Service Process Control Method and Network Device

• US 20170085684A1
• Filed: 12/06/2016
• Published: 03/23/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/03/2013
• 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: Hasson, Uri, Tang, Shengjun, He, Jun
• Granted Patent: US 10,425,510 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• 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 43/028 by filtering
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/74 Address processing for routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/20 Traffic policing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/20 Support for services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5007 Internet protocol [IP] addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• 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

A service process control method and a network device, where the method includes selecting, according to an execution policy of at least one service deployed on a network device, M data processors for processing a packet received by the network device, determining a processing sequence for the selected M data processors to process the packet, and invoking the selected M data processors to sequentially process, according to the processing sequence, the packet. An execution sequence for a data processor to process the packet is dynamically generated according to a policy set corresponding to the service, thereby reducing an unnecessary processing process and redundant information collection in a service execution procedure, improving service processing flexibility, and enhancing overall performance of the device.

Claims

1. A service process control method, comprising:

performing matching between characteristic information of a packet and at least one policy;

generating, according to a result of the matching, a first list indicating a first ordered set of functional processes determined from a plurality of functional processes generated by a processor that executes computer instructions stored in a memory;

forwarding the packet to the determined functional processes to process the packet according to an order indicated by the first list.

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

updating, according to a processing result of the packet, the first list to obtain a second list, wherein the processing result is obtained by at least one of the determined functional processes that processed the packet, and wherein the second list indicates a second ordered set of functional processes; and

forwarding the processed packet to the second ordered set of functional processes to process the processed packet according to an order indicated by the second list.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the at least one policy comprises an execution rule of at least one service.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the order of the determined functional processes is determined according to a dependence relationship between the determined functional processes.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the characteristic information of the packet comprises at least one of a timestamp of the packet, a uniform resource locator (URL) carried in the packet, an Internet Protocol (IP) address and port information.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein forwarding the packet to the determined functional processes comprises forwarding the packet to the determined functional processes in accordance with the order indicated by the first list.

7. A network device, comprising:

a non-transitory processor-readable memory configured to store processor-executable instructions; and

a processor connected to the memory and configured to execute the processor-executable instructions to;

generate a plurality of functional processes, wherein each functional processes is capable of performing a specific type of processing on a packet;

perform matching between characteristic information of a received packet and at least one policy;

generate, according to a result of the matching, a first list indicating a first ordered set of functional processes determined from the plurality of functional processes; and

forward the received packet to the determined functional processes to process the received packet according to an order indicated by the first list.

8. The network device according to claim 7, wherein the processor is further configured to:

update, according to a processing result of the received packet, the first list to obtain a second list, wherein the processing result is obtained by at least one of the determined functional processes that processed the received packet, and wherein the second list indicates a second ordered set of functional processes; and

forward the processed packet to the second ordered set of functional processes to process the processed packet according to an order indicated by the second list.

9. The network device according to claim 7, wherein the processor is further configured to determine the order of the determined functional processes according to a dependence relationship between the determined functional processes.

10. The network device according to claim 7, wherein the characteristic information of the packet comprises at least one of a timestamp of the packet, a uniform resource locator (URL) carried in the packet, an Internet Protocol (IP) address and port information.

11. The network device according to claim 7, wherein the processor is further configured to forward the packet to the determined functional processes in accordance with the order indicated by the first list.

12. A service processing system, comprising:

an identifying device;

a scheduling device; and

a plurality of data processing devices,

wherein the identifying device is configured to;

identify characteristic information of a packet; and

match the characteristic information against a policy set to obtain a result of matching,

wherein the scheduling device is configured to;

generate, according to the result of matching, a first list indicating a first ordered set of data processing devices determined from the plurality of data processing devices; and

forward the packet to the determined data processing devices in accordance with an order indicated by the first list, and

wherein each of the determined data processing devices is configured to perform, on receipt of the packet forwarded by the scheduling device, a specific type of processing on the packet.

13. The service processing system according to claim 12, wherein the determined data processing devices comprises a first data processing device, and wherein the first data processing device is configured to update, according to a processing result of the packet, the first list to obtain a second list, wherein the processing result is obtained by the first data processing device after processing the packet, and wherein the second list indicates a second ordered set of data processing devices determined for processing the packet.

14. The service processing system according to claim 12, wherein the scheduling device is further configured to:

update, according to at least one processing result of the packet, the first list to obtain a second list, wherein the at least one processing result is sent by at least one of the determined data processing devices after processing the packet, and wherein the second list indicates a second ordered set of data processing devices; and

forward the packet to the second ordered set of data processing devices according to an order indicated by the second list.

15. The service processing system according to claim 12, wherein the plurality of data processing devices are realized as virtual elements.

16. The service processing system according to claim 12, wherein the plurality of data processing devices are embedded in a physical network element.

17. The service processing system according to claim 12, wherein the identifying device is embedded in the scheduling device.

18. The service processing system according to claim 12, wherein the identifying device, the scheduling device, and the plurality of data processing devices are realized as virtual elements.

19. The service processing system according to claim 12, wherein the identifying device, the scheduling device, and the plurality of data processing devices are embedded in a physical network element.