Patent Application
20230078931
The present invention relates to a network system capable of switching edge devices that accept a user device.
Most network systems have two or more redundant paths. This configuration, in the case in which a failure occurs in a path, or periodic maintenance is performed on a path, makes it possible to avoid a long-time communication interruption by making users using the affected path take a detour.
In addition to the redundancy of paths, making devices redundant can ensure high reliability. Use of a plurality of devices makes it possible to avoid a long-time communication interruption even in the case of a device failure.
In another view point, there is also an advantageous effect of employing a device redundant configuration in that it makes periodic maintenance on devices, replacement of devices, and doing periodic maintenance easy.
Now, think about a network as illustrated in
In this configuration, the user device 31, in the case of replacing the edge device 21 or doing periodic maintenance on the edge device 21, cannot communicate with the network 1. In contrast, the user device 32, in the case of replacing the edge device 22-1 or doing periodic maintenance on the edge device 22-1, can continue communicating with the network 1 via the edge device 22-2.
As described above, use of a plurality of edge devices and a plurality of paths leading the edge device enables continuous communication even in the case of replacing or doing periodic maintenance on a device connecting between a network and a user device. However, there is an issue that this configuration requires a plurality of paths that require a plurality of ports for the user device which is the counter device of the edge devices. In particular, in the case where the distances between the edge devices and the user device are long, a plurality of long distance paths need to be prepared, increasing the cost.
A method to solve such an issue is inserting an optical switch between the edge devices and the user device (for example, see Patent Literature 1). In this case, different paths according to the edge devices need to be prepared between the optical switch and the edge devices, but the paths can be put together into a single path between the optical switch and the user device. Thus, if the optical switch is disposed very close to the edge devices, it is possible to solve the issue of preparing a plurality of long distance paths.
In the method in Patent Literature 1, when the connection destination of the user device is switched to a new edge device by the optical switch, and the edge devices are notified of the path state resulting from the switching of the optical switch. With this operation, information on the edge device to which the user device was previously connected is updated to information on the edge device to which the user device is newly connected by the switching of the optical switch, and thus, communication can be continued without affecting the user device.
In the case of using the method in Patent Literature 1, cooperation between the edge devices and the optical switch is necessary. Hence, a method is necessary for correctly communicating the states between the edge devices and the optical switch, which are totally different products, for example, an information linkage interface.
Patent Literature 1: Japanese Patent No. 6053172
The present invention has been made by focusing attention on the above situation, and an object thereof is to provide a network system that enables a user device to connect to a network via a single edge device out of a plurality of existing edge devices without information being communicated between the edge devices and a device that branches signals and provides branched signals to the plurality of edge devices.
The viewpoints of the present invention to achieve the above object include the constituents as follows: Specifically, a network system has a branch device between edge devices and a user device, the edge devices can communicate with one another via a network, and based on information exchange via the network, user acceptance ports of edge devices are closed.
Specifically, a network system according to the present disclosure is
Specifically, a network switching method according to the present disclosure is
The present invention makes it possible to switch edge devices that accept a user device without having a plurality of paths leading from the user device to the edge devices.
Hereinafter, network systems of embodiments according to the present invention capable of switching edge devices will be described with reference to drawings. Note that in the following embodiments, portions denoted by the same numbers are assumed to perform the same or similar operation, and repetitive description of them is omitted. Note that a network system according to the present disclosure capable of switching edge devices can be used in the information and communication industry. In the following, a communication network in which traffic communication can be performed directly or indirectly between a plurality of devices is called a network.
A network system in which a user device can connect to a network via a single edge device out of a plurality of existing edge devices is a network system including a network 1, a plurality of edge devices 21 to 2 n (n is an integer of 2 or more. There are two edge devices 21 and 22 in
The user device 31 has physical connectivity ensured so that it can connect to the plurality of edge devices 21 and 22 via the branch device 41. This network system is characterized in that the edge devices 21 and 22 exchange information and close a user acceptance port at each moment so that the single user device 31 can communicate with only one of the user acceptance ports 215 and 225 connected to the single user device 31.
The branch device 41 copies one input signal into two or more output signals. A feature here is that the formats of the input signal and the output signal are the same. Specifically, the input signal and the output signal may be a single optical input signal, or an electrical input signal may be copied into two or more optical output signals or electrical output signals. An example of a device for copying optical signals is an optical coupler, and an example of a device for copying electrical signals is an electric coupler.
The user-acceptance-port database 211 of the edge device 21 holds data on a set of user acceptance ports connected to the single user device. Specifically, in the example of
The open-user-acceptance-port determination unit 212 exchanges information with another edge device, in this case, the edge device 22 having a user acceptance port connected to the same user device 31 via the branch device 41, and determines an only one user acceptance port that can communicate with the user device 31.
Specifically, the open-user-acceptance-port determination unit 212 of the edge device 21 communicates with the open-user-acceptance-port determination unit 222 of the edge device 22 and exchanges information necessary to determine which of the user acceptance port 215 of the edge device 21 and the user acceptance port 225 of the edge device 22 is to communicate with the user device 31. The information mentioned above is information used to determine an open-user acceptance port based on a single rule in all the edge devices. Although details will be described later, in the case of using, for example, a rule that unique identification information that each device has is compared, and an edge device and the user acceptance port that will communicate with the user device are determined based on the magnitude of the unique identification information, the unique identification information that each device has is exchanged between the edge devices.
To exchange the information mentioned above, the network 1 is used; specifically, the NW-side port 214 of the edge device 21, the network 1, and the NW-side port 224 of the edge device 22 are used to exchange the information. Alternatively, to exchange information on the user acceptance port, a third port other than the user acceptance port and the NW-side port may be used, for example, a port connected to a management network. For information exchange necessary to determine the open-user acceptance port, any port capable of connecting to other edge devices and other than the user acceptance port may be used.
The open-user-acceptance-port determination unit 212, based on information collected by the information exchange, determines the open-user acceptance port. All the edge devices need to determine the open-user acceptance port based on a single rule. For example, as a possible method, a unique identifier that each user acceptance port has may be used: for example, the user acceptance port having the smallest MAC address is specified as the open-user acceptance port. As another possible method, a unique identifier that each edge device has may be used in parallel: for example, the user acceptance port of an edge device having a high priority is specified as the open-user acceptance port.
The port-closure setting unit 213 performs closure control for its user acceptance port based on the result by the open-user-acceptance-port determination unit 212. Specifically, in the case in which the open-user-acceptance-port determination unit 212 determines that “the user acceptance port of the device that it belongs to is the open-user acceptance port”, the port-closure setting unit 213 makes the user acceptance port 215 open. In the case in which the open-user-acceptance-port determination unit 212 determines that “the user acceptance port of the device that it belongs to is not the open-user acceptance port”, the port-closure setting unit 213 makes the user acceptance port 215 closed.
The network system according to the first embodiment of the present invention, as described above, performs information exchange by using ports that the edge devices have other than the user acceptance ports, opens an only one user acceptance port exclusively out of the user acceptance ports connected to the same user device 31, closes the other user acceptance ports, and thus explicitly determines the edge device that the user device 31 will use.
In a case in which replacement or periodic maintenance is performed on the edge device having the open-user acceptance port, the open-user acceptance port is changed. Specifically, an open-user acceptance port may be determined out of the edge devices excluding the edge device that needs replacement or periodic maintenance, and the user acceptance port that is open may be changed. In this operation, when the open-user acceptance port is changed from the previously-set open-user acceptance port to the newly-set open-user acceptance port, the setting information on the previously-set open-user acceptance port should desirably be taken over to the newly-set open-user acceptance port at the same time. Specifically, it is necessary, for example, that the user-acceptance-port setting information is transferred, being triggered by the change of the open-user acceptance port, or that the same setting is inputted in advance to all the user acceptance ports connected to the single user device via the branch device regardless of the change of the open-user acceptance port.
The user device 31 transmits and receives traffic by using the edge device the user acceptance port of which is open, out of the plurality of edge devices to which the user device 31 is directly connected.
For connection between the edge devices and the user device, optical cable and an optical branch device may be used, or electrical cable and an electrical branch device may be used, too.
A network system in which a user device can connect to a network via a single edge device out of a plurality of existing edge devices is a network system including a network 1, a plurality of edge devices 51 to 5n (n is an integer of 2 or more. There are two edge devices 51 and 52 in
The user device 31 has physical connection such that it can connect to a plurality of edge devices 51 and 52 via the branch device 41. This network system is characterized in that the edge devices 51 and 52 exchange information via the open-user-acceptance-port determination device 61 and close a user acceptance port at each moment such that the single user device 31 can communicate with only one of the user acceptance ports 514 and 524 connected to the single user device 31.
The user-acceptance-port-information transmission units 511 and 521 of the edge devices 51 and 52 transmit information to the user-acceptance-port-information collection unit 613 of the open-user-acceptance-port determination device 61. The information mentioned above is used to determine the open-user acceptance port. Although details will be described later, in the case of using, for example, a rule that unique identification information that the edge devices 51 and 52 have are compared, and that an edge device and the user acceptance port that will communicate with the user device 31 are determined based on the magnitude of the unique identification information, the edge devices 51 and 52 transmits the unique identification information that the edge devices 51 and 52 have.
For the transmission of the information mentioned above, the network 1 is used. Specifically, to transmit information from the user-acceptance-port-information transmission unit 511 to the user-acceptance-port-information collection unit 613, the NW-side port 513 of the edge device 51, the network 1, and the NW-side port 615 of the open-user-acceptance-port determination device 61 are used. For transmission of information used to determine the open-user acceptance port, a third port other than the user acceptance port and the NW-side port may be used, for example, a port connected to a management network. For transmission of information used to determine the open-user acceptance port, any port capable of connecting the edge device 51 or 52 and the open-user-acceptance-port determination device 61 may be used.
The information transmitted from the user-acceptance-port-information transmission units 511 and 521 of the edge devices 51 and 52 are collected at the user-acceptance-port-information collection unit 613 of the open-user-acceptance-port determination device 61.
The user-acceptance-port database 611 of the open-user-acceptance-port determination device 61 holds data on a set of user acceptance ports connected to the single user device. Specifically, in the example of
The open-user-acceptance-port determination unit 612 determines the open-user acceptance port based on the information in the user-acceptance-port database 611 and the information collected by the user-acceptance-port-information collection unit 613. For example, as a possible, a unique identifier that each user acceptance port has may be used: for example, the user acceptance port having the smallest MAC address is specified as the open-user acceptance port. As another possible method, a unique identifier that each edge device has may be used in parallel: for example, the user acceptance port of an edge device having a high priority is specified as the open-user acceptance port.
Based on the result by the open-user-acceptance-port determination unit 612, user-acceptance-port closing control of each edge device is performed. Specifically, for a user acceptance port, if the open-user-acceptance-port determination unit 612 determines that “this user acceptance port is the open-user acceptance port”, the user-acceptance-port open-close instruction unit 614 instructs the port-closure setting unit not to perform closure setting. For a user acceptance port, if the open-user-acceptance-port determination unit 612 determines that “this user acceptance port is not the open-user acceptance port”, the user-acceptance-port open-close instruction unit 614 instructs the port-closure setting unit to perform closure setting. When the user-acceptance-port open-close instruction unit 614 transmits an instruction on closing or opening to the port-closure setting unit of each edge device, the transmission is performed via the network 1 or another network typified by a management network.
The network system according to the second embodiment of the present invention, as described above, performs information exchange between the edge devices 51 and 52 and the open-user-acceptance-port determination device 61, opens only one user acceptance port out of the user acceptance ports connected to the user device 31, and closes the other user acceptance ports. This operation makes it possible to explicitly determine the edge device that the user device 31 will use.
In a case in which replacement or periodic maintenance is performed on the edge device having the open-user acceptance port, the open-user acceptance port is changed. Specifically, an open-user acceptance port may be determined out of the edge devices excluding the edge device that needs replacement or periodic maintenance, and the user acceptance port that is open may be changed. In this operation, when the open-user acceptance port is changed from the previously-set open-user acceptance port to the newly-set open-user acceptance port, the setting information on the previously-set open-user acceptance port should desirably be taken over to the newly-set open-user acceptance port at the same time. Specifically, it is necessary, for example, that the user-acceptance-port setting information is transferred, being triggered by the change of the open-user acceptance port, or that the same setting is inputted in advance to all the user acceptance ports connected to the single user device via the branch device regardless of the change of the open-user acceptance port.
The user device 31 transmits and receives traffic by using the edge device the user acceptance port of which is open, out of the plurality of edge devices to which the user device 31 is directly connected.
For connection between the edge devices and the user device, optical cable and an optical branch device may be used, or electrical cable and an electrical branch device may be used, too.
Note that the present disclosure is not limited to the above embodiments. These embodiments are mere examples, and the present disclosure can be implemented as embodiments obtained by changing or improving the present disclosure in various ways based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art. The devices of the present disclosure can be built by using a computer and a program, and the program can be recorded on a recording medium or can be provided through a network.
The present disclosure can be used in the information communication industry.
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/JP2020/008476 | 2/28/2020 | WO |
