# US 2019/0379633 A1 · Outer Multicast IP Address Assignment Method and Apparatus > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2019/0379633 A1 - Document ID: US20190379633A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 16/549,513 - Filed: 2019-08-23 - Published: 2019-12-12 - Earliest claimed: 2017-02-24 - Assignees: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. - Applicants: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. - Inventors: Guangrui Wu - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20190379633A1 ## CPC - H04L 61/5069: for group communication, multicast communication or broadcast communication - H04L 12/46: Interconnection of networks - H04L 49/201: Multicast operation; Broadcast operation - H04L 61/00: Network arrangements, protocols or services for addressing or naming - H04L 61/5038: for local use, e.g. in LAN or USB networks, or in a controller area network [CAN] - H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M) ## Abstract An multicast IP address assignment apparatus receives an inner multicast IP address from a first switch of a plurality of switches, where the inner multicast IP address is a multicast IP address assigned by a multicast source to a multicast service, and the plurality of switches are included in a virtual extensible local area network (VXLAN), the multicast IP address assignment apparatus determines an outer multicast IP address corresponding to the inner multicast IP address, where the outer multicast IP address is used to identify the multicast service in the VXLAN; and the multicast IP address assignment apparatus sends an IP address indication message to the first switch in the VXLAN, where the IP address indication message includes the outer multicast IP address and the inner multicast IP address. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A multicast Internet Protocol (IP) address assignment method applied to a Virtual Extensible Local Area Network (VXLAN), and implemented by a multicast IP address assignment apparatus, wherein the method comprises: receiving an inner multicast IP address from a first switch of a plurality of switches, wherein the inner multicast IP address is assigned by a multicast source to a multicast service, and wherein the switches are in the VXLAN; determining an outer multicast IP address that corresponds to the inner multicast IP address, wherein the outer multicast IP address identifies the multicast service in a virtual extensible local area network (VXLAN); and sending an IP address indication message to the first switch in the VXLAN, wherein the IP address indication message comprises the outer multicast IP address and the inner multicast IP address. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The multicast IP address assignment method of claim 1, wherein the determining, comprises: determining whether the outer multicast IP address has been assigned for the inner multicast IP address; and assigning the outer multicast IP address to the inner multicast IP address when the outer multicast IP address is not assigned to the inner multicast IP address. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The multicast IP address assignment method of claim 2, wherein determining whether the outer multicast IP address is assigned to the inner multicast IP address comprises: determining whether the outer multicast IP address is in a multicast encapsulation table, wherein each entry of the multicast encapsulation table records an inner multicast IP address and its corresponding outer multicast IP address; and determining that the outer multicast IP address has been assigned to the inner multicast IP address based on the outer multicast IP address being in the multicast encapsulation table or determining that the outer multicast IP address has not been assigned to the inner multicast IP address based on the outer multicast IP address not being in the multicast encapsulation table. ### Claim 4 (depends on 2) The multicast IP address assignment method of claim 2, wherein the multicast IP address assignment apparatus comprises an IP address pool, wherein the IP address pool comprises a plurality of IP addresses, and wherein assigning the outer multicast IP address to the inner multicast IP address further comprises selecting an unused IP address from an IP address pool as the outer multicast IP address that corresponds to the inner multicast IP address. ### Claim 5 (depends on 2) The multicast IP address assignment method of claim 2, wherein after determining whether the outer multicast IP address is assigned to the inner multicast IP address, the method further comprises obtaining, by the multicast IP address assignment apparatus, the outer multicast IP address when the multicast IP address assignment apparatus has assigned the outer multicast IP address that corresponds with the inner multicast IP address. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The multicast IP address assignment method of claim 1, wherein the IP address indication message is an Ethernet Virtual Private Network (EVPN) protocol extension message, and wherein the EVPN protocol extension message comprises: a type field that indicates a type of the EVPN protocol extension message; a length field that indicates a length of the EVPN protocol extension message; and a value field that indicates the outer multicast IP address and the inner multicast IP address. ### Claim 7 An outer multicast Internet Protocol (IP) address assignment method applied to a Virtual Extensible Local Area Network (VXLAN) and implemented by a first switch, wherein the method comprises: receiving a multicast response message from a server coupled to the first switch, wherein the multicast response message is based on a multicast query message from a multicast source, wherein the multicast response message comprises an inner multicast IP address, wherein the inner multicast IP address is a multicast IP address that is assigned by the multicast source to a multicast service, and wherein the VXLAN comprises a plurality of switches comprising the first switch; obtaining, from the multicast response message, the inner multicast IP address; sending, to a multicast IP address assignment apparatus, the inner multicast IP address; and receiving, from the multicast IP address assignment apparatus, an IP address indication message from the multicast IP address assignment apparatus, wherein the IP address indication message comprises an outer multicast IP address and the inner multicast IP address, and wherein the outer multicast IP address is determined by the multicast IP address assignment apparatus based on the inner multicast IP address. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The outer multicast IP address assignment method of claim 7, wherein the IP address indication message is an Ethernet Virtual Private Network (EVPN) protocol extension messageand wherein the EVPN protocol extension message comprises: a type field that indicates a type of the EVPN protocol extension message; a length field that indicates a length of the EVPN protocol extension message; and a value field that indicates the outer multicast IP address and the inner multicast IP address. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The outer multicast IP address assignment method of claim 8, wherein after receiving the IP address indication message from the multicast IP address assignment apparatus, the method further comprises: updating a multicast encapsulation table based on the outer multicast IP address and the inner multicast IP address; and recording, in each entry of the multicast encapsulation table, the inner multicast IP address and the outer multicast IP address that corresponds with the inner multicast IP address. ### Claim 10 A multicast Internet Protocol (IP) address assignment apparatus, applied to a Virtual Extensible Local Area Network (VXLAN), comprising: a receiver configured to receive an inner multicast IP address from a first switch in the VXLAN, wherein the inner multicast IP address is a multicast IP address assigned to a multicast service; a, processor coupled to the receiver and configured to determine an outer multicast IP address that corresponds to the inner multicast IP address, wherein the outer multicast IP address identifies the multicast service in the VXLAN; and a transmitter coupled to the receiver and the processor and configured to send an IP address indication message to the first switch, wherein the IP address indication message comprises the outer multicast IP address and the inner multicast IP address. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The multicast IP address assignment apparatus of claim 10, wherein the processor is further configured to: determine whether the outer multicast IP address has been assigned to the inner multicast IP address; and assign the outer multicast IP address to the inner multicast IP address when the outer multicast IP address is not assigned to the inner multicast IP address. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The multicast IP address assignment apparatus of claim 11, wherein the processor is further configured to: determine whether the outer multicast IP address that corresponds to the inner multicast IP address in a multicast encapsulation table, wherein each entry of the multicast encapsulation table is used to record the inner multicast IP address and a corresponding outer multicast IP address; and determine that the outer multicast IP address has been assigned to the inner multicast IP address based on the outer multicast IP address corresponding to the inner multicast IP address in the multicast encapsulation table or determine that the outer multicast IP address has been assigned for the inner multicast IP address based on the outer multicast IP address not corresponding to the inner multicast IP address in the multicast encapsulation table. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) The multicast IP address assignment apparatus of claim 11, wherein the processor is further configured to select an unused IP address from an IP address pool as the outer multicast IP address. ### Claim 14 (depends on 10) The multicast IP address assignment apparatus of claim 10, wherein the processor is further configured to obtain the outer multicast IP address when the outer multicast IP address has been assigned for the inner multicast IP address. ### Claim 15 (depends on 10) The multicast IP address assignment apparatus of claim 10, wherein the IP address indication message is an Ethernet Virtual Private Network (EVPN) protocol extension message; wherein the EVPN protocol extension message comprises: a type field that indicates a type of the EVPN protocol extension message; a length field that indicates a length of the EVPN protocol extension message; and a value field that indicates the outer multicast IP address and the inner multicast IP address. ### Claim 16 A switch applied to a Virtual Extensible Local Network Area (VXLAN), wherein the switch comprises: a receiver, configured to: receive a multicast response message from a server connected to the switch, wherein the multicast response message is based on a multicast query message from a multicast source, wherein the multicast response message comprises an inner multicast IP address, and wherein the inner multicast IP address is a multicast IP address of a multicast service; and receive an IP address indication message from a multicast IP address assignment apparatus, wherein the IP address indication message comprises an outer multicast IP address and the inner multicast IP address; a processor coupled to the receiver and configured to obtain the inner multicast IP address from the multicast response message; and a transmitter coupled to the receiver and the processor and configured to send the inner multicast IP address to the multicast IP address assignment apparatus. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The switch of claim 16, wherein the IP address indication message is an Ethernet Virtual Private Network (EVPN) protocol extension message, and wherein the EVPN protocol extension message comprises a type field that indicates a type of the EVPN protocol extension message; a length field that indicates a length of the EVPN protocol extension message; and a value field that indicates the outer multicast IP address and the inner multicast IP address. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The switch of claim 17, wherein the processor is further configured to update a multicast encapsulation table based on the outer multicast IP address and the inner multicast IP address, wherein each entry of the multicast encapsulation table is configured to record the inner multicast IP address and the outer multicast IP address that corresponds to the inner multicast IP address. ### Claim 19 (depends on 16) The switch of claim 16, wherein the processor is further configured to obtain, from the multicast response message, the inner multicast IP address. ### Claim 20 (depends on 16) The switch of claim 16, wherein the transmitter is further configured to send the inner multicast IP address to the multicast IP address assignment apparatus such that the multicast IP address assignment apparatus determines the outer multicast IP address that corresponds to the inner multicast IP address.