JP2000122944A - Network device controller and control method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To easily set a network device. SOLUTION: A network controller broadcasts a search packet searching a network device to the other network device by a search part 604. The device receiving it returns a response to which a transmission source MAC address is added to the network controller. The network controller receives it, displays the list of the devices by UI 606 and 607, and a user selects the device from it. When a setting value is inputted, network setting is transmitted to the device and the network is set.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention relates to a network device control apparatus and method for controlling a network device connected to a network.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A local area network (LAN) in which computers are interconnected can be built over a building floor or the entire building, a group of buildings (premises), an area, or a larger area. Such networks are further interconnected and can be connected to global networks. Each such interconnected LAN may have a variety of hardware interconnection technologies and several network protocols.

[0003] A simple LAN separated from the others can be managed by individual users. In other words, users can replace equipment, install software,
And diagnose problems.

On the other hand, large and complex LANs and large interconnected LAN groups require "management". "Management" means management by both a human network administrator and the software used by that administrator. In the present application, "management" means management by software for managing the entire system, and "user" means a person who uses network management software. This user is typically the system administrator. By using the network management software, the user can obtain management data on the network and change the management data.

[0005] Large-scale network systems are usually dynamic systems that require constant addition and removal of equipment, software updates, and problem detection. Generally, there are various systems that are owned by various people or supplied by various vendors.

As a method for managing devices on a network constituting such a large-scale network system, many attempts have been made by many standard organizations so far. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) has established an Open System Interconnection (OS)
I) Provided a universal reference framework called a model. The OSI model of the network management protocol is based on the Common Management Information Format (Common Management Informatio).
n Protocol, CMIP). CMIP is a common European network management protocol.

[0007] In the United States, a simple network management protocol (Simple Network Management Protocol,
There is one variant of the protocol related to CMIP called SNMP). Regarding SNMP, IETF (Internet Engineering Task
Force) RFC1157. Regarding its implementation, "Introduction to TCP / IP Network Management Aiming at Practical Management" (MT Rose = work /
Takeshi Nishida = Translated by Toppan Co., Ltd. August 20, 1992
First edition).

According to the SNMP network management technique, the network management system includes at least one network management station (NMS), several managed nodes each including an agent, and the management stations and agents exchange management information. Includes the network management protocol used to The user can obtain data on the network and change the data by communicating with the agent software on the managed node using the network management software on the NMS.

Here, the agent is software that runs as a background process for each target device. When a user requests management data from a device on the network, the management software sends the object identification information in a management packet or frame to the target agent. The agent interprets the object identification information, extracts data corresponding to the object identification information, puts the data in a packet, and sends it back to the user. Occasionally, a corresponding process is called to retrieve the data.

In such a LAN, each network device is identified by a network address (hereinafter, address) unique to each network protocol.
Operated and managed. However, when connecting a certain network device to the network for the first time (factory default, etc.)
When resetting network devices, the network address is often not set or is not a valid address. Therefore, it is necessary for the user to set an appropriate address for the network device from the network management software or the like.

[0011]

Now, in such a system, consider the case where the address of a network device (for example, a printer) is set using network management software.

When an address is set from a network management software to a network device via a network such as a LAN, some network protocol for communication is required. However, since a standard address such as an IP address cannot be used for a device in a factory shipping state as described above, the SNMP is used.
Standard protocols such as are not available.

As a method for solving the problem, a method of implementing a unique protocol that uses a MAC address as an identifier to identify a device is considered. Here, the MAC address is a physical address unique to the network device. Ethernet is 6 bytes long and the first 3 bytes are IEEE as vendor code
(Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineer
s, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers of the United States). The remaining three bytes are managed independently by each vendor (to avoid duplication). As a result, there is no network device having the same physical address all over the world, and different addresses are all assigned. Ethernet transmits and receives frames based on this address.

That is, in the case of a unique protocol using such a MAC address, it is necessary to input the MAC address to the network management software. FIG.
Is an example of a screen displayed by the network management software for inputting the MAC address. MA
Since the C address is an address unique to the network device, it is difficult to describe the C address in a manual or the like. Or it may be written on the board of the device,
In such a case, the board must be once removed from the network device to check the MAC address.

[0015] As described above, there is a problem that it is difficult for a user of the network management software / network equipment to input the MAC address, and it is complicated to perform the operation.

An object of the present invention is to obtain a MAC address of a device on a network, display a list of devices from which the MAC address has been obtained, and allow a user to select a network device from the list, thereby enabling the user himself / herself. It is an object of the present invention to provide a network device control apparatus and method which eliminate the need for inputting a MAC address and can simplify setting of a network device.

[0017]

To achieve the above object, the present invention has the following arrangement. That is, a network device control apparatus, a configurator packet transmitting means for transmitting a packet received by a network device to be controlled, a search packet transmitting means for searching for a network device by the configurator packet transmitting means, and a search packet transmitting means Packet receiving means for receiving a response packet from a network device in response to a packet transmitted by the network device; list display means for displaying a list of network devices based on the packet received by the response packet receiving means; Setting means for making network settings for the network device selected from the device list.

Alternatively, in the network device control method, a search packet transmitting step of searching for a network device by a configurator packet transmitting means for transmitting a packet accepted by the control target network device, and the search packet transmitted by the search packet transmitting step. A list display step of displaying a list of network devices based on the packet received by the response packet receiving means for receiving a response packet from the network device with respect to the packet; and a network device selected from the list of network devices. And a setting step of performing network setting.

Alternatively, the computer is transmitted by a configurator packet transmitting means for transmitting a packet received by the network device to be controlled, a search packet transmitting means for searching for a network device by the configurator packet transmitting means, and a search packet transmitting means. Response packet receiving means for receiving a response packet from the network device with respect to the received packet; list display means for displaying a list of network devices based on the packet received by the response packet receiving means; A storage medium storing a computer program for causing a network device selected from a list to function as a setting unit for performing network setting.

[0020]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A network control program (software) according to the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

First, a large-scale network according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a system in which a network board (NB) 101 for connecting a printer to a network is connected to a printer 102 having an open architecture. The network board 101 connects to a local area network (LAN) 100, for example, an Ethernet interface 10B having a coaxial connector.
It is connected via a LAN interface such as 10Base-T having base-2 or RJ-45.

A personal computer (PC) 103 is also connected to the LAN 100 and can communicate with the NB 101 under the control of a network operating system. In the PC 103, a network control program for managing a network is operated, and the network is controlled thereby. Note that the request packet or the response packet in FIG. 1 will be dictated.

Typically, a LAN such as LAN 100 provides services to a somewhat local group of users, such as a group of users on one floor or multiple consecutive floors in a building. For example, a wide area network (WAN) may be created as a user moves away from another user, such as when the user is in another building or another prefecture. WA
N is basically an aggregate formed by connecting several LANs with a high-speed digital line such as an integrated high-speed service digital network (ISDN) telephone line.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the PC 103 on which the network management software can operate.

In FIG. 2, a PC 103 is a PC on which network management software operates, and is the same as the PC 103 in FIG. The PC 103 executes a network management program stored in the ROM 502 or the hard disk (HD) 511 or supplied from the floppy disk drive (FD) 512.
501 is provided, and controls each device connected to the system bus 504 as a whole.

Reference numeral 503 denotes a RAM, which functions as a main memory, a work area, and the like for the CPU 501. Reference numeral 505 denotes a keyboard controller (KBC).
9 and an instruction input from a pointing device (not shown) or the like. 506 is a CRT controller (CRTC)
Controls the display on the CRT display (CRT) 510. A disk controller (DKC) 507 controls access to a hard disk (HD) 511 and a floppy disk controller (FD) 512 that store a boot program, various applications, editing files, user files, a network management program, and the like. A network interface card (NIC) 508 exchanges data with an agent or a network device via the LAN 100.

<< Module Configuration of Network Management Software >> Next, the configuration of the network management device and software according to the present invention will be described.

The network management device of the present invention is realized on a PC having the same configuration as a PC capable of realizing the conventional network management device as shown in FIG. The hard disk (HD) 511 stores a network management software program according to the present application, which is an operation main body in all the descriptions below. In all of the following descriptions, unless otherwise specified, the subject of execution is a CP on hardware.
U501. On the other hand, the subject of control on software is network management software stored in a hard disk (HD) 511. In this embodiment,
The OS assumes, for example, Windows 95/98 (manufactured by Microsoft), but is not limited to this.

The network management program according to the present application may be supplied in a form stored in a storage medium such as a floppy disk or a CD-ROM. In this case, a floppy disk controller (FD) 5 shown in FIG.
The program is read from the storage medium by a CD-ROM drive 12 or a CD-ROM drive (not shown) and installed in the hard disk (HD) 511.

FIG. 3 is a module configuration diagram of the network management program according to the present invention.

The network management program according to the present invention is stored in the hard disk 511 in FIG. At that time, CPU
A RAM 501 uses a RAM 503 as a work area.

In FIG. 3, reference numeral 601 denotes a device list module, which is a module for displaying a list of devices connected to the network. Reference numeral 602 denotes a general control module, which controls other modules based on an instruction from a device list. Reference numeral 603 denotes a module called a configurator, which performs a special process related to a device network setting. In particular, when a factory-installed network device is connected to the LAN for the first time, the setting of the network device is performed using a special protocol described later. A search module 604 is a module for searching for a device connected to the network. Devices searched by the search module 604 are displayed as a list in the device list 601. An ICMP module 605 controls the ICMP protocol. ICMP is a protocol for TCP / IP control specified in RFC792 of IETF, and is standardly implemented in terminals / devices implementing TCP / IP.

Reference numerals 606 and 607 denote UI modules for displaying a device detail window described later.
There is a UI module for each target model for displaying detailed information. 608 and 609 are called control modules,
This module is responsible for control specific to the target model from which detailed information is acquired. As with the UI module, a control module exists for each target model for displaying detailed information. The control A module 608 and the control B module 609
The MIB data is acquired from the device to be managed using the MIB module 610, the data is converted as necessary, and the corresponding UI A module 606 or UI
The data is passed to the B module 607.

The MIB module 610 is a module for converting between an object identifier and an object key. Here, the object key is a 32-bit integer corresponding to the object identifier on a one-to-one basis. Since the object identifier is a variable-length identifier and is cumbersome to implement in network management software, the network management program according to the present application internally uses a fixed-length identifier that has a one-to-one correspondence with the object identifier. . Modules higher than the MIB module 610 use this object key to
Handles IB information. Reference numeral 611 is called an SNMP module, and performs transmission and reception of an SNMP packet.

Reference numeral 612 is a common transport module, which absorbs differences between lower protocols for carrying SNMP data. In practice, depending on the protocol selected by the user during operation, either the IPX handler 613 or the UDP handler 614 plays a role in transferring data. Note that the UDP handler 614 is
WinSock 615 is used as the implementation. WinSock is described in the specification of Windows Socket API v1.1, for example. This document is available in several places, including, for example, Microsoft Visual C ++, a compiler.

In the following description, processing contents by the network management program according to the present invention will be described.

<< Outline of Configurator >>
The configurator 603 will be described in detail.

In the following, a unique protocol implemented by the configurator 603 is called a "configurator protocol", and a network packet handled by the configurator protocol is called a "configurator packet".

There are two types of configurator packets: a "request packet" transmitted from the network management device to the network device (network board) and a "response packet" returned from the network device (network board) to the network management device. Exists.

As a precondition for using the configurator, the network board 101 must be in a state in which a configurator packet can always be received when the power is turned on.

FIGS. 7 and 8 show details of the configurator packet.

FIG. 7 shows that the configurator packet is
It is an example of a packet header when implemented on a P / IP protocol. For details of the individual items of the TCP / IP packet header and the IP address system, see "Bit Separate Volume Network Construction by TCP / IP Vol. 1-Principle, Protocol Architecture" (Douglas Comer =
Written by Jun Murai and Hiroyuki Kusumoto = Translated by Kyoritsu Shuppan Co., Ltd. 199
1st edition). The left side of FIG. 7 is a “request packet” and the right side is a “response packet”.

The destination physical address of the DLC is “ff.f”.
f. ff. ff. ff. ff ”(broadcast), and any active network card connected to the network can receive this frame.

Also, "83B6" (hexadecimal) is used as the port number of the configurator protocol, and the destination IP address (Dest IP) of the request packet is "255.2".
55.255.255 "(local broadcast)
It is. In other words, if a request packet is transmitted from the network management device, a network device that implements the configurator protocol and is connected to the same subnet as the network management program can receive the request packet.

<< Outline of Data Portion of Configurator Packet >> The data portion of the configurator packet is as shown in FIG. 8, and details of individual items are shown below.

(1) Version (2 bytes) This version is 0 × 0300 (version 3.00) (2) Request Code Code indicating the function requested by this packet 0: Set (set) 1: Get (reference) 2: NVRAM-Reset (reset with NVRAM value) 3: Factory-Reset (reset to factory default value) 4: Discovery (search) (3) Result Code (2 bytes) Code indicating requested result 0x0000: success 0x0001 : Media type error 0 × 0002: No specified protocol stack 0 × 0003: Version error 0 × 0100: Protocol setting error (details unknown) 0 × 0101: Protocol setting error (NetWare IPX) 0 × 0102: Protocol setting error (TcpIp) 0 × 0104: Protocol setting error (AppleTalk) 0 × 0108: Protocol setting error (TokenRing) (4) Media type (2 bytes) Indicates a communication medium. 0: EtherNet 1: TokenRing (5) Protocol Info Flag corresponding to each protocol information. Request
When Code is 0 (setting), only information on the protocol whose corresponding byte is 1 is set.

(6) This field is used to set and refer to information related to NetWare Info NetWare. FrameType (2byte) Frame type used in NetWare <EtherNet> 0: Disable (NetWare cannot be used) 1: 802.3 2: 802.2 4: EtherNet II 8: 802.2SNAP 16: AutoSense <TokenRing> 0: Disable (NetWare cannot be used) 1 : TOKENRING 2: TOKEN_SNAP (7) TcpIp Info A field for setting and referring to information related to TcpIp. FrameType (2byte) Frame type used in Tcpip 0: Disable (TcpIp cannot be used) 4: EtherNet II IP Mode (2byte) IP address determination method The following values are ORed when referring. 0: IP fixed (starts from NVRAM value) 1: BOOTP valid 2: RARP valid 4: DHCP valid IP address (4byte) IP address of network address Gateway address (4byte) Gateway Subnetmask of network board (4byte) Subnet mask of network board (8) AppleTalk Info This field is for setting and referring to information related to AppleTalk. FrameType (2byte) Frame type used in AppleTalk 0: Disable (AppleTalk cannot be used) 1: Phase1 2: Phase2 3: Phase1 and Phase2 (9) MAC address The MAC address of the board. If RequestCode is other than 4 (Discovery) and the value of this field does not match the MAC address of the network board, the packet is ignored.

In particular, depending on the value of Resuest Code, each request /
The response packet is described below as “Get request packet”, “Get response packet”, and the like.

Hereinafter, in this embodiment, the network management program is started on the PC 103 and the
The operation procedure of the network management program when making network settings for the network board 02 and the network board 101 will be described. As a precondition before performing the following processing, it is assumed that the network management program has already been started. The printer 102 is equipped with modules below the configurator protocol 603 in FIG.

Next, the operation procedure will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. FIG. 9 is a sequence diagram showing a state of transmission and reception of a configurator packet between the network management program and the network board.

In step S101 of FIG. 4, in order to set the network of the network board 101,
The configurator 603 started from the UI module 606 transmits a Discovery request packet. Discovery
Since the request packet is a broadcast packet having the transmission destination IP address = 255.255.255.255 as described above, the request packet reaches all the network devices connected to the same subnet.

In step S102, each discovery request packet is transmitted from each network device (which implements the configurator protocol).
The configurator 603 receives the Discovery response packet. At this time, the data portion of each received Discovery response packet is recorded on the RAM 503.

In step S103, it is determined whether the predetermined waiting time has expired, and the configurator 603 executes step S102 until the predetermined waiting time has expired.
Meanwhile, the UI module 606 displays a dialog box shown in FIG. When the waiting time has expired, the UI module 606 closes the dialog box (FIG. 5) and executes step S104.

In step S104, each received Di
By acquiring the data portion of the recovery response packet from the RAM 503 and referring to the content, the configurator 603 creates a list of the MAC address of each network board and the current network settings, and the UI module 606 displays the list ( (Fig. 6).

In step S105, the user
Wait until you select a network board or a button such as "Redetect" or "Cancel" from the list in the dialog box.

In step S106, it is determined what kind of input has been made. If the user selects one of the network boards displayed in the list and presses the “next” button, in step S107, the user sets the network settings for the selected network board (here, network board 101). Is input, and the configurator 603 creates and transmits a Set request packet based on the input value. The value input by the user corresponds to “Pr” in the data part of the Set request packet.
The "autocol Info" field is set as described above. Also, the Set request packet is
y Since the packet is placed in a frame addressed to the MAC address obtained by the response packet, it is ignored by a network board other than the MAC address corresponding to the MAC address.
Therefore, only the network board 101 receives the Set request packet. The network device (here, the printer 102) that has received the Set request packet
The configurator included therein sets various setting values carried in the data portion of the Set request packet according to the configurator protocol. Thus, the network setting of the printer 102 is completed.

On the other hand, if the cancel button is pressed, the list display is deleted as it is, and the processing is terminated. If the re-detection button is pressed, the process returns to step S101 to search for a packet (Discovery request packet). Repeat from broadcast.

The above procedure is a procedure in which the Get request / response in FIG. 9 is omitted. Get request / response packets are exchanged to obtain information about the settings of a particular device with a known physical address on the network. The Reset request / response in FIG. 9 is exchanged to initialize settings. Therefore, in the procedure of FIG. 4 for collecting information on the previous device on the network and setting the network for a specific device, neither the Get request / response packet nor the Reset request / response packet is exchanged.

As described above, the network control apparatus of this embodiment acquires all physical addresses of network devices, displays them in a list, and allows the user to select a destination of network settings, thereby allowing the user to select the network device. There is no need to enter a physical address for each. Therefore, network setting can be easily performed.

[0061]

[Other Embodiments] Even if the present invention is applied to a system including a plurality of devices (for example, a host computer, an interface device, a reader, a printer, etc.), an apparatus (for example, a copying machine) Machine, facsimile machine, etc.).

Another object of the present invention is to provide a storage medium storing a program code of software for realizing the functions of the above-described embodiments to a system or apparatus, and to provide a computer (or CPU) of the system or apparatus.
Or MPU) reads and executes the program code stored in the storage medium.

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

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

When the computer executes the readout program code, not only the functions of the above-described embodiment are realized, but also the OS (Operating System) running on the computer based on the instruction of the program code. ) Performs part or all of the actual processing, and the processing realizes the functions of the above-described embodiments.

Further, after the program code read from the storage medium is written into a memory provided in a function expansion board inserted into the computer or a function expansion unit connected to the computer, based on the instructions of the program code, The case where the CPU of the function expansion board or the function expansion unit performs part or all of the actual processing, and the function of the above-described embodiment is realized by the processing.

[0067]

As described above, according to the network device control apparatus and method of the present invention, the MAC address of a device on the network is acquired and the MA is acquired.
By displaying a list of devices from which the C address has been obtained and selecting a network device from the list, the user himself / herself does not need to input the MAC address, and the setting of the network device can be simplified.

[0068]

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a system in which a network board for connecting a printer to a network is connected to a printer having an open architecture.

FIG. 2 shows a P on which network management software can operate.
It is a block diagram which shows the structure of C.

FIG. 3 is a module configuration diagram of network management software.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a flow of a process according to the embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a dialog box according to the embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a dialog box according to the present embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of a packet format of a configurator packet according to the present embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing details of a data portion of a configurator packet in the embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a sequence of transmitting and receiving a configurator packet in the present embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a dialog box in a conventional example.

[Explanation of symbols]

 100 LAN 101 Network board 102 Printer 103 PC 501 CPU 502 ROM 503 RAM 504 System bus 509 Keyboard 510 CRT 511 HD 512 FD

Continued on the front page F-term (reference)

Claims (9)

[Claims] 1. A network device control apparatus, comprising: a configurator packet transmitting unit for transmitting a packet accepted by a control target network device; a search packet transmitting unit for searching for a network device by the configurator packet transmitting unit; Response packet receiving means for receiving a response packet from a network device with respect to the packet transmitted by the packet transmitting means; list display means for displaying a list of network devices based on the packet received by the response packet receiving means; A network device control apparatus comprising: a setting unit configured to perform network setting for a network device selected from the network device list. 2. The network device responds by writing its own physical address in a response packet, and the list display means displays a list of network devices and their physical addresses as a list of network devices. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein: 3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the setting unit performs the setting for the selected network device by transmitting the setting to the physical address. 4. A network device control method, comprising: a configurator packet transmitting means for transmitting a packet accepted by a network device to be controlled,
A search packet transmitting step for searching for a network device; and a list of network devices based on a packet received by a response packet receiving unit for receiving a response packet from the network device with respect to the packet transmitted in the search packet transmitting step. A network device control method, comprising: displaying a list to be displayed; and setting a network device for a network device selected from the network device list. 5. The network device responds by writing its own physical address in a response packet, and the list display step displays a list of network devices and their physical addresses as a list of network devices. 5. The method of claim 4, wherein 6. The method according to claim 4, wherein the setting step is performed by transmitting a setting for the selected network device to its physical address. 7. A configurator packet transmitting unit for transmitting a packet received by a network device to be controlled, a search packet transmitting unit for searching for a network device by the configurator packet transmitting unit, and transmitting the computer by the search packet transmitting unit. Response packet receiving means for receiving a response packet from the network device for the received packet; list display means for displaying a list of network devices based on the packet received by the response packet receiving means; A storage medium storing a computer program for causing a network device selected from a list to function as a setting unit for performing network setting. 8. The network device responds by writing its own physical address in a response packet, and the list display means displays a list of network devices and their physical addresses as a list of network devices. The storage medium according to claim 7, wherein 9. The storage medium according to claim 7, wherein the setting unit performs the setting for the selected network device by transmitting the setting to the physical address.