Claims
- 1. A name retrieving device retrieving information identifying a communications node, which is a network device within a communications network, comprising
a condition searching unit searching for the information identifying the communications node according to a name search condition into which at least one or a plurality of information effective for identifying the communications node, such as a running state, a use state, positional information, and information representing a characteristic of the communications node, information representing information held by the communications node, and the like are combined.
- 2. The name retrieving device according to claim 1, wherein
the running state of the communications node is at least one or a plurality of a state of a power supply, a connection state of a network and a communication state of a network.
- 3. The name retrieving device according to claim 1, wherein
the use state of the communications node is at least one or a plurality of information about a user, information about a running time, and information about a load.
- 4. The name retrieving device according to claim 1, wherein
the positional information of the communications node is at least one or a plurality of a geographical position or coordinate information, an address or a postal code used by a postal service, and a number of a building or a room.
- 5. The name retrieving device according to claim 1, wherein
the information representing the characteristic of the communications node is at least one or a plurality of a type, a function, a shape, a color, device information, software information, performance, and administrator information of the communications node.
- 6. The name retrieving device according to claim 1, wherein
the information representing the characteristic of the communications node is at least one or a plurality of management information of a file existing within a local file device of the communications node, and a type of information stored in the file.
- 7. The name retrieving device according to claim 1, wherein
said condition searching unit comprises
a name database, which is included in a network device within the communications network, and a resource record where a resource record type representing the name search condition is set can be registered to, and a domain name server, which is included in the network device within the communications network, searching said name database for the resource record representing the name search condition, and replying information identifying a communications node at a communication destination, which is registered to the resource record, to a communications node at a communication source, in response to an inquiry, which is made from the communications node at the communication source, about the name search condition corresponding to the communications node at the communication destination.
- 8. The name retrieving device according to claim 1, wherein
said condition searching unit comprises
a name database, which is included in a network device within the communications network, and an address record including the name search condition as part of a domain name can be registered to, and a domain name server, which is included in the network device within the communications network, searching said name database for the address record including the name search condition as the part of the domain name, and replying information identifying a communications node at a communication destination, which is registered to the address record, to a communications node at a communication source, in response to an inquiry, which is made from the communications node at the communication source, about the name search condition corresponding to the communications node at the communication destination.
- 9. The name retrieving device according to claim 1, wherein
said condition searching unit obtains latest information identifying a communications node at a communication destination at a time of an inquiry by inquiring the communications node at the communication destination about the name search condition that is inquired by a communications node at a communication source, and replies obtained information to the communications node at the communication source.
- 10. The name retrieving device according to claim 9, wherein
said condition searching unit comprises
a name database, which is included in a network device within the communications network, and a resource record where a resource record type instructing to make an inquiry corresponding to the name search condition is set can be registered to, and a domain name server, which is included in the network device within the communications network, searching said name database for the resource record instructing to make the inquiry corresponding to the name search condition, obtains the latest information identifying the communications node at the communication destination at the time of the inquiry by making the inquiry based on an instruction to make the inquiry, which is registered to the resource record, and replying obtained information to the communications node at the communication source, in response to the inquiry, which is made from the communications node at the communication source, about the name search condition corresponding to the communications node at the communication destination.
- 11. The name retrieving device according to claim 10, wherein
said domain name server registers the latest information identifying the communications node at the communication destination at the time of the inquiry to said name database.
- 12. The name retrieving device according to claim 1, wherein
said condition searching unit comprises
a name database, which is distributed and included in a plurality of network devices within the communications network, and the name search condition, to which an unpropagation attribute instructing to prohibit propagation to a name database within a different network device is selectively attached, can be registered to, and a domain name server, which is included in a network device within the communications network, searching said name database, which is distributed and included in the plurality of network devices, for a resource record corresponding to the name search condition, and replying information identifying a communications node at a communication destination, which is registered to the resource record, to a communications node at a communication source, in response to an inquiry, which is made from the communications node at the communication source, about the name search condition corresponding to the communications node at the communication destination.
- 13. A name retrieving device retrieving information identifying a communications node, which is a network device within a communications network, comprising
an address translating/relaying unit, which is included in a network device within the communications network, translating a network address into a final network address identifying a communications node at a communication destination, when a communication from a communications node at a communication source, for which a condition designating the communications node at the communication destination as the network address corresponding to the communications node at the communication destination is specified, is relayed.
- 14. The name retrieving device according to claim 13, wherein
the condition designating the communications node at the communication destination is a condition into which at least one or a plurality of a running state of the communications node at the communication destination, or information held by the communications node at the communication destination are combined.
- 15. The name retrieving device according to claim 13, wherein
said address translating/relaying unit performs a relay process based on a SOCKS protocol, and performs, at least once, a process for inversely translating an address into an FQDN being a fully qualified domain name by using a domain name server, and for translating the FQDN into an IP address next by again using the domain name server if the address of the communications node at the communication destination is an IP address, so that a final network address of the communications node at the communication destination is obtained.
- 16. A computer-readable storage medium on which is recorded a program, which is read by a computer when used by the computer configuring a name retrieving device retrieving information identifying a communications node being a network device within a communications network, for causing the computer to execute a function, the function comprising
searching for the information identifying the communications node according to a name search condition into which at least one or a plurality of information effective for identifying the communications node, such as a running state, a use state, positional information, and information representing a characteristic of the communications node, information representing information held by the communications node, and the like are combined.
- 17. A computer-readable storage medium on which is recorded a program, which is read by a computer when used by the computer configuring a name retrieving device retrieving information identifying a communications node being a network device within a communications network, for causing the computer to execute a function included in a network device within the communications network, the function comprising
translating a network address into a final network address identifying a communications node at a communication destination, when a communication from a communications node at a communication source, for which a condition designating the communications node at the communication destination as the network address corresponding to the communications node at the communication destination is specified, is relayed.
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] The application is a continuation of international PCT application No. PCT/JP99/06052 filed on Oct. 29, 1999.
Continuations (1)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
PCT/JP99/06052 |
Oct 1999 |
US |
Child |
10123243 |
Apr 2002 |
US |