Method, apparatus and system for virtual network configuration and partition handover

• US 7,986,649 B2
• Filed: 12/30/2010
• Issued: 07/26/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2007
• 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: Zheng, Ruobin
• Primary Examiner(s): Pwu; Jeffrey
• Assistant Examiner(s): Acolatse; Kodzovi
• Application Number:
  US12/982,740
• Publication Number:
  US 20110090819A1
• Time in Patent Office: 208 Days
• Field of Search: 370/310, 370/254
• US Class Current: 370/310
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2876 Handling of subscriber policies group policies management H04L41/0893
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4645 Details on frame tagging routing of packets H04L45/00; support for virtual LAN H04L49/354
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4679 Arrangements for the registration or de-registration of VLAN attribute values, e.g. VLAN identifiers, port VLAN membership
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0806 for initial configuration or provisioning, e.g. plug-and-play
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0895 Configuration of virtualised networks or elements, e.g. virtualised network function or OpenFlow elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/342 between virtual entities, e.g. orchestrators, SDN or NFV entities

Abstract

A method, apparatus and system for virtual network configuration and partition handover are provided. The virtual network configuration method includes the following steps: The serving edge device obtains a target virtual network identifier and a corresponding interface identifier, uses the target virtual network identifier and the corresponding interface identifier to generate a Layer-2 Control (L2C) protocol packet, and sends out the L2C protocol packet; the communication proxy device that receives the L2C protocol packet obtains the target virtual network identifier and the corresponding interface identifier from the L2C protocol packet, and sets up a mapping relation between a target virtual network and an interface.

Claims

1. A dynamic virtual network configuration method, comprising:

by a serving edge device, in the process of a user handover from a current virtual network to a target virtual network, obtaining a target virtual network identifier and a corresponding interface identifier, using the target virtual network identifier and the corresponding interface identifier of the interface accessed by the user, to generate a Layer-2 Control (L2C) protocol packet, and sending out the L2C protocol packet; and

by a communication proxy device that receives the L2C protocol packet, obtaining the target virtual network identifier and the corresponding interface identifier from the L2C protocol packet, and setting up a mapping relation between a target virtual network and an interface;

wherein the process of setting up the mapping relation between the target virtual network and the interface comprises;

by the communication proxy device, dynamically deleting a physical interface identifier corresponding to the interface identifier from a physical interface partition list corresponding to a current virtual network identifier; and

adding the physical interface identifier to a physical interface partition list corresponding to the target virtual network identifier;

or

by the communication proxy device, dynamically deleting a virtual interface identifier corresponding to the interface identifier from a virtual interface partition list corresponding to a current virtual network identifier; and

adding the physical interface to a physical interface partition corresponding to the target virtual network identifier.

2. The configuration method of claim 1, comprising:

by the serving edge device, in a process of authenticating a nomadic user, obtaining the target virtual network identifier corresponding to the nomadic user and the interface identifier of the interface accessed by the nomadic user;

or

by the serving edge device, when the user selects a target service and/or is re-authenticated, obtaining the target virtual network identifier selected by the user and the corresponding interface identifier;

or

by the serving edge device, when a target service provision device selects a target multicast virtual network for handover, obtaining the target virtual network identifier and the corresponding interface identifier.

3. The configuration method of claim 1,

wherein the communication proxy device and an access device are set in a same physical entity;

or

wherein the communication proxy device is set in an access convergence device;

or

wherein the communication proxy device and the serving edge device are set in a same physical entity.

4. The configuration method of claim 1,

wherein the interface is a physical port, and the information about the mapping relation between the target virtual network and the interface comprises the target virtual network identifier and a corresponding physical port identifier;

or

wherein the interface is a physical access circuit, and the information about the mapping relation between the target virtual network and the interface comprises the target virtual network identifier and a corresponding physical access circuit identifier;

or

wherein the interface is a virtual port, and the information about the mapping relation between the target virtual network and the interface comprises a virtual target virtual network identifier and a corresponding virtual port identifier;

or comprises the virtual target virtual network identifier and the corresponding information about the mapping relation between the virtual port and the physical port;

or

wherein the interface corresponding to the access device is a virtual access circuit, and the information about the mapping relation between the target virtual network and the interface comprises the virtual target virtual network identifier and a corresponding virtual access circuit identifier;

or comprises the virtual target virtual network identifier and the corresponding information about the mapping relation between the virtual port and the physical port, wherein the virtual network may be a Virtual Local Area Network (VLAN) or a Virtual Private Network (VPN).

5. A communication proxy apparatus, comprising:

a receiving unit, adapted to receive a Layer-2 Control (L2C) protocol packet that carries a target virtual network identifier and a corresponding interface identifier in the process of a user handover from a current virtual network to a target virtual network;

an obtaining unit, adapted to parse the L2C protocol packet to obtain the target virtual network identifier and the corresponding interface identifier from the packet;

a storing unit, adapted to;

store information about a mapping relation between an interface and a virtual network, wherein the information about the mapping relation comprises the virtual network identifier and the interface identifier of the interface accessed by the user; and

a configuring unit, adapted to modify the information about the mapping relation in the storing unit according to the obtained target virtual network identifier and the corresponding interface identifier;

wherein the storing unit records at least one mapping relation partition information unit, and each mapping relation partition information unit corresponds to a virtual network, and records the virtual network identifier and the corresponding interface partition information; and

wherein the configuring unit deletes interface information corresponding to the interface identifier of the interface accessed by the user, from the mapping relation partition information unit corresponding to a current virtual network identifier, and adds the interface information corresponding to the interface identifier of the interface accessed by the user, to the mapping relation partition information unit corresponding to the target virtual network identifier;

wherein the interface is a physical interface, and the mapping relation partition information unit records a virtual network identifier and the corresponding physical interface information;

or

wherein the interface is a virtual interface, and the mapping relation partition information unit records a logical virtual network identifier and the corresponding mapping relation between the virtual interface and the physical interface.

6. The communication proxy apparatus of claim 5, further comprising:

a port mapping unit, adapted to perform conversion between the physical interface and the virtual interface for the received packet according to the information about the mapping relation between the physical interface and the virtual interface.

7. The communication proxy apparatus of claim 5, further comprising:

a matching unit, adapted to;

check whether the target virtual network identifier matches a current virtual network identifier; and

, if they do not match, notify the configuring unit to start configuration.