Method, Device and System for Forwarding Message

• US 20180152414A1
• Filed: 01/04/2016
• Published: 05/31/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 05/28/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Xi'An Zhongxing New Software Co., Ltd. (ZTE Corporation)
• Original Assignee: ZTE Corporation
• Inventors: AO, Ting, WU, Bo
• Granted Patent: US 10,645,060 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4633 Interconnection of networks using encapsulation techniques, e.g. tunneling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/66 Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/04 Interdomain routing, e.g. hierarchical routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/306 Route determination based on the nature of the carried application
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/42 Centralised routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/64 using an overlay routing layer
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/2596 Translation of addresses of the same type other than IP, e.g. translation from MAC to MAC addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4541 Directories for service discovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5076 Update or notification mechanisms, e.g. DynDNS
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/11 Allocation or use of connection identifiers

Abstract

A method, device and system for message forwarding are provided. The method may include the following acts. A second device in a second domain receives a first message from a first domain. The second device allocates, for the first message, a second Service Function Path Identifier (SFPID) corresponding to a Service Function Chain (SFC) in the second domain, and obtains a second message. The second device sends the second message to one or more other devices, except the second device, in the second domain.

Claims

1. A method for message forwarding, comprising:

receiving, by a second device in a second domain, a first message from a first domain;

allocating, by the second device for the first message, a second Service Function Path Identifier (SFPID) corresponding to a Service Function Chain (SFC) in the second domain, and obtaining, by the second device, a second message; and

sending, by the second device, the second message to one or more other devices, except the second device, in the second domain.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first message carries a first SFPID allocated by the first domain for the first message.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein receiving, by the second device in the second domain, the first message from the first domain comprises:

receiving, by the second device, the first message through a Gateway (GW) device of the second domain.

4. The method as claimed in claim 3, wherein the first message is sent to the second domain by the first domain according to an address of the GW device of the second domain;

the address of the GW device of the second domain is obtained by the first domain through a coordination management entity; and

the address of the GW device of the second domain serves as an address of a Service Function (SF), corresponding to the SFC, of the first domain.

5. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein allocating, by the second device for the first message, the second SFPID corresponding to the SFC in the second domain, and obtaining, by the second device, the second message comprises:

classifying, by the second device, the first message, and generating, by the second device, the second SFPID according to a classification result; and

encapsulating, by the second device, the first message by adding the second SFPID outside the first message, so as to obtain the second message.

6. The method as claimed in claim 5, wherein the second device classifies the first message according to header information of the first message and/or the first SFPID, comprising:

coordinating, by a coordination management entity, the first domain and the second domain; and

obtaining, by a classifier of the second domain, a corresponding relation between the first SFPID and the second SFPID.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein after sending, by the second device, the second message to one or more other devices, except the second device, in the second domain, the method comprises:

de-encapsulating, by a Service Function Forwarder (SFF) of a final hop of the second domain, the second message to remove the second SFPID, so as to obtain the first message; and

sending, by the SFF, the first message to one or more other domains, except the second domain, via a GW device of the second domain.

8. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein allocating, by the second device for the first message, the second SFPID corresponding to the SFC in the second domain, and obtaining, by the second device, the second message comprises:

classifying, by the second device, the first message, and obtaining a classification result;

generating, by the second device, the second SFPID according to the classification result;

replacing, by the second device, the first SFPID in a header of the first message with the second SFPID, and saving, by the second device, the first SFPID in metadata, so as to obtain the second message.

9. The method as claimed in claim 5, wherein classifying, by the second device, the first message comprises:

classifying, by the second device, the first message according to header information of the first message and/or the first SFPID.

10. The method as claimed in claim 8, wherein after sending, by the second device, the second message to one or more other devices, except the second device, in the second domain, the method comprises:

obtaining, by an SFF of a final hop of the second domain, the first SFPID from the metadata, and replacing, by the SFF, the second SFPID with the first SFPID, so as to obtain the first message; and

sending, by the SFF, the first message to one or more other domains, except the second domain, via a GW device of the second domain.

11. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein allocating, by the second device for the first message, the second SFPID corresponding to the SFC in the second domain, and obtaining, by the second device, the second message comprises:

according to a corresponding relation between the first SFPID and the second SFPID, allocating, for the first message, the second SFPID corresponding to the first SFPID, and obtaining the second message.

12. The method as claimed in claim 11, wherein after sending, by the second device, the second message to one or more other devices, except the second device, in the second domain, the method comprises:

mapping, by an SFF of a final hop of the second domain, the second SFPID to the first SFPID, and reverting the first second message encapsulated with the second SFPID to the first message.

13. The method as claimed in claim 7, wherein after sending, by the SFF, the first message to one or more other domains, except the second domain, via a GW device of the second domain, the method comprises:

when the second domain no longer provides service function processing of the first message, sending, to the first domain by the GW device in the second domain, a notification message for deleting an SF provided by the second domain.

14. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second domain comprises:

a master domain and a backup domain.

15. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second device is a classifier in the second domain.

16. A device for message forwarding, which is applied to a second device in a second domain, comprising:

a receiving module, which is configured to receive a first message from a first domain;

an allocating module, which is configured to allocate, for the first message, a second Service Function Path Identifier (SFPID) corresponding to a Service Function Chain (SFC) in the second domain, and obtain a second message; and

a sending module, which is configured to send the second message to one or more other devices, except the second device, in the second domain.

17. The device as claimed in claim 16, wherein the first message carries a first SFPID allocated by the first domain for the first message.

18. The device as claimed in claim 16, wherein the receiving module is further configured to send an address of a Gateway (GW) device of the second domain to the first domain, and receive the first message through the GW device of the second domain.

19. The device as claimed in claim 17, wherein the allocating module further comprises:

a first classifying unit, which is configured to classify the first message, and obtain a classification result;

a first generating unit, which is configured to generate the second SFPID according to the classification result; and

an encapsulating unit, which is configured to encapsulate the first message by adding the second SFPID outside the first message, so as to obtain the second message;

or,

the allocating module further comprises;

a second classifying unit, which is configured to classify the first message, and obtain a classification result;

a second generating unit, which is configured to generate the second SFPID according to the classification result; and

a replacing unit, which is configured to replace the first SFPID in a header of the first message with the second SFPID, and save the first SFPID in metadata, so as to obtain the second message;

or,

the allocating module further comprises;

an obtaining unit, which is configured to obtain a corresponding relation between the first SFPID and the second SFPID, allocate, for the first message, the second SFPID corresponding to the first SFPID, and obtain the second message.

20. (canceled)

21. (canceled)

22. (canceled)

23. A system for message forwarding, comprising:

a first device in a first domain, and a second device in a second domain, wherein,

the second device is configured to receive a first message sent by the first device, allocate, for the first message, a second Service Function Path Identifier (SFPID) corresponding to a Service Function Chain (SFC) in the second domain, obtain a second message, and send the second message to one or more other devices, except the second device, in the second domain.

24. (canceled)