Method and system for transmitting connectivity fault management messages in ethernet,and a node device

• US 20080112331A1
• Filed: 11/09/2007
• Published: 05/15/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/09/2006
• 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: Long, Hao, Deng, Zhusheng
• Granted Patent: US 8,406,143 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/245
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4641 Virtual LANs, VLANs, e.g. virtual private networks [VPN] LAN interconnection over a bridge based backbone H04L12/462; encapsulation techniques H04L12/4633; routing of packets H04L45/00; packet switches H04L49/00; virtual private networks for security H04L63/0272
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/06 Management of faults, events, alarms or notifications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0811 by checking connectivity

Abstract

A method for transmitting a Connectivity Fault Management (CFM) message of Ethernet includes: receiving a CFM message transmitted from a source node, the CFM message including identifier of a path and a connection maintenance target address; determining whether the connection maintenance target address matches address of a receiving node, and if yes, terminating the CFM message; otherwise forwarding the CFM message to a next hop based upon the path identifier of the path. Another method and a system for transmitting a CFM message of Ethernet, a node for transmitting a CFM message of Ethernet, and a node for receiving a CFM message of Ethernet are also disclosed. With the invention, a CFM message may be forwarded according to information of MAC address and VLAN ID of identifier of a path where a monitored service is located, and thus may be forwarded correctly in a PBB-TE network.

Claims

1. A method for transmitting a connectivity fault management (CFM) message of Ethernet, comprising:

receiving, by a receiving node, a connectivity fault management message transmitted from a source node, the connectivity fault management message carrying a path identifier of a path containing a monitored connection and a connection maintenance target address; and

determining whether the connection maintenance target address matches an address of the receiving node, if the connection maintenance target address matches the address of the receiving node, processing the connectivity fault management message;

if the connection maintenance target address does not match the address of the receiving node, forwarding the connectivity fault management message to a next hop based on the path identifier of the path.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the path identifier of the path comprises a media access control (MAC) address and a virtual local area network identifier (VLAN ID).

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the connectivity fault management message further comprises explicit route information and the receiving node forwards the connectivity fault management message to a next hop according to the explicit routing information.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the explicit route information comprises a sequence of egress ports or a sequence of media access control addresses.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the method further comprises

encapsulating the connectivity fault management message with a destination address which is a media access control address dedicated for a connectivity fault management and

the receiving node drops the connectivity fault management message to be processed according to the media access control address dedicated for a connectivity fault management function.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein a protocol data unit of the connectivity fault management message further comprises a media access control address part of identifier of a forwarding path for the connectivity fault management message.

25. The method according to claim 1, wherein the connection maintenance termination address is encapsulated in a protocol data unit of the connectivity fault management message.

3. (canceled)

8. A method for transmitting a connectivity fault management message of Ethernet, comprising:

transmitting, by a first node, a connectivity fault management message, a protocol data unit of the connectivity fault management message carrying information of a return path;

receiving, by a second node, the connectivity fault management message carrying the information of the return path, and transmitting a connectivity fault management reply message, a header of the connectivity fault management reply message being encapsulated according to the information of the return path; and

receiving and processing, by the first node, the connectivity fault management reply message.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the information of the return path comprises a media access control address or a virtual local area network identifier of identifier of the return path.

26. The method according to claim 8, wherein before receiving and processing by the first node the connectivity fault management reply message, the method further comprises:

receiving, by a third node, the connectivity fault management reply message, and forwarding the connectivity fault management reply message to a next hop based on the information of the return path.

10. A method for transmitting a data message, comprising:

transmitting, by a first node, a data message, a header of the data message comprising a path identifier and information of a target address, the path identifier and the information of the target address being contained in different fields of the data message;

when receiving the data message, checking, by a second node, whether the target address of the data message points to the second node, and if the target address of the data message points to the second node, processing the data message;

if the target address of the data message does not points to the second node, forwarding the data message based on the path identifier.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the path identifier comprises a media access control address and a virtual local area network identifier.

12. The method according to claim 10, wherein, the data message is an Ethernet frame, and the information of the target address is set by:

using a field of a source address in the frame structure of an existing Ethernet frame as a Target media access control address field to carry the information of the media access control address.

13. The method according to claim 10, wherein checking by the second node whether the target address of the data message points to the second node comprises:

if the target address is an address of the second node, determining that the data message points to the second node.

14. The method according to claim 10, wherein checking by the second node whether the target address of the data message points to the second node comprises:

if the target address is a multicast address registered at the receiving node, determining that the data message points to the second node.

15. A system for transmitting a connectivity fault management message of Ethernet, comprising;

a source node, comprising;

a connectivity fault management message generating unit, adapted to generate a connectivity fault management message comprising a connection maintenance target address; and

a message transmitting and receiving unit, adapted to transmit the connectivity fault management message generated by the connectivity fault management message generating unit; and

a receiving node, comprising;

a message transmitting and receiving unit, adapted to receive the connectivity fault management message;

an address determining unit, adapted to determine whether the connection maintenance target address of the connectivity fault management message matches an address of the receiving node; and

a connectivity fault management processing unit, adapted to terminate the connectivity fault management message or to forward the connectivity fault management message to a next hop.

16. The system according to claim 15, wherein the receiving node further a reply message generating unit adapted to generate a connectivity fault management reply message comprising information of a return path.

17. The system according to claim 16, wherein the message transmitting and receiving unit of the receiving node is connected with the reply message generating unit, and is adapted to transmit the connectivity fault management reply message.

18. The system according to claim 16, wherein the message transmitting and receiving unit of the source node is further adapted to receive the connectivity fault management reply message.

27. The system according to claim 16, wherein the system further comprises an intermediate node,

a protocol data unit of the connectivity fault management message transmitted by the source node carries information of a return path containing identifier of the return path,

the intermediate node is adapted to receive the connectivity fault management reply message transmitted by the receiving node, and to forward the connectivity fault management reply message to a next hop based on the information of the return path.

28. The system according to claim 27, characterized in that the information of the return path comprises a media access control address or a virtual local area network identifier of identifier of the return path.

19. A node device, comprising:

a message transmitting and receiving unit, adapted to receive a connectivity fault management message transmitted from a source node;

an address determining unit, adapted to determine whether a connection maintenance target address of the connectivity fault management message matches an address of the node device; and

a connectivity fault management processing unit, adapted to terminate the connectivity fault management message received by the message transmitting and receiving unit or to forward the connectivity fault management message transmitted by the message transmitting and receiving unit to a next hop.

20. The node device according to claim 19, further comprising a reply message generating unit adapted to generate a connectivity fault management reply message comprising information of a return path.

21-23. -23. (canceled)

24. A node device, comprising:

a connectivity fault management message generating unit, adapted to generate a connectivity fault management message comprising a connection maintenance target address; and

a message transmitting and receiving unit, adapted to transmit the connectivity fault management message generated by the connectivity fault management message generating unit and to receive a connectivity fault management reply message.

29. A method for transmitting and responding a loopback message, comprising:

transmitting, by a first node, a loopback message, a protocol data unit of the loopback message carrying a loopback target address;

receiving, by a second node, the loopback message with the protocol data unit carrying the loopback target address, and determining whether the loopback target address matches an address of the receiving node, if the loopback target address matches the address of the second node, transmitting a loopback reply message;

receiving and processing, by the first node, the loopback reply message.

30. The method according to claim 29, wherein a protocol data unit of the loopback message carrying a loopback target address further comprising:

the protocol data unit of the loopback message carrying information of a return path;

encapsulating, by the second node, the loopback reply message according to the information of the return path.

31. The method according to claim 30, wherein the information of the return path comprises a media access control address or a virtual local area network identifier of identifier of the return path.

32. The method according to claim 29, wherein receiving and processing, by the first node, the loopback reply message further comprising:

putting, by the second node, an address of the first node into the protocol data unit of the loopback reply message;

receiving and processing, by the first node, the loopback reply message according to the address of the first node.