Patent ID: 8594098

Claim:
A method for sending data, the method comprising: categorizing a received packet based on field information of a preset field in a packet header; encapsulating, for each category of packets, field information of a preset field in a packet header of a packet in the category of packets to an overhead field of a data unit, and encapsulating a packet payload and field information of another field except the preset field in a packet header of more than one packet in the category of packets to a payload field of the data unit, wherein the data unit is a Generic Framing Procedure, GFP, data unit; the encapsulating field information of a preset field in a packet header of a packet in the category of packets to an overhead field of a data unit comprises: encapsulating the field information of the preset field in the packet header of the packet in the category of packets to a GFP extension frame header field of the GFP data unit; the encapsulating a packet payload and field information of another field except the preset field in a packet header of more than one packet in the category of packets to a payload field of the data unit comprises: encapsulating the packet payload and the field information of another field except the preset field in the header field of the more than one packet in the category of packets to a GFP payload information field of the GFP data unit; and sending the GFP data unit to a destination node of the packet.