KR101335615B1 - Network control device - Google Patents

Abstract

An embodiment of the present invention relates to a network control device comprising: a port connected to a user terminal; a switch unit for providing a connection path to connect the port to a server through a main network or a back-up network; a by-pass unit for providing a connection path to maintain the connection between the port and the server through the main network or the back-up network when the switch unit is not operated; a communication module receiving a command from an external control device by communicating with the external control device; and a processor for controlling the switch unit based on the command transmitted from the communication module. The processor controls the switching time of the switch unit and the connection between the switch unit and the main network or the back-up network. [Reference numerals] (141) Switch unit;(142) By-pass unit;(143) Communication unit;(144) Processor;(AA) External control device

Description

Network Control Device {NETWORK CONTROL DEVICE}

The present invention relates to a network control device, and more particularly, to a network control device that can improve network stability.

The importance of the network has been emphasized as the functions of the Internet have been extended to deliver simple information and real-time data transmission and remote processing of complicated and detailed work are possible. In the financial sector, the military sector, and the production management system, securing the stability of the network is very important in securing the industrial competitiveness such as security, accuracy, and high quality of customer service. Attempts have been made to improve the performance of individual devices such as a router or a server and to adopt a structure capable of troubleshooting through additional equipment in order to ensure the stability of such a network.

In the case of a single-path network line, if there is a problem in the configured network, all the servers connected to the network will fail. Accordingly, various network duplication methods have been proposed to ensure the stability of the network itself. However, such network duplication methods have a problem in that, when the devices constituting the network are powered off or failures occur in the respective devices, the network duplication methods can not actively cope with them.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a network control apparatus capable of maintaining a network connection state of a user terminal when a network failure occurs.

Network control apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention is a port that is connected to the user terminal, a switch unit for providing a connection passage so that the port is connected to the server via the main network or backup network, if the switch unit does not operate the port A bypass unit providing a connection path for maintaining a connection with the main network or backup network, a communication module communicating with an external control device to receive a command from the external control device, and based on the command received from the communication module. And a processor for controlling the switch unit, wherein the processor controls a switching time of the switch unit and a connection between the switch unit and the main network or the backup network.

In one embodiment, the bypass unit may be configured as a relay switch.

In one embodiment, the port is a plurality, each of the plurality of ports may be connected to different user terminals.

In one embodiment, the switch unit is a plurality, each of the plurality of switch unit is connected to the plurality of ports in a 1: 1, the processor may independently control each of the plurality of switch unit.

In an embodiment, the apparatus may further include a priority setting unit configured to set network connection priority of the port.

In one embodiment, the communication module may communicate with the external control device using a UART communication interface.

Network control apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention is a port bank consisting of a plurality of ports, a plurality of switch units for providing a connection passage so that each of the plurality of ports is connected to the server through the main network or backup network, the outside And a processor configured to communicate with a control device to receive a command from the external control device, and to control the switch unit based on the command received from the communication module, wherein the plurality of ports are configured in a port bank unit. The plurality of switch units are controlled to be connected to the server through the main network or the backup network.

In at least one of the plurality of switch units, when at least one of the plurality of switch units does not operate, a plurality of bypass units providing a connection passage to maintain a connection with the main network or backup network port connected to the non-operating switch unit It may include.

In one embodiment, the plurality of bypass portions may be configured as a relay switch, and the plurality of bypass portions may be connected to each other.

In an embodiment, each of the plurality of ports may be connected 1: 1 with each of the plurality of switch units.

The network control device according to an embodiment of the present invention can proactively cope with a network failure to ensure network stability of a user terminal.

In addition, the method for managing a network control device according to an embodiment of the present invention can improve the network management efficiency by remotely controlling the network control device.

1 is a block diagram illustrating a network system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a view for explaining the operation of the network system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a block diagram illustrating a network system according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a block diagram illustrating a network system according to another embodiment of the present invention.
5 is a block diagram illustrating a network control device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
6 is a flowchart illustrating a network control method according to an embodiment of the present invention.
7 is a structural view illustrating a network control apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
8 is a flowchart illustrating a method of managing a network control apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

It is to be understood that the specific structural or functional descriptions of embodiments of the present invention disclosed herein are only for the purpose of illustrating embodiments of the inventive concept, But may be embodied in many different forms and is not limited to the embodiments set forth herein.

Embodiments in accordance with the concepts of the present invention are capable of various modifications and may take various forms, so that the embodiments are illustrated in the drawings and described in detail herein. It should be understood, however, that it is not intended to limit the embodiments according to the concepts of the present invention to the particular forms disclosed, but includes all modifications, equivalents, or alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the invention.

The terms first, second, etc. may be used to describe various elements, but the elements should not be limited by the terms. The terms are intended to distinguish one element from another, for example, without departing from the scope of the invention in accordance with the concepts of the present invention, the first element may be termed the second element, The second component may also be referred to as a first component.

When a component is referred to as being "connected" or "connected" to another component, it may be directly connected to or connected to that other component, but it may be understood that other components may be present in between. Should be. On the other hand, when an element is referred to as being "directly connected" or "directly connected" to another element, it should be understood that there are no other elements in between. Other expressions that describe the relationship between components, such as "between" and "between" or "neighboring to" and "directly adjacent to" should be interpreted as well.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. Singular expressions include plural expressions unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. In this specification, the terms "comprises" or "having", etc. are intended to specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, parts or combinations thereof, , Steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof, as a matter of principle.

Unless otherwise defined, all terms used herein, including technical or scientific terms, have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. Terms such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries are to be interpreted as having a meaning consistent with the meaning of the context in the relevant art and, unless explicitly defined herein, are to be interpreted as ideal or overly formal Do not.

The present invention relates to a network control device, and more particularly, to a network control device and a method of managing the network control device that can actively cope with a network failure. Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, so that those skilled in the art can easily carry out the technical idea of the present invention. .

1 is a block diagram illustrating a network system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, the network system 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention may include a server 110, a distribution switch unit 120, an access switch unit 130, a network control device 140, and a user terminal unit ( 150).

The server 110 provides a network service to a network user (eg, a user terminal). The server 110 may be configured as a single network server device, and a plurality of network server devices may be configured to be multiplexed (eg, redundant). Hereinafter, it is assumed that the server 110 is configured as a main server and a backup server, for example. That is, the network user can access the server 110 through the main network and access the server 110 through the backup network.

The distribution switch unit 120 is connected between the server 110 and the access switch unit 130 to relay data and signals. The distribution switch unit 120 may be composed of a plurality of distribution switches in accordance with the multiplexing of the server 110. For example, when the server 110 is configured to be redundant, the distribution switch unit 120 may include a first distribution switch 121 and a second distribution switch 122. [ The first distribution switch 121 may be connected to the server 110. The second distribution switch 122 may be coupled to the server 110.

The access switch unit 130 is connected between the distribution switch unit 130 and the network control device 140 to relay data and signals. The access switch unit 130 may include a number of network switches corresponding to the number of distribution switches of the distribution switch unit 130. [ For example, the access switch unit 130 may include a first access switch 131 and a second access switch 132.

The network control device 140 is connected between the access switch 130 and the user terminal 150. That is, the network control device 140 relays the network connection between the access switch unit 130 and the user terminal unit 150. The network control device 140 may be connected to the server 110 through the first access switch 131 or the second access switch 132. The network control device 140 may be connected to the plurality of user terminals 151, 152, and 153 through a plurality of ports, respectively.

The network control device 140 includes a switch unit 141 and a bypass unit 142.

The switch unit 141 may provide a connection path such that the ports connected to the user terminals 151, 152 and 153 are connected to the first access switch 131 or the second access switch 132, respectively. For example, when the network control device 140 is connected to the server 110 through the first access switch 131, it may be understood that the network control device 140 is connected to the main network. When the network control device 140 is connected to the server 110 through the second access switch 132, it is assumed that the network control device 140 is connected to the backup network.

The network control device 140 detects network conditions of the first access switch 131 and the second access switch 132. The network control device 140 may switch the network connection to the second access switch 132 when the state of the network connected to the first access switch 131 is a failure state or an error state. That is, when a network failure or error occurs in the main network, the network control device 140 may be connected to the server 120 through the backup network.

The bypass unit 142 connects the ports connected to the user terminals 151, 152, and 153 to the first access switch 131 or the second access switch 132 when the switch unit 141 does not operate. A connection passage can be provided to maintain. The bypass unit 141 may be configured, for example, as a relay switch.

Accordingly, the network control device 140 may transmit data and signals between the network switch unit 130 and the user terminal 150 even when a network failure (for example, power off) occurs in the network control device 140 itself. You can keep your network connected so that delivery is not interrupted.

2 is a view for explaining the operation of the network system according to an embodiment of the present invention. Specifically, FIG. 2 shows a portion of the network system 100 of FIG. 1, and it will be understood that one port of the network control device 140 is shown in structural terms.

Referring to FIG. 2, the network control device 140 is connected to the server 110 (see FIG. 1) through the first access switch 131 and the second access switch 132. The network control device 140 is connected to the user terminal 151. That is, the user terminal 151 may be connected to the first access switch 131 or the second access switch 132 through the network control device 140.

The network control device 140 may switch the network connection to the second access switch 132 when the state of the network connected to the first access switch 131 is a failure state or an error state. Specifically, the switch unit 141 of the network control device 140 may switch the network connection to the second access switch 132.

On the other hand, when the network failure (for example, power off) occurs in the network control device 140 itself, the network control device 140 is the user terminal 151 through the bypass unit 142, the first access switch ( 131 or the second access switch 132.

That is, in the general case, the network control device 140 may relay the network connection between the server 110 (see FIG. 1) and the user terminal 151 through, for example, the first access switch 131. When a failure or error occurs in the network connected to the first access switch 131, the network control device 140 may switch the network connection to the second access switch 132. In addition, when a network failure occurs in the network control device 140 itself, the network control device 140 is connected to the first access switch 131 or the second access switch 132 by the user terminal 150 through the bypass unit 142. Will be controlled.

Accordingly, the network system according to an embodiment of the present invention can proactively respond to network failures, thereby securing network stability of the user terminal.

3 is a block diagram illustrating a network system 200 according to another embodiment of the present invention. Specifically, FIG. 3 shows another embodiment of the network system shown in FIG.

Referring to FIG. 3, the network control device 140 may be configured of, for example, five ports. Each port can be connected one to one with the user terminals 151, 152, 153, 154 and 155. Each port is connected to a first access switch 131 and a second access switch 132.

Operations of the first access switch 131, the second access switch 132, and the network control device 140 are the same as those described with reference to FIG. 2. That is, the network control device 140 may connect each port with the server 110 (see FIG. 1) through the first access switch 131 or the second access switch 132. When the network state of the first access switch 131 is a failure or error state, the network control device 140 switches the network connection of each port to the second network switch 132. The network control device 140 may switch network connection to the second network switch 132 simultaneously or sequentially. Specifically, the switch portions 141 of the respective ports 151, 152, 153, 154 and 155 can be switched simultaneously or sequentially.

The network system 200 shown in FIG. 3 may be capable of single port redundancy backup. For example, even when the network of the first access switch 131 fails, the network control device 140 may switch the network connection of each port to the second access switch 132.

In addition, when a network failure (for example, a power failure) occurs in all or some of the ports of the network control device 140, the network control device 140 may respond to each of the ports through the bypass unit 142. The user terminals 151, 152, 153, 154, and 155 may be connected to the first access switch 131 or the second access switch 132.

4 is a block diagram illustrating a network system according to another embodiment of the present invention. Hereinafter, differences from the embodiment described in FIG. 3 will be mainly described.

Referring to FIG. 4, the network control device 140 may be configured of, for example, three ports. However, a difference from the network control device 140 shown in FIG. 3 is that the ports are connected to the first access switch 131, respectively, but can be integratedly connected to the second access switch 132 through one connection passage.

The network control device 140 is connected to the first access switch 131 and the second access switch 132. The network control device 140 connects the user terminals 151, 152, 153, 154, and 155 with the server 110 (see FIG. 1) through the first access switch 131. When the state of the network connected to the first access switch 131 is a failure state or an error state, the network control device 140 switches the network connection to the second access switch 132.

That is, the network system 300 shown in FIG. 4 may be capable of multi-port redundancy backup. When the state of the network connected to the first access switch 131 is in a faulty state or an error state, the network system 300 simultaneously connects all of the connected user terminals 151, 152, 153, 154, and 155 to the second access switch ( 132) to be connected to the network. Therefore, the network system 300 shown in FIG. 4 can be further simplified in configuration as compared with the network system 200 shown in FIG.

In addition, when a network failure (for example, power off) occurs in the network control device 140 itself, the network control device 140 may correspond to each corresponding user terminal 151 through the bypass unit 142. Controls 152 and 153 to be connected to the first access switch 131 or the second access switch 132.

5 is a block diagram illustrating a network control device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 5, the network control device 140 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a switch unit 141, a bypass unit 142, a communication module 143, and a processor 144.

The switch unit 141 may provide a connection path such that the user terminal is connected to the first access switch 131 (see FIG. 1) or the second access switch 132 (see FIG. 1) through a port.

The bypass unit 142 connects the user terminal with the first access switch 131 or the second access switch 132 through a port when a failure (for example, power off) occurs in the network control device 140. Provide a connection passage to maintain. In detail, when the switch unit 141 does not operate, the bypass unit 142 may connect the connection path to maintain the connection with the first access switch 131 or the second access switch 132 through the port. Can provide. The bypass unit 142 may be constituted by, for example, a relay switch. The bypass unit 142 is connected to the first access switch 131 (see FIG. 1) and the second access switch 132 (see FIG. 1).

The communication module 143 may communicate with an external control device (eg, a PC) to receive a command for the network control device 140. The communication module 143 may communicate with an external control device through a wired or wireless communication interface. The communication module 143 can communicate with an external control device using, for example, a Universal Asynchronous Receiver / Transmitter (UART) communication interface. The command received by communication module 143 will be communicated to processor 144.

The processor 144 controls the overall operation of the network control device 140. For example, the processor 144 controls the switch unit 141 to switch the network connection to the second access switch 132 when the state of the network connected to the first access switch 131 is a failure state or an error state. Can be.

In addition, the processor 144 may receive a command received from an external control device and control the switch unit 141 based on the command. Through this, the network control device 140 according to an embodiment of the present invention can be remotely controlled by an external control device. For example, the processor 144 may control the switch unit 141 such that the switch unit 141 is connected to the first access switch 131 or the second access switch 132 based on a command from an external control device. Can be.

In addition, the processor 144 may control the switching time of the switch unit 141 based on a command received from the external control device. The switching time refers to a time taken for the switch unit 141 to be switched under the control of the processor 144 to restore communication. For example, the processor 144 controls the switch unit 141 to be connected to the second access switch 132 based on a command received from an external control device, and then switches the switch unit 141 back to the first unit after a predetermined time. It may be controlled to be connected to the access switch 132.

6 is a flowchart illustrating a network control method according to an embodiment of the present invention. Hereinafter, for convenience of explanation, it is assumed that the user terminal unit 150 of the network system according to an embodiment of the present invention is connected to a network through a first access switch 131 which is a main network.

Referring to FIG. 6, in the method for controlling a network according to an embodiment of the present invention, determining whether a failure occurs in a network connected to the first access switch (S110), and when a failure does not occur in the network connected to the first access switch. The user terminal may communicate with the server through the first network (S120), and determining whether a network failure occurs in the network control apparatus (S150).

In addition, the network control method according to an embodiment of the present invention determines whether a failure occurs in the network connected to the first access switch (S110), if a failure occurs in the network connected to the first access switch through the second access switch Switching to a network connection (S130), the user terminal to communicate with the server via the second network (S140), and the network control device may determine whether a network failure occurs (S150).

On the other hand, the above-described network control methods may further include a step (S160) in which the user terminal communicates with the server through the bypass unit 142, when a network failure occurs in the network control device as a result of step S150.

7 is a structural view illustrating a network control apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 7, the network control device 140 may include port banks 140a, 140b, and 140c, and port setting units 140d.

The port banks 140a, 140b, 140c may include a plurality of ports. Each of the port banks 140a, 140b, and 140c may be composed of, for example, eight ports. Each port can have the same structure.

Meanwhile, referring to FIGS. 5 and 7, the processor 144 may control operations of ports in units of port banks based on a command received from an external control device. For example, the processor 144 may control the switch units connected to the ports of the port bank 140a to be connected to the first access switch 131 (see FIG. 3). At the same time, the processor 144 may control the switch units connected to the ports of the port bank 140b to be connected to the second access switch 132 (see FIG. 3).

The priority setting unit 140d 'may set network connection priority of each port. For example, the priority setting unit 140d 'may set a network connection priority so that a user terminal connected to the ports of the corresponding port bank can be preferentially connected to the first access switch 131 (see FIG. 1) have. In addition, the priority setting unit 140d 'may set the network connection priorities of all or a part of the ports of the corresponding port bank.

The priority setting unit 140d ′ may be configured as a dip switch. For example, when the DIP switch is in the ON state, the ports of the port bank corresponding to the priority setting unit 140d 'are connected to the server through the first access switch 131 (see FIG. 1) It is possible to provide a connection passage for connection.

The switching time setting unit 140d ″ may set the switching time of the ports of the corresponding port bank. The switching time setting unit 140d ″ may set the switching time of the ports independently of the switching time control of the processor 144 described with reference to FIG. 5.

8 is a flowchart illustrating a method of managing a network control apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 8, in the method for managing a network control apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, the network control apparatus is connected with an external control apparatus (S210), and checking a connection state between the network control apparatus and the external control apparatus. (S220), if the network control device and the external control device is effectively connected to the step of checking the network connection status of the port (S230), checking whether or not a network connection failure occurs (S240), if a network connection failure occurs network connection It may include the step of switching (S250), checking whether the switching time is set (S260), setting the switching time (S270), and storing the network failure occurrence data (S290).

As a result of the determination of step S220, when the network control device and the external control device are not connected, step S210 may be repeatedly performed.

As a result of the determination in step S240, if there is no network connection failure, step S230 may be repeatedly performed.

When the switching time is not set in operation S260, an initial value may be set as the switching time. For example, the initialization value may be set to a network failure state or a time required for an error state to be recovered.

In the following, each step is described in detail.

In step S210, the communication module 143 (see FIG. 5) may be connected to the external control device through a wired or wireless communication interface. The communication module 143 (see FIG. 5) may communicate with an external control device (eg, a PC) to receive a command for the network control device 140. The command received by communication module 143 will be communicated to processor 144.

In operation S220, the external control device may check a communication connection state with the network control device 140.

In operation S230, the network control device 140 may detect a network connection state of the ports. Specifically, it is possible to detect whether a fault condition or an error condition of the currently connected network occurs.

In operation S240, the network control device 140 may determine whether a network failure state or an error state occurs.

In operation S250, the network controller 140, specifically, the processor 144 (see FIG. 5) may control the switch unit 141 to switch the network connection. For example, the processor 144 may switch the network connection of the switch portion 141 (see Figure 5) from the first access switch 131 (see Figure 1) to the second access switch 132 (see Figure 1) .

In operation S260, it may be determined whether to set a switching timeout from the external control device.

In operation S270, the processor 144 of the network control device 140 may receive a command including switching time information from an external control device, and set the switching time based on the command.

In operation S280, when the command including the switching time information is not transmitted from the external control device, the processor 144 of the network control device 140 may set the switching time as an initial value.

In step S290, the external control device can store the network fault condition or the error condition occurrence data. The network failure state or error state occurrence data may include a failure state or a port where an error state has occurred, a network location (whether it is a main network or a backup network) and an occurrence time information.

As described above, the method for managing a network control apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention may remotely control the network control apparatus 140. In detail, the management method of the network control device may control the switching operation and the switching time of the switch unit 141 through the processor 144 of the network control device 140. Furthermore, the network management efficiency can be improved by storing the network failure state or the error state occurrence data.

It will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims. It will be possible.

100, 200, 300: network system 140a, 140b, 140c: port bank
110: server 140d: port setting section
120: distribution switch section 140d ': priority setting section
130: access switch 140d '': switching time setting section
131: first access switch
132: second access switch
140: network control unit
141: switch unit
142: bypass unit
143: communication module
144: processor
150:

Claims (10)

A port connected to the user terminal;
A switch unit configured to provide a line to which the port is connected to a server through a main network or a backup network;
Providing a line through which the port is connected to the main network when there is a failure in the operation of the switch unit and bypassing the switch and the backup network when the switch unit and the main network fail, part;
A communication module that receives commands by communicating with an external control device; And
A processor configured to control a connection between the switch unit and the main network or the backup network or to control a switching time of the switch unit based on the provided command,
And detecting a connection state between the port and the server and generating data regarding the detected connection state. The method of claim 1,
And the bypass unit comprises a relay switch. The method of claim 1,
The port is a plurality, each of the plurality of ports are connected to different user terminals. The method of claim 3, wherein
The switch unit is a plurality, each of the plurality of switch units are connected in one-to-one with the plurality of ports,
And the processor independently controls each of the plurality of switch units. The method of claim 1,
And a priority setting unit for setting a network connection priority of the port. The method of claim 1,
The communication module is a network control device for communicating with the external control device using a UART communication interface. The method of claim 1,
A network control device remotely controlled by the external control device. Port banks comprising a plurality of ports;
A plurality of switch units each providing a line connected to a server through a main network or a backup network;
When there is a failure in the operation of at least one of the plurality of switch units provides a line connecting the port connected to the switch unit having an operation failure and the main network, and at least one of the plurality of switch units and the operation of the main network A plurality of bypass portions for providing a line to which the backup network and a port connected to a switch unit having an operation failure in case of a failure;
A communication module that receives commands by communicating with an external control device; And
A processor configured to control the plurality of switches so that the plurality of ports are connected to the server through the main network or the backup network on a port bank basis based on the received command;
And detecting a connection state of each of the plurality of ports and the server, and generating data regarding the detected connection state. The method of claim 8,
Each of the plurality of bypass units includes a relay switch, and each of the plurality of bypass units is connected to each other. The method of claim 8,
Each of the plurality of ports is connected in a one-to-one connection with each of the plurality of switch unit.

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