User packet processing method and forwarding plane device

• US 9,979,642 B2
• Filed: 02/19/2016
• Issued: 05/22/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 08/20/2013
• 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: Ni, Hui
• Primary Examiner(s): Acolatse, Kodzovi
• Application Number:
  US15/048,131
• Publication Number:
  US 20160173378A1
• Time in Patent Office: 823 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/6418 Hybrid transport
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/021 Ensuring consistency of routing table updates, e.g. by using epoch numbers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/64 using an overlay routing layer
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/74 Address processing for routing

Abstract

A user packet processing method is disclosed in which a forwarding plane device receives a flow entry installation message from a control plane device, writes the flow entries into the flow tables corresponding to the flow table identifiers, and performs a matching and processing procedure on the received user packet after the flow entries are written into the flow tables corresponding to the flow table identifiers; wherein the quantity of the flow entry installation messages is one, and the flow entry installation message carries all flow entries that may be needed to process a user packet, and a flow table identifier of a flow table in which each flow entry of all the flow entries is located. By using the foregoing manner, a case is effectively avoid that a forwarding plane device wrongly processes a user packet because of a network delay.

Claims

1. A user packet processing method in a software defined network including a forwarding plane device and a control plane device, wherein the method comprises:

receiving, by the forwarding plane device, a flow entry installation message from the control plane device, wherein a quantity of flow entry installation messages is one, and the flow entry installation message carries all flow entries that are needed to process a received user packet, and a flow table identifier of a flow table in which each flow entry of all the flow entries is located;

writing, by the forwarding plane device, multiple flow entries into the flow tables corresponding to the flow table identifiers; and

after the flow entries are written into the flow tables corresponding to the flow table identifiers, performing, by the forwarding plane device, a matching and processing procedure on the received user packet independently of network delay,

wherein before the step of receiving, by the forwarding plane device, the flow entry installation message from the control plane device, the method further comprises;

receiving, by the forwarding plane device, the received user packet, buffering the received user packet when it is found that a flow entry needed to process the received user packet does not exist in a flow table of the forwarding plane device, and sending a flow entry request packet to the control plane device, wherein the flow entry request packet carries at least a part of content of the received user packet and a buffer address in which the received user packet is buffered;

wherein the step of receiving, by the forwarding plane device, the flow entry installation message from a control plane device comprises;

receiving, by the forwarding plane device, the flow entry installation message that is delivered by the control plane device according to the flow entry request packet, wherein the flow entry installation message further carries the buffer address in which the received user packet is buffered; and

wherein the step of performing, by the forwarding plane device, the matching and processing procedure on the received user packet comprises;

extracting, by the forwarding plane device, the received user packet from buffer space corresponding to the buffer address, and performing the matching and processing procedure on the received user packet.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of receiving, by the forwarding plane device, the flow entry installation message from the control plane device comprises:

receiving, by the forwarding plane device, the flow entry installation message that is delivered by the control plane device according to triggering by user subscription information, a local policy, or an external message.

3. A forwarding plane device in a software defined network, comprising:

a processor and a receiver coupled to the processor;

wherein the receiver is configured to receive a flow entry installation message from a control plane device, wherein a quantity of flow entry installation messages is one, and the flow entry installation message carries all flow entries that are needed to process a received user packet, and a flow table identifier of a flow table in which each flow entry of all the flow entries is located;

wherein the processor is configured to write the flow entries into the flow tables corresponding to the flow table identifiers; and

perform a matching and processing procedure on the received user packet after the flow entries are written into the flow tables corresponding to the flow table identifiers independently of network delay,

wherein the receiver is further configured to receive the received user packet;

wherein the processor is further configured to query whether a flow entry needed to process the received user packet exists in a flow table of the forwarding plane device and buffer the received user packet when the processor finds that the flow entry needed to process the received user packet does not exist in the flow table of the forwarding plane device; and

wherein the forwarding plane device further comprises a transmitter configured to send a flow entry request packet to the control plane device when the processor finds that the flow entry needed to process the received user packet does not exist in the flow table of the forwarding plane device, wherein the flow entry request packet carries at least a part of content of the received user packet, and a buffer address in which the received user packet is buffered;

wherein the receiver is configured to receive the flow entry installation message that is delivered by the control plane device according to the flow entry request packet, wherein the flow entry installation message further carries the buffer address in which the received user packet is buffered; and

wherein the processor is configured to;

after all the flow entries needed to process the received user packet are written into the corresponding flow tables, extract the received user packet from buffer space corresponding to the buffer address, and perform the matching and processing procedure on the received user packet.

4. The forwarding plane device according to claim 3, wherein

the receiver is configured to receive the flow entry installation message that is delivered by the control plane device according to triggering by user subscription information, a local policy, or an external message.

5. A forwarding plane device in a software defined network, comprising:

a processor and a receiver coupled to the processor;

wherein the receiver is configured to receive a flow entry installation message from a control plane device, wherein the flow entry installation message carries a flow entry that is needed to process a received user packet, a flow table identifier of a flow table in which the flow entry is located, and an idle mark; and

the processor is configured to;

after the flow entry is written into the flow table corresponding to the flow table identifier, set, according to the idle mark, a state of the flow entry in the flow table corresponding to the flow table identifier to an idle state;

wherein the receiver is further configured to;

after all flow entries needed to process the received user packet are written into corresponding flow tables, receive an activation message from the control plane device; and

the processor is further configured to set, according to the activation message, states of all the flow entries that are in the forwarding plane device and used for processing the received user packet to an active state, and perform a matching and processing procedure on the received user packet independently of network delay, wherein

the receiver is further configured to receive the received user packet;

the processor is further configured to query whether a flow entry needed to process the received user packet exists in a flow table of the forwarding plane device; and

wherein the forwarding plane device further comprises a transmitter configured to send a flow entry request packet to the control plane device when the processor finds that a flow entry needed to process the received user packet does not exist in a flow table of the forwarding plane device, wherein the flow entry request packet carries at least a part of content of the received user packet; and

the receiver is configured to receive the flow entry installation message that is delivered by the control plane device according to the flow entry request packet.

6. The forwarding plane device according to claim 5, wherein there are multiple flow entry installation messages, and one flow entry installation message carries only one flow entry that is needed to process the received user packet, one flow table identifier, and one idle mark.

7. The forwarding plane device according to claim 5, wherein

the flow entry comprises a match condition, and the activation message carries match conditions in all the flow entries that are needed to process the received user packet and flow table identifiers of the flow tables in which the flow entries are located;

and

wherein the processor is configured to;

find the flow entry according to the flow table identifiers and the match conditions that are carried in the activation message;

set a state of the flow entry to an active state; and

perform the matching and processing procedure on the received user packet after the states of all the flow entries that are needed to process the received user packet have been set to an active state.

8. The forwarding plane device according to claim 5, wherein

the flow entry comprises a flow entry identifier;

the activation message carries flow entry identifiers of all the flow entries that are needed to process the received user packet; and

wherein the processor is configured to;

find the flow entry according to flow entry identifiers that are carried in the activation message;

set a state of the flow entry to an active state; and

perform the matching and processing procedure on the received user packet after the states of all the flow entries that are needed to process the received user packet have been set to an active state.

9. The forwarding plane device according to claim 5, wherein

the receiver is configured to receive the flow entry installation message that is delivered by the control plane device according to triggering by user subscription information, a local policy, or an external message.