identifier, and the first segment identifier is a locally instantiated SRv6 SID of the first node.

Alternatively, the processor 1001 is used to obtain the first segment identifier and the forwarding behavior corresponding to the first segment identifier, add a forwarding entry to the forwarding table, and forward the message through the network interface 1003 according to the forwarding entry. The first segment identifier is a locally instantiated SRv6 SID of the first node. Furthermore, the forwarding entry includes the first segment identifier and the forwarding behavior. The forwarding behavior does not include the value of the DA field in the outer IPv6 header of the update message, and does not include stripping the outer IPv6 header.

For the detailed processing process of the processor 1001, please refer to the steps executed by the first node in the above method embodiment shown in Figures 5 to 7, which will not be described again here.

If the network device is a second node, the processor 1001 may be configured to receive a second message through the network interface 1003. The DA field of the second message includes a first segment identifier, and is configured to determine the first segment identifier based on the first segment identifier. and two forwarding entries, to determine the second forwarding behavior corresponding to the first segment identifier from the second forwarding entry, and to forward the third message according to the second forwarding behavior. The third message is obtained based on the second message, and the first segment identifier is a locally instantiated SRv6 SID of the second node. For the detailed processing process of the processor 1001, please refer to the steps executed by the second node in the above method embodiment shown in Figures 5 to 7, which will not be described again here.

If the network device is a controller, the processor 1001 may be configured to deliver the first segment identifier and the first forwarding behavior corresponding to the first segment identifier to the first node in the message forwarding system through the network interface 1003, and send the first segment identifier to the first node. The second node in the message forwarding system delivers the first segment identifier and the second forwarding behavior corresponding to the first segment identifier. The first forwarding behavior does not include updating the value of the DA field, and does not include stripping off the outer IPv6 header. For detailed processing procedures of the processor 1001, please refer to The steps performed by the controller in the above method embodiments shown in Figures 5 to 7 will not be described again here.

If the network device is the third node, the processor 1001 can encapsulate the SRH in the message, the segment list of the SRH includes the first segment identifier, and send the message through the network interface 1003 so that the message can be forwarded. At least two nodes in the system determine the forwarding entry based on the first segment identifier in the DA field of the message, determine the forwarding behavior corresponding to the first segment identifier from the forwarding entry, and forward the message based on the forwarding behavior. . Wherein, the first segment identifier is a locally instantiated segment identifier of each node in the at least two nodes. For the detailed processing process of the processor 1001, please refer to the steps executed by the third node in the above method embodiment shown in Figures 5 to 7, which will not be described again here.

Figure 18 is a schematic structural diagram of another network device provided by an embodiment of the present application. The network device can be applied to a system such as that shown in Figure 1, and can be a controller or any node in the system, for example, it can be a first node, a second node or a third node. As shown in Figure 18, the network device may include: a main control board 1101 and at least one interface board (the interface board is also called a line card or a service board). For example, Figure 18 shows the interface board 1102 and the interface board 1103. In the case of multiple interface boards, the network device may also include a switching network board 1104, which is used to complete data exchange between the interface boards.

Among them, the main control board 1101 is also called a main processing unit (MPU) or a route processor card. The main control board 1101 is used to complete functions such as system management, equipment maintenance, and protocol processing. There are three main types of functional units on the main control board 1101: system management control unit, system clock unit and system maintenance unit. The main control board 1101 includes: a central processing unit 11011 and a memory 11012.

Interface boards 1102 and 1103 are also called line processing unit (LPU), line card (line card) or service boards. The interface boards are used to provide various service interfaces and implement packet forwarding. Among them, the service interfaces provided by the interface board can include: SONET/SDH-based packet (packet over SONET/SDH, POS) interface, Gigabit Ethernet (gigabit Ethernet, GE) interface and asynchronous transfer mode (asynchronous transfer mode, ATM) interface, etc. Among them, SONET refers to synchronous optical network (synchronous optical network), and SDH refers to synchronous digital hierarchy (synchronous digital hierarchy). The main control board 1101, the interface board 1102 and the interface board 1103 are connected to the system backplane through a system bus to achieve intercommunication. As shown in Figure 18, the interface board 1102 includes one or more central processors 11021. The central processor 11021 is used to control and manage the interface board 1102 and communicate with the central processor 11011 on the main control board 1101 and the interface board 1102 . The memory 11024 on the interface board 1102 is used to store forwarding entries, and the network processor 11022 can forward messages by searching for the forwarding entries stored in the memory 11024. Memory 11024 may also be used to store program code.

The interface board 1102 also includes one or more physical interface cards 11023. The one or more physical interface cards 11023 are used to receive messages sent by the previous hop node and send them to the next hop node according to the instructions of the central processor 11021. processed message.

In addition, it can be understood that the central processor 11021 and/or the network processor 11022 in the interface board 1102 in Figure 18 can be dedicated hardware or chips. For example, an ASIC can be used to implement the above functions. This implementation method is generally The forwarding plane is processed by dedicated hardware or chips. In other embodiments, the central processor 11021 and/or the network processor 11022 may also use a general-purpose processor, such as a general-purpose CPU, to implement the functions described above.

In addition, it should be understood that there may be one or more main control boards 1101, and when there are multiple main control boards, they may include a main main control board and a backup main control board. There may be one or more interface boards. The stronger the data processing capability of the network device, the more interface boards are provided. As shown in Figure 18, the network device includes an interface board 1102 and an interface board 1103. When a distributed forwarding mechanism is adopted, the structure of the interface board 1103 is basically the same as that of the interface board 1102, and the operations on the interface board 1103 are basically similar to the operations on the interface board 1102. For the sake of simplicity, they will not be described again. When the network device has multiple interface boards, the multiple interface boards They can communicate with each other through one or more switching network boards 1104, and can realize load sharing and redundancy backup to provide large-capacity data exchange and processing capabilities.

Under the centralized forwarding architecture, the network device does not need the switching network board 1104, and the interface board is responsible for processing the service data of the entire system. Therefore, the data access and processing capabilities of network equipment with a distributed architecture are greater than those with a centralized architecture. The specific architecture used depends on the specific networking deployment scenario and is not limited here.

In this embodiment of the present application, memory 11012 and memory 11024 may be ROM or other types of static storage devices that can store static information and instructions, or they may be RAM or other types of dynamic storage devices that can store information and instructions. They may also be It is EEPROM, compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM) or other optical disc storage, optical disc storage (including compressed optical disc, laser disc, optical disc, digital versatile disc, Blu-ray disc, etc.), magnetic disk or other magnetic storage device , or any other medium that can be used to carry or store desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and that can be accessed by a computer, but is not limited thereto. The memory 11024 in the interface board 1102 can exist independently and be connected to the central processor 11021 through a communication bus; or the memory 11024 can also be integrated with the central processor 11021. The memory 11012 in the main control board 1101 can exist independently and be connected to the central processor 11011 through a communication bus; or the memory 11012 can also be integrated with the central processor 11011.

The program code stored in the memory 11024 is controlled and executed by the central processor 11021, and the program code stored in the memory 11012 is controlled and executed by the central processor 11011. The central processor 11021 and/or the central processor 11011 can implement the message forwarding method provided in the above embodiments by executing program codes. For example, a method executed by a first node, a second node, a third node or a controller may be implemented. The program code stored in the memory 11024 and/or the memory 11012 may include one or more software units, and the one or more software units may be the functional modules shown in any of the figures in FIGS. 12 to 16 .

In the embodiment of this application, the physical interface card 11023 can be a device using any transceiver, used to communicate with other devices or communication networks, such as Ethernet, radio access network (radio access network, RAN), Wireless local area networks (WLAN), etc.

Optionally, the device shown in any one of Figures 12 to 17 can also be implemented using the structure shown in Figure 18 .

Embodiments of the present application also provide a computer-readable storage medium. Instructions are stored in the computer-readable storage medium. When the instructions are run on a computer, they cause the computer to execute the steps performed by the first node and the third node in the above method embodiment. Steps performed by the second node, third node, or controller.

Embodiments of the present application also provide a computer program product containing instructions. When the computer program product is run on a computer, it causes the computer to execute the first node, the second node, the third node or the controller in the above method embodiment. steps to perform.

The embodiment of the present application also provides a message forwarding system. As shown in Figure 1, the message forwarding system includes multiple nodes 01. At least two nodes 01 among the plurality of nodes 01 may be used to implement the steps performed by the first node in the above method embodiment. For example, the at least two nodes 01 may include a first node and a second node. The first node is used to implement the steps performed by the first node in the above method embodiment. The second node is used to implement the steps in the above method embodiment. Steps performed by the second node.

The structure of the first node may be as shown in Figure 12, Figure 13, Figure 17 or Figure 18, and the structure of the second node may be as shown in Figure 14, Figure 17 or Figure 18.

Optionally, the system may also include: controller 03. The controller 03 can be used to implement the method performed by the controller in the above method embodiment. The structure of the controller can be shown in Figure 15, Figure 17 or Figure 18.

Optionally, at least one node 01 among the plurality of nodes 01 can also be used to implement the method performed by the third node in the above method embodiment. That is, the plurality of nodes 01 may include a third node, and the structure of the third node may be as shown in any of the figures in FIG. 16 to FIG. 18 .

Those of ordinary skill in the art can understand that all or part of the steps to implement the above embodiments can be completed by hardware, or can be completed by instructing relevant hardware through a program. The program can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. The above-mentioned The storage media mentioned can be read-only memory, magnetic disks or optical disks, etc.

In the embodiments of the present application, the terms "first", "second" and "third" are only used for description purposes and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance.

The term "and/or" in this application is just an association relationship describing related objects, indicating that there can be three relationships, for example, A and/or B, which can mean: A exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, alone There are three situations B. In addition, the character "/" in this article generally indicates that the related objects are an "or" relationship.

The above are only optional embodiments of the present application and are not intended to limit the present application. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc. made within the concepts and principles of the present application shall be included in the protection of the present application. within the range.

Claims

A message forwarding method, characterized in that, applied to the first node, the method includes:

Receive the first message, the destination address DA field of the first message including the first segment identifier;

Determine the forwarding entry according to the first segment identifier, the forwarding entry includes the forwarding behavior corresponding to the first segment identifier, and the first segment identifier is a locally instantiated segment of the first node logo;

Forward a second message to the second node according to the forwarding behavior, the second message is obtained based on the first message, and the DA field of the second message includes the first segment identifier.
The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the forwarding behavior does not include updating the value of the remaining SL field of the segment.
The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the forwarding behavior does not include stripping the outer Internet Protocol version 6 IPv6 header of the first message.
The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the first message and the second message both include an outer Internet Protocol version 6 IPv6 header, and the outer IPv6 header includes all Describe the DA field.
The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the first message and the second message are both segment routing SRv6 messages based on IPv6, and the SRv6 message includes segment routing Header SRH, the segment list of the SRH includes the first segment identifier.
The method according to claim 5, characterized in that the segment list includes a plurality of first segment identifiers, and a second segment identifier is included between two adjacent first segment identifiers. The segment identifier is different from the second segment identifier.
The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the forwarding behavior includes at least one of the following sub-behaviors:

Slice resource forwarding based on specified network slice;

Network resource forwarding based on allocation;

Encrypted forwarding;

Traffic is forwarded after statistics.
The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the forwarding behavior includes:

Forward based on the specified next hop address.
The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the method further includes:

Obtain the first segment identification and the forwarding behavior;

Add the forwarding entry to the forwarding table, where the forwarding entry includes the first segment identifier and the forwarding behavior.
The method of claim 9, wherein obtaining the first segment identifier and the forwarding behavior includes:

Receive the first segment identifier and the forwarding behavior issued by the controller;

Or, obtain the statically configured first segment identifier and the forwarding behavior.
A message forwarding method, characterized in that, applied to the first node, the method includes:

Obtain the first segment identifier and the forwarding behavior corresponding to the first segment identifier;

Add a forwarding entry to the forwarding table. The forwarding entry includes the first segment identifier and the forwarding behavior. The forwarding behavior does not include the destination address DA in the outer Internet Protocol version 6 IPv6 header of the update message. The value of the field does not include stripping off the outer IPv6 header, and the first segment identifier is a locally instantiated segment identifier of the first node;

Forward the message to the second node according to the forwarding entry.
The method according to claim 11, characterized in that said obtaining the first segment identifier and the forwarding behavior corresponding to the first segment identifier includes:

Receive the first segment identifier issued by the controller and the forwarding behavior corresponding to the first segment identifier;

Or, obtain the statically configured first segment identifier and the forwarding behavior corresponding to the first segment identifier.
The method according to claim 11 or 12, characterized in that the outer IPv6 header includes: IPv6 basic header and/or IPv6 extension header.
The method of claim 13, wherein the DA field is included in the IPv6 basic header.
The method according to any one of claims 11 to 14, characterized in that the forwarding behavior does not include updating the value of the remaining SL field of the segment.
The method according to any one of claims 11 to 15, characterized in that the forwarding behavior includes:

Forward based on the specified next hop address.
The method according to any one of claims 11 to 16, characterized in that the forwarding behavior includes at least one of the following sub-behaviors:

Slice resource forwarding based on specified network slice;

Network resource forwarding based on allocation;

Encrypted forwarding;

Traffic is forwarded after statistics.
The method according to any one of claims 11 to 17, characterized in that forwarding the message to the second node according to the forwarding entry includes:

Receive the first message, the DA field of the first message including the first segment identifier;

Determine the forwarding entry according to the first segment identifier to determine the forwarding behavior;

Forward a second message to the second node according to the forwarding behavior, the second message is obtained based on the first message, and the DA field of the second message includes the first segment identifier.
A message forwarding method, characterized in that it is applied to a message forwarding system, and the message forwarding system includes a first node and a second node; the method includes:

The first node receives the first message, and the destination address DA field of the first message includes a first segment identifier;

The first node determines a first forwarding entry based on the first segment identifier to determine the first forwarding behavior corresponding to the first segment identifier from the first forwarding entry, and the first segment identifier is a locally instantiated segment identifier of the first node;

The first node forwards a second message to the second node according to the first forwarding behavior, and the second message is obtained based on the first message;

The second node receives the second message, and the DA field of the second message includes the first segment identifier;

The second node determines a second forwarding entry based on the first segment identifier to determine the second forwarding behavior corresponding to the first segment identifier from the second forwarding entry, and the first segment identifier is a locally instantiated segment identifier of the second node;

The second node forwards a third message according to the second forwarding behavior, and the third message is obtained based on the second message.
The method according to claim 19, characterized in that the first forwarding behavior does not include updating the value of the remaining SL field of the segment.
The method of claim 20, wherein the first forwarding behavior does not include stripping the outer Internet Protocol version 6 IPv6 header of the first message.
The method according to any one of claims 19 to 21, characterized in that the second forwarding behavior and the first forwarding behavior include the same sub-behavior, and the DA field of the third message includes the first Segment ID.
The method according to claim 22, characterized in that the same sub-behavior includes at least one of the following sub-behaviors:

Slice resource forwarding based on specified network slice;

Network resource forwarding based on allocation;

Encrypted forwarding;

Traffic is forwarded after statistics.
The method according to any one of claims 19 to 23, characterized in that the second forwarding behavior does not include: updating the value of the SL field.
The method of claim 20, wherein the DA field of the third message does not include the first segment identifier, and the second forwarding behavior includes updating the value of the SL field.
The method of claim 20, wherein the third message does not include a DA field, and the second forwarding behavior includes stripping off an outer IPv6 header.
The method according to any one of claims 19 to 26, characterized in that the first forwarding behavior includes: based on the first One-hop address forwarding;

The second forwarding behavior includes: forwarding based on a second next hop address, where the second next hop address is different from the first next hop address.
The method according to any one of claims 19 to 27, characterized in that both the first message and the second message include a segment routing header SRH, and the segment list of the SRH includes the first Segment ID.
A message forwarding method, characterized in that it is applied to a controller in a message forwarding system; the method includes:

Delivering a first segment identifier and a first forwarding behavior corresponding to the first segment identifier to the first node in the message forwarding system;

Deliver the first segment identifier and the second forwarding behavior corresponding to the first segment identifier to a second node in the message forwarding system;

Wherein, the first forwarding behavior does not include updating the value of the DA field of the destination address, and does not include stripping the outer Internet Protocol version 6 IPv6 header.
The method of claim 29, wherein the second forwarding behavior and the first forwarding behavior include the same sub-behavior.
The method according to claim 30, characterized in that the same sub-behavior includes at least one of the following sub-behaviors:

Slice resource forwarding based on specified network slice;

Network resource forwarding based on allocation;

Encrypted forwarding;

Traffic is forwarded after statistics.
The method according to any one of claims 29 to 31, characterized in that the first forwarding behavior includes: forwarding based on the first next hop address;

The second forwarding behavior includes: based on a second next hop address, the second next hop address being different from the first next hop address.
The method according to any one of claims 29 to 32, characterized in that, delivering a first segment identifier to a node in the message forwarding system, and the forwarding behavior corresponding to the first segment identifier, include:

Based on the network configuration protocol or the border gateway protocol, the first segment identifier and the forwarding behavior corresponding to the first segment identifier are delivered to the nodes in the message forwarding system.
A message forwarding method, characterized in that the method includes:

Encapsulate the segment routing header SRH in the message, and the segment list of the SRH includes the first segment identifier;

Send the message so that at least two nodes in the message forwarding system determine a forwarding entry based on the first segment identifier in the destination address DA field of the message to obtain the forwarding entry from the forwarding entry. Determine the forwarding behavior corresponding to the first segment identifier, and forward the message according to the forwarding behavior, wherein the first segment identifier is each of the at least two nodes. A locally instantiated segment identifier for the node.
The method according to claim 34, characterized in that the segment list includes one of the first segment identifiers;

Alternatively, the segment list includes multiple first segment identifiers, and a second segment identifier is included between two adjacent first segment identifiers, and the first segment identifier is different from the second segment identifier. .
A network device, characterized in that the network device includes: a memory, a processor and a computer program stored on the memory and capable of running on the processor. When the processor executes the computer program, the The method of any one of claims 1 to 35.
A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that instructions are stored in the computer-readable storage medium, and when the instructions are run on a computer, they cause the computer to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 35.
A computer program product containing instructions, characterized in that when the computer program product is run on a computer, it causes the computer to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 35.
A message forwarding system, characterized in that the system includes multiple nodes;

At least two nodes among the plurality of nodes are used to implement the method according to any one of claims 1 to 28.
The system of claim 39, further comprising: a controller;

The controller is used to implement the method according to any one of claims 29 to 33.
The system according to claim 39 or 40, characterized in that at least one node among the plurality of nodes is also used to implement the method according to claim 34 or 35.