| CPC H04L 41/0663 (2013.01) | 9 Claims |

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1. A subscriber unit in a network system, the subscriber unit comprising:
one or more memories configured to store instructions; and
one or more processors coupled to the one or more memories and configured to execute the instructions to cause the subscriber unit to:
periodically receive a heartbeat message from a first control unit in the network system according to a preset period; and
send each heartbeat message received from the first control unit to a second control unit in the network system, wherein the heartbeat messages are used by the second control unit to make a master/backup decision relating to the first control unit and the second control unit based on whether a heartbeat message is received by the second control unit in a corresponding period; and
wherein the first control unit has a first communication connection to at least one subscriber unit including the subscriber unit, and the second control unit has a second communication connection to the at least one subscriber unit;
wherein the first control unit and the second control unit each comprise at least one of a control plane (CP), a virtual control plane (VCP), or a virtual broadband network gateway control plane (VBNG-CP), and the subscriber unit comprises at least one of a user plane (UP), a virtual user plane (VUP), or a virtual broadband network gateway user plane (VBNG-UP);
wherein each heartbeat message is a control plane and user plane separation protocol (CUSP) message;
wherein each CUSP message corresponding to the heartbeat messages comprises: a first field and a second field, wherein the first field of each CUSP message corresponding to the heartbeat messages indicates that a message type of the corresponding CUSP message is the heartbeat message type, and the second field of each CUSP message corresponding to the heartbeat messages indicates master/backup states of the first control unit and the second control unit; and
wherein each CUSP message corresponding to the heartbeat messages further comprises a third field, wherein the third field of each CUSP message corresponding to the heartbeat messages indicates a user group corresponding to the master/backup states.
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