Method for determining a packet forwarding path, network device, and control device

• US 9,699,077 B2
• Filed: 03/24/2015
• Issued: 07/04/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/25/2012
• 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: Wang, Jun
• Primary Examiner(s): Crutchfield, Christopher
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lindenbaum, Alan
• Application Number:
  US14/667,423
• Publication Number:
  US 20150200842A1
• Time in Patent Office: 833 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/127 based on intermediate node capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/26 Route discovery packet
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/42 Centralised routing

Abstract

The application provides a method for determining a packet forwarding path, a network device acquires device information of the network device and interface information of the network device, so that the network device can send the device information of the network device and the interface information of the network device to a control device by using an IGP, so that the control device determines a packet forwarding path from the network device to the control device according to the device information of the network device and the interface information of the network device. Each network device that sends device information and interface information of the network device by using an IGP does not need to compute a packet forwarding path from the network device to a corresponding control device; therefore, decreasing a processing burden of the network device.

Claims

1. A method for determining a packet forwarding path, wherein the method is applied to a centralized system in which controlling and forwarding are separate, and the system comprises a control device and a network device managed by the control device, the method comprising:

acquiring, by the network device, device information of the network device and interface information of the network device, wherein the device information of the network device comprises;

a device identifier of the network device,

a device identifier of the control device, and

a role identifier of the network device indicating a forwarding role in the centralized system,

wherein the interface information of the network device comprises;

an interface identifier of the network device,

an interface maximum transmission unit (MTU) of the network device,

an interface type of the network device,

a local circuit identifier of the network device,

a circuit identifier of another network device adjacent to the network device, and

a device identifier of the another network device, wherein the interface type of the network device, the local circuit identifier of the network device, the circuit identifier of the another network device and the device identifier of the another network device jointly identify a pair of neighbor relationships between the network device and the another network device; and

sending, by the network device, the device information and the interface information to the control device using an Interior Gateway Protocol (IGP) while not computing a packet forwarding path from the network device to the control device, so that the control device determines a packet forwarding path from the network device to the control device based on the device information and the interface information.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein sending, by the network device, the device information and the interface information to the control device by using an IGP comprises:

sending, by the network device, a link state protocol data unit or Link State Packet (LSP) to the control device, wherein a Type Length Value (TLV) of the LSP carries the device information and the interface information;

or

sending, by the network device, an opaque link-state advertisement LSA to the control device, wherein a TLV of the opaque LSA carries the device information and the interface information.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein acquiring the device identifier of the other network device adjacent to the network device comprises:

receiving, by the network device, an Intermediate System to Intermediate System (ISIS) Hello packet carrying the device identifier of the other network device adjacent to the network device;

or

receiving, by the network device, an Open Shortest Path First (OSPF) Hello packet carrying the device identifier of the other network device adjacent to the network device.

4. A method for determining a packet forwarding path, wherein the method is applied to a centralized system in which controlling and forwarding are separate, and the system comprises a control device and a network device that is managed by the control device, the method comprising:

receiving, by the control device, device information of the network device and interface information of the network device sent by using an Interior Gateway Protocol (IGP) by the network device managed by the control device, wherein the device information of the network device comprises;

a device identifier of the network device,

a device identifier of the control device, and

a role identifier of the network device indicating a forwarding role in the centralized system,

wherein the interface information of the network device comprises;

an interface identifier of the network device,

an interface maximum transmission unit (MTU) of the network device,

an interface type of the network device,

a local circuit identifier of the network device,

a circuit identifier of another network device adjacent to the network device, and

a device identifier of the another network device, wherein the interface type of the network device, the local circuit identifier of the network device, the circuit identifier of the another network device and the device identifier of the another network device jointly identify a pair of neighbor relationships between the network device and the another network device; and

determining, by the control device, a packet forwarding path from the network device to the control device based on the device information and the interface information without needing the network device to compute a packet forwarding path from the network device to the control device.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein receiving, by the control device, device information of the network device and interface information of the network device that are sent by using an IGP by the network device managed by the control device comprises:

receiving, by the control device, a link state protocol data unit or Link State Packet (LSP) sent by the network device, wherein a Type Length Value (TLV) of the LSP carries the device information and the interface information;

or

receiving, by the control device, an opaque link-state advertisement (LSA) sent by the network device, wherein a TLV of the opaque LSA carries the device information and the interface information.

6. A network device, wherein the network device is applied to a centralized system in which controlling and forwarding are separate, and the system comprises a control device and the network device that is managed by the control device, the network device comprising a processor that executes instructions to:

acquire device information of the network device and interface information of the network device, and transmit the device information and the interface information to a sender, wherein the device information of the network device comprises;

a device identifier of the network device,

a device identifier of the control device, and

a role identifier of the network device indicating a forwarding role in the system,

wherein the interface information of the network device comprises;

an interface identifier of the network device,

an interface maximum transmission unit (MTU) of the network device,

an interface type of the network device, a local circuit identifier of the network device,

a circuit identifier of another network device adjacent to the network device, and

a device identifier of the another network device, wherein the interface type of the network device, the local circuit identifier of the network device, the circuit identifier of the another network device and the device identifier of the another network device jointly identify a pair of neighbor relationships between the network device and the another network device; and

send the device information and the interface information to the control device using an Interior Gateway Protocol IGP, while not computing a packet forwarding path from the network device to the control device, so that the control device determines a packet forwarding path from the network device to the control device based on the device information and the interface information.

7. The network device according to claim 6, wherein the processor executes instructions to:

send a link state protocol data unit or Link State Packet (LSP) to the control device, wherein a Type Length Value (TLV) of the LSP carries the device information and the interface information;

or

send an opaque link-state advertisement LSA to the control device, wherein a TLV of the opaque LSA carries the device information and the interface information.

8. The network device according to claim 6, wherein the processor executes instructions to:

receive an Intermediate System to Intermediate System (ISIS) Hello packet, wherein the ISIS Hello packet carries the device identifier of the other network device adjacent to the network device;

or

receive an Open Shortest Path First (OSPF) Hello packet, wherein the OSPF Hello packet carries the device identifier of the other network device adjacent to the network device.

9. A control device, wherein the control device is applied to a centralized system in which controlling and forwarding are separate, and the system comprises the control device and a network device that is managed by the control device, the control device comprising a processor that executes instructions to:

receive device information of the network device and interface information of the network device that are sent by using an Interior Gateway Protocol (IGP) by the network device managed by the control device, and transmit the device information and the interface information to a processor, wherein the device information of the network device comprises;

a device identifier of the network device,

a device identifier of the control device, and

a role identifier of the network device indicating a forwarding role in the centralized system,

wherein the interface information of the network device comprises;

an interface identifier of the network device,

an interface maximum transmission unit (MTU) of the network device,

an interface type of the network device,

a local circuit identifier of the network device, a circuit identifier of another network device adjacent to the network device, and

a device identifier of the another network device, wherein the interface type of the network device, the local circuit identifier of the network device, the circuit identifier of the another network device and the device identifier of the another network device jointly identify a pair of neighbor relationships between the network device and the another network device; and

determine a packet forwarding path from the network device to the control device based on the device information and the interface information, without needing the network device compute a packet forwarding path from the network device to the control device.

10. The control device according to claim 9, wherein the processor executes instructions to:

receive a link state protocol data unit or Link State Packet (LSP) sent by the network device, wherein the LSP carries the device information and the interface information;

or

receive an opaque link-state advertisement (LSA) sent by the network device, wherein the opaque LSA carries the device information and the interface information.