Packet Processing Method, Node, and System

• US 20160308770A1
• Filed: 06/23/2016
• Published: 10/20/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/24/2013
• 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: Sun, Dayu, Liang, Shujian, Zhang, Lin
• Granted Patent: US 10,148,573 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/10 Current supply arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0893 Assignment of logical groups to network elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5054 Automatic deployment of services triggered by the service manager, e.g. service implementation by automatic configuration of network components
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/028 by filtering
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/306 Route determination based on the nature of the carried application
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/38 Flow based routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/42 Centralised routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/745 Address table lookup; Address filtering
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/10 Flow control; Congestion control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/12 Avoiding congestion; Recovering from congestion
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/2441 relying on flow classification, e.g. using integrated services [IntServ]

Abstract

A packet processing method, node, and system. An ingress delivery node receives a notification message that is returned by an egress delivery node after the egress delivery node receives a first packet, where the notification message includes modification information carried in the first packet, modifies, according to the modification information, a subsequently received second packet that belongs to a same service flow as the first packet, and sends the modified second packet to the egress delivery node. After modifying the subsequently received second packet that belongs to the same service flow as the first packet, the ingress delivery node directly sends the subsequently received second packet to the egress delivery node such that the second packet does not need to be processed by a service chain between the ingress delivery node and the egress delivery node.

Claims

1. A packet processing method, wherein the method is performed by an ingress delivery node of a service chain, and wherein the method comprises:

receiving a notification message that is returned by an egress delivery node of the service chain after the egress delivery node receives a first packet, wherein the notification message comprises modification information carried in the first packet;

modifying, according to the modification information, a subsequently received second packet that belongs to a same service flow as the first packet; and

sending the modified second packet to the egress delivery node.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein before receiving the notification message that is returned by the egress delivery node of the service chain after the egress delivery node receives the first packet, the method further comprises:

receiving the first packet, wherein the first packet comprises quintuple information;

adding an offloading option to the first packet, wherein the offloading option comprises information about the ingress delivery node, and a flow entry identifier; and

sending, to a service node on the service chain, the first packet to which the offloading option has been added, wherein the modification information is modified quintuple information of the first packet, and the quintuple information of the first packet is modified by the service node on the service chain.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein after receiving the first packet, and wherein before sending, to the service node on the service chain, the first packet, the method further comprises:

storing the quintuple information into a flow entry of a local flow table; and

allocating the flow entry identifier to the flow entry.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the notification message further comprises the flow entry identifier, wherein the method further comprises updating the flow entry according to the flow entry identifier and the modification information, wherein the updated flow entry comprises the quintuple information and the modification information, and wherein modifying, according to the modification information, the subsequently received second packet that belongs to the same service flow as the first packet comprises:

receiving the second packet;

acquiring quintuple information of the second packet;

finding the updated flow entry according to the quintuple information; and

modifying the second packet according to the modification information in the updated flow entry.

5. The method according to claim 3, wherein the offloading option further comprises a service type identifier, wherein the notification message further comprises the flow entry identifier and a modified service type identifier that is obtained by updating the service type identifier by the service node on the service chain, and wherein the method further comprises:

determining an offloading identifier according to the modified service type identifier; and

updating the flow entry according to the modification information, the flow entry identifier, and the offloading identifier, wherein the updated flow entry comprises the quintuple information, the modification information, and the offloading identifier, and

wherein modifying, according to the modification information, the subsequently received second packet that belongs to the same service flow as the first packet comprises;

receiving the second packet;

acquiring quintuple information of the second packet;

finding the updated flow entry according to the quintuple information; and

modifying the second packet according to the modification information when it is determined, according to the offloading identifier, that a packet in the service flow can be offloaded.

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

receiving a third packet;

adding another offloading option to the third packet;

sending the third packet to which the offloading option has been added; and

discarding a subsequently received fourth packet that belongs to the same service flow as the third packet when a second notification message that carries modification information of the third packet and that is returned by the egress delivery node according to the third packet is not received within a preset time.

7. A packet processing method, wherein the method is performed by an egress delivery node of a service chain, and wherein the method comprises:

receiving a first packet from a service node on the service chain, wherein the first packet carries modification information and an offloading option;

sending a notification message to the ingress delivery node of the service chain according to the offloading option, wherein the notification message comprises the modification information carried in the first packet such that the ingress delivery node modifies, according to the modification information, a second packet that belongs to a same service flow as the first packet; and

receiving the modified second packet sent by the ingress delivery node.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein the first packet comprises quintuple information, and wherein the modification information is modified quintuple information of the first packet, and the quintuple information of the first packet is modified by the service node on the service chain.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the offloading option comprises information about the ingress delivery node, and a flow entry identifier, and wherein sending the notification message to the ingress delivery node of the service chain according to the offloading option comprises:

acquiring the information about the ingress delivery node, and the flow entry identifier that are in the offloading option; and

sending the notification message to the ingress delivery node according to the information about the ingress delivery node, wherein the notification message further comprises the flow entry identifier.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the offloading option further comprises a modified service type identifier, wherein the modified service type identifier is obtained by updating, by the service node on the service chain, a service type identifier sent by the ingress delivery node, and wherein sending the notification message to the ingress delivery node according to the offloading option comprises:

acquiring the information about the ingress delivery node, the flow entry identifier, and the modified service type identifier that are in the offloading option; and

sending the notification message to the ingress delivery node according to the information about the ingress delivery node, wherein the notification message comprises the flow entry identifier and the modified service type identifier.

11. The method according to claim 7, wherein the offloading option comprises information about the ingress delivery node, and a flow entry identifier, and wherein sending the notification message to the ingress delivery node of the service chain according to the offloading option comprises:

acquiring information about the ingress delivery node, and the flow entry identifier that are in the offloading option; and

sending the notification message to the ingress delivery node according to the information about the ingress delivery node, wherein the notification message further comprises the flow entry identifier.

12. A packet processing node, wherein the packet processing node is an ingress delivery node of a service chain, and wherein the packet processing node comprises:

a receiver configured to receive a notification message that is returned by an egress delivery node of the service chain after the egress delivery node receives a first packet, wherein the notification message comprises modification information carried in the first packet;

a processor coupled to the receiver and configured to modify, according to the modification information, a subsequently received second packet that belongs to a same service flow as the first packet; and

a transmitter coupled to the processor and configured to send the modified second packet to the egress delivery node.

13. The node according to claim 12, wherein the receiver is further configured to:

receive the first packet, wherein the first packet comprises quintuple information; and

add an offloading option to the first packet, wherein the offloading option comprises information about the ingress delivery node, and a flow entry identifier, and

wherein the transmitter is further configured to send, to a service node on the service chain, the first packet to which the offloading option has been added, wherein the modification information is modified quintuple information of the first packet, and the quintuple information of the first packet is modified by the service node on the service chain.

14. The node according to claim 13, wherein the node further comprises a memory coupled to the processor and configured to:

store the quintuple information into a flow entry of a local flow table; and

allocate the flow entry identifier to the flow entry.

15. The node according to claim 14, wherein the notification message received by the receiver further comprises the flow entry identifier, wherein the memory is further configured to update the flow entry according to the flow entry identifier and the modification information, wherein the updated flow entry comprises the quintuple information and the modification information, and wherein the processor is further configured to:

receive the second packet;

acquire quintuple information of the second packet;

find the updated flow entry according to the quintuple information; and

modify the second packet according to the modification information in the updated flow entry.

16. The node according to claim 14, wherein the offloading option further comprises a service type identifier, wherein the notification message received by the receiver further comprises the flow entry identifier and a modified service type identifier that is obtained by updating the service type identifier by the service node on the service chain, wherein the memory is further configured to:

determine an offloading identifier according to the modified service type identifier; and

update the flow entry according to the modification information, the flow entry identifier, and the offloading identifier, wherein the updated flow entry comprises the quintuple information, the modification information, and the offloading identifier, and

wherein the processor is further configured to;

receive the second packet;

acquire quintuple information of the second packet;

find the updated flow entry according to the quintuple information; and

modify the second packet according to the modification information when it is determined, according to the offloading identifier, that a packet in the service flow can be offloaded.

17. The node according to claim 12, wherein the receiver is further configured to:

receive a third packet; and

add another offloading option to the third packet,

wherein the transmitter is further configured to send the third packet to which the offloading option has been added, and

wherein the processor is further configured to discard a subsequently received fourth packet that belongs to the same service flow as the third packet when a second notification message that carries modification information of the third packet and that is returned by the egress delivery node according to the third packet is not received within a preset time.

18. A packet processing node, wherein the packet processing node is an egress delivery node of a service chain, and wherein the packet processing node comprises:

a receiver configured to receive a first packet from a service node on the service chain, wherein the first packet carries modification information and an offloading option;

a transmitter coupled to the receiver and configured to return a notification message to an ingress delivery node of the service chain according to the offloading option, wherein the notification message comprises the modification information carried in the first packet such that the ingress delivery node modifies, according to the modification information, a second packet that belongs to a same service flow as the first packet, and

wherein the receiver is further configured to receive the modified second packet sent by the ingress delivery node.

19. The node according to claim 18, wherein the offloading option comprises information about the ingress delivery node, and a flow entry identifier, and wherein the node further comprises:

a processor coupled to the transmitter and the receiver and configured to acquire the information about the ingress delivery node, and the flow entry identifier that are in the offloading option, and

wherein the transmitter is further configured to send the notification message to the ingress delivery node according to the information about the ingress delivery node, wherein the notification message further comprises the flow entry identifier.

20. The node according to claim 19, wherein the offloading option further comprises a modified service type identifier, wherein the modified service type identifier is obtained by updating, by the service node on the service chain, a service type identifier sent by the ingress delivery node, wherein the processor is further configured to acquire the information about the ingress delivery node, the flow entry identifier, and the modified service type identifier that are in the offloading option, and wherein the transmitter is further configured to send the notification message to the ingress delivery node according to the information about the ingress delivery node, wherein the notification message comprises the flow entry identifier and the modified service type identifier.