# US 10,374,899 B2 · Method and device for reporting OpenFLow switch capability > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,374,899 B2 - Document ID: US10374899B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/552,497 - Filed: 2016-03-28 - Published: 2018-11-22 - Granted: 2019-08-06 - Earliest claimed: 2015-07-01 - Assignees: Zte Corporation - Applicants: Zte Corporation - Inventors: Min Xiao; Yu Wang; Junhui Zhang; Bo Wu - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10374899B2 ## CPC - H04L 41/0893: Assignment of logical groups to network elements - 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)} - H04L 41/0853: by actively collecting configuration information or by backing up configuration information - H04L 41/0895: Configuration of virtualised networks or elements, e.g. virtualised network function or OpenFlow elements - H04L 41/16: using machine learning or artificial intelligence - H04L 47/2425: for supporting services specification, e.g. SLA - H04L 49/111: Switch interfaces, e.g. port details - H04L 69/18: Multiprotocol handlers, e.g. single devices capable of handling multiple protocols - H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M) ## Abstract A method and apparatus for reporting a feature of an OpenFlow switch are provided. The method includes: when the OpenFlow switch learns that an OpenFlow controller needs to query for port information, reporting port group identifiers of port groups, to which each port of the OpenFlow switch or each port to be queried by the OpenFlow controller belongs, to the OpenFlow controller, herein the port groups are obtained by grouping ports with different features in the OpenFlow switch based on one or more feature types, and each of the port groups has a port group identifier. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method for reporting a feature of an OpenFlow switch comprising: after the OpenFlow switch receives a port information query message sent by an OpenFlow controller, reporting port group identifiers of port groups, to which each port of the OpenFlow switch or each port to be queried by the OpenFlow controller belongs, to the OpenFlow controller, wherein port groups are obtained by grouping ports with different features in the OpenFlow switch for a certain feature type, and each of the port groups has a port group identifier. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein after the OpenFlow switch receives the port information query message sent by the OpenFlow controllers and acquires that the OpenFlow controller needs to query for feature information of a first feature type, the method further comprises: reporting, by the OpenFlow switch, the port group identifier of each of the port groups, obtained by grouping for the first feature type, to the OpenFlow controller. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The method according to claim 2, wherein the reporting, by the OpenFlow switch, the port group identifier of each of the port groups, obtained by grouping for the first feature type, to the OpenFlow controller comprises: replying, by the OpenFlow switch, to the OpenFlow controller with N feature information reporting messages of the first feature type, wherein N is a number of the port groups obtained by grouping for the first feature type, and each feature information reporting message contains a port group identifier, and the port group identifier contained in the each feature information reporting message is different from each other and belongs to a port group identifier of a port group obtained by grouping for the first feature type. ### Claim 4 (depends on 2) The method according to claim 2, wherein the reporting, by the OpenFlow switch, the port group identifier of each of the port groups, obtained by grouping for the first feature type, to the OpenFlow controller comprises: replying, by the OpenFlow switch, to the OpenFlow controller with one feature information reporting message of the first feature type, wherein feature information carried in the feature information reporting message contains port group identifier/identifiers of one or more port groups obtained by grouping for the first feature type. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein the feature types comprises one of: table features and group features. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein the feature type for which the grouping is performed comprises a feature type with feature differences between the ports in the OpenFlow switch. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein there is no overlap between value ranges of port group identifiers corresponding to different feature types. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, before the step of the OpenFlow switch receiving a port information query message sent by an OpenFlow controller, further comprising: grouping, by the OpenFlow switch, the ports with different features for a certain feature type, and assigning the port group identifier to each port group. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein the port group identifiers of the port groups to which each port belongs comprises: a number of contained port group identifiers, and a value of each of the port group identifiers. ### Claim 10 An apparatus for reporting a feature of an OpenFlow switch provided in the OpenFlow switch and comprising a processor and a memory, wherein the memory stores processor-executable programs, and the programs comprise: a first reporting module configured to, after the OpenFlow switch receives a port information query message sent by an OpenFlow controller, report port group identifiers of port groups, to which each port of the OpenFlow switch or each port to be queried by the OpenFlow controller belongs, to the OpenFlow controller, wherein port groups are obtained by grouping ports with different features in the OpenFlow switch for a certain feature type, and each of the port groups has a port group identifier. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the programs further comprise: a second reporting module configured to, after the OpenFlow switch receives the port information query message sent by the OpenFlow controllers and acquires that the OpenFlow controller needs to query for feature information of a first feature type, report the port group identifier of each of the port groups, obtained by grouping for the first feature type, to the OpenFlow controller. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the second reporting module is configured to report the port group identifier of each of the port groups, obtained by grouping for the first feature type, to the OpenFlow controller by the following manner: replying to the OpenFlow controller with N feature information reporting messages of the first feature type, wherein N is a number of the port groups obtained by grouping for the first feature type, and each feature information reporting message contains a port group identifier, and the port group identifier contained in the each feature information reporting message is different from each other and belongs to a port group identifier of a port group obtained by grouping for the first feature type. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the second reporting module is configured to report the port group identifier of each of the port groups, obtained by grouping for the first feature type, to the OpenFlow controller by the following manner: replying, by the second reporting module, to the OpenFlow controller with one feature information reporting message of the first feature type, wherein feature information carried in the feature information reporting message contains port group identifier/identifiers of one or more port groups obtained by grouping for the first feature type. ### Claim 14 (depends on 10) The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the feature types comprises one of: table features and group features. ### Claim 15 (depends on 10) The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the feature types for which the grouping is performed comprises a feature types with feature differences between the ports in the OpenFlow switch. ### Claim 16 (depends on 10) The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein there is no overlap between value ranges of port group identifiers corresponding to different feature types. ### Claim 17 (depends on 10) The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the programs further comprise: a grouping module configured to group the ports with different features for a certain feature type, and assign the port group identifier to each port group. ### Claim 18 (depends on 10) The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the port group identifiers of the port groups to which each port belongs comprises: a number of contained port group identifiers, and a value of each of the port group identifiers. ### Claim 19 (depends on 1) A non-transitory computer readable storage medium where computer-executable instructions are stored, wherein the computer-executable instructions are used to execute the method according to claim 1.