JP3425892B2 - Network tester and system and storage medium - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a network tester for detecting a communication function of a network connection device, a network test system for testing a communication state of a network via the network connection device, and a network test system therefor. The present invention relates to a tester, and more particularly, to a network tester and a network test system for testing a communication state of information on a network including a communication state realized with a network connection device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Institute of Electrical Engineers
A network based on IEEE802.3 standardized by ctrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) has spread, and is applied to a LAN (Local Area Network) and the like. With IEEE802.3, 10 Mbps
(Bits per second) communication speed is supported.

In the network, during network construction, increase / decrease of network medium (network cable, etc.) / Route change, connection change of network constituent equipment such as hub, repeater, etc., during maintenance, and connection confirmation at the time of abnormality occurrence At this time, it is necessary to test whether the network is normally connected (whether information is communicated).

Conventionally, in the test for this purpose, the physical connection of the network itself, for example, the cable connection, is checked by a cable tester or the like for normality, and the overall normality of the connection in the network is checked. For confirmation, two or more data terminal devices (Data Terminal Equipment; DTE; for example, personal computers, workstations, etc.) are prepared, and a pin (PING; Packet Internet Grou) is provided in any one of the data terminal devices.
per) command or the like to send a test message to another data terminal device and wait for a message to respond to the test message.

[0005]

In recent years, a high transfer capacity has been required for a network, such as shortening the time required to transfer data and transferring a large amount of data. In response to this, a network based on IEEE802.3u has been proposed, which has been expanded in order to speed up the network. Then, the introduction of network components corresponding to this is in progress. IEEE802.
With 3u, communication speeds of 10 Mbps and 100 Mbps are supported. Regarding the communication mode, products supporting full-duplex mode in addition to half-duplex mode have been developed.

IEEE802.3u is an IEEE802.3u
It is designed to be upward compatible with 2.3. For this reason, there are cases where a network constituent device conforming to IEEE802.3 and a network constituent device conforming to IEEE802.3u are mixedly installed on the network.

On the other hand, in network management and maintenance, it is required to grasp the specifications supported by the network constituent equipment.

A first object of the present invention is to provide a network test system and a tester for checking the communication state via the network constituent equipment for each communication speed. More specifically, the communication speed between the tester and the target network constituent device is set to 100
An object of the present invention is to provide a network test system and a tester therefor for confirming communication in a state of being set to Mbps and 10 Mbps, respectively. It should be noted that, for a network constituent device having a plurality of connection ports, it is desirable that communication can be confirmed for each connection port.

A second object of the present invention is to provide a network tester capable of detecting the communication function of the network constituent equipment. More specifically, as the communication function to be detected, it is possible to detect the communication speed and communication mode that the target network constituent device can support, and whether or not the network tester has an auto negotiation function. The purpose is to provide.

[0010]

In order to achieve the above first object, according to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a tester for testing communication in a route through a network constituent device, When the connection means for connecting to the network constituent device, the test start instruction receiving means for receiving a test start instruction from the outside, and the test start instruction means for receiving the test start instruction, the network constituent device is identified. When the test message of the destination is sent and the message received from the network device is received, it is determined whether or not it is a message indicating a normal communication state from the specific destination, and the result is output. An information processing means for performing a communication test process, and a display means for receiving a determination result of the information processing means and showing a test result of the communication state, the connection means The communication speed to be connected is configured to be selectable from any of a plurality of communication speeds, and the information processing means sequentially specifies each of the plurality of communication speeds to the connection means, and the specified communication is performed. A network tester is provided in which the communication test process is performed in a state of being connected at a speed, and the display means shows a test result of the communication state for each of the designated communication speeds.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a tester for testing communication in a route through a network constituent device, the connecting means for connecting to the network constituent device, and When a message is received via a network component device, if the message is a test message from a specific transmission source, a response process for transmitting a response message addressed to the specific transmission source via the network connection device is performed. There is provided a network tester characterized by including information processing means for performing the test.

In this network tester, it is also preferable that the connection means makes a connection at the communication speed and communication mode notified from the connected network constituent device when the information processing means performs the response processing.

It is also preferable that the function of the first aspect and the function of the second aspect are combined. In this case, for example, the state of performing the communication test process and the state of performing the response process can be switched by receiving an operation from the outside.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a network test system for testing a communication state in a path through a network constituent device, the test device having a pair of two testers having the same structure, The tester performs connection processing for connecting to network constituent equipment, test start instruction receiving means for receiving a test start instruction operation from the outside, message transmission / reception processing, and comparison / determination processing for the received message. An information processing means and a display means for receiving the determination result in the information processing section and showing the test result of the communication state are provided, and the information processing means includes a MAC (Media Access) uniquely assigned to the tester. Control: medium access control) address and the MAC addresses of the other testers are held, and one tester gives a test start instruction by the test start instruction means. Then, using the above address, the other testers communicate with each other in the MAC layer by sequentially changing the communication speed, confirming mutual communication for each communication speed that has been sequentially changed, and start the test. A network test system is provided, in which the tester that has received the instruction displays the communication state on the display means for each of the communication speeds.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a network test system for confirming a communication state of a network, wherein the network test system is connected to two different ports on the network, communicates with each other, and There is a pair of two testers for conducting the communication test in the above, and each of the above two testers is a test start instruction receiving means for receiving a test start instruction operation from the outside, and is a self-address and a destination. When a test start instruction operation is accepted, a echo request message is transmitted at each of a plurality of preset communication speeds, and an echo response to the echo request message is provided. Depending on whether or not the message is returned correctly, the communication status at each communication speed is determined, and the processing of displaying the determination result and the other party Upon receiving an echo request message from the tester, a network testing system, which comprises carrying out the process for returning the echo response message addressed to the tester of the other party is provided.

In the third and fourth aspects, when the two testers respectively perform the process of returning the echo response message, the communication speed and communication mode notified from the connected port are changed. It is also possible to adopt a configuration in which the electronic message is transmitted and received in the fastest combination.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in order to achieve the second object, there is provided a network tester for detecting a communication function of a network constituent device, which is connected to the network constituent device. Connection means for listening, a listening means for listening to a link pulse sent from the network component, and a determining means for analyzing the heard link pulse to determine a communication function of the network component. And a display unit for displaying the result of the above determination. According to this aspect, it is possible to detect and display the communication function of not only the network constituent device but also the data terminal device.

Further, the judging means carries out a first judging process for judging whether or not the heard link pulse is a first link pulse, and, when judging that the received link pulse is the first link pulse, selects the selector field in the first link pulse. The second determination process for determining whether the value indicates IEEE Std 802.3, and when determining that the value in the selector field indicates IEEE Std 802.3, determines the technology indicated by the technology ability field of the first link pulse. It is possible to adopt a configuration for performing a third determination process for performing the above, and a fourth determination process for determining whether it is a normal link pulse or an idle signal at 100 Mbps when it is determined that the pulse is not the first link pulse.

In order to achieve the above first and second objects, according to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in a recording medium having a program readable by a computer, the program has a network structure of a connection destination. A process for analyzing the link pulse coming from the device and detecting the communication function of the network component, and when an echo request message from a specific source arrives, an echo response message is sent to the source. For each of the multiple transmission speeds and the transmission speed, the echo request message is sent to the specified destination while the connection at each communication speed is specified, and the correct echo response message is sent from the destination. A recording medium having a program recorded therein is provided for performing processing for verifying whether or not It is.

Further, the first and second objects can be achieved by adopting a configuration having both the function in the first mode, the function in the second mode, and the function in the fifth mode. Is possible.

[0021]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

The network tester in the present embodiment constitutes a network test system that detects the communication function of the network constituent device and displays it, and tests the communication state of the network between the pair of testers. It can be used as a network tester.

More specifically, as a single tester,
It is possible to detect whether or not the network constituent device to which the tester is connected has a compatible communication speed and communication mode, and whether or not to have an auto negotiation function, and display the detected result to the operator. In addition, by configuring a pair of two testers as a network test system, a communication test in a network path between network constituent devices to which each tester is connected can be performed at a plurality of communication speeds for each communication speed. The test result can be displayed to the operator.

FIG. 1 schematically shows a state in which the network tester of the present invention is connected to a network. In this figure,
A network system is shown in which a plurality of data terminal devices (DTE) 300 are connected to a network medium 100 via a network connection device 120. In this figure, a coaxial line is used as the network medium 100, and a mode in which network components are connected to the network medium 100 via the tap connector 110 is illustrated. Here, as the network constituent device 120, for example, a hub, a repeater, a bridge, a router or the like that connects a terminal or the like to a network medium or connects the network mediums to each other can be cited. Moreover, examples of the network medium include a network cable and a pair of wireless communication devices. More specific examples of the network cable include a twisted pair cable, a coaxial cable, and an optical fiber cable.

The network to which the present invention is applied is not limited to a simple network as shown in FIG. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, it is also applied to a test in a network in which a large number of hubs 121 are connected to each other, and a switching hub 122 connected to each other is further connected via a network medium 100. It is possible. In the example of FIG. 2, the area enclosed by the one-dot chain line is set as the test target, and the network constituent device 1 included therein is included.
21 and 122, the tester 1000S of the present invention, 1
Test by connecting 000R sequentially. When connecting to a network component, a twisted pair cable 400 corresponding to the connection port is used. As the twisted wire pair cable 400, a 2-pair category 3 cable compatible with 10 Mbps signal transmission and a 2-pair category 5 cable compatible with 100 Mbps signal transmission are used.

The network surrounded by the one-dot chain line frame in FIG. 2 is configured to be interconnected with another network (not shown) via the router 125.

First, the outline of the operation of the network tester according to the present invention will be described.

The network tester according to the present invention is provided with a communication function provided in a network constituent device, more specifically,
When used to detect the available communication speed and communication mode, and whether or not to have an auto-negotiation function, use this network tester via a twisted pair cable to test the network component equipment to be tested. Connect to the connection port. In this case, the test can be executed only by connecting one network tester to the connection port of the network constituent device. That is, the network tester can detect the communication function of the network component by listening to the link pulse transmitted by the network component and analyzing the link pulse. Then, the detected communication function is visually displayed. This allows the worker to easily recognize the communication function of the network constituent device. Further, if the network tester is connected to the data terminal device via the twisted pair cable, the communication function of the data terminal device can be detected.

Further, in order to test the communication state of the network through the network connection equipment, a pair of two network testers is used and a network test system is constructed and used. For example, as shown in FIG. 1, a pair of network testers 1000S and 1000R are connected to the network medium 100. The connection is made to a connection port of the network constituent device 120 (for example, a hub (HUB), a switching hub (SWHUB), etc.).
It is possible to grasp the communication state between network constituent devices by using an empty port to which the data terminal device is not connected.

As described above, in the state where the two network testers are connected to the connection ports on the network respectively, one tester 1000S (or 1000R) is previously addressed to the other tester 1000R (or 1000S). By transmitting a predetermined message (echo request message) and determining whether or not the message (echo response message) coming from the other tester is normal, the two network constituent devices 120
It is confirmed that S and R are normally connected via the network medium 100 and information is normally communicated. At the time of the test, the two testers 1000R and 1000S are respectively connected, and while the power of both testers is on, the start switch operation unit of either one of the testers is pressed to send the echo request message. Then, when a normal echo response message arrives at the tester, by displaying that the echo response is normal, the operator can easily recognize that the connection is normal. If the echo response message does not arrive within the predetermined time, or if there is an error in the content of the echo response message that has arrived, a certain time (usually within a few seconds) will elapse after pressing the start switch. However, since the display indicating that the echo response message is normal is not displayed, it can be recognized that the connection is not normal. That is, any abnormality of the network component 120, abnormality of the network itself,
It can be seen that it corresponds to any of the abnormalities in the connection relations.

Further, by verifying the echo request message and the echo response message as described above for each of a plurality of communication speeds, it is possible to test the normality of the network connection at each communication speed. In the network test system according to the present embodiment, after the start switch is pressed, the echo request message is transmitted, the echo response message is returned, and the incoming echo response message is verified at the communication speed of 100 Mbps, and then,
The communication speed is 10 Mbps. The communication speed and the test order are not limited to this, and may be performed for each of the plurality of communication speeds.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the communication test at a plurality of communication speeds can be performed by a one-touch operation in which the network testers 1000S and 1000R are connected to the connection ports of the network component 120 and only the start switch is pressed. You can do it. Therefore, according to the tester of the present invention, it is not necessary to bring a personal computer to the site, and even a person who does not have knowledge or experience regarding networks, computers, etc. can perform a test with a simple operation.

In this embodiment, the network testers 1000S and 1000R forming a pair have the same structure. Of course, one side is provided on the request / verification side (having the function of sending an echo request message and the function of verifying an incoming echo response message), and the other side is on the response side (with the arrival of an echo request message as an opportunity. It can also be configured as a dedicated machine (having a function of sending a telegram). However, with the same configuration, only one type of equipment needs to be produced, which is preferable in terms of mass production effect. Further, which of the request / verification side and the response side can be arbitrarily determined at the site, so that there is no problem of incompatibility between the request / verification and the response.

Next, the configuration of the network tester according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

In FIG. 3, the network tester 1000 according to the present embodiment includes a network interface unit 1300 for connecting to a network and an information processing unit 1400 for detecting a communication function and testing a communication state. A user interface unit 1500 for receiving instructions from the operator and showing the detection / test result to the operator, and a power supply unit 1200 for supplying power to these units.

The network interface section 130
0 is a connector 1311, 1312 for connecting to network components via a twisted pair cable, a physical layer transceiver circuit 1340 for transmitting and receiving signals in the physical layer, and between the physical layer and the MAC layer. It has an MII (Media Independent Interface) interface 1360 for matching and a cross circuit 1320 for inverting the polarity of the connector. The function for controlling the MAC layer is realized by the information processing unit 1400.

The MII interface 1360 has a function of converting signals for a plurality of communication speeds and a plurality of communication modes, and realizes communication corresponding to each of these communication speeds and communication modes.

As the connectors 1311 and 1312, for example, RJ-45 connectors can be used. This allows a twisted pair cable connection terminated with an 8 pole plug for an RJ-45 modular jack.

The connector 1311 is connected via the cross circuit 1320. This makes it possible to make a corresponding connection depending on the polarity of the other party. For example, when using a cross cable, when performing a test on a straight connection port in a network component, when performing a test on a data terminal device, etc., connect with the polarity corresponding to the partner side, and test with a matching polarity. It becomes possible to do.

The information processing unit 1400 analyzes the link pulse, processes an echo request message, an echo response message, verifies an incoming echo response message,
This is for performing processing including processing for controlling the network interface unit 1300 and the user interface unit 1500.

The information processing unit 1400 can be configured by using an information processing device such as a microcomputer. It can also be configured by a hardware logic circuit. In this embodiment, F
It is composed of a PGA (field programmable gate array). This FPG
A is a gate array in which a program stored in a memory is read and operation logic is constructed. The present invention is not limited to this. The program may be read from the outside to construct the operation logic.

The information processing unit 1400, for example, as shown in FIG. 3, an information processing device 1410, a memory 1420 capable of storing a program, and a storage medium 1445.
And a storage medium access device 1440 for accessing at least the recorded information, and an interface bus 1430 for connecting them. The program may be stored in the memory 1420 in advance or may be read from the outside via the storage medium access device 1440 or the like.

More specifically, for example, the memory 1
A read only memory (ROM) can be used as 420. In this case, the memory 1420 stores in advance a program in which a procedure for executing each process in the information processing unit 1400 described above and data used for the test are stored. FIG. 13 shows an example of the stored contents. That is, in FIG. 13, the memory 1420 has a program area a for storing a program and data areas b to f. The data areas are data areas 3d and 4e in which data for composing a telegram for a test is stored, data areas 1b and 2c in which data for confirming an incoming telegram are stored, and an empty area 5f. Is configured. Hereinafter, an example of data stored in this embodiment will be described.

The data stored in the area b is used in the process for operating as the response side, and the echo request (E
(cho request) is data for comparison for comparing and determining whether the electronic message is addressed to the own device and is a correct request electronic message. The data stored in area c is
The comparison data is used in the process for operating as the verification side and is for comparing whether the response message (Echo reply) is addressed to the own device and is a correct response message. The data stored in the area d is data used in a process for operating as the request / verification side, and is data for forming an echo request message to be transmitted to the partner device which is the response side. The data stored in the area e is data that is used in the process for operating as the response side, and is for forming an echo response message that responds to the partner device that is the request / verification side.

The echo request message and the echo response message have, for example, a MAC (media Access Control) frame structure. That is, the preamble part, the frame start delimiter part, the destination address part, the source address part, the length part indicating the length of the data part, the data part, and the CRC (cyclic redundancy check) value for detecting an error in the input frame are set. The frame inspection sequence section to be stored is arranged in this order. This frame structure is
It is based on IEEE802.3. In the case of IP, instead of the length part, the type part describes the protocol type carried as data.

As the above-mentioned address, in this embodiment,
Use the MAC address. MAC addresses are internationally managed and uniquely assigned to physical devices. Therefore, the testers 1000S and 1000R of the present invention have unique addresses. Further, in the present embodiment, only the addresses of the testers of the other party are used as the destinations. As a result, it is possible to prevent another device connected to the test target network from becoming a destination.

In the present embodiment, in the unlikely event that the IP address used in the tester is ARP (Address
This tester does not respond to a request to acquire a MAC address by the Resolution Protocol). Therefore, even if the same address as the IP address used in this tester is used in the target network, a failure due to duplication of IP addresses will not occur.

The user interface section 1500 is
An instruction receiving unit 151 for receiving an instruction from the operator
0 and a display unit 1 for showing the result of detection / test to the operator.
And 600.

The display unit 1600 has a connection state display unit 1620 for displaying the connection state between the network test apparatus 1000 and the connection target device, and a communication function display unit for displaying the communication function of the network connection device. 1640 and a communication state display unit for displaying a communication state with a network tester forming a pair via a network connection device.

The power supply unit 1200 is for supplying power to the network interface unit 1300, the information processing unit 1400 and the user interface unit 1500. The power supply unit 1200 has a battery housing unit 1213 capable of housing a battery therein and a DC power supply input terminal 12 for receiving a power supply from the outside, for example, a DC power converted from a commercial AC power supply.
15 and a power supply control circuit 1214 for switching between the power supplied from the outside and the power from the battery accommodating section 213 to be used to generate and supply the power required by the above-mentioned sections. Then, this power supply control circuit 1214
Power switch 12 for turning on / off the power supply
11 and a pilot indicator 1212 for displaying the fact that the power is being supplied are connected.

When the battery is driven, the power supply control circuit 1214 changes the light emission brightness of the pilot display 1212 in accordance with the consumption level of the battery housed in the battery housing section 1213 to determine the battery consumption level. May be visually confirmed.

In this embodiment, the visual confirmation of the test result will be described, but the test result may be recorded and output as data. That is, the storage medium access device 1440 can be provided with a recording function to record the test results in the storage medium 1445. Then, by attaching and detaching the storage medium 1445, the test result can be taken out as data, and this can be accumulated and collected in a computer or the like and used.

Next, the appearance of the network tester according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. Figure 4
Is a front view of the network tester, and FIG. 5 is A of FIG.
FIG. 6 shows a view on arrow B, and FIG. 6 shows a view on arrow B in FIG.

As shown in these figures, the network tester according to the present invention has the network interface unit 1300 and the information processing unit 140 described above with reference to FIG.
0 and the power supply unit 1200 are accommodated. Case 1110
One of the main surfaces (see FIG. 4) of the outside of the user interface is the instruction operation receiving unit 1 in the user interface unit 1500.
A start switch 1511 functioning as 510, a display portion 1600, and a pilot indicator 212 indicating that the power is on are arranged.

In FIG. 4, the display unit 1600 has a line status display unit 1620 for displaying the line status, a communication function display unit 1640 for displaying the function of the connection destination, and a communication test result. And a communication state display unit 1660 for displaying.

The line status display unit 1620 receives a message by displaying a link indicator 1621 indicating that a link has been established, a transmission indicator 1622 indicating that a message (packet) is being transmitted, and a message. Polarity between the reception indicator 1623 indicating that the message is transmitted, the collision indicator 1624 indicating that a collision between electronic messages has occurred, the network tester and the connection destination (network constituent device, data terminal device, etc.) And a polarity indicator 1625 for indicating that is reversed.

The communication function display unit 1640 has an auto indicator 1641 for indicating that the connection destination has an auto negotiation function and a 100M full display for indicating that the connection destination supports the 100 Mbps full-duplex mode. Display 1642, 100M half display 1643 for indicating that the connection destination supports 100 Mbps half-duplex mode, and 10 M full for indicating that the connection destination supports 10 Mbps full-duplex mode Display 1644
And a 100M half display 1645 for indicating that the connection destination supports the 10 Mbps half-duplex mode.

The communication state display unit 1660 is 100M
A 100M display 1622 for displaying communication at a communication speed of bps and a 10M display 162 for displaying communication at a communication speed of 10 Mbps
4 and. 100M display 1622 and 10
The M display 1624 is arranged side by side with the start switch 1511 for starting the communication test.

Although not shown, the case 1110
A detachable lid is provided on the lower surface side of the power source unit 1200.
The battery can be inserted into and removed from the battery housing portion 1213 (see FIG. 3).

On the side surface (see FIG. 5) of the case 1110 shown on the upper side in FIG. 4, connectors 1311 and 1312 for connecting with the twisted wire pair cable are arranged. Examples of these connectors include RJ
A -45 connector can be used. by this,
Connections can be made with a twisted pair cable terminated with an 8-pole plug for an RJ-45 modular jack. The connector 1311 is internally connected via a cross circuit. A pattern 1150 for explaining the proper use of the connectors 1311 and 1312 depending on the connection method is drawn on one of the main surfaces (see FIG. 4).

A power switch 1211 and a DC power input terminal 1215 are arranged on the side surface (see FIG. 6) of the case 1110 shown on the left side in FIG. In this embodiment, an external power supply of 5.0 V is supported. A ring 1113 is provided on this side surface. A string or the like can be passed through the ring 1113 or can be hung on a hook or the like, and can be used for carrying or storing, for example.

Next, the operation procedure of the network tester of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

First, with reference to FIG. 7, an outline of the operation procedure of the network tester of the present embodiment will be described.

First, the operation is started by turning on the power supply. Then, in step S200, a process (hereinafter, referred to as a first process) for detecting the communication function of the network constituent device (for example, HUB) of the connection destination is performed. In this processing, by analyzing the incoming link pulse, the communication function corresponding to the link pulse is detected.

Next, in step S400, processing for echo response is performed. Here, processing including transmission of an echo response message triggered by arrival of the echo request message (hereinafter, referred to as second process) is performed. Although this processing is a standby loop, the communication test request is accepted from this loop (start switch 1511 (see FIG. 4) is pressed).
The process step for the communication test to be exited by using as a trigger (will be described later with reference to steps S600 and S800).
Proceed to.

Next, in step S600, 100
A process (hereinafter, referred to as a third process) for the communication test at the communication speed in Mbps is performed. In this processing, processing including sending of an echo request message at the communication speed of 100 Mbps and verification of an incoming echo response message is performed.

Then, in step S800, 10
A process (hereinafter, referred to as a fourth process) for the communication test at the communication speed in Mbps is performed. In this processing, processing including transmission of an echo request message at the communication speed at the 10 Mbps and verification of an incoming echo response message are performed.

Then, the procedure returns to the second processing.

When the power is turned off, the operation is terminated at that point, and the power is turned on again to perform initialization, that is, the processing is started from step S200.

The above-mentioned second to fourth processing steps are performed, for example, according to the communication procedure in the MAC layer. In the present embodiment, ICMP (Internet Control Message Proto
col) echo request / reply procedure. That is, the ICMP echo request message (ICMP E
echo request packet containing cho Request Massage),
ICMP Echo Reply Mass
age) and an echo reply packet including the checksum calculated from the contents of the packet is added to the packet, and the receiving side of the packet performs the same calculation and compares the result with the received checksum value. And verify that the message arrived correctly.

The above-mentioned third and fourth processing correspond to the operation on the request / verification side. That is, the tester activated by the start switch, for example, 1000S, sends a predetermined echo request message to the other network tester 100.
Send to 0R, and the other network tester 1000R
It waits for a response from, confirms the connection, and performs the display process.

The second processing corresponds to the operation on the response side. That is, the network tester that receives the echo request message, for example, 1000R, verifies whether the received echo request message is a proper message, and if it is correct, echoes to the requesting / verifying tester 1000S. Performs the process of sending a response message.

Next, the details of the operation in the first processing will be described with reference to FIG.

First, the link pulse is heard (step S210).

Next, it is judged whether or not it is the first link pulse (step S220).

In the case of the above first link pulse, the value of the selector field is IEEE Std 802.3.
Is determined (step S230).

If the IEEE Std 802.3 is set, it is displayed that the auto negotiation function is provided (step S240).

Next, the communication speed and communication mode indicated by the value of the technology ability field are detected (step S
250).

A message indicating that it corresponds to the detected communication speed and communication mode is displayed (step S260).

When it is determined in step S220 that the link pulse is not the first link pulse, it is determined whether the link pulse is a normal link pulse or an idle signal of 100 Mbps (step S270). This determination is made based on the difference in pulse cycle.

In the case of the above normal link pulse, 10
It is displayed that it corresponds to the Mbps half-duplex mode (step S280).

If the idle signal is 100 Mbps, it is displayed that it corresponds to the 100 Mbps half-duplex mode (step S290).

Next, the details of the operation in the second processing will be described with reference to FIG.

First, the self tester is set to auto negotiation (step S405).

Next, it is determined whether or not the start switch has been pressed (step S410). When the start switch is pressed, the process proceeds to the process 3 (step S600).

If the start switch has not been pressed, it is determined whether or not an echo request message from the partner tester has arrived (step S420). If the echo request message has not arrived, it continues to wait for the echo request message.

When the echo request message from the partner tester arrives, the echo response message is sent to the partner device (step S430).

Next, the details of the operation in the third processing will be described with reference to FIG.

First, the self tester is set to a fixed 100 Mbps (step S610).

Next, an echo request message is sent to the partner machine (step S620).

Next, it is determined whether or not an echo response message from the partner machine has arrived (step S630).

If the echo response message has not arrived, waiting for the echo response message is continued until one second elapses (step S640). If the echo response message has not arrived even after 1 second has elapsed, the process proceeds to the process 4. That is, the operator is notified that communication at the communication speed of 100 Mbps is poor.

When the above-mentioned echo response message arrives, the communication status display section displays a message indicating communication at 100 Mbps (step S650).

Next, the details of the operation in the above-mentioned fourth processing will be described with reference to FIG.

First, the self tester is set to be fixed at 10 Mbps (step S810).

Next, an echo request message is sent to the partner machine (step S820).

Next, it is determined whether or not an echo response message from the partner machine has arrived (step S830).

If the echo response message has not arrived, the standby for the echo response message is continued until one second elapses (step S840). If the echo response message has not arrived even after 1 second has elapsed, the process proceeds to the above process 2. That is, the operator is notified that communication at the communication speed of 100 Mbps is poor.

When the echo response message arrives, the communication status display section displays a message indicating communication at 10 Mbps (step S860).

Next, with reference to FIG. 12, the flow of processing and electronic messages in the network test system configured by using two network testers 1000 as a set will be described.

Next, a communication test regarding the network using the network tester 1000 of the present embodiment will be described. As described above, the tester of this embodiment is used as a set of two. At the time of testing, one of the test devices 10 on one of the ports 200R on the network
00R is connected and another tester 1000S is connected to another port 200S different from the relevant port. In addition, prior to the test, the operator uses two testers 1000S and 1S.
For 000R, the power switch 1211 is turned on.

In this state, the two testers 1000S, R
Listen to the link pulse from the port to which each is connected. Then, by analyzing the link pulse, the communication function of each port is detected and the detected communication function is displayed.

Then, the arrival of an echo request message or the pressing of the start switch is awaited at the combination of the fastest communication speed and communication mode in the detected communication function.

Tester 10 with start switch depressed
In 00S, first, a communication test is performed with the communication speed set to 100 Mbps. That is, link 10
The communication speed is set to 0 Mbps, the echo request message is sent to the port 200S addressed to the tester 1000R, and the echo response message corresponding to the echo request message is transmitted to the port 200S.
The communication state at the communication speed of 100 Mbps is confirmed depending on whether or not it comes from S.

When the echo request message sent to the port 200S is transferred to the port 200R via the network, the tester 1000R returns an echo response message. The tester 1000S verifies whether there is a correct echo response message that responds to the echo request message, and when it is a correct echo response message, displays that communication at 100 Mbps is possible. If a correct echo response message does not arrive within a predetermined time, for example, one second in the present embodiment, a message indicating that communication at 100 Mbps is poor is displayed. In this embodiment mode, communication is indicated by lighting of the light emitting element, and failure of communication is indicated by turning off the light emitting element.

When the correct echo response message is received or when the above-mentioned predetermined time has elapsed, the communication test is started at the communication speed of 10 Mbps.

In the communication test at this communication speed, the above 1
The procedure is the same as for 00 Mbps. That is, that is, depending on whether or not the link is set to the communication speed of 10 Mbps, the echo request message is sent to the port 200S addressed to the tester 1000R, and the echo response message for the echo request message comes from the port 200S. The communication state at the communication speed of 10 Mbps is confirmed. Then, the result of this test is displayed.

The responding tester 1000R need only be turned on and connected to any of the ports 200R. No special action is required. Therefore, the test operation is performed exclusively on the request / verification side tester 1000S.
Since it is sufficient to perform only about, the test can be performed by one operator.

Until the power is turned off, the arrival of an echo request message or the pressing of the start switch is waited for at the combination of the fastest communication speed and communication mode in the communication function that is detected by analyzing the link pulse. This makes it possible to respond to the echo request from the other tester 1000R or the communication test by pressing the start switch after changing the connection destination to another port.

In the above example, an example of using a pair of testers has been shown, but a plurality of testers may be prepared and a tester forming a pair may be selected from them and used.
In that case, it is the same in appearance that selecting a tester forming a pair from a plurality of testers and determining whether the selected two testers form a pair. Because it is not easy. Therefore, it is desired to make it easy to recognize that the test devices are a pair. For example, a unique display is provided for each tester that constitutes a pair. More specifically, by distinguishing the display color of the pilot indicator for each pair, the distinction becomes easy.
In this case, the reason for using the pilot indicator is to check the battery by turning on the power switch before use. This is because it is possible not to forget and not to increase the work. It should be noted that changing the display color of the display does not actually require that many pairs be used at the same place, so it is not necessary to distinguish all pairs, and a limited number of colors, for example, about three colors This can be handled by color-coding the pairs according to the number of colors.

Further, in the above-mentioned embodiment, an example in which a network is constructed by using a cable has been shown.
The present invention is not limited to this. For example, it can be applied to a case where a network is configured using wireless communication. That is, even when a part of the network components has a wireless communication function and the network is configured by wireless communication,
A network communication test can be performed by connecting the tester of the present invention to those network constituent devices. For example, by using a hub having a wireless communication function as each of the network constituent devices 120S and R in FIG. 1, the tester of the present invention is used for a network of a type that uses data transmission by wireless communication as the network medium 100. A communication test can be conducted.

Here, of the twisted pair cables 400 used as the connection medium, at least the one used for connection with the network constituent device to be tested uses a medium that supports the highest candidate communication speed. Is required. That is, in this embodiment, it is required to use a twisted pair cable of category 5 corresponding to 100 Mbps. Whether or not the cable actually supports 100 Mbps can be carried out by conducting a communication test in a state where two network testers are connected by the cable.

The above-described network tester according to the embodiment of the present invention solves the problem of determining the communication specifications of network constituent devices.

Further, the communication function of the connected network constituent device can be detected and displayed.

Further, the communication in the network route via the network constituent device can be tested at each of a plurality of communication speeds.

[0116] Examples of the request for managing the network include distribution of transfer capacity corresponding to traffic. Further, as the request for the maintenance of the network, for example, detecting a failure such as a situation where the network is not communicated, a case where the transfer capacity expected from the specifications is not realized, and the cause of the detected failure are isolated. Can be mentioned.

When maintaining the network,
Even when the communication-enabled mode or the like is displayed on the HUB housing, it may be difficult to confirm it. That is, although the HUB can be accessed via a cable, it may be difficult to visually check the HUB casing. For example, because the data terminal equipment (DTE) and the concentrator (HUB) are installed in separate places, it is difficult to trace the cables, and the HUB is housed in a rack case or the like because of the management purpose. There are some conditions that are not visible.

Further, the bits of the technology ability field in the fast link pulse burst are fixedly decided at the time of HUB design. For this reason, communication may not actually be possible due to product defects, circuit deterioration, usage environment (noise, conductors near cables, coil winding, etc.), which is effective in maintenance and inspection.

Further, when AUTO is lit (display indicating that it has an auto negotiation function), a plurality of communication states should be displayed in the combination of communication speed and communication mode. Therefore, when only one state lights up, it is assumed that some inconvenience has occurred.

Further, the HUB has a plurality of ports, but not all of these ports are used at the time of installing the HUB. It is effective to conduct a communication test at a communication speed that can be dealt with when adding or relocating a device connected to the port, and to determine whether the device is good or bad.

[0121]

As described above, according to the present invention,
It is possible to detect the communication function of the network constituent device and display it to the operator. More specifically, it is possible to detect and display the communication speed and communication mode compatible with the target network constituent device, and the presence or absence of the auto negotiation function.

Further, according to the present invention, it is possible to confirm the communication state via the network constituent devices for each communication speed. More specifically, the communication speed between the tester and the port to which it is connected is set to 100 Mbps and 10 Mbps.
It is possible to confirm communication in the state where each is set to Mbps.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which a network tester according to the present invention is connected to network constituent devices on a network.

FIG. 2 is a configuration explanatory view showing a network including a large number of network components.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an example of a functional configuration of a network tester according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a front view showing an example of the external appearance of the network tester according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a view taken in the direction of arrow A in FIG. 4, showing an example of the appearance of the network tester according to the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a view on arrow B of FIG. 4, showing an example of the appearance of the network tester according to the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing an outline of an operation procedure of the network tester according to the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a procedure of processing for detecting a communication function of a target device in the operation of the network tester according to the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing a procedure of processing for making an echo response in the operation of the network tester according to the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing a procedure of processing for performing a communication test at a communication speed of 100 Mbps in the operation of the network tester according to the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing a procedure of processing for performing a communication test at a communication speed of 10 Mbps in the operation of the network tester according to the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a system flow diagram showing a flow of processing in the network test system according to the present invention.

FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram schematically showing a storage state of programs and data in a memory which constitutes the information processing section.

[Explanation of symbols]

100 ... Network medium, 110 ... Tap connector,
120 ... Network components, 121 ... Hub, 122
... Switching hub, 200S, R ... Connection port, 40
0 ... Twisted pair cable, 1000, 1000S, 100
0R ... Network tester, 1110 ... Case, 111
3 ... Ring, 1150 ... Pattern, 1210 ... Power supply section, 12
11 ... Power switch, 1212 ... Pilot indicator, 1
214 ... Power control circuit, 1215 ... DC power input terminal,
1330 ... Network interface unit, 1311
1312 ... Connector, 1320 ... Cross circuit, 1340
… Physical layer transceiver circuit, 1360… MII (Media Indepe
ndent Interface) interface, 1400 ... Information processing unit, 1410 ... Information processing device, 1420 ... Memory, 1
430 ... Interface bus, 1440 ... Storage medium access device, 1445 ... Storage medium, 1500 ... User interface section, 1510 ... Instruction receiving section, 1511 ... Start switch, 1600 ... Display section, 1620 ... Line status display section, 1640 ... Communication function Display unit, 1660 ... Communication state display unit.

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (56) Reference JP-A-5-204807 (JP, A) JP-A-1-223854 (JP, A) JP-A-58-27450 (JP, A) JP-A-7- 202980 (JP, A) (58) Fields surveyed (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) H04L 29/14

Claims (12)

(57) [Claims] Consisting of 1. A plurality of network component device
A tester for testing network communication,
The tester is one of the above network components.
One is detachably connected and used, and the connection means for connecting to the network component equipment, the test start instruction receiving means for receiving a test start instruction from the outside, and the test start instruction receiving means are provided. When a test start instruction is accepted, a test message for a specific destination is sent to the network component device, and when a message received from the network device is received, it indicates a normal communication state from the specific destination. Information processing means for determining whether or not it is a telegram and outputting the result, and display means for receiving the determination result of the information processing means and showing the test result in the communication state The connection means is configured such that the communication speed to be connected can be selected from any of a plurality of communication speeds, and the information processing means is configured to connect the plurality of communication speeds. Each of the speeds is sequentially designated to the connection means, and the communication test processing is performed in the state of being connected at the designated communication speed, and the display means displays the communication state for each of the designated communication speeds. A network tester characterized by showing test results. 2. The network tester according to claim 1,
There are, said connecting means, a selected one of the plurality of communication modes
A network characterized by connecting in one communication mode
Tester. 3. The network tester according to claim 2,
There are, said display means, communication mode for each further is the selected
The test result of the communication state is displayed on the
Network tester. 4. The network tester according to claim 1, further comprising : when the information processing means receives a message via the network constituent device, the message is a test message from a specific transmission source. The network tester further performs response processing for transmitting a response message addressed to the specific transmission source via the network connection device. 5. Consists of a plurality of network components
A tester for testing network communication,
The tester is one of the above network components.
It is used by connecting to one, and a connection means for connecting to the network component, and a telegram received via the network component,
When the message is a test message from a specific transmission source, an information processing unit for performing a response process of transmitting a response message addressed to the specific transmission source via the network connection device is provided. Characteristic network tester. 6. The network tester according to any one of claims 4 and 5 , wherein the connection means is notified from a connected network constituent device when the information processing means performs the response process. A network tester characterized by connecting at different communication speeds and modes. 7. A plurality of network components are used.
A network test method for testing the communication state of a network, comprising a pair of two testers of the same configuration, each tester having a connection means for connecting to a network component and an external device. A test start instruction receiving means for receiving a test start instruction operation, an information processing means for transmitting / receiving a message, and a comparison / judgment processing for the received message, and a communication result in response to the judgment result in the information processing part A display unit for displaying a test result, wherein the information processing unit is provided with the MA uniquely assigned to the tester.
A C (Media Access Control) address and MAC addresses of other testers are held, and when one tester receives a test start instruction by the test start instructing means, another address is used by using the above address. Tester and M
Communication is mutually performed in the AC layer, the communication speed is sequentially changed, and mutual communication is confirmed for each communication speed that is sequentially changed, and the tester that receives the test start instruction is displayed on the display means.
A network test method characterized by displaying the communication state for each of the communication speeds. 8. A network test method for confirming a communication state of a network, comprising two tests connected to two different ports on the network, communicating with each other, and performing a communication test on the network. a vessel with a pair, the two tester its res is, memory for holding the test start instruction receiving means for receiving the test start instruction operation from the outside, the mutually other address as the own address and destination When the test start instruction operation is accepted, an echo request message is sent at each of a plurality of preset communication speeds, and whether or not the echo response message for the echo request message is correctly returned. Determines the communication status at each communication speed and displays the judgment result, and the echo request message from the tester of the other party. When only attached, network testing side, which comprises carrying out the process for returning the echo response message addressed to the tester of the counterparty
Law . 9. A network testing method according to claim 8, the two tester its res is, when processing for sending back the echo response message, the communication speed is notified from the connection port And a network test method for transmitting and receiving a message in the fastest combination of communication modes. 10. A network tester for detecting a communication function provided in a network constituent device, the connection means for connecting to the network constituent device, and listening to a link pulse sent from the network constituent device. Listening means for determining the communication mode and the communication speed provided in the network constituent device by analyzing the heard link pulse, and the result of the determination is displayed for each communication mode and communication speed. > A network tester characterized by comprising display means for indicating. 11. The network tester according to claim 10 , wherein the determining means determines a first determining process for determining whether or not the heard link pulse is a fast link pulse, and determines that the first link pulse is the first link pulse. When it is determined that the value of the selector field in the fast link pulse indicates IEEE Std 802.3, the second determination process is performed. When it is determined that the value of the selector field indicates IEEE Std 802.3, the first link Performing a third determination process for determining the technology indicated by the technology capability field of the pulse, and a fourth determination process for determining whether it is a normal link pulse or an idle signal at 100 Mbps when it is determined that the pulse is not the above-mentioned first link pulse. A network tester characterized by. 12. A computer-readable recording medium having a program recorded thereon, the program analyzing link pulses coming from a network constituent device of a connection destination, and detecting a communication function of the network constituent device. Processing and processing for sending an echo response message to the source when an echo request message from a specific source arrives, and connection at each communication speed for each of multiple communication speeds. In the specified state, send an echo request message to a specific destination, and execute the process to verify whether the correct echo response message is returned from the destination. A recording medium on which a characteristic program is recorded.