Method for learning media access control address, network device, and system

• US 9,294,399 B2
• Filed: 09/30/2013
• Issued: 03/22/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2011
• 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: TAN, Xijin, Ma, Shulei
• Primary Examiner(s): Sweet, Lonnie
• Application Number:
  US14/041,154
• Publication Number:
  US 20140029621A1
• Time in Patent Office: 904 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4641 Virtual LANs, VLANs, e.g. virtual private networks [VPN] LAN interconnection over a bridge based backbone H04L12/462; encapsulation techniques H04L12/4633; routing of packets H04L45/00; packet switches H04L49/00; virtual private networks for security H04L63/0272
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/6418 Hybrid transport
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/08 Learning-based routing, e.g. using neural networks or artificial intelligence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/745 Address table lookup; Address filtering
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/7453 using hashing

Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention provide a method for learning a media access control address, a network device and a system. The method includes: generating a key value according to a key field of a received packet, and obtaining an index value corresponding to the key value according to the key value; performing a linear random iteration on the index value according to a preset number of iterations; searching, according to an iteration index value obtained during a first iteration, in a MAC address pool for a MAC address corresponding to the iteration index value obtained during the first iteration; and learning a MAC address of the packet according to a search result. By using the embodiments of the present invention a media access control address space may be fully utilized, and the problem of media access control address conflicts may be solved to the greatest extent.

Claims

1. A method of learning a media access control (MAC) address for a network device, comprising:

performing by the network device;

generating a key value according to a key field of a received packet, and obtaining an index value corresponding to the key value according to the key value;

performing a linear random iteration on the index value according to a preset number of iterations to obtain an iteration index value;

searching, according to the iteration index value obtained during a first iteration, in a MAC address pool for a MAC address corresponding to the iteration index value obtained during the first iteration;

if failing to find a MAC address corresponding to the iteration index value obtained during the first iteration in the MAC address pool, determining whether there is still an idle MAC address space in the MAC address pool, and continuing to perform another iteration; and

when number of iterations reach a preset maximum number of iterations, if still failing to find MAC addresses corresponding to iteration index values obtained during iterations and determining that there is still an idle MAC address space in the MAC address pool, learning a MAC address of the received packet at a position where a first idle MAC address space appears.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

if failing to find a MAC address corresponding to the iteration index value obtained during the first iteration in the MAC address pool and when the number of iterations reach the preset maximum number of iterations, if still failing to find MAC addresses corresponding to iteration index values obtained during iterations and there is no idle MAC address space in the MAC address pool, returning a learning failure response.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

if finding a MAC address corresponding to the iteration index value obtained during the first iteration in the MAC address pool, suspending a current iteration, and when an entry corresponding to the MAC address needs to be updated, updating the entry corresponding to the MAC address at the position of learning the MAC address.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the generating a key value according to a key field of a received packet comprises:

extracting a MAC address and a virtual local area network from the received packet; and

generating the key value according to the MAC address and/or the virtual local area network.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the obtaining an index value corresponding to the key value according to the key value comprises:

performing a Hash operation on the key value to obtain an index value corresponding to the key value.

6. A network device, comprising:

a non-transitory computer-readable medium to store computer program codes, and

computer hardware configured, including configured by the programs, to implement;

a generating module, configured to generate a key value according to a key field of a received packet;

an obtaining module, configured to obtain an index value corresponding to the key value according to the key value generated by the generating module;

an iteration module, configured to perform, according to a preset number of iterations, a linear random iteration on the index value obtained by the obtaining module to obtain an iteration index value;

a searching module, configured to search, according to the iteration index value obtained during a first iteration, in a media access control (MAC) address pool for a MAC address corresponding to the iteration index value obtained during the first iteration;

a determining module, configured to;

when the searching module does not find a MAC address corresponding to the iteration index value obtained during the first iteration in the MAC address pool, determine whether there is still an idle MAC address space in the MAC address pool, and instruct the iteration module to continue to perform another iteration; and

a learning module, configured to;

when number of iterations reach a preset maximum number of iterations, if the searching module still fails to find MAC addresses corresponding to iteration index values obtained by the iteration module during iterations in the MAC address pool and the determining module determines that there is still an idle MAC address space in the MAC address pool, learn a MAC address of the received packet at a position where a first idle MAC address space appears in the MAC address pool.

7. The network device according to claim 6, further comprising:

a responding module, configured to;

if the searching module fails to find a MAC address corresponding to the iteration index value obtained during the first iteration in the MAC address pool and when the number of iterations reach the preset maximum number of iterations, if the searching module still fails to find a MAC address corresponding to an iteration index value obtained by the iteration module in the MAC address pool and the determining module determines that there is no idle MAC address space in the MAC address pool, return a learning failure response.

8. The network device according to claim 6, further comprising:

a suspension module, configured to suspend a current iteration when the searching module does not find a MAC address corresponding to the iteration index value obtained during the first iteration in the MAC address pool; and

an updating module, configured to;

when an entry corresponding to the MAC address needs to be updated, update the entry corresponding to the MAC address at a position of learning the MAC address.

9. The network device according to claim 6, wherein the generating module comprises:

an extracting submodule, configured to extract a MAC address and a virtual local area network from the received packet; and

a key value generating submodule, configured to generate the key value according to the MAC address and/or the virtual local area network extracted by the extracting submodule.

10. The network device according to claim 6, wherein:

the obtaining module is specifically configured to perform a Hash operation on the key value to obtain an index value corresponding to the key value.

11. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing, comprising computer program code which when executed cause the computer to perform:

generating a key value according to a key field of a received packet, and obtaining an index value corresponding to the key value according to the key value;

performing a linear random iteration on the index value according to a preset number of iterations to obtain an iteration index value;

searching, according to the iteration index value obtained during a first iteration, in a MAC address pool for a MAC address corresponding to the iteration index value obtained during the first iteration;

if failing to find a MAC address corresponding to the iteration index value obtained during the first iteration in the MAC address pool, determining whether there is still an idle MAC address space in the MAC address pool, and continuing to perform another iteration; and

when number of iterations reach a preset maximum number of iterations, if still failing to find MAC addresses corresponding to iteration index values obtained during iterations and determining that there is still an idle MAC address space in the MAC address pool, learning a MAC address of the received packet at a position where a first idle MAC address space appears.