METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR UPDATING MANNER OF PROCESSING PACKET OF SERVICE FLOW

• US 20170111267A1
• Filed: 12/29/2016
• Published: 04/20/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 07/03/2014
• 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: Lin, Junru, Niu, Lehong, Li, Hongyu, Huang, Jing
• Granted Patent: US 10,205,656 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/0377 for service chaining
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/38 Flow based routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/74 Address processing for routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/2483 involving identification of individual flows
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/32 by discarding or delaying data units, e.g. packets or frames
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

This application discloses a method and an apparatus for updating a manner of processing a packet of a service flow. The method includes a first packet of the service flow is forwarded by using a first service function chain (SFC). A control node obtains a flow identifier and indication information from a service function (SF) node of the first SFC, where the indication information is used to indicate a manner of processing a second packet of the service flow, the flow identifier is used to identify the service flow. The control node obtains the manner of processing the second packet according to the indication information, and sends the flow identifier and the manner of processing the second packet to the processing node, where the manner of processing the second packet does not include forwarding the second packet along the first SFC.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

obtaining, by a control node, a flow identifier and indication information from a service function (SF) node of a first service function chain (SFC), wherein the indication information indicates a manner of processing a second packet of a service flow, wherein the flow identifier identifies the service flow, and wherein the second packet reaches a processing node later than a first packet;

obtaining, by the control node according to the indication information, the manner of processing the second packet, wherein the manner of processing the second packet does not comprise forwarding the second packet along the first SFC; and

sending, by the control node to the processing node, the flow identifier and the manner of processing the second packet.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein obtaining, by the control node, the flow identifier and indication information from the service function SF node of the first SFC comprises:

receiving, by the control node, a Diameter protocol packet sent by the SF node, wherein an attribute value pair (AVP) in a Diameter header of the Diameter protocol packet carries the flow identifier and the indication information; and

obtaining, by the control node, the flow identifier and the indication information from the AVP of the Diameter header.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the control node is a service forwarding entity (SFE), the SFE is connected to the SF node, and the first packet comprises an SFC header, and wherein obtaining, by the control node, the flow identifier and indication information from the service function SF node of the first SFC comprises:

receiving, by the SFE, a third packet sent by the SF node, wherein the third packet carries the SFC header to which the indication information is added; and

obtaining, by the SFE, the flow identifier and the indication information from the third packet.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the control node is a controller, and wherein obtaining, by the control node, the flow identifier and indication information from the service function SF node of the first SFC comprises:

receiving, by the controller, a first OpenFlow (OF) protocol packet sent by an SFE, wherein a payload in the first OF protocol packet carries the flow identifier and the indication information, and wherein the SFE is connected to the SF node; and

obtaining, by the controller, the flow identifier and the indication information from the payload of the first OF protocol packet.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein obtaining, by the control node according to the indication information, the manner of processing the second packet comprises:

determining, by the control node, a service type of the service flow according to the indication information; and

obtaining, by the control node, an identifier (ID) of a second SFC according to the service type of the service flow, wherein the second SFC is used to forward the second packet.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein obtaining, by the control node according to the indication information, the manner of processing the second packet comprises:

determining, by the control node, a processing instruction for the second packet according to the indication information, wherein the processing instruction to discard the second packet or to skip the SF node.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the processing node is a service classifier, and wherein sending, by the control node, the flow identifier and the manner of processing the second packet to the processing node comprises:

obtaining, by the control node, a second OF protocol packet, wherein a payload in the second OF protocol packet carries the flow identifier and the manner of processing the second packet; and

sending, by the control node, the second OF protocol packet to the service classifier.

8. A method comprising:

receiving, by a service function (SF) node on a first service function chain (SFC), a first packet sent by a service forwarding entity (SFE), wherein the SFE is connected to the SF node, the first packet comprises a flow identifier, and the flow identifier identifies a service flow;

processing, by the SF node, the first packet to obtain indication information, wherein the indication information indicates a manner of processing a second packet of the service flow, wherein the manner of processing the second packet of the service flow does not comprise forwarding the second packet along the first SFC, and wherein the second packet reaches a processing node later than the first packet; and

sending, by the SF node to a control node, the flow identifier and the indication information.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein sending, by the SF node, the flow identifier and the indication information to the control node comprises:

obtaining, by the SF node, a Diameter protocol packet, wherein an attribute value pair (AVP) in a Diameter header of the Diameter protocol packet carries the flow identifier and the indication information; and

sending, by the SF node to the control node, the Diameter protocol packet.

10. The method according to claim 8, wherein the first packet comprises an SFC header, and wherein sending, by the SF node, the flow identifier and the indication information to the control node comprises:

obtaining, by the SF node, a third packet, wherein the third packet carries the SFC header; and

sending, by the SF node to the SFE, the third packet, wherein the SFE is the control node or the SFE is connected to the control node.

11. A control node comprising:

a processor; and

a non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing a program for execution by the processor, the program including instructions to;

obtain a flow identifier and indication information from a service function (SF) node of a first service function chain (SFC), wherein the flow identifier identifies a service flow, wherein the indication information is used to indicate a manner of processing a second packet of the service flow, and wherein the second packet reaches a processing node later than a first packet;

obtain, according to the indication information, the manner of processing the second packet, wherein the manner of processing the second packet does not comprise forwarding the second packet along the first SFC; and

send the flow identifier and the manner of processing the second packet to the processing node.

12. The control node according to claim 11, wherein the instructions further comprise instructions to:

receive a Diameter protocol packet sent by the SF node, wherein an attribute value pair (AVP) in a Diameter header of the Diameter protocol packet carries the flow identifier and the indication information; and

obtain the flow identifier and the indication information from the AVP of the Diameter header.

13. The control node according to claim 11, wherein the control node is a service forwarding entity (SFE), the SFE is connected to the SF node, and the first packet comprises an SFC header, and wherein the instructions further comprise instructions to:

receive a third packet sent by the SF node, wherein the third packet carries the SFC header to which the indication information is added; and

obtain the flow identifier and the indication information from the third packet.

14. The control node according to claim 11, wherein the control node is a controller, and wherein the instructions further comprise instructions to:

receive a first OpenFlow (OF) protocol packet sent by an SFE, wherein a payload in the first OF protocol packet carries the flow identifier and the indication information, and the SFE is connected to the SF node; and

obtain the flow identifier and the indication information from the payload of the first OF protocol packet.

15. The control node according to claim 11, wherein the instructions further comprise instructions to:

determine a service type of the service flow according to the indication information; and

obtain an identifier (ID) of a second SFC according to the service type of the service flow, wherein the second SFC is used to forward the second packet.

16. The control node according to claim 11, wherein the instructions further comprise instructions to:

determine a processing instruction for the second packet according to the indication information, wherein the processing instruction is to discard the second packet or skip the SF node.

17. The control node according to claim 11, wherein the processing node is a service classifier, and wherein the instructions further comprise instructions to:

obtain a second OF protocol packet, wherein a payload in the second OF protocol packet carries the flow identifier and the manner of processing the second packet; and

send the second OF protocol packet to the service classifier.

18. A service function (SF) node comprising:

a processor; and

a non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing a program for execution by the processor, the program including instructions to;

receive a first packet sent by a service forwarding entity (SFE), wherein the SFE is connected to the SF node, the first packet comprises a flow identifier, and the flow identifier identifies a service flow;

process the first packet to obtain indication information, wherein the indication information indicates a manner of processing a second packet of the service flow, wherein the manner of processing the second packet of the service flow does not comprise forwarding the second packet along a first service function chain (SFC), and wherein the second packet reaches a processing node later than the first packet; and

send the flow identifier and the indication information to a control node.

19. The SF node according to claim 18, wherein the instructions further comprise instructions to:

obtain a Diameter protocol packet, wherein an attribute value pair (AVP) in a Diameter header of the Diameter protocol packet carries the flow identifier and the indication information; and

send the Diameter protocol packet to the control node.

20. The SF node according to claim 18, wherein the first packet comprises an SFC header, and wherein the instructions further comprise instructions to:

obtain a third packet, wherein the third packet carries the SFC header to which the indication information is added; and

send the third packet to the SFE, wherein the SFE is the control node or the SFE is connected to the control node.