JP2002290437A - Method for automatically allocating ip address, gateway device, and isp router - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce the load on the user by automating creation of an address management table for a home gateway device. SOLUTION: A home gateway device 200 requests an ISP router 100, which manages address blocks assigned to respective home gateways, for an address block, receives the address block from the ISP router 100, and prepares an address management table 206 for the management of assigning IP addresses to terminals under the home gateway device based on the received address block.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an automatic IP address assignment method and a gateway for setting an address block assigned by an Internet service provider (ISP) to an edge router (hereinafter referred to as a home gateway) in a single organization. It relates to a device and an ISP router.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art With the development of Internet technology in recent years, networking in offices and homes is rapidly progressing. Recently, a home network concept has been considered in which a plurality of types of networks such as Ethernet (registered trademark), USB, and wireless IEEE are connected by a home gateway and integratedly managed even at home.

FIG. 8 shows a network configuration example of an ISP router and a home network. A home gateway (HGW) 1 installed in the home (A) is always connected to the ISP router 3 via a dedicated line 2 to the outside of the home, and is connected to the local networks 4 and 5 to the inside of the home.
It is connected to the. There is no router under the home gateway 1 and only terminals are connected. The home gateway 1 has one interface (hereinafter, referred to as a WAN interface) if0 for connecting to the dedicated line 2.
And a plurality of interfaces (hereinafter, referred to as LAN interfaces) if1 and if2 for connecting to the local networks 4 and 5, respectively.

In the home network described above, the home gateway 1 functions as an address assignment server that assigns an IP address to a terminal under the home gateway.
The operation in which home gateway 1 assigns an IP address to a terminal under its control will be described with reference to FIG.

First, a terminal issues a request for an IP address to an address assignment server (home gateway 1). The address assignment server that has received the IP address request
An unallocated address in the address block is specified from the address management table of the local network to which the terminal belongs, and the specified address is allocated to the requesting terminal. The assigned IP address is notified from the address assignment server to the requesting terminal. This allows the terminal to perform Internet communication via the ISP router using the notified IP address.

FIG. 10 is a conceptual diagram showing an address block allocation status in the address management table of the home gateway 1. As shown in the drawing, an address management table is provided for each LAN interface (if1, if2,...), And an address block assigned to the LAN interface is registered in each address management table. The address assignment server is a LAN associated with the terminal.
An unassigned IP address in the address block is searched from the address management table corresponding to the interface and assigned to the terminal. I between the address assignment server and the terminal
The automatic assignment and setting of the P address are performed using DHCP (Dynami
c Host Configuration Protocol).

[0007]

However, when setting an address block in the address management table of the home gateway, the user manually applies for the acquisition of an IP address to the Internet service provider, and is assigned to the user from the Internet service provider. I
When the address block of the P address is notified, the user manually divides the address block according to the number of LAN interfaces, and the user manually manages the divided address block for each LAN interface as shown in FIG. Had to set on the table. Forcing a user who does not have specialized knowledge to create an address management table for each LAN interface for the home gateway imposes a heavy burden on the user and may hinder the spread of home networks.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and has an automatic IP address assignment method, a gateway device, and an ISP that can automate generation of an address management table for a home gateway device and reduce the burden on a user. The purpose is to provide a router.

[0009]

According to the present invention, there is provided an IS for managing an address block assigned to each gateway device.
An address management table for requesting an address block from the gateway device to the P router, the gateway device receiving the address block from the ISP router, and managing the assignment of an IP address to a terminal under the gateway based on the received address block. This is a gateway device / IP address automatic assignment method for creating the IP address.

Further, according to the present invention, an address block assigned to each gateway device is stored, and when a request for an address block is received from the gateway device, the address block corresponding to the gateway device is taken out or newly assigned, and IS that sends an address block
This is a P router / IP address automatic distribution method.

[0011]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS In a first aspect of the present invention, a gateway device requests an address block from an ISP router managing an address block allocated to each gateway device, and the gateway device requests the ISP router to manage the address block. An automatic IP address assignment method for a gateway device, comprising: receiving an address block from a PC; and creating an address management table for managing assignment of IP addresses to subordinate terminals based on the received address block.

Thus, a series of processing of requesting an address block to the ISP router, receiving the address block from the ISP router, and creating an address management table based on the received address block involves manual operation of a user. Since the processing is automatically executed without performing the processing, there is an effect that the burden on the user can be reduced.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, it is determined whether or not to generate an address management table for associating a local network constructed in an organization with an address block assigned to each local network, and generate the address management table. If it is determined that the address block is requested to the ISP router that manages the address block allocated to each gateway device, and when the address block is received from the ISP router, the address block is divided into at least a number corresponding to the number of local networks. And
This is an automatic IP address assignment method for a gateway device that generates an address management table in which each divided address block is assigned to each local network.

Thus, if it becomes necessary to generate an address management table for managing the IP address of a network built in an organization such as a home network,
For example, when a new gateway device is installed, an address block is automatically obtained from the ISP router, and an address management table is generated for each network. Therefore, the address management table is automatically generated without user's manual operation. This has the effect of reducing the burden on the user.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the method of automatically assigning an IP address of a gateway device according to the first or second aspect, an ISP router requests an address block when the power is turned on.

As a result, when the gateway device is newly installed and the power is turned on, the address management table is automatically set and communication becomes possible.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the method of automatically assigning an IP address of the gateway device according to the second or third aspect, the address blocks received from the ISP router are assigned so as to be equal for each local network. is there.

Thus, when a plurality of networks are constructed in an organization / home, address blocks are equally allocated to each network.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, an address block assigned to each gateway device is stored, and upon receiving a request for an address block from the gateway device,
An automatic IP address distribution method characterized by transmitting an address block corresponding to the gateway device.

Thus, when the address block request is received from the gateway device, the address block corresponding to the gateway device is transmitted, so that the address management table can be automatically generated in the gateway device in cooperation with the gateway device.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, an address block assigned to each gateway device is managed, and when a request for an address block is received from the gateway device, the address block is assigned to the gateway device from the unassigned IP addresses. I is newly allocated and the address block is transmitted to the requesting gateway device.
This is a P address automatic distribution method.

Thus, when an address block request is received from the gateway device, an address block corresponding to the gateway device is newly assigned and the assigned address block is transmitted. Tables can be generated automatically.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided an address block requesting means for requesting an address block to an ISP router managing an address block allocated to each gateway device, and receiving the address block from the ISP router. A gateway device comprising: a receiving unit; and a unit that creates an address management table for managing assignment of IP addresses to subordinate terminals based on the address block received by the receiving unit.

Thus, a series of processing of requesting an address block to the ISP router, receiving the address block from the ISP router, and creating an address management table based on the received address block involves manual operation of a user. Since the processing is automatically executed without performing the processing, there is an effect that the burden on the user can be reduced.

According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a management table for managing an address block assigned to each gateway device, a receiving means for receiving an address block request from the gateway device, and a request corresponding to the address block request. An ISP router comprising: means for extracting an address block for the original gateway device from the management table; and transmission means for transmitting the extracted address block to the requesting gateway device.

Thus, when the address block request is received from the gateway device, the address block corresponding to the gateway device is transmitted, so that the address management table can be automatically generated in the gateway device in cooperation with the gateway device.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a management table for managing an address block allocated to each gateway device, a receiving means for receiving a request for an address block from the gateway device, The ISP router includes means for assigning an address block to the gateway device from the assigned IP addresses, and transmission means for transmitting the assigned address block to the requesting gateway device.

Thus, when a request for an address block is received from the gateway device, an address block corresponding to the gateway device is newly assigned and the assigned address block is transmitted. Tables can be generated automatically.

An embodiment of an automatic IP address assignment method, a gateway device, and an ISP router according to the present invention will be specifically described below with reference to the drawings. Note that the network configuration of the ISP router and the home network will be described with reference to the example shown in FIG. 8, but the present invention is not limited to the network configuration of FIG.

FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram showing the configuration of the ISP router. In the ISP router 100, a communication unit 102, an IP packet control unit 103, an address block allocating unit 104, and the like execute respective functions under the control of the CPU 101. The communication unit 102, the IP packet control unit 103,
The address block allocating unit 104 and the like are configured by a dedicated circuit such as a DSP and are connected to the CPU 101 via a bus. The system is changed so that the CPU 101 executes each application program to realize each function. You may.

The communication unit 102 communicates with the home gateway device 200 installed in an organization such as a home (A) (B) or an office to which the ISP router has assigned an IP address via the dedicated line 2. In addition, the communication unit 102 communicates with various communication devices having an IP address via the Internet.

The IP packet control unit 103 includes the communication unit 10
Reference numeral 2 denotes a part that analyzes an IP packet received from the home gateway device 200 or the Internet or converts data transmitted from the ISP router into an IP packet.

The address block allocating section 104 is a section for taking out an address block corresponding to the home gateway apparatus 200 by referring to the address management table 105 when an IP address is requested from the home gateway apparatus 200. The address management table 105
As shown in FIG. 2, there is a correspondence table between the names of organizations / houses to which IP address blocks have been assigned in the past and the assigned address blocks. Registered. The address management table 105 is preferably stored in a rewritable and non-volatile memory.

FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram showing the configuration of the home gateway device 200. The home gateway device 200 controls the communication control unit 20 under the control of the CPU 201.
2. The IP packet control unit 203, the address block requesting unit 204, the address allocating unit 205, etc. execute their respective functions. The communication control unit 202 and the IP packet control unit 2
03, the address block requesting unit 204, the address block allocating unit 205, and the like are configured by dedicated circuits such as a DSP,
Each is connected to the CPU 201 via a bus,
The system may be changed so that each function is realized by the CPU 201 executing each application program.

The communication control unit 202 includes a WAN interface if0 for physically connecting the dedicated line 2 and a LAN for physically connecting the local networks 4 to 6.
Interfaces if1, if2, and if3 are provided. The communication control unit 202 is equipped with a communication protocol corresponding to each of the local networks 4 to 6, and performs communication with the local networks 4 to 6 according to the corresponding communication protocol.

The address block requesting unit 204 receives the ISP when the power of the home gateway device 200 is turned on.
This is a part that automatically issues an address block request to the router 100. As a trigger for generating a request for an address block, a condition other than power-on can be set.

The address allocating section 205 is a section for allocating an IP address by referring to the address management table 206 in response to an IP address acquisition request from a terminal on the local network. For example, automatic address assignment is performed based on DHCP.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the structure of the address management table 206. LAN of local network 4-6
An address block is assigned to each interface. The home gateway device 200 automatically acquires an address block from the ISP router 100 and generates an address management table shown in FIG. 4 according to an algorithm described later.

Next, an automatic IP address setting operation of the ISP router 100 and the home gateway device 200 configured as described above will be described with reference to flowcharts.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart of the IP address automatic setting operation in the home gateway device 200. When the user installs the new home gateway device 200 as an edge router of the home network of the home (A), the dedicated line 2 is connected to the WAN interface if0, and the LAN interfaces if1 and if
2. Connect a local network installed in home (A) to if3. At this time, the address management table 206 is not set in the home gateway device 200.

When the power of the home gateway device 200 is
If N (step S51), a predetermined address in the memory space is checked to determine whether or not the address management table 206 has been generated (step S52). As described above, when the user newly installs the home gateway device 200, the address management table 206 does not exist. Therefore, at the time of new installation, it is determined that the address management table has not been generated (step S5).
3). In this case, the address block request unit 204 is activated. The address block request unit 204 generates a command for requesting an address block to the ISP router 100, and
The packet is transmitted as a P packet from the communication control unit 202 to the multicast address for the DHCP server via the dedicated line 2 (step S54). At this time, a link local address is set as a source address of the home gateway device 200, and a password applied at the time of contract with the ISP is set in a predetermined field.

The ISP router 100 sends an address block allocated to the home gateway device 200 with the link local address as a destination address in response to an address block request in a process described later.
The link local address is the home gateway device 20
0 is inserted when an address block is requested to the ISP router 100. The communication control unit 202 captures an IP packet having the same link local address as the one set by itself out of the IP packets received via the dedicated line, and analyzes the result by the IP packet control unit 203.
If the received data is an address block (step S55), the address block request unit 204 generates the address management table 206 in a predetermined memory space according to the flowchart shown in FIG. 6 (step S5).
6).

That is, as shown in FIG. 6, when the address block is received (step S61), the LAN interface of the home gateway device 200 is searched (step S62), and the total number of LAN interfaces is recognized from the search result. (Step S63). Next, the address block received from the ISP router 100 is divided into blocks equal to or larger than the total number of LAN interfaces (step S64). Then, each LAN interface is associated with the divided address block (step S65), and the correspondence table is stored in the address management table 2
06 in a predetermined memory space (step S6).
6). As a result, the process from the acquisition of the address block to the generation of the address management table 206 is automated without the manual operation of the user.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the operation of distributing an address block in the ISP router 100. ISP
The router 100 is configured such that the communication unit 102 transmits the DHCP
The IP packet with the server multicast address is fetched, and the received IP packet is analyzed by the IP packet control unit 103. As a result, it is detected that the request is an address block request from the home gateway device 200 (step S71).

When the address block request is detected, the user is authenticated based on the password information set in the received data. Here, the user has completed a contract with the ISP in advance, and the address of the user, the password applied for by the user at the time of contract, the organization / home as the name of the user, etc. are stored in a predetermined memory space of the ISP router 100 in advance. ing. However, the present invention is not limited to the case where the contract is completed in advance, and the contract procedure may be performed online when the address block request is received.

As a result of the user authentication processing, if the user has been registered (step S73), the address management table 105 of the ISP router 100 assigns an unassigned address block to the organization / home contracted this time. 105 is updated (step S74).

Thereafter, the address block newly assigned to the requesting organization / home is transmitted from the communication section 102 to the home gateway apparatus 200 via the leased line 2 with the link local address as a destination (step S7).
5). If an address block request from another home gateway remains unprocessed, the process proceeds to step S72, and the same allocation process as described above is performed.

As described above, the ISP router 100 automatically receives the request from the home gateway device 200, automatically allocates an address block, and
00, and the automatic setting of the IP address in cooperation with the home gateway apparatus 200 becomes possible.

If the contract with the user has been completed in advance as described above, before receiving the address block request from the home gateway device 200 of the contracted user, the new contracted user is registered on the address management table 105. Address blocks may be allocated in advance, and upon receiving an address block request, the address management table 105 may be searched to transmit the allocated address blocks to the user. As a result, the processing content can be simplified and the time can be reduced as compared with the case where the assignment is performed after receiving the address block request.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications can be made without changing the gist of the present invention.

[0051]

As described above in detail, according to the present invention, an automatic IP address assignment method, a gateway device, and an ISP router that can automate generation of an address management table for a home gateway device and reduce the burden on a user are provided. it can.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of an ISP router according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of an address management table in the ISP router of the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram of a home gateway device according to the embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a configuration diagram of an address management table in the home gateway device according to the embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart of automatic IP address setting in the home gateway device according to the embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart of automatic generation of an address management table in the home gateway device according to the embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart of automatic address block allocation in the ISP router of the embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a network configuration diagram of an ISP router and a home gateway device.

FIG. 9 is a software configuration diagram of a home gateway device.

FIG. 10 is a configuration diagram of an address management table in the home gateway device.

FIG. 11 is a conceptual diagram of a setting operation of an address management table in a conventional home gateway device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 100 ISP router 101 CPU 102 communication unit 103 IP packet control unit 104 address block allocation unit 105 address management table 200 home gateway device 201 CPU 202 communication control unit 203 IP packet control unit 204 address block request unit 205 address allocation unit 206 address management table

Claims (9)

[Claims] 1. An ISP router that manages an address block assigned to each gateway device requests an address block from the gateway device, and the gateway device receives the address block from the ISP router, and stores the address block in the received address block. An automatic IP address assignment method for a gateway device, wherein an address management table for managing assignment of IP addresses to subordinate terminals is created based on the address management table. 2. It is determined whether or not to generate an address management table for associating a local network constructed in an organization with an address block assigned to each local network. Request an address block to the ISP router that manages the assigned address block, and upon receiving the address block from the ISP router, divide the address block into at least a number corresponding to the number of local networks, and divide each divided address block. An IP address automatic assignment method for a gateway device, wherein an address management table assigned to each local network is generated. 3. The automatic IP address assignment method for a gateway device according to claim 1, wherein an address block is requested from the ISP router when the power is turned on. 4. The method according to claim 2, wherein the address blocks received from the ISP router are allocated equally to each local network. 5. An automatic IP address distribution, wherein an address block assigned to each gateway device is stored, and when an address block request is received from the gateway device, an address block corresponding to the gateway device is transmitted. Method. 6. An address block assigned to each gateway device is managed, and when a request for an address block is received from the gateway device, an address block is newly assigned to the gateway device from unassigned IP addresses, and the address block is newly assigned. Automatically transmitting the IP address to the gateway device of the request source. 7. An address block requesting unit for requesting an address block to an ISP router managing an address block allocated to each gateway device, a receiving unit receiving an address block from the ISP router, and the receiving unit Means for creating an address management table for managing the assignment of IP addresses to subordinate terminals based on the address block received at (1). 8. A management table for managing an address block assigned to each gateway device, receiving means for receiving an address block request from the gateway device, and an address block for a requesting gateway device in response to the address block request. An ISP router comprising: means for extracting the address block from the management table; and transmission means for transmitting the extracted address block to the requesting gateway device. 9. A management table for managing an address block assigned to each gateway device, receiving means for receiving a request for an address block from the gateway device, and an IP address which has not been assigned in response to the address block request. An ISP router comprising: means for assigning an address block to the gateway device; and transmission means for transmitting the assigned address block to the requesting gateway device.