JP2007281783A - Communication control method, and communication control unit - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a communication control method and a communication control unit, performing communication restriction at the time of communication network congestion only to communication between a user terminal, which is a highly possible cause of the above congestion, and a content provider (CP). <P>SOLUTION: In the communication control method in which the communication control unit relays communication data transmitted and received between the user terminal and the CP, a communication data amount between the user terminal and the CP is measured at each predetermined time. At the time of the communication network congestion, whether or not the CP of interest is a CP on which communication restriction is to be performed is decided, based on the above measured communication data amount. When the CP is decided to be a CP on which communication restriction is to be performed, CP identification information is stored as CP identification information on which restriction is to be performed. When the number of user terminals being connected to the communication control unit exceeds a congestion decision threshold, the communication network congestion is decided. When the above congestion is decided, control is made to disable connection between the user terminal and the CP corresponding to the CP identification information on which restriction is to be performed. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a communication control method and a communication control apparatus.

Conventionally, for example, when a communication network used for packet communication between a content providing destination terminal and a content providing source server is congested, communication regulation is performed on a predetermined terminal or server. Therefore, a technique for eliminating the congestion of the communication network is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
JP 2005-033233 A

  By the way, when communication restriction is performed after a terminal or server is fixedly determined in advance, it is difficult to dynamically change the terminal or server once fixedly determined as a communication restriction target according to the communication situation. is there. For this reason, it is difficult to flexibly cope with changes in various communication conditions. For example, since it was previously determined as a target of communication restriction, communication restriction is applied to terminals or servers that are not likely to cause congestion at present. There was a case where I went. On the other hand, even though the terminal or server is highly likely to be the true cause of congestion in the current situation, communication restriction may not be possible because it has not been determined in advance as a target of communication restriction. .

  Therefore, the present invention provides a communication control method and communication control capable of restricting communication only for communication between a terminal and a server that are highly likely to be a cause of congestion when the communication network is congested. An object is to provide an apparatus.

  In order to solve the above problems, the communication control method of the present invention is a communication in which a communication control device relays communication data transmitted and received between a user terminal and a connection destination device that is a connection target of the user terminal on the communication network. A communication amount measurement step in which a communication data amount between a user terminal and a connection destination device is measured every predetermined time, and communication that is subject to communication regulation when the connection destination device is congested in a communication network. It is determined whether the device is a restriction target device based on the communication data amount measured in the communication amount measurement step, and the connection target device is determined to be a communication restriction target device in the restriction target determination step. If the connection destination specifying information for specifying the connection destination device is stored in the communication control device as the restriction target specifying information for specifying the communication restriction target device. When the number of user terminals connected to the communication control device exceeds the congestion determination threshold, a congestion determination step for determining a congestion state of the communication network, and a congestion state is determined in the congestion determination step. A communication control step for controlling the connection destination device corresponding to the restriction target specifying information stored in the storage step and the user terminal connected to the connection destination device to be unable to connect on the communication network. .

  The communication control device of the present invention is a communication control device that relays communication data transmitted and received between a user terminal and a connection destination device that is a connection target on the communication network of the user terminal, and is connected to the user terminal. Communication amount measuring means for measuring the amount of communication data with the destination device every predetermined time, and whether or not the connection destination device is a communication restriction target device subject to communication restriction when the communication network is congested A restriction target judging means for judging based on the amount of communication data measured by the amount measuring means, and a connection destination for specifying the connection destination device when the restriction target judging means judges that the connection destination device is a communication restriction target device When the number of user terminals connected to the storage unit storing the specific information as the restriction target specifying information for specifying the communication restriction target device and the own device exceeds the congestion judgment threshold, A congestion determination unit for determining a congestion state of the network, and a connection destination device corresponding to the restriction target specifying information stored by the storage unit and a user connected to the connection destination device when the congestion state is determined by the congestion determination unit Communication control means for controlling the terminal so as not to be connected on the communication network is provided.

  According to the communication control method and the communication control device of the present invention, the process of determining whether or not one connection destination device is a communication restriction target device is performed based on the amount of communication data measured every predetermined time. For this reason, it is possible to dynamically distinguish between a connection destination device that is likely to cause congestion and a connection destination device that is not likely to be a congestion factor according to a change in the communication status. The connection destination specifying information of the connection destination device that is likely to cause the congestion is stored as the restriction target specifying information. When it is determined that the communication network is in a congestion state, by restricting communication only to the connection destination device corresponding to the stored restriction target specifying information, the connection destination that is likely to cause congestion in the communication state. Communication restriction can be performed only for communication between the apparatus and the user terminal. On the other hand, communication can be continued for communication between a connection destination apparatus and a user terminal that are unlikely to cause congestion in the communication state.

  Furthermore, the process of determining whether or not one connection destination device is a communication restriction target device is performed in a predetermined manner regardless of whether or not the connection destination device is communicating with an arbitrary user terminal at the time of the determination. Based on the amount of communication data measured every hour. That is, the communication restriction described above is applied not only to the communication between the connection destination device and the user terminal that will start communication, but also to the communication between the connection destination device and the user terminal that are already communicating. It can be carried out.

  Further, in the storing step of the communication control method of the present invention, when it is determined that the connection destination device is a communication restriction target device, between the communication restriction target device and the user terminal connected to the communication restriction target device. For each communication data amount, the restriction target specifying information is grouped and stored in the communication control device. In the congestion determination step, the number of user terminals connected to the communication control device and the communication control device are determined per unit time. The degree of congestion state determined based on the amount of communication data relayed to the network is classified into levels, and in the communication control step, the restriction is grouped by the storage step based on the degree of congestion state classified by the congestion determination step. Whether connection between the connection destination device corresponding to the target identification information and the user terminal connected to the connection destination device is controlled. It is preferred.

  Further, in the communication control device of the present invention, the storage means, when it is determined that the connection destination device is a communication restriction target device, between the communication restriction target device and the user terminal connected to the communication restriction target device. The restriction target specifying information is grouped and stored for each communication data amount, and the congestion determination means determines the number of user terminals connected to the own device and the communication data amount that the own device relays per unit time. Based on the degree of congestion state determined by the congestion determination unit, the communication control unit divides the level of the determined congestion state based on the degree of congestion state, and the connection destination corresponding to the restriction target specifying information stored in groups by the storage unit It is preferable to control whether or not a device is connected to a user terminal connected to the connection destination device.

  According to these inventions, the restriction target specifying information is grouped for each communication data amount between the communication restriction target device and the user terminal. In other words, communication restriction target devices can be classified into several types according to the communication status. The congestion state of the communication network is classified into levels based on the number of user terminals connected to the communication control device and the amount of communication data relayed per unit time by the communication control device. That is, the congestion state of the communication network can be divided into several types according to the communication status. Then, by performing connection control between the communication restriction target device and the user terminal based on the degree of grouping and the degree of level division, the connection destination device and the user that are most likely to cause congestion Communication regulation can be performed in order with priority given to communication with the terminal.

  According to the present invention, when a communication network is congested, communication restriction is performed only for communication between a connection destination device and a user terminal that are likely to cause the congestion, and a connection destination device that is not Communication is continued between user terminals. For this reason, communication control can be flexibly performed according to changes in the communication status.

  The knowledge of the present invention can be easily understood by considering the following detailed description with reference to the accompanying drawings shown for illustration only. Subsequently, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. If possible, the same parts are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description is omitted.

  First, the configuration of the communication control system 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of the communication control system 1. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the communication control system 1 includes a user terminal 100, a communication control device 200, and a content provider (connection destination device) 300. In the communication control system 1, the user terminal 100 and the communication control apparatus 200 and the communication control apparatus 200 and the content provider 300 are communicably connected by a communication network 400 such as a mobile communication network or the Internet. . In FIG. 1, the user terminal 100 and the content provider 300 are shown as a single unit. However, in the actual configuration of the communication control system 1, there are a plurality of user terminals 100 and content providers 300.

  The user terminal 100 is, for example, a mobile phone used by a content provider user as a communication terminal of a content provider in the communication control system 1. The user terminal 100 includes hardware such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a memory, a wireless communication interface, and operation keys. The memory of the user terminal 100 stores software such as a program for performing HTTP (Hyper Text Transfer Protocol) communication. The user terminal 100 transmits / receives an HTTP request signal / HTTP response signal to / from the connection destination content provider 300 to request the content provider 300 to distribute the content, and acquire the requested content from the content provider 300. . Such transmission / reception of the HTTP signal is performed via the communication control apparatus 200.

  The content provider 300 is a communication server of a content provider in the communication control system 1 and is a device to be connected via the communication control device 200 on the communication network 400 when viewed from the user terminal 100 side. The content provider 300 is physically an ordinary computer system including a CPU, a memory, a communication interface, a storage unit such as a hard disk, a display unit such as a display, and the like. The content provider 300 receives an HTTP request signal from the user terminal 100 via the communication control apparatus 200 and distributes an HTTP response signal corresponding to the HTTP request signal to the user terminal 100 via the communication control apparatus 200. . The HTTP response signal is content stored in a database in the content provider 300, for example.

  The communication control device 200 is a device that relays communication data transmitted and received between the user terminal 100 and the content provider 300. FIG. 2 is a hardware configuration diagram of the communication control apparatus 200. As shown in FIG. 2, the communication control apparatus 200 physically includes a CPU 21, a RAM 22 and a ROM 23 as main storage devices, an input device 24 such as a keyboard and a mouse as input devices, an output device 25 such as a display, a network, and the like. The computer system includes a communication module 26 that is a data transmission / reception device such as a card and an auxiliary storage device 27 such as a hard disk. Each function of the communication control device 200 to be described later is configured such that predetermined computer software is read on hardware such as the CPU 21 and the RAM 22 shown in FIG. 2 to control the communication module 26, the input device 24, and the output under the control of the CPU 21. This is realized by operating the device 25 and reading and writing data in the RAM 22 and the auxiliary storage device 27. Hereinafter, functional components of the communication control apparatus 200 will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a functional configuration of the communication control apparatus 200. As shown in FIG. 3, the communication control apparatus 200 includes a communication unit 202, a data amount counting unit 204 (communication amount measuring unit), a restriction target determining unit 206 (restriction target determining unit), a list registration unit 208, and a storage unit 210 ( Storage unit), a congestion determination unit 212 (congestion determination unit), a communication availability determination unit 214, and a communication control unit 216 (communication control unit).

  The communication unit 202 relays communication data transmitted / received between the user terminal 100 and the content provider 300. The communication unit 202 transfers data transmitted from the user terminal 100 to the content provider 300 as a communication interface for the user terminal 100 and the content provider 300, and transfers data transmitted from the content provider 300 to the user terminal 100.

  The data amount counting unit 204 measures the amount of communication data between the user terminal 100 and the content provider 300 every predetermined unit time. Specifically, the data amount counting unit 204 measures the total data amount of content distributed by one content provider to a plurality of user terminals via the communication control device 200, for example, every predetermined unit time of 5 minutes. The data amount counting unit 204 divides the measured data amount by the number of user terminals that are the distribution destinations of the content provider, thereby obtaining the distribution data amount per unit time and per user terminal of the content provider. The amount of communication data between the user terminal 100 and the content provider 300 is obtained by adding the amount of data transmitted from the user terminal 100 to the content provider 300 to the distribution data amount. The data amount counting unit 204 performs such communication data amount counting processing for each content provider, and outputs the communication data amount for each content provider as a result to the restriction target determining unit 206.

  Based on the communication data amount for each content provider input from the data amount counting unit 204, the restriction target determining unit 206 is a communication restriction target CP (to which each content provider is subject to communication restriction when the communication network 400 is congested. It is determined whether or not the communication restriction target device). Specifically, the restriction target determining unit 206 determines that the content provider is a communication restriction target CP when the communication data amount of one content provider exceeds a predetermined restriction target determination threshold value.

  In the present embodiment, the restriction target determination threshold value referred to by the restriction object determination unit 206 is, for example, 50 Kbytes per 5 minutes of unit time. When the amount of communication data of one content provider exceeds 50 Kbytes and the content provider is determined as a communication restriction target CP, the restriction target determination unit 206 controls the CP specification information (connection destination specification information) of the content provider as a restriction target. It outputs to the list registration part 208 as CP specific information (regulation object specific information). The CP specifying information is information for specifying one content provider, and the restriction target CP specifying information is information for specifying one communication restriction target CP. In addition, when the communication data amount of one content provider does not exceed 50 Kbytes and the content provider does not determine the content provider as a communication restriction target CP, the restriction target determination unit 206 stores the CP specifying information of the content provider as a list registration unit 208. Is not output.

  The list registration unit 208 creates a restriction target CP list in which all the communication restriction target CPs in the communication control system 1 are listed based on the restriction target CP specifying information input from the restriction target determination unit 206. This restriction target CP list is, for example, a text file. When creating the restriction target CP list, the list registration unit 208 refers to a plurality of predetermined restriction level thresholds, and communicates with each content provider determined to be a communication restriction target CP. Group into multiple types for each level of regulation.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram showing restriction level thresholds for each restriction level in order to explain the grouping process of the list registration unit 208. Each regulation level shown in FIG. 4 is determined based on the amount of communication data, and the amount of communication data is the amount of data that one content provider transmits and receives per user terminal in a unit time of 5 minutes. In the present embodiment, the list registration unit 208 refers to the three restriction level thresholds and groups the communication restriction target CPs for each of the three restriction levels. That is, when the communication data amount of one content provider exceeds 50 Kbytes and does not exceed 70 Kbytes in 5 minutes of unit time, the content providers are grouped into the regulation level 1. Further, when the communication data amount of one content provider exceeds 70 Kbytes and does not exceed 100 Kbytes in 5 minutes per unit time, the content providers are grouped into the regulation level 2. Furthermore, when the communication data amount of one content provider exceeds 100 Kbytes in a unit time of 5 minutes, the content provider is grouped into a regulation level 3.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of the restriction target CP list created by the list registration unit 208. As shown in FIG. 5, for example, for content provider A (communication data amount 120 Kbytes), content provider B (communication data amount 90 Kbytes), content provider C (communication data amount 60 Kbytes), and content provider D (communication data amount 80 Kbytes). These are grouped into restriction levels 3, 2, 1 and 2, respectively, and that fact is registered in the restriction target CP list. In the present embodiment, since the data amount counting unit 204 counts the communication data amount every 5 minutes, the restriction target determining unit 206 also performs the communication restriction target CP determination process every five minutes, and the list registration unit 208. Also adds a list of restricted CPs every 5 minutes.

  When the content provider once registered in the restriction target CP list is not determined as the communication restriction subject CP until a predetermined period of time elapses, the list registration unit 208 obtains the CP specifying information of the content provider from the restriction target CP list. delete. In the present embodiment, the predetermined period is, for example, two days. Thus, the list registration unit 208 can always create the latest regulated CP list, and the created regulated CP list is stored in the storage unit 210.

  Returning to FIG. 3, the congestion determination unit 212 determines whether or not the communication network 400 is currently in a congestion state. The congestion determination unit 212 determines the congestion state based on the number of user terminals currently connected to the communication unit 202 and the communication data amount that the communication unit 202 currently relays per unit time. Further, the congestion determination unit 212 compares the number or communication data amount with a plurality of congestion level thresholds, and classifies the determined congestion state into a plurality of types according to the degree.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a congestion level threshold value for each congestion level in order to explain the level division processing of the congestion determination unit 212. Each congestion level threshold value shown in FIG. 6 is determined based on the number and the communication data amount. In the present embodiment, the communication control apparatus 200 is based on the ratio of the number of user terminals currently connected to the number of user terminals that can be connected to the communication control apparatus 200 at the maximum (hereinafter referred to as “connection ratio”). The number of user terminals that are currently connected to is determined. Further, based on the CPU usage rate of the communication control device 200, the communication control device 200 determines the amount of communication data currently being relayed per unit time.

  As illustrated in FIG. 6, the congestion determination unit 212 in this embodiment classifies the congestion state into three congestion levels. That is, when the connection ratio is 70% or more and less than 80% or the CPU usage rate of the communication control apparatus 200 is 70% or more and less than 80%, the congestion state is classified into the congestion level 1. When the connection ratio is 80% or more and less than 90% or the CPU usage rate of the communication control apparatus 200 is 80% or more and less than 90%, the congestion state is classified as congestion level 2. Furthermore, when the connection ratio is 90% or more or the CPU usage rate of the communication control apparatus 200 is 90% or more, the congestion state is classified into the congestion level 3. When the connection ratio is less than 70% and the CPU usage rate of the communication control apparatus 200 is less than 70%, the congestion state is not determined. The congestion determination unit 212 outputs a signal indicating the determined congestion state to the communication availability determination unit 214.

  The communication availability determination unit 214 is notified that the communication network 400 is currently in a congestion state at any congestion level by receiving a signal representing the congestion state from the congestion determination unit 212. Then, the communication availability determination unit 214 determines whether or not to continue data distribution of the content provider that is currently performing data distribution according to the notified congestion level and the restriction level of each content provider. Specifically, the communication availability determination unit 214 determines to continue data distribution for content providers having a restriction level lower than the current congestion level. Further, the communication availability determination unit 214 determines that data distribution is to be stopped for a content provider having a restriction level equal to or higher than the current congestion level. The communication availability determination unit 214 refers to the restriction target CP list stored in the storage unit 210 to obtain information on the restriction level of each content provider.

  FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining the determination process of the communication availability determination unit 214. In the following description with reference to FIG. 7, it is assumed that a plurality of content providers including four content providers A, B, C, and D perform data distribution on the communication network 400. Further, it is assumed that the communication network 400 is currently congested and the congestion level is level 2.

  In FIG. 7, the content provider C at the restriction level 1 is determined to be able to continue communication with the user terminal even in the congestion state at the congestion level 2 because the restriction level is lower than the current congestion level. On the other hand, the content provider A at the restriction level 3 and the content providers B and D at the restriction level 2 are determined to be unable to continue communication with the respective user terminals because the respective restriction levels are equal to or higher than the current congestion level. The Furthermore, it is determined that communication can be continued with respect to other content providers not shown in FIG. 7 (content providers not registered in the restriction target CP list). The communication feasibility determining unit 214 performs the above-described determination process not only for the content provider that is currently distributing data but also for a new content provider that is about to start data distribution. Communication enable / disable determination unit 214 then outputs a signal representing the determination result for each content provider to communication control unit 216.

  The communication control unit 216 receives a signal representing the determination result of whether or not data distribution can be continued for each content provider from the communication determination unit 214 and performs communication control according to the signal through the communication unit 202. That is, under the assumption of FIG. 7, the communication control unit 216 sets the content providers A, B, and D determined to be unable to continue data distribution as communication restriction targets, and the content providers A, B, and D and respective users. Disconnect the communication connection with the terminal. Further, the communication control unit 216 continues communication as it is without subjecting the content provider C determined to be able to continue data distribution and other content providers not registered in the restriction target CP list to be subject to communication restriction.

  Next, the operation (communication control method) of the communication control system 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. 8 and 9 are flowcharts for explaining the operation of the communication control system 1. First, the operation of the communication control system 1 will be described with reference to FIG. 8 when the communication control apparatus 200 controls communication between the user terminal 100 and the content provider 300 that are not currently communicating.

  First, the communication control apparatus 200 receives an HTTP request signal from the user terminal 100 (step S101).

  When the HTTP request signal is received by the communication control apparatus 200 in step S101, it is determined whether or not the communication network 400 is currently in a congestion state. At this time, the congestion level is determined based on the connection ratio and the CPU usage rate of the communication control device 200 (step S102).

  If the congestion state is determined in step S102, whether or not communication between the user terminal 100 and the content provider 300 is possible is determined based on the determined congestion level of the congestion state and the restriction level of the content provider 300. The That is, when “restriction level <congestion level”, it is determined that “communication is possible” between the user terminal 100 and the content provider 300. When “regulation level <congestion level is not satisfied”, it is determined that “communication is impossible” between the user terminal 100 and the content provider 300. Information indicating the restriction level of the content provider 300 can be obtained by referring to the restriction target CP list. If the CP specifying information of the content provider 300 and the information indicating the restriction level are not registered in the restriction target CP list, it is determined that “communication is possible” between the user terminal 100 and the content provider 300 (step). S103).

  If it is determined that communication is not possible in step S103, communication between the user terminal 100 and the content provider 300 is not permitted, and the HTTP request signal in step S101 is not transferred to the content provider 300 ( Step S104).

  On the other hand, if the congestion state is not determined in step S102, or if it is determined that “communication is possible” in step S103, communication between the user terminal 100 and the content provider 300 is permitted, and the content provider The HTTP request signal from the user terminal 100 is transferred to 300 (step S105). Then, the content provider 300 transmits an HTTP response signal corresponding to the HTTP request signal to the user terminal 100 via the communication control device 200 (step S106 and step S107). Thereby, data communication between the user terminal 100 and the content provider 300 is performed.

  Next, in steps S101 to S107, the amount of communication data transmitted and received between the user terminal 100 and the content provider 300 is counted every 5 minutes of unit time (step S108).

  Next, based on the communication data amount counted in step S108, it is determined whether or not the content provider 300 is a restricted CP. That is, when “communication data amount> regulation target determination threshold value”, it is determined that “content provider 300 is a restriction target CP”. On the other hand, if “communication data amount> not the restriction target determination threshold value”, it is determined that “the content provider 300 is not the restriction target CP”.

  Furthermore, when the content provider 300 is the restriction target CP, the restriction level of the content provider 300 is determined based on the communication data amount counted in step S108. That is, if “restriction level n threshold <communication data amount ≦ restriction level (n + 1) threshold”, it is determined that “the restriction level of content provider 300 is level n”. The restriction level n threshold value is a threshold value for determining the restriction level n. In FIG. 4 described above, for example, the restriction level 1 threshold value is 50 Kbytes, and the restriction level 2 threshold value. Is 70 Kbytes (step S108).

  When it is determined in step S109 that the content provider 300 is a restriction target CP, the CP specifying information of the content provider 300 and information indicating the restriction level are registered in the restriction target CP list (step S110). On the other hand, when it is determined in step S109 that the content provider 300 is not the restriction target CP, the CP specifying information of the content provider 300 and the information indicating the restriction level are not registered in the restriction target CP list.

  Although not shown in the figure, if the content provider 300 once registered in the restricted CP list in step S110 has not been determined as a communication restricted CP in step S109 until two days have passed, Information regarding the content provider 300 registered in S110 is deleted from the restriction target CP list.

  Next, the operation of the communication control system 1 will be described with reference to FIG. 9 when the communication control apparatus 200 controls communication between the user terminal 100 and the content provider 300 that are already communicating.

  When the communication network 400 is normal (not congested), the user terminal 100 transmits an HTTP request signal to the communication control apparatus 200 (step S201), and the communication control apparatus 200 sends the HTTP request signal to the content provider 300. Transfer (step S202). Further, the content provider 300 transmits an HTTP response signal to the communication control device 200 (step S203), and the communication control device 200 transfers the HTTP response signal to the user terminal 100 (step S204). Through these operations, data communication is performed between the user terminal 100 and the content provider 300.

  It is determined whether the communication network 400 is in a congested state. At this time, the congestion level is determined based on the connection ratio and the CPU usage rate of the communication control device 200 (step S205).

  If the congestion state is determined in step S205, communication between the user terminal 100 currently communicating and the content provider 300 based on the determined congestion level of the congestion state and the restriction level of the content provider 300. It is determined whether or not to continue. That is, when “regulation level <congestion level”, it is determined that “communication can be continued” between the user terminal 100 and the content provider 300. On the other hand, when “regulation level <congestion level is not satisfied”, it is determined that “communication cannot be continued” between the user terminal 100 and the content provider 300. Information indicating the restriction level of the content provider 300 can be obtained by referring to the restriction target CP list. If the CP specifying information of the content provider 300 and the information indicating the restriction level are not registered in the restriction target CP list, it is determined that “communication can be continued” between the user terminal 100 and the content provider 300 (step S206). ).

  If it is determined in step S206 that “communication cannot be continued”, the communication between the user terminal 100 and the content provider 300 is not continued, and the connection between the user terminal 100 and the content provider 300 is established. Disconnected (step S207).

  On the other hand, if the congestion state is not determined in step S206, or if it is determined that “communication can be continued” in step S206, the communication connection between the user terminal 100 and the content provider 300 is disconnected. Instead, both continue data communication (step S208).

  Then, the effect | action and effect of this embodiment are demonstrated. According to the communication control system 1 of the present embodiment, the restriction target determination unit 206 determines whether or not one content provider is a communication restriction target CP based on the amount of communication data measured every five minutes. Do. For this reason, the restriction target determining unit 206 can dynamically distinguish content providers that are likely to be a cause of congestion from content providers that are not likely to be a congestion factor according to changes in the communication status. Then, the CP specifying information of the content provider that is highly likely to cause the congestion is registered and stored in the restriction target CP list as restriction target CP specification information by the list registration unit 208 and the storage unit 210. In addition, when the content provider of the restriction target CP specifying information once registered in the restriction target CP list is not determined as the communication restriction target CP by two days, the restriction target CP specifying information is obtained from the restriction target CP list. Deleted. As a result, the latest information is always held in the restricted CP list.

  When the congestion determination unit 212 determines the congestion state of the communication network 400, the communication control unit 216 and the communication unit 202 restrict communication only for the content provider corresponding to the stored restriction target CP specifying information. Accordingly, the communication control unit 216 and the communication unit 202 can perform communication restriction only for communication between a content provider and a user terminal that are highly likely to cause congestion in the communication state. On the other hand, communication between a content provider (for example, an email or a disaster homepage) that is unlikely to cause congestion in the communication status and the user terminal is not registered in the restricted CP list. Even if a congestion state occurs, communication can be continued.

  Further, the process of determining whether or not one content provider is a communication restriction target CP is performed every 5 minutes regardless of whether or not the content provider is communicating with an arbitrary user terminal at the time of the determination. Based on the amount of communication data measured. That is, not only for communication between the content provider and the user terminal that is about to start communication during the congestion state, but also between the content provider and the user terminal when the congestion state occurs during communication. The communication restriction described above can also be performed for communication. As a result, the communication between the user terminal and the content provider, which has downloaded a large amount of data, for example, before the congestion of the communication network 400 occurs, is connected even though the communication is in progress. It is possible to flexibly regulate communication according to changes in the communication status, such as disconnecting the network.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, the restriction target CP specifying information is grouped based on the communication data amount between the communication restriction target CP and the user terminal. That is, the communication restriction target CP can be divided into several types according to the communication situation. Further, the congestion state of the communication network 400 is based on the number of user terminals connected to the communication control device 200 (connection ratio) and the amount of communication data relayed per unit time by the communication control device 200 (CPU usage rate). Divided into levels. That is, the congestion state of the communication network 400 can be divided into several types according to the communication status. The content provider and the user terminal that are most likely to cause congestion by performing connection control between the communication restriction target CP and the user terminal based on the degree of grouping and the degree of leveling. Communication can be controlled in order with priority given to communication with the communication.

  As mentioned above, although preferred embodiment of this invention was described, it cannot be overemphasized that this invention is not limited to the said embodiment. For example, in the above embodiment, HTTP is adopted as a communication protocol in the communication control system 1, but FTP (File Transfer Protocol) or the like may be adopted as a communication protocol other than HTTP.

  Further, for example, when the restriction target CP list is created, it may be matched with the restriction target CP preset list stored in the storage unit 210 in advance. In the restriction target CP preset list, content providers that preferentially restrict communication regardless of the congestion level when congested, or content providers that do not restrict communication despite becoming congested are listed. It is a list. This restriction target CP preset list is, for example, a text file.

  FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining processing performed when a restriction target CP list (hereinafter referred to as a first restriction target CP list) that is consistent with the restriction target CP preset list is created. FIG. 10A shows an example of the restriction target CP preset list. As shown in FIG. 10A, the content provider D is registered as “non-target”, and is a content provider that does not become a communication restriction target CP even though the communication network 400 is in a congested state. Further, the content provider E is registered as “target”, and is a content provider that is preferentially subjected to communication regulation regardless of the congestion level when the communication network 400 becomes congested.

  FIG. 10B shows an example of a regulated CP list (hereinafter referred to as a second regulated CP list) created by the list registration unit 208 without matching with the regulated CP preset list. FIG. 10B is the same as FIG. 5 described above, for example. FIG. 10C shows the first restriction target CP when matching is established between the second restriction target CP list of FIG. 10B and the restriction target CP preset list of FIG. An example of a list is shown. As shown in FIG. 10C, since the content provider D is registered as “non-target” in the restriction target CP preset list in FIG. 10A, the second restriction target CP in FIG. Even if it is registered in the list, it is not registered in the first restriction target CP list of FIG. Further, since the content provider E is registered as “target” in the restriction target CP preset list of FIG. 10A, even if it is not registered in the second restriction target CP list of FIG. When a congestion state occurs, it is registered in the first restriction target CP list of FIG. 10C as a content provider whose communication is always restricted.

  By using such a restriction target CP pre-set list, for example, content providers that need to permit data distribution even during congestion among content providers that distribute a large amount of data may be excluded from communication restriction. it can. In addition, when content providers that should be subject to uniform communication restrictions during a congestion are determined in advance, the content providers can be subject to uniform communication restrictions regardless of the congestion level.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a communication control system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. 2 is a hardware configuration diagram of a communication control apparatus 200. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of a communication control apparatus 200. FIG. It is a figure which shows the control level threshold value with respect to each control level. It is a figure which shows an example of restriction | limiting object CP list | wrist. It is a figure which shows the congestion level threshold value with respect to each congestion level. It is a figure for demonstrating the determination process of the communication availability determination part. 3 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the communication control system 1; 3 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the communication control system 1; It is a figure for demonstrating the process performed when creating a 1st control object CP list | wrist.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 ... User terminal, 200 ... Communication control apparatus, 202 ... Communication part, 204 ... Data amount count part, 206 ... Restriction object judgment part, 208 ... List registration part, 210 ... Storage part, 212 ... Congestion judgment part, 214 ... Communication Possible determination unit, 216 ... communication control unit, 300 ... content provider, 400 ... communication network.

Claims (4)

A communication control method in which a communication control device relays communication data transmitted and received between a user terminal and a connection destination device that is a connection target on the communication network of the user terminal,
A communication amount measuring step in which a communication data amount between the user terminal and the connection destination device is measured every predetermined time;
A restriction target determination step in which whether or not the connection destination device is a communication restriction target device subject to communication restriction when the communication network is congested is determined based on the communication data amount measured in the communication amount measurement step. When,
When it is determined that the connection destination device is a communication restriction target device in the restriction target determination step, the connection destination specifying information for specifying the connection destination device is the restriction target specification information for specifying the communication restriction target device. A storage step stored in the communication control device;
A congestion determination step in which a congestion state of the communication network is determined when the number of user terminals connected to the communication control device exceeds a congestion determination threshold;
When the congestion state is determined in the congestion determination step, a connection destination device corresponding to the restriction target specifying information stored in the storage step and a user terminal connected to the connection destination device are on the communication network. And a communication control step that is controlled so that connection is impossible. In the storing step, when it is determined that the connection destination device is the communication restriction target device, for each communication data amount between the communication restriction target device and a user terminal connected to the communication restriction target device. In addition, the restriction target specifying information is grouped and stored in the communication control device,
In the congestion determination step, the degree of the determined congestion state is classified into levels based on the number of user terminals connected to the communication control device and the amount of communication data relayed by the communication control device per unit time. ,
In the communication control step, the connection destination device corresponding to the restriction target specifying information grouped by the storage step and the connection destination device are connected based on the degree of the congestion state classified by the congestion judgment step. The communication control method according to claim 1, wherein whether or not a connection with a user terminal is possible is controlled. A communication control device that relays communication data transmitted and received between a user terminal and a connection destination device that is a connection target on the communication network of the user terminal,
A communication amount measuring means for measuring a communication data amount between the user terminal and the connection destination device every predetermined time;
Restriction target determination means for determining whether or not the connection destination device is a communication restriction target device subject to communication restriction when the communication network is congested based on the communication data amount measured by the communication amount measurement means;
When the connection target device is determined to be a communication restriction target device by the restriction target determination unit, the connection destination specifying information for specifying the connection destination device is used as the control target specification information for specifying the communication restriction target device. Storage means for storing;
Congestion determination means for determining a congestion state of the communication network when the number of user terminals connected to the own device exceeds a congestion determination threshold;
When the congestion state is determined by the congestion determination unit, a connection destination device corresponding to the restriction target specifying information stored by the storage unit and a user terminal connected to the connection destination device are displayed on the communication network. A communication control device comprising: a communication control unit that controls the connection to be impossible. The storage means, for each communication data amount between the communication restriction target device and a user terminal connected to the communication restriction target device, when the connection destination device is determined to be the communication restriction target device. , Storing the restriction target specific information in groups,
The congestion determination means classifies the determined degree of congestion based on the number of user terminals connected to the own device and the amount of communication data relayed per unit time by the own device,
The communication control means is connected to the connection destination apparatus corresponding to the restriction target specifying information stored by the storage means in groups based on the degree of congestion state classified by the congestion determination means. The communication control apparatus according to claim 3, which controls whether or not a connection with a user terminal is possible.

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