Method and apparatus for performing communication in software-defined networking, and communications system

• US 10,348,568 B2
• Filed: 09/15/2017
• Issued: 07/09/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/18/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Zhang, Wei
• Primary Examiner(s): Lo, Diane L
• Application Number:
  US15/705,912
• Publication Number:
  US 20180006891A1
• Time in Patent Office: 662 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0893 Assignment of logical groups to network elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0894 Policy-based network configuration management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0895 Configuration of virtualised networks or elements, e.g. virtualised network function or OpenFlow elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/14 using software, i.e. software packages network security related monitoring H04L63/1408
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/745 Address table lookup; Address filtering
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5007 Internet protocol [IP] addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/22 Parsing or analysis of headers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/324 in the data link layer [OSI layer 2], e.g. HDLC

Abstract

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a method and an apparatus for performing communication in software-defined networking, and a communications system. The method includes: receiving a message sent by a network device, where the message includes a signaling message; determining, according to a control policy, a matching condition that matches the message, where the control policy includes a matching condition and operation information corresponding to the matching condition; processing the message according to the operation information corresponding to the matching condition that matches the message; and sending the processed message to the network device. According to the method and the apparatus for performing communication in software-defined networking, and the communications system in the present disclosure, a problem in the prior art that a control device serving as a network control center cannot communicate with a base station is resolved.

Claims

1. A method for performing communication in software-defined networking, the method comprising:

receiving a message sent by a network device and comprising a signaling message;

determining, according to a control policy, a matching condition that matches the message, wherein the control policy comprises the matching condition and operation information corresponding to the matching condition;

processing the message according to the operation information corresponding to the matching condition that matches the message; and

sending the processed message to the network device,

wherein the operation information comprises information about at least one of the following operations;

peeling off a radio link message header of a message, performing, based on Internet Protocol (IP), IP packetization on message content of the message, and sending data obtained by performing the IP packetization;

peeling off a radio link message header of a message, and applying message content of the message;

peeling off an IP header of a message, performing, based on an air interface protocol, packetization on message content of the message, and sending data obtained by performing the packetization;

or

peeling off an IP header of a message, and applying message content of the message.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein before determining, according to a control policy, a matching condition that matches the message, the method further comprises:

receiving the control policy sent by the network device.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

determining a flow table according to the control policy, wherein each flow entry in the flow table comprises a matching condition and operation information corresponding to the matching condition;

wherein determining a matching condition that matches the message comprises;

determining, according to the flow table, that a matching condition of a first flow entry is the matching condition that matches the message; and

wherein processing the message according to the operation information corresponding to the matching condition that matches the message comprises;

processing the message according to operation information of the first flow entry.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the flow table further comprises a second flow entry, a matching condition of the second flow entry comprises a source IP address and a destination IP address, and operation information of the second flow entry comprises information about peeling off an IP header of a message and applying message content of the message.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the matching condition in the control policy comprises at least one of the following:

a radio network temporary identifier (RNTI), a channel identifier, a logical channel identifier (LCID), an antenna identifier, a source IP address, a destination IP address, a source port, or a destination port.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein:

the message further comprises a data message; and

the operation information further comprises information about at least one of the following operations;

peeling off a radio link message header of a message, and sending message content of the message, or

performing, based on an air interface protocol, packetization on the message, and sending data obtained by performing the packetization.

7. A method for performing communication in software-defined networking, the method comprising:

generating a control policy comprising a matching condition and operation information corresponding to the matching condition; and

sending the control policy to a network device for processing, according to the operation ration, a message received by the network device and that matches the matching condition, wherein the message comprises a signaling message,

wherein the operation information comprises information about at least one of the following operations;

peeling off a radio link message header of a message, performing, based on Internet Protocol (IP), IP packetization on message content of the message, and sending data obtained by performing the IP packetization;

peeling off a radio link message header of a message, and applying message content of the message;

peeling off an IP header of a message, performing, based on an air interface protocol, packetization on message content of the message, and sending data obtained by performing the packetization;

or

peeling off an IP header of a message, and applying message content of the message.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein the matching condition in the control policy comprises at least one of the following:

a radio network temporary identifier (RNTI), a channel identifier, a logical channel identifier (LCID), an antenna identifier, a source Internet Protocol (IP) address and a destination IP address, or a source port and a destination port.

9. The method according to claim 7, wherein:

the message further comprises a data message; and

the operation information further comprises information about at least one of the following operations;

peeling off a radio link message header of a message, and sending message content of the message, or

performing, based on an air interface protocol, packetization on the message, and sending data obtained by performing the packetization.

10. The method according to claim 7, wherein after sending the control policy to a network device, the method further comprises:

sending a first signaling message to the network device according to the matching condition in the control policy for the network device to determine, according to the control policy, a matching condition that matches the first signaling message.

11. A network device for performing communication in software-defined networking, the network device comprising:

a receiver, configured to receive a message sent by a second network device and comprising a signaling message;

a processor, configured to;

determine, according to a control policy, a matching condition that matches the message, wherein the control policy comprises the matching condition and operation information corresponding to the matching condition, and

process the message according to the operation information corresponding to the matching condition that matches the message; and

a transmitter, configured to send the processed message to the second network device

wherein the operation information comprises information about at least one of the following operations;

peeling off a radio link message header of a message, performing, based on Internet Protocol (IP), IP packetization on message content of the message, and sending data obtained by performing the IP packetization;

peeling off a radio link message header of a message, and applying message content of the message;

peeling off an IP header of a message, performing, based on an air interface protocol, packetization on message content of the message, and sending data obtained by performing the packetization;

or

peeling off an IP header of a message, and applying message content of the message.

12. The network device according to claim 11, wherein the receiver is further configured to receive the control policy sent by the second network device.

13. The network device according to claim 11, wherein the processor is further configured to:

determine a flow table according to the control policy, wherein each flow entry in the flow table comprises a matching condition and operation information corresponding to the matching condition;

determine, according to the flow table, that a matching condition of a first flow entry is the matching condition that matches the message; and

process the message according to operation information of the first flow entry.

14. The network device according to claim 13, wherein the flow table further comprises a second flow entry, a matching condition of the second flow entry comprises a source IP address and a destination IP address, and operation information of the second flow entry comprises information about peeling off an IP header of a message and applying message content of the message.

15. The network device according to claim 11, wherein the matching condition in the control policy comprises at least one of the following:

a radio network temporary identifier (RNTI), a channel identifier, a logical channel identifier (LCID), an antenna identifier, a source IP address and a destination IP address, or a source port and a destination port.

16. A network device for performing communication in software-defined networking, the network device comprising:

a processor, configured to generate a control policy comprising a matching condition and operation information corresponding to the matching condition; and

a transmitter, configured to send the control policy to a second network device for processing a message received by the second network device and that matches the matching condition, wherein the message comprises a signaling message,

wherein the operation information comprises information about at least one of the following operations;

peeling off a radio link message header of a message, performing, based on Internet Protocol (IP), IP packetization on message content of the message, and sending data obtained by performing the IP packetization;

peeling off a radio link message header of a message, and applying message content of the message;

peeling off an IP header of a message, performing, based on an air interface protocol, packetization on message content of the message, and sending data obtained by performing the packetization;

or

peeling off an IP header of a message, and applying message content of the message.

17. The network device according to claim 16, wherein the matching condition in the control policy comprises at least one of the following:

a radio network temporary identifier (RNTI), a channel identifier, a logical channel identifier (LCID), an antenna identifier, a source Internet Protocol (IP) address and a destination IP address, or a source port and a destination port.