JP2008252597A - Transmission path control device, transmission path control method, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To transmit data through an appropriate transmission path that corresponds to the data to be transmitted. <P>SOLUTION: A management server 103 accepts an acquisition request of data from a client device 101 which is the originator of the data, and based on the information related to the acquisition process of the data, determines the transmission path on network between a content server 105 and the client device 101. The management server 103 controls connection with the determined transmission path. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a technique capable of selecting a transmission path suitable for data to be transmitted.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in a network system including a client connected via a network and a server that performs network management, setting of connection information when the client is connected to the network has been performed by various methods. Two typical methods are static connection setting and dynamic connection setting.

  For static connection settings, network connection setting information is stored in advance on the client side, and the information stored when connecting to the network by turning on the power or activating the network I / F is used as the basis. The connection setting is performed. In this method, since connection setting information is held in advance, it is necessary for the client user to ask the network administrator to set information in the client device, and to set it in the client device. There was a load.

  On the other hand, in order to reduce the load of the connection setting as described above, the dynamic connection setting has been used. The dynamic connection setting is a technique represented by DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol). In this method, when connection to a network is made, connection setting information is acquired from a network management server in accordance with a predetermined protocol, and connection setting is performed based on that information. In this method, it is not necessary for the client user to make any setting in advance, and it is possible to easily connect even when the initial setting is performed or when the client user has little knowledge about the network.

  As described above, a client device belonging to a network establishes connection to the network by static connection setting or dynamic connection setting when connecting to the network. By the way, the connection setting to the network described above is based on the premise that there is one network to which the client is connected (or connectable). That is, there is no mention of a method for determining a network to be connected when there are a plurality of networks to which a client can connect.

  Conventionally, a wired LAN network that is physically connected by a LAN cable has been mainstream, and when a client device is installed and a LAN cable is connected, it is often fixed to which network to connect. . However, in recent years, wireless LAN networks that wirelessly connect to access points using radio waves have rapidly become widespread. In a wireless LAN network, it is not determined which network to connect to when a client device is installed. This is because an access point existing around the client device can be connected as long as radio waves reach, and the number of peripheral access points may increase even after the client device is installed.

  The wireless LAN is the best example where there is a possibility that there are a plurality of connectable networks, but there is a configuration in which a wired LAN network can be connected to a plurality of networks as well. For example, when a network relay device (for example, L2SW) installed between a client device and a server has a function of determining a network to which a transmission packet belongs and transmitting a packet only to the belonging network. is there. In this case, the client device can belong to a plurality of networks with the same physical connection form. Conventionally, when there are a plurality of networks that can be connected as described above, a connection destination network is selected and established when the client apparatus is activated or when the network I / F is activated. After the connection is established, when it is necessary to change the connection information, the connection information is exchanged under the initiative of the client or the server, and resetting is performed. In addition, what establishes a connection based on network connection information obtained from a temporary address at the time of a new connection is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP-A-3-267835

  Here, it is assumed that once the connection to the network is established, the network connection is not changed unless there is a special reason. In this usage mode, for example, when a predetermined client acquires content that requires a large bandwidth, a group of clients connected to the same network will be subjected to the network load, and satisfactory communication cannot be performed. There is a possibility that.

  In order to avoid this, the user may intentionally change the connection to a network with few connected clients or a network with a large communication band before acquiring content. Is possible.

  However, it is not always possible to acquire information on the characteristics of the content to be acquired and the status and capabilities of other connectable networks. Even if it can be acquired, the load on the user is immeasurable in the usage pattern in which various information is analyzed each time content is acquired and reconnected to the optimal network.

  Also, the above is a problem taking the influence of other network clients as an example. In addition, there is a similar problem when there are various content acquisition concerns such as the security level of the currently connected network being unable to cover the confidentiality of the content to be acquired.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to enable data transmission through an appropriate transmission line corresponding to data to be transmitted.

The transmission line control apparatus according to the present invention includes: a receiving unit that receives the data acquisition request from the first communication device that is a data acquisition source; and the data acquisition destination based on the information related to the data acquisition process. Determining means for determining a transmission path on the network between the second communication apparatus and the first communication apparatus, and the first communication apparatus and the second by the transmission path determined by the determining means And control means for controlling connection between the communication devices.
The transmission path control method of the present invention is a transmission path control method by a transmission path control apparatus, and includes a reception step of receiving the data acquisition request from a first communication apparatus that is a data acquisition source, and the data acquisition process A determination step of determining a transmission path on the network between the second communication device from which the data is acquired and the first communication device based on information related to the transmission, and the transmission determined by the determination step And a control step of controlling connection between the first communication device and the second communication device via a road.
A program according to the present invention is a program for causing a computer to execute a transmission path control method, a reception step of receiving a data acquisition request from a first communication device that is a data acquisition source, and the data acquisition process A determination step of determining a transmission path on the network between the second communication device from which the data is acquired and the first communication device based on information related to the transmission, and the transmission determined by the determination step A computer is caused to execute a control step of controlling connection between the first communication device and the second communication device via a path.

  In the present invention, a transmission path for transmitting data is determined based on information related to acquisition processing of data to be acquired. Therefore, according to the present invention, data can be transmitted through an appropriate transmission path corresponding to the data to be transmitted.

  DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, preferred embodiments to which the invention is applied will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a network distribution system according to an embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, reference numerals 101a to 101d denote client devices that use content as sources of content (data) such as moving images, audio, and text. Reference numerals 102a to 102d denote client apparatuses similar to 101a to 101d, which are wireless client apparatuses having a wireless network interface. Reference numeral 103 denotes a management server that manages content attributes and the like, and manages connections of the client apparatuses 101a to 101d and 102a to 102d and the content servers 105a to 105d to the network.

  Reference numeral 104 denotes an attribute database that is connected to the management server 103 and stores information related to content acquisition processing. Reference numerals 105a to 105d denote content servers that serve as content acquisition destinations and transmit content. Reference numerals 106a to 106d denote content databases in which content is stored. Reference numeral 107 denotes a network relay device for connecting network devices such as client devices 101a to 101d, 102a to 102d and content servers 105a to 105d. 108a and 108b are access points for performing wireless network connection from the wireless client apparatuses 102a to 102d. Reference numeral 109 denotes a network connection device for connecting to an external network. 110 is an external network. Note that the client devices 101a to 101d and the wireless client devices 102a to 102d have a configuration that is an application example of the first communication device of the present invention. The content servers 105a to 105d are configured as an application example of the second communication device of the present invention. The management server 103 is a configuration that is an application example of the transmission path control device of the present invention.

  Next, the operation of each device in response to a content request from the client apparatuses 101a to 101d and 102a to 102d in the network distribution system including the above devices will be described in order.

  First, the initial state of the network and each device constituting the network distribution system will be described. FIG. 2A shows the IP address of the management server 103, the content servers 105a to 105d, and each subnetwork in the initial state.

  For example, an IP address of 192.168.0.0/24 is assigned to the network to which the management server 103 is connected, and an IP address of 192.168.0.1 is given to the management server 103. The IP address of 192.168.0.0/24 is a network address assigned to the network to which the management server 103 is connected. The IP address of 192.168.0.1 is a host address assigned to the management server 103.

  The management server 103 has a function as a DHCP server that gives information necessary when the client apparatuses 101a to 102d and 102a to 102d connect to the network, and a function to manage the contents of the content servers 105a to 105d. Yes.

  Each of the content servers 105a to 105d is assigned a respective subnetwork. The wireless access point is provided with a default access point 108a used when the client devices 102a and 102b in the initial state are connected to the network, and a subnetwork access point 108b allocated to the subnetwork.

  An IP address is not assigned to the client apparatus 101a in the initial state. Further, access restriction is applied between the client apparatus 101a and the content servers 105a to 105d by the network relay device 107, and packets cannot be transmitted and received with each other.

  Here, a case where the client apparatus 101a makes a connection request to the management server 103 in order to participate in the network will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a sequence chart showing data transmission / reception by DHCP between the client apparatus 101 a and the management server 103.

  The client apparatus 101a broadcasts an IP address allocation request (DHCP DISCOVERY) to the management server 103 to ensure an IP address (step S301).

  On the other hand, the management server 103 makes the initial presentation (DHCP OFFER) of the IP address (step S302). The contents presented here are an IP address and a subnet mask. The subnet mask is information for dividing the IP address into a network address and a host address.

  If there is no problem with the presented IP address, the client apparatus 101a outputs a request for the IP address (DHCP REQUEST) to the management server 103 (step S303).

  When finally approved (DHCP ACKNOWLEDGE) by the management server 103 (step S304), the IP address becomes the IP address of the client apparatus 101a. “0.0.0.0” is used as the IP address of the client apparatus 101a until DHCP ACKNOWLEDGE.

  In this embodiment, first, it is necessary to connect to the same network as the management server 103. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 2B, a network address 192.168.0.10/24 indicating that the network belongs to the same subnetwork as the management server 1034 is allocated to the network connected to the client apparatus 101a. Further, 192.168.0.10 is allocated as a host address to the client apparatus 101a. In this way, the client apparatus 101a can acquire an IP address belonging to the same subnetwork as the management server 103 by the DHCP sequence shown in FIG.

  Next, a case where the client apparatus 101a requests content from the management server 103 will be described. When a content request is made from the client apparatus 101a, the management server 103 accepts the request, reads out information related to the content acquisition process from the attribute database 104, and acquires the information. This content request acceptance processing is processing that is an example of processing of the acceptance means of the present invention.

  The information related to the content acquisition process includes attribute information related to the content itself, attribute information related to the client apparatus 101a, attribute information related to the network, and attribute information related to the content server.

  The attribute information related to the content itself includes, for example, the content data size, the confidentiality level, the content transmission time, the bandwidth required for transmitting the content, and the attribute information of the content server where the content is stored. Further, the attribute information related to the client device 101a may include attribute information such as a content transmission delay with respect to the client device 101a, a display resolution of the display (display device) of the client device 101a, and a frame rate when displaying the content. The attribute information related to the network includes transmission information on the transmission path of the network to which the content server belongs, attribute information such as the maximum bandwidth of the transmission path, the current usage status, and the like. Further, the attribute information related to the content server includes attribute information such as content distribution performance of the content server. Although the types of attribute information have been listed above, in the present invention, it is not necessary to include all of them, and any one of the attribute information described above may be included as information related to content acquisition processing.

  Next, the management server 103 determines a transmission path between the client device 101a and the content server suitable for acquiring the content based on the acquired information. For example, when the content requires a large bandwidth, a network capable of securing a large bandwidth is selected, and when the content has a high confidentiality level, an encrypted network is selected. The process of determining the transmission path in this way is a process that is an example of the process of the determining unit of the present invention.

  When the transmission path between the client apparatus 101a and the content server is determined by the above operation, the client apparatus 101a leaves the network to which the client apparatus 101a is currently connected, and the connection through the determined transmission path is controlled. This process is a process example of the control means of the present invention. Hereinafter, this operation will be described with reference to the sequence chart of FIG.

  First, the management server 103 requests the client apparatus 101a to leave the network to which it currently belongs and to make a connection request again. The client apparatus 101a that has received the request first issues a DHCP RELEASE (step S305). By issuing DHCP RELEASE, the client apparatus 101a is once disconnected from the network to which the management server 103 or the like is connected.

  The client apparatus 101a immediately issues DHCP DISCOVER following DHCP RELEASE (step S301), and requests a new IP address from the management server 103 by broadcast.

  The management server 103 that has received DHCP DISCOVER recognizes that the client apparatus 101a has performed DHCP RELEASE by a request from the management server 103 from the MAC address of the client apparatus 101a. Therefore, the management server 103 DHCP OFFERs the IP address belonging to the transmission path subnetwork determined as described above (step S302). If the client apparatus 101a accepts the presented IP address, it issues a DHCP REQUEST (step S303), and the management server 103 performs DHCP ACKNOWLEDGE (step S304). In this way, the client device 101a is assigned to the same subnetwork as the content server. FIG. 2-3 is a diagram illustrating a state in which the management server 103 determines a transmission path between the client device 101a and the content server 105d. As shown in FIG. 2-3, for example, 192.168.2.640/28 indicating that it belongs to the same subnetwork as the content server 105d is assigned as the network address of the network connected to the client apparatus 101a. Further, 192.168.2.690 is assigned as a host address to the client apparatus 101a.

  As described above, in this embodiment, when the client device makes a request for acquiring content that requires a large bandwidth, the management server 103 sends the requesting client device to a network with few client devices or a network with a large communication bandwidth. Reconnect. In this way, the influence of the network load on other connected clients on the network can be reduced.

  In this embodiment, the content acquisition speed and efficiency are improved by identifying an appropriate network based on information such as the characteristics of the requested content and the status and capabilities of other connectable networks. Various effects such as security improvement can also be expected.

  When the wireless client apparatuses 102a to 102d are targeted, network grouping is performed by SSID (Service Set IDentifier) possessed by the connected access point. That is, the initial connection SSID participates in the default network, and the SSID of the access point connected to the network having the same subnetwork as the content server is acquired from the management server 103 in the same manner as the wired connection. Thereafter, the user leaves the default network and receives content from the content server by connecting using the new SSID.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, when the client apparatus requests content, the management server 103 can select a transmission path between an appropriate client and the content server based on information related to content acquisition processing. Can be provided.

  Another object of the present invention is to supply a storage medium storing software program codes for realizing the functions of the above-described embodiments to a system or apparatus, and a computer such as the system reads and executes the program codes from the storage medium. Is also achieved.

  In this case, the program code itself read from the storage medium realizes the functions of the above-described embodiments, and the program code itself and the storage medium storing the program code constitute the present invention.

  As a storage medium for supplying the program code, for example, a flexible disk, a hard disk, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, a CD-ROM, a CD-R, a magnetic tape, a nonvolatile memory card, a ROM, or the like can be used.

  In addition, the case where the functions of the above-described embodiment are realized by performing part or all of the actual processing by an OS or the like running on the computer based on the instruction of the program code read by the computer. It is.

  Further, after the program code read from the storage medium is written in a memory provided in a function expansion unit connected to the computer, the CPU or the like performs actual processing based on the instruction of the program code, and the above-described processing is performed. The case where the functions of the embodiment are realized is also included.

  Furthermore, a configuration in which the program code is supplied to the computer via a communication medium such as the Internet is also included in the scope of the present invention.

It is a figure which shows the structure of the network delivery system which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating allocation of an IP address based on the structure of a network delivery system. It is a figure for demonstrating allocation of an IP address based on the structure of a network delivery system. It is a figure for demonstrating allocation of an IP address based on the structure of a network delivery system. It is a sequence chart which shows transmission / reception of the data by DHCP between a client apparatus and a management server.

Explanation of symbols

101a-d Client device 102a-d Wireless client device 103 Management server 104 Attribute database 105 Content server 106 Content database 107 Network relay device 108 Access point 109 Network connection device 110 External network

Claims (7)

Receiving means for receiving the data acquisition request from the first communication device as a data acquisition source;
A determination unit that determines a transmission path on the network between the second communication apparatus that is the acquisition destination of the data and the first communication apparatus based on information related to the data acquisition process;
A transmission path control apparatus comprising: control means for controlling connection between the first communication apparatus and the second communication apparatus via the transmission path determined by the determination means.   The information related to the data acquisition process includes the data size of the data, the confidentiality level of the data, the transmission time of the data, the bandwidth necessary for transmitting the data, and the data being stored. The transmission path control device according to claim 1, comprising at least one of the second communication devices.   The information related to the data acquisition process includes transmission delay of the data to the first communication device, display resolution of the display device included in the first communication device, and when the data is displayed on the display device. The transmission path control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the frame rates is included.   The information related to the data acquisition process includes at least one of the transmission performance of the transmission path and the maximum bandwidth of the transmission path. The transmission line control device according to the item.   5. The transmission path control device according to claim 1, wherein the information related to the data acquisition process includes the data distribution performance of the second communication device. 6. A transmission path control method by a transmission path control device,
An accepting step of accepting the data acquisition request from the first communication device that is the data acquisition source;
A determination step of determining a transmission path on the network between the second communication device that is the acquisition destination of the data and the first communication device, based on information related to the data acquisition process;
A transmission path control method comprising: a control step of controlling connection between the first communication apparatus and the second communication apparatus via the transmission path determined in the determination step. A program for causing a computer to execute a transmission path control method,
An accepting step of accepting the data acquisition request from the first communication device that is the data acquisition source;
A determination step of determining a transmission path on the network between the second communication device that is the acquisition destination of the data and the first communication device, based on information related to the data acquisition process;
A program for causing a computer to execute a control step of controlling connection between the first communication device and the second communication device via the transmission path determined in the determination step.

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