Packet transmission method and apparatus for communicating between terminals of a same 5G LAN group

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11765686-B2
Application number	US-202117224339-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 7, 2021
Priority date	Oct 9, 2018
Publication date	Sep 19, 2023
Grant date	Sep 19, 2023

Abstract

This application provides a packet transmission method that includes: receiving from a first session management network element, a first message including an address of a first terminal device and an identifier of a first user plane network element servicing the first terminal device; receiving from a second session management network element, a second message including an address of a second terminal device and an identifier of a second user plane network element servicing the second terminal device; determining, that the first terminal device and the second terminal device belong to a same local area network group; sending to the first session management network element the identifier of the second user plane network element and the address of the second terminal device; and sending to the second session management network element the identifier of the first user plane network element and the address of the first terminal device.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A packet transmission apparatus, comprising:
a memory and at least one processor coupled to the memory, wherein the at least one processor is configured to execute instructions stored in the memory to cause the apparatus to:
receive a first message sent by a first session management network element, wherein the first message comprises an address of a first terminal device and an identifier of a first user plane network element that provides a local area network (LAN) service for the first terminal device; and receive a second message sent by a second session management network element, wherein the second message comprises an address of a second terminal device and an identifier of a second user plane network element that provides the LAN service for the second terminal device;
determine that the first terminal device and the second terminal device belong to a same LAN group; and
send a first notification message to the first session management network element, wherein the first notification message comprises the identifier of the second user plane network element and the address of the second terminal device; and send a second notification message to the second session management network element, wherein the second notification message comprises the identifier of the first user plane network element and the address of the first terminal device.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the first notification message further comprises an identifier of the second session management network element, and the second notification message further comprises an identifier of the first session management network element.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the first message comprises an identifier of the first terminal device, and the second message comprises an identifier of the second terminal device; and the at least one processor is configured to execute instructions stored in the memory to cause the apparatus to determine, based on the identifier of the first terminal device and the identifier of the second terminal device, that the first terminal device and the second terminal device belong to the same LAN group.

4. A packet transmission apparatus, comprising:
a memory and at least one processor coupled to the memory, wherein the at least one processor is configured to execute instructions stored in the memory to cause the apparatus to:
receive a first forwarding policy from a first session management network element, wherein the first forwarding policy is used to indicate a forwarding policy of a local area network (LAN) service-related packet of a first terminal device; the first forwarding policy is that when receiving a packet from the first terminal device and a destination address of the packet is an address of a second terminal device, a first user plane network element that provides a LAN service for the first terminal device forwards the packet to a second user plane network element; and wherein the first user plane network element provides a LAN service for the first terminal device and receives a packet from the first terminal device; and
in response to determining a destination address of the packet is the address of the second terminal device, forward the packet to the second user plane network element according to the first forwarding policy.

5. The apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the first forwarding policy comprises the address of the second terminal device and information about the second user plane network element.

6. The apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the information about the second user plane network element comprises an address of the second user plane network element, and the at least one processor is configured to execute instructions stored in the memory to cause the apparatus to:
forward the packet to the second user plane network element indicated by the address of the second user plane network element.

7. The apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the information about the second user plane network element comprises a forwarding tunnel identifier of the second user plane network element, and the at least one processor is configured to execute instructions stored in the memory to cause the apparatus to:
forward the packet to the second user plane network element through a forwarding tunnel identified by the forwarding tunnel identifier of the second user plane network element.

8. The apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the information about the second user plane network element comprises an internet protocol (IP) address of the second user plane network element, and the at least one processor is configured to execute instructions stored in the memory to cause the apparatus to:
encapsulate the packet into an IP packet and send the IP packet to an external network, wherein a destination address of the IP packet is the IP address of the second user plane network element; and route, through the external network, the IP packet to the second user plane network element indicated by the IP address of the second user plane network element.

9. A packet transmission apparatus, comprising:
a memory and at least one processor coupled to the memory, wherein the at least one processor is configured to execute instructions stored in the memory to cause the apparatus to:
send a first message to a group management network element, wherein the first message comprises an identifier of a first terminal device, an address of the first terminal device, and an identifier of a first user plane network element that provides a local area network (LAN) service for the first terminal device;
receive a first notification message sent by the group management network element, wherein the first notification message comprises an identifier of a second user plane network element and an address of a second terminal device, the second terminal device and the first terminal device belong to a same LAN group, and the second user plane network element provides the LAN service for the second terminal device;
generate a first forwarding policy based on the first notification message; and
send the first forwarding policy to the first user plane network element, wherein the first forwarding policy is that when receiving a packet from the first terminal device and a destination address of the packet is the address of the second terminal device, the first user plane network element forwards the packet to the second user plane network element.

10. The apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein the first forwarding policy comprises the address of the second terminal device and information about the second user plane network element.

11. The apparatus according to claim 10 , wherein the information about the second user plane network element comprises a forwarding tunnel identifier of the second user plane network element, the first notification message further comprises an identifier of a second session management network element, and the at least one processor is configured to execute instructions stored in the memory to cause the apparatus to:
before generating the first forwarding policy based on the first notification message, establish a forwarding tunnel between the first user plane network element and the second user plane network element, and obtain the forwarding tunnel identifier of the second user plane network element, wherein
the first forwarding policy is that when receiving a packet from the first terminal device and a destination address of the packet is the address of the second terminal device, the first user plane network element forwards the packet to the second user plane network element through a forwarding tunnel identified by the

Assignees

• Huawei Tech Co Ltd

Inventors

• Wang Yuan
• Chen Zhongping

Classifications

• H04L45/74 Primary

  Address processing for routing · CPC title

• H04L12/4633 Primary

  Interconnection of networks using encapsulation techniques, e.g. tunneling · CPC title

• H04W68/00 Primary

  User notification, e.g. alerting and paging, for incoming communication, change of service or the like · CPC title

• H04W8/26

  Network addressing or numbering for mobility support · CPC title

• H04W76/40

  for selective distribution or broadcast · CPC title