BIER packet sending method and apparatus

1. A packet sending method, wherein the method comprises:

receiving, by a first forwarding device, an internet protocol version 6 (IPv6) packet from a second forwarding device, wherein the IPv6 packet comprises an IPv6 basic header and a bit index explicit replication (BIER) information, and a destination address field in the IPv6 basic header comprises a first IPv6 address of the first forwarding device; and

performing, by the first forwarding device, BIER forwarding on the IPv6 packet according to an identifier stored in the first forwarding device, in response to the identifier corresponding to the first IPv6 address;

wherein the performing, by the first forwarding device, BIER forwarding on the IPv6 packet according to the identifier stored in the first forwarding device comprises:

determining, by the first forwarding device, that the first IPv6 address in the destination address field in the IPv6 basic header matches the identifier in the first forwarding device; and

determining, by the first forwarding device, according to the identifier corresponding to the first IPv6 address, to perform BIER forwarding on the IPv6 packet.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein

the identifier is an IPv6 address, the first IPv6 address in the destination address field in the IPv6 basic header is the same as the identifier in the first forwarding device.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein before the receiving, by the first forwarding device, the IPv6 packet from the second forwarding device, the method further comprises:

flooding, by the first forwarding device, the first IPv6 address of the first forwarding device to a network by using a routing protocol.

4. The method according to claim 3 , wherein the routing protocol comprises any one of the following protocols: an intermediate system to intermediate system (IS-IS) protocol, an open shortest path first (OSPF) protocol, or a border gateway protocol (BGP).

5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the performing, by the first forwarding device, BIER forwarding on the IPv6 packet according to the identifier that is in the first forwarding device comprises:

performing, by the first forwarding device, BIER forwarding on the IPv6 packet according to the BIER information.

6. The method according to claim 5 , wherein the BIER information comprises a bit string, and the performing, by the first forwarding device, BIER forwarding on the IPv6 packet according to the BIER information comprises:

searching, by the first forwarding device, a bit index forwarding table (BIFT) based on the bit string; and;

forwarding, by the first forwarding device, the IPv6 packet based on a query result of the BIFT.

7. The method according to claim 6 , wherein the forwarding, by the first forwarding device, the IPv6 packet based on the query result of the BIFT comprises:

updating, by the first network device, the destination address field in the IPv6 basic header of the IPv6 packet to an IPv6 address of a third forwarding device, wherein the BIFT is established according to the IPv6 address of the third forwarding device carried in a BIER message flooded by the third forwarding device; and;

replicating, by the first forwarding device, the IPv6 packet with the updated destination address field to the third forwarding device according to the BIFT.

8. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the IPv6 packet further comprises an extension header, and the extension header comprises the BIER information.

9. The method according to claim 8 , wherein the extension header is a destination option header, a routing header (RH), or an authentication header (AH).

10. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the first IPv6 address is a first segment identifier (SID).

11. The method according to claim 10 , wherein a type of the first SID is End.BIER.

12. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises:

popping, by the first forwarding device, the extension header comprising the BIER information; and

forwarding, by the first forwarding device, the IPv6 packet that does not comprise the extension header to a third forwarding device, wherein the third forwarding device is a BIER forwarding egress router (BFER).

13. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises:

popping, by the first forwarding device, the carried BIER information; and;

forwarding, by the first forwarding device, a packet that does not comprise the BIER information to a third forwarding device, wherein the third forwarding device is a BFER.

14. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the first IPv6 address is a unicast address.

15. A packet sending apparatus, applied to a first forwarding device and comprising:

a non-transitory memory storing instructions; and

a processor coupled to the non-transitory memory; wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the apparatus to be configured to:

receive an internet protocol version 6 (IPv6) packet from a second forwarding device, wherein the IPv6 packet comprises an IPv6 basic header and a bit index explicit replication (BIER) information, and a destination address field in the IPv6 basic header comprises a first IPv6 address of the first forwarding device;

determine that the first IPv6 address in the destination address field in the IPv6 basic header matches an identifier stored in the first forwarding device; and

determine, according to the identifier corresponding to the first IPv6 address, to perform BIER forwarding on the IPv6 packet.

16. The apparatus according to claim 15 , wherein

the identifier is an IPv6 address, the first IPv6 address in the destination address field in the IPv6 basic header is the same as the identifier in the first forwarding device.

17. The apparatus according to claim 15 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the apparatus to be configured to:

flood the first IPv6 address of the first forwarding device to a network by using a routing protocol.

18. The apparatus according to claim 15 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the apparatus to be configured to:

perform BIER forwarding on the IPv6 packet according to the BIER information.

19. The apparatus according to claim 18 , wherein the BIER information comprises a bit string and wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the apparatus to be configured to:

search a bit index forwarding table (BIFT) based on the bit string; and;

forward the IPv6 packet based on a query result of the BIFT.

20. The apparatus according to claim 19 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the apparatus to be configured to:

update the destination address field in the IPv6 basic header of the IPv6 packet to an IPv6 address of a third forwarding device, wherein the BIFT is established according to the IPv6 address of the third forwarding device carried in a BIER message flooded by the third forwarding device; and;

copy the IPv6 packet with the updated destination address field to the third forwarding device according to the BIFT.

21. The apparatus according to claim 15 , wherein the IPv6 packet further comprises an extension header, and the extension header comprises the BIER information.

22. The apparatus according to claim 21 , wherein the extension header is a destination option header, a routing header (RH), or an authentication header (AH).

23. The apparatus according to claim 15 , wherein the first IPv6 address is a first segment identifier (SID).

24. The apparatus according to claim 23 , wherein a type of the first SID is End.BIER.

25. The apparatus according to claim 15 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the apparatus to be configured to:

pop the extension header comprising the BIER information; and

forward the IPv6 packet that does not comprise the extension header to a third forwarding device, wherein the third forwarding device is a BIER forwarding egress router (BFER).

26. The apparatus according to claim 15 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the apparatus to be configured to:

pop the carried BIER information; and;

forward a packet that does not comprise the BIER information to a third forwarding device, wherein the third forwarding device is a BFER.

27. The apparatus according to claim 15 , wherein the first IPv6 address is a unicast address.

28. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, comprising a computer program, wherein when the computer program is run on a computer, the computer is caused to:

receive an internet protocol version 6 (IPv6) packet from a second forwarding device, wherein the IPv6 packet comprises an IPv6 basic header and a bit index explicit replication (BIER) information, and a destination address field in the IPv6 basic header comprises a first IPv6 address of a first forwarding device;

determine that the first IPv6 address in the destination address field in the IPv6 basic header matches an identifier stored in the first forwarding device; and

determine, according to the identifier corresponding to the first IPv6 address, to perform BIER forwarding on the IPv6 packet.

29. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 28 , wherein the first IPv6 address is a unicast address.