JPH1155262A - Remote network monitor device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a remote network monitor device allowing a WWW client to easily refer to statistical information. SOLUTION: This device is connected with an LAN 103, and a frame flowing on the connected LAN is received, and the statistical information of the frame is periodically prepared. Also, this device is provided with a WWW server function, and the statistical information is transmitted to a WWW client 102 according to an information read request from a WWW information reading program executed by the WWW client 102. The WWW client 102 can easily refer to the statistical information by using the WWW information read program.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention relates to a remote network monitoring apparatus for generating frame statistical information by receiving and analyzing a frame flowing on a LAN, and in particular, a WWW client can easily refer to the statistical information. The present invention relates to a remote network monitoring device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A remote network monitoring apparatus always receives and analyzes a frame flowing on a connected LAN, creates statistical information of the frame, and holds the statistical information. The network administrator
By referring to the statistical information held by the remote network monitoring device from the management terminal, it is possible to grasp the status of the network without going to a remote place.

A conventional remote network monitoring device uses a communication protocol for transmitting statistical information to a management terminal.
SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol, IE
TF standard RFC1157) was used. in this case,
An SNMP agent program and a program for receiving and analyzing a frame are installed in the remote network monitoring device, and an SNMP manager program and a program for referring to information on the remote network monitoring device are installed in the management terminal. The remote network monitoring device
MIB (M
anagement Information Base, RFC1155).

When the management terminal requests the remote network monitoring device to transmit statistical information (MIB), the remote network monitoring device transmits the requested information to the management terminal. Further, when an abnormality occurs in the connected LAN, the remote network monitoring apparatus voluntarily transmits a frame notifying the occurrence of the abnormality to the management terminal.
A frame that the remote network monitoring device (SNMP agent) voluntarily transmits to the management terminal (SNMP manager) is called a trap frame. The management terminal is
Since the reception of the trap frame is always on standby, when the trap frame is received, it can be detected immediately.

As described above, a large number of remote network monitoring apparatuses using SNMP and programs for referring to information of the remote network monitoring apparatuses are currently commercially available.

[0006]

Normally, the SNMP manager program is often not mounted on all personal computers or workstations, but is mounted on a specific personal computer or workstation. The reason is as follows.

(1) The SNMP manager program is generally expensive, and if it is installed in all personal computers and workstations, it costs a great deal of money.

(2) Since the SNMP manager program always collects information, a heavy load is imposed on the CPU of a personal computer or a workstation installed. Therefore, S
The personal computer or workstation on which the NMP manager program runs must be of high performance.

(3) The SNMP manager program
Generally requires a lot of memory and hard disk. Therefore, all personal computers and workstations have SNMP
Implementing a manager program is wasteful.

[0010] For the reasons described above, conventionally, a high-performance personal computer or workstation is provided with an SNMP manager program as a management terminal, and the remote network monitoring device is referred to from the management terminal. Monitoring. For this reason, it was not possible to monitor the remote network from a personal computer or workstation other than the management terminal.

[0011] Further, since SNMP does not have a sufficient security function, it is not suitable for monitoring a remote network via the Internet. For this reason, network management using SNMP has generally been used only within one LAN (organization).

An object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems and to provide a remote network monitoring device that enables a WWW client to easily refer to statistical information.

[0013]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to achieve the above object, the present invention relates to a LAN connected to a LAN,
It has a WWW server function as well as receiving a frame flowing thereon and periodically creating statistical information of the frame.
The statistical information is transmitted to the WWW client in response to an information browsing request from a WWW information browsing program executed by the W client.

In order to update the statistical information displayed on the WWW information browsing screen of the WWW client by the information browsing program, a statistical information updating program is updated by the WWW.
The statistical information updating program transmitted to the client and executed on the WWW client may periodically read the statistical information and update the displayed statistical information.

An abnormality occurrence monitoring program which waits for reception of a frame indicating the occurrence of an abnormality is transmitted to the WWW client and executed, and when an abnormality occurs in the connected LAN, a frame notifying the occurrence of the abnormality is transmitted to the WWW client. By transmitting the information, the WWW client may be caused to detect that the abnormality has occurred.

[0016]

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Below, WWW (World Wid
e Web) A personal computer or workstation on which an information browsing program is installed is called a WWW client, and the WWW client can connect to a WWW server and read information held by the WWW server. The present invention provides a remote network monitoring device having statistical information with a WWW server function so that a personal computer or a workstation on which a WWW information browsing program is mounted, that is, a WWW client, can refer to the statistical information of the remote network monitoring device. It was made.

By the way, the statistical information obtained by the WWW client executing the WWW information browsing program can be displayed on the WWW information browsing screen of the WWW client, and the WWW client periodically updates the statistical information. In order to allow the WWW client to execute such processing or to wait for reception of a frame notifying the occurrence of an abnormality, it is necessary to execute a program for performing such processing in the WWW client. One form of doing this is
There is a form in which the program is mounted on a WWW client. However, in this mode, the WWW client in which the program is not installed cannot periodically update the statistical information or wait for the reception of a frame for notifying the occurrence of an abnormality. Can not be monitored.

In order to make it possible for any WWW client to easily monitor a remote network, in the present invention, instead of installing the program in the WWW client, a WWW server, that is, a remote network monitoring device is used. Own the program. When the WWW client connects to the WWW server, the program is transmitted from the WWW server to the WWW client. The WWW client that has received the program starts executing the program. Thus, WW
It is possible to cause the W client to periodically update the statistical information or to wait for the frame notifying of the occurrence of the abnormality to be received.

In this embodiment, as a means for executing the above program on a WWW client, the year 19
It uses Java, a programming language released by Sun Microsystems in 1995. HTML (Hyper Tex
t Markup Language) describes the Java program name in the WWW homepage.
A WWW client can execute a Java program described in the Java language. However, in order for the WWW client to execute the Java program, the WWW information browsing program needs to include a Java interpreter program which is a program for interpreting and executing the Java program. Ne
tscape's Netscape Navigator and Microsoft's Intern
Since the current major WWW information browsing programs represented by et Explorer include the Java interpreter program, it can interpret and execute the Java program.

As shown in FIG. 1, a remote network monitoring apparatus 101 according to the present invention is connected to a LAN 103, while a personal computer or a workstation on which a WWW information browsing program is installed, ie, a WWW client 102 is connected to a LAN 104. Have been. These LA
N103 and N104 are connected to each other via another LAN or the Internet.

The remote network monitoring device 101 has the following program.

WWW server program Frame reception / analysis program Abnormality notification program Statistical information update program Abnormality monitoring program The WWW server program and frame reception / analysis program always operate in the remote network monitoring apparatus 101. The WWW server program receives a connection request from a WWW client, and
This is for transmitting statistical information, a statistical information update program, and an abnormality occurrence monitoring program to a WW client. This WWW server program has security functions such as filtering and password authentication based on the IP address of the request source (WWW client). The frame reception / analysis program constantly receives and analyzes frames flowing on the LAN, creates and holds statistical information on received frames, and periodically creates and holds the statistical information. Update to the latest information. The abnormality occurrence notification program is started by the frame reception / analysis program when an abnormality occurs in the connected LAN, and transmits a frame for notifying the occurrence of abnormality to the WWW client.

The statistical information updating program and the abnormality monitoring program are Java programs described in the Java language.
It is passed to the WWW client and can be executed by the WWW client. The statistical information update program updates the statistical information displayed on the WWW information browsing screen of the WWW client by the information browsing program, and periodically reads the statistical information held by the remote network monitoring apparatus 101, The displayed statistics are updated. The abnormality occurrence monitoring program waits for reception of a frame notifying the occurrence of an abnormality, and when receiving the frame notifying the occurrence of the abnormality, displays the fact on the WWW information browsing screen.

Next, the flow of processing when the WWW client refers to the status of the remote network will be described.

1) A WWW information browsing program is started in the WWW client, and the WWW client
Connect to the remote network monitoring device 101, which is a W server (requests information browsing).

2) The WWW server program which operates constantly in the remote network monitoring apparatus 101 transmits the currently held statistical information to the WWW client.

3) Statistical information up to the present is displayed on the WWW information browsing screen of the WWW client.

4) The remote network monitoring apparatus 101, which is a WWW server, sends a statistical information update program to a WWW client.

5) Upon receiving the statistical information update program, the WWW client starts interpreting and executing the statistical information update program.

6) The statistical information updating program reads the statistical information held by the remote network monitoring apparatus 101 after a predetermined time has elapsed (data flow 10).
5) Update the statistical information displayed on the WWW information browsing screen to the latest statistical information.

Next, a flow of processing when the WWW client monitors the occurrence of an abnormality in the remote network will be described.

1) A WWW information browsing program is started in the WWW client, and the WWW client
It connects to the remote network monitoring device 101 which is a W server.

2) W of remote network monitoring apparatus 101
The WW server program sets the abnormality monitoring program to W
Send to WW client.

3) Upon receiving the abnormality monitoring program, the WWW client starts interpreting and executing the abnormality monitoring program.

4) The abnormality occurrence monitoring program keeps waiting for receiving a frame notifying the occurrence of the abnormality from the remote network monitoring apparatus 101.

5) The frame reception / analysis program of the remote network monitoring apparatus 101 is connected to the connected LAN.
In the event that an error occurs in, an error occurrence notification program is started. The abnormality notification program immediately transmits a frame for notifying the occurrence of abnormality to the WWW client.

6) The abnormality occurrence monitoring program receives a frame for notifying the occurrence of an abnormality from the remote network monitoring apparatus 101 (data flow 106), and immediately notifies W to that effect.
It is displayed on the WW information browsing screen.

[0038]

The present invention exhibits the following excellent effects.

(1) The personal computer or workstation is W
As long as the WW information browsing program is installed, the information of the remote network can be referred to from any personal computer or workstation.

(2) The personal computer or workstation is W
If any WW information browsing program is installed, any PC or workstation can immediately detect an abnormality that has occurred in the remote network.

(3) Since the information of the frame flowing through the remote network is not sent as it is to the personal computer or workstation for browsing the information, only the statistical information is sent, so that the increase in traffic due to monitoring is small.

(4) It is possible to monitor a remote network via the Internet not only from within an organization but also from anywhere in the world.

(5) Since the WWW server is provided with security functions such as filtering and password authentication based on the IP address of the request source (WWW client), the present invention provides a means for monitoring a remote network via the Internet. Suitable as.

(6) The only programs mounted on a personal computer or a workstation that refers to information are a WWW information browsing program and a program that interprets and executes a program sent from a WWW server, for example, a Java interpreter program. There is no need to mount a large hard disk on the workstation.

(7) Reception of a frame flowing on the LAN,
Since the analysis and creation of statistical information are performed by the frame reception / analysis program, the load on the personal computer or workstation that refers to the information is small. Therefore, there is no need to prepare a high-performance personal computer or workstation.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a network including a remote network monitoring device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 101 Remote network monitoring device 102 WWW client 103, 104 LAN

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁶ Identification code FI H04L 29/14

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. An LA connected to a LAN and connected to the LAN.
N has a WWW server function while receiving a frame flowing on N and periodically creating frame statistical information.
A remote network monitoring apparatus, wherein the statistical information is transmitted to a WWW client in response to an information browsing request from a WWW information browsing program executed by the WWW client. 2. A statistic information updating program for updating the statistical information displayed on a WWW information browsing screen of a WWW client by the information browsing program.
2. The remote network according to claim 1, wherein a statistical information update program transmitted to the W client and executed on the WWW client periodically reads the statistical information and updates the displayed statistical information. Monitoring device. 3. An abnormality monitoring program, which waits for reception of a frame notifying the occurrence of an abnormality, is transmitted to the WWW client and is executed. When an abnormality occurs in the connected LAN, the frame notifying the occurrence of the abnormality is transmitted to the WWW client.
3. The remote network monitoring device according to claim 1, wherein the WWW client detects that an abnormality has occurred by transmitting the abnormality to the client.