Packet processing method and system, and device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016197822-A1
Application number	US-201615073130-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Mar 17, 2016
Priority date	Sep 18, 2013
Publication date	Jul 7, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

The present invention discloses a packet processing method and system, and a device. A status value used to identify a topology status of service nodes at a specified time is preconfigured for a packet in a packet flow, so that when a service node in a next hop is selected for the packet, selection is performed not based on a topology status of current actual service nodes in the next hop, but based on the topology status, which is identified by the status value, of the service nodes at the specified time. As long as status values carried in packets in a same packet flow are the same, even if a topology status of service nodes changes, a same service node can still be selected for the packets in the same packet flow, thereby avoiding a problem of diversion of the packets in the same packet flow.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A packet processing method, comprising:
when determining that there are multiple service nodes in a next hop of a packet, determining, according to a status value carried in the packet and used to identify a topology status of service nodes at a specified time, service nodes that are identified by the status value in the next hop; and selecting one service node from the service nodes that are identified by the status value in the next hop, and sending the packet to the selected service node, wherein status values carried in all packets in a same packet flow are the same.

2 . The packet processing method according to claim 1 , wherein for multiple packet flows aggregated to a same service flow, a status value carried in a packet in any packet flow identifies a topology status of service nodes when the packet flow is generated.

3 . The packet processing method according to claim 2 , wherein the topology status of the service nodes comprises a quantity of service nodes of a same service.

4 . The packet processing method according to claim 1 , further comprising:
generating and delivering, by a central control module, the status value carried in the packet to a flow classification module; and adding, by the flow classification module, the status value to a packet of a currently generated packet flow.

5 . The packet processing method according to claim 4 , further comprising:
monitoring, by central control module, a topology status of service nodes; updating, by the central control module, the status value when the topology status of the service nodes changes; sending the updated status value to the flow classification module; and adding, by the flow classification module, the updated status value to a packet of a currently generated packet flow.

6 . The packet processing method according to claim 1 , wherein selecting one service node from the service nodes that are identified by the status value in the next hop comprises:
performing a load balancing operation by using a value of a quantity of the service nodes that are identified by the status value in the next hop, and selecting one service node according to an operation result.

7 . The packet processing method according to claim 6 , wherein performing a load balancing operation by using a value of a quantity of the service nodes that are identified by the status value in the next hop, and selecting one service node according to an operation result comprises:
performing a modulo operation on a predetermined value and the value of the quantity of the service nodes that are identified by the status value in the next hop, and selecting one service node as a next-hop service node according to a modulo operation result.

8 . The packet processing method according to claim 7 , wherein performing a load balancing operation by using a value of a quantity of the service nodes that are identified by the status value in the next hop, and selecting one service node according to an operation result comprises:
performing a modulo operation on the predetermined value and the value of the quantity of the service nodes that are identified by the status value in the next hop, performing, according to operation values corresponding to the service nodes that are identified by the status value in the next hop, matching between the modulo operation result and the operation values, and selecting a service node corresponding to an operation value matching the modulo operation result.

9 . The packet processing method according to claim 7 , wherein the predetermined value is carried in the packet, or is obtained by converting a transmission parameter that is shared by all packets in a service flow in which the packet is located.

10 . The packet processing method according to claim 9 , wherein the predetermined value carried in the packet is delivered by the central control module to the flow classification module, and then is added by the flow classification module to the packet.

11 . The packet processing method according to claim 10 , wherein the predetermined value delivered by the central control module to the flow classification module comprises:
a value that is randomly selected by the central control module from a resource pool; a value that is obtained by the central control module by converting the transmission parameter shared by all the packets in the service flow in which the packet is located; or a value that is selected by the central control module according to a load status of a service node.

12 . The packet processing method according to claim 1 , further comprising:
reporting, by a service node receiving the packet, quintuple information of the packet flow in which the packet is located and quintuple information of a corresponding backward flow to the central control module, so that when determining, according to the quintuple information of the backward flow, that the backward flow is generated, the central control module delivers the status value carried in the packet in the packet flow to a flow classification module, and the flow classification module adds the status value to a packet of the backward flow, so that the packet of the backward flow is processed in a topology architecture of the service nodes identified by the status value.

13 . The packet processing method according to claim 12 , wherein when the predetermined value is carried in the packet received by the service node, when determining that the backward flow is generated, the central control module delivers the predetermined value to the flow classification module of the backward flow, and the flow classification module of the backward flow adds the predetermined value to the packet of the backward flow.

14 . A load balancing device, comprising:
a processor, configured to: when determining that there are multiple service nodes in a next hop of a packet, determine, according to a status value carried in the packet and used to identify a topology status of service nodes at a specified time, service nodes that are identified by the status value in the next hop, wherein status values carried in all packets in a same packet flow are the same, and select one service node from the service nodes that are identified by the status value in the next hop; and an interface, configured to send the packet to the selected service node.

15 . The load balancing device according to claim 14 , wherein for multiple packet flows aggregated to a same service flow, a status value carried in a packet in any packet flow identifies a topology status of service nodes when the packet flow is generated.

16 . The load balancing device according to claim 15 , wherein the topology status of the service nodes comprises a quantity of service nodes of a same service.

17 . The load balancing device according to claim 14 , wherein the processor is configured to:
perform a load balancing operation by using a value of a quantity of the service nodes that are identified by the status value in the next hop, and select one service node according to an operation result.

18 . The load balancing device according to claim 17 , wherein the processor is configured to:
perform a modulo operation on a predetermined value and the value of the quantity of the service nodes that are identified by the status value in the next hop, and select one service node as a next-hop service node according to a modulo operation result.

19 . The load balancing device according to claim 18 , wherein the processor is

Assignees

• Huawei Tech Co Ltd

Inventors

• Huang Yong

Classifications

• H04L12/6418 Primary

  Hybrid transport · CPC title

• H04L47/125

  by balancing the load, e.g. traffic engineering · CPC title

• H04L45/28 Primary

  using route fault recovery · CPC title

• H04L47/17

  Interaction among intermediate nodes, e.g. hop by hop · CPC title