Method, device and computer readable medium for delivering data-plane packets by using separate transport service VNFC

A method of delivering packets, comprising:

• receiving, at a first Virtual Network Function Component, VNFC, a data-plane packet for a terminal device from a virtual switch, the packet being forwarded from a second VNFC to the virtual switch and including a network address of the first VNFC as a destination address, the second VNFC separated from the first VNFC, the second VNFC serving the terminal device and including at least one first data-plane application;
• performing a predetermined transport processing of the packet to obtain a processed packet;
• forwarding the processed packet from the first VNFC to the virtual switch;
• delivering the processed packet to an external communication peer;
• in response to receipt of, at the first VNFC, a control-plane packet for the terminal device, determining whether a destination address in the control-plane packet matches a preconfigured address;
• and
• in response to the destination address in the control-plane packet matching the preconfigured address, delivering the control-plane packet to a kernel protocol stack of an operating system running on a single server,
• wherein the first VNFC and the virtual switch are implemented on the single server, a first memory area on the single server is allocated to the first VNFC, a second memory area on the single server is allocated to the virtual switch, and the first memory area is isolated from the second memory area, and
• wherein forwarding the processed packet from the first VNFC to the virtual switch comprises causing the processed packet in the first memory area to be accessed by the virtual switch via an address offset adjustment of the second memory area.

A method of delivering packets, comprising:

• forwarding, from a second Virtual Network Function Component, VNFC to a virtual switch, a data-plane packet for a terminal device, the packet being targeted to an external communication peer and including a network address of a first VNFC as a destination address, the first VNFC performing a predetermined transport processing of the packet and forwarding the processed packet to the virtual switch, the second VNFC serving the terminal device and including at least one data-plane application, the second VNFC separated from the first VNFC;
• delivering the packet from the virtual switch to the first VNFC based on a mapping between an identity of the terminal device and an identity of the second VNFC;
• in response to receipt of, at the first VNFC, a control-plane packet for the terminal device, determining whether a destination address in the control-plane packet matches a preconfigured address;
• and
• in response to the destination address in the control-plane packet matching the preconfigured address, delivering the control-plane packet to a kernel protocol stack of an operating system running on a single server,
• wherein the first VNFC and the virtual switch are implemented on the single server, a first memory area on the single server is allocated to the first VNFC, a second memory area on the single server is allocated to the virtual switch, and the first memory area is isolated from the second memory area, and
• wherein forwarding the processed packet from the first VNFC to the virtual switch comprises causing the processed packet in the first memory area to be accessed by the virtual switch via an address offset adjustment of the second memory area.

A method of delivering packets, comprising:

• receiving, at a second Virtual Network Function Component, VNFC, a data-plane packet for a terminal device from a virtual switch, the packet being forwarded from a first VNFC to the virtual switch, the first VNFC performing a predetermined transport processing of the packet and forwarding the processed packet to the virtual switch, the second VNFC serving the terminal device and including at least one data-plane application, the second VNFC separated from the first VNFC;
• processing the packet based on the at least one data-plane application;
• in response to receipt of, at the first VNFC, a control-plane packet for the terminal device, determining whether a destination address in the control-plane packet matches a preconfigured address;
• and
• in response to the destination address in the control-plane packet matching the preconfigured address, delivering the control-plane packet to a kernel protocol stack of an operating system running on a single server,
• wherein the first VNFC and the virtual switch are implemented on the single server, a first memory area on the single server is allocated to the first VNFC, a second memory area on the single server is allocated to the virtual switch, and the first memory area is isolated from the second memory area, and
• wherein forwarding the processed packet from the first VNFC to the virtual switch comprises causing the processed packet in the first memory area to be accessed by the virtual switch via an address offset adjustment of the second memory area.

A device for delivering packets, comprising:

• at least one processor;
• and
• at least one memory including computer program code;
• the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the device to perform acts comprising:
• in response to receipt of, at a first Virtual Network Function Component, VNFC, a data-plane packet for a terminal device from a virtual switch, performing a predetermined transport processing of the packet to obtain a processed packet, the packet being targeted to a second VNFC and including a network address of the first VNFC as a destination address;
• forwarding the processed packet from the first VNFC to the virtual switch;
• delivering the processed packet from the virtual switch to the second VNFC based on a first mapping between an identity of the terminal device and an identity of the second VNFC, the second VNFC separated from the first VNFC, the second VNFC serving the terminal device and including at least one first data-plane application;
• in response to receipt of, at the first VNFC, a control-plane packet for the terminal device, determining whether a destination address in the control-plane packet matches a preconfigured address;
• and
• in response to the destination address in the control-plane packet matching the preconfigured address, delivering the control-plane packet to a kernel protocol stack of an operating system running on a single server,
• wherein the first VNFC and the virtual switch are implemented on the single server, a first memory area on the single server is allocated to the first VNFC, a second memory area on the single server is allocated to the virtual switch, and the first memory area is isolated from the second memory area, and
• wherein forwarding the processed packet from the first VNFC to the virtual switch comprises causing the processed packet in the first memory area to be accessed by the virtual switch via an address offset adjustment of the second memory area.

A device for delivering packets, comprising:

• at least one processor;
• and
• at least one memory including computer program code;
• the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the device to perform acts comprising:
• receiving, at a first Virtual Network Function Component, VNFC, a data-plane packet for a terminal device from a virtual switch, the packet being forwarded from a second VNFC to the virtual switch and including a network address of the first VNFC as a destination address, the second VNFC separated from the first VNFC, the second VNFC serving the terminal device and including at least one first data-plane application;
• performing a predetermined transport processing of the packet to obtain a processed packet;
• forwarding the processed packet from the first VNFC to the virtual switch;
• delivering the processed packet to an external communication peer;
• in response to receipt of, at the first VNFC, a control-plane packet for the terminal device, determining whether a destination address in the control-plane packet matches a preconfigured address;
• and
• in response to the destination address in the control-plane packet matching the preconfigured address, delivering the control-plane packet to a kernel protocol stack of an operating system running on a single server,
• wherein the first VNFC and the virtual switch are implemented on the single server, a first memory area on the single server is allocated to the first VNFC, a second memory area on the single server is allocated to the virtual switch, and the first memory area is isolated from the second memory area, and
• wherein forwarding the processed packet from the first VNFC to the virtual switch comprises causing the processed packet in the first memory area to be accessed by the virtual switch via an address offset adjustment of the second memory area.

A device of delivering packets, comprising:

• at least one processor;
• and
• at least one memory including computer program code;
• the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the device to perform acts comprising:
• forwarding, from a second Virtual Network Function Component, VNFC to a virtual switch, a data-plane packet for a terminal device, the packet being targeted to an external communication peer and including a network address of a first VNFC as a destination address, the first VNFC performing a predetermined transport processing of the packet and forwarding the processed packet to the virtual switch, the second VNFC serving the terminal device and including at least one data-plane application, the second VNFC separated from the first VNFC;
• delivering the packet from the virtual switch to the first VNFC based on a mapping between an identity of the terminal device and an identity of the second VNFC;
• in response to receipt of, at the first VNFC, a control-plane packet for the terminal device, determining whether a destination address in the control-plane packet matches a preconfigured address;
• and
• in response to the destination address in the control-plane packet matching the preconfigured address, delivering the control-plane packet to a kernel protocol stack of an operating system running on a single server,
• wherein the first VNFC and the virtual switch are implemented on the single server, a first memory area on the single server is allocated to the first VNFC, a second memory area on the single server is allocated to the virtual switch, and the first memory area is isolated from the second memory area, and
• wherein forwarding the processed packet from the first VNFC to the virtual switch comprises causing the processed packet in the first memory area to be accessed by the virtual switch via an address offset adjustment of the second memory area.

A device for delivering packets, comprising:

• at least one processor;
• and
• at least one memory including computer program code;
• the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the device to perform acts comprising:
• receiving, at a second VNFC, a data-plane packet for a terminal device from a virtual switch, the packet being forwarded from a first VNFC to the virtual switch, the first VNFC performing a predetermined transport processing of the packet and forwarding the processed packet to the virtual switch, the second VNFC serving the terminal device and including at least one data-plane application, the second VNFC separated from the first VNFC;
• processing the packet based on the at least one data-plane application;
• in response to receipt of, at the first VNFC, a control-plane packet for the terminal device, determining whether a destination address in the control-plane packet matches a preconfigured address;
• and
• in response to the destination address in the control-plane packet matching the preconfigured address, delivering the control-plane packet to a kernel protocol stack of an operating system running on a single server,
• wherein the first VNFC and the virtual switch are implemented on the single server, a first memory area on the single server is allocated to the first VNFC, a second memory area on the single server is allocated to the virtual switch, and the first memory area is isolated from the second memory area, and
• wherein forwarding the processed packet from the first VNFC to the virtual switch comprises causing the processed packet in the first memory area to be accessed by the virtual switch via an address offset adjustment of the second memory area.