JP2003229912A - Access line band control gateway device, access line band control router device and access line band control system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To realize optimal band control between a plurality of user networks or between a user network and a core network via an access line. <P>SOLUTION: Both the gateway device and the router device are each provided with a band control information setting processing part (1621) for setting the band control information of the access line received from an external terminal device into the present device, and the router device is provided with a band control information transmitting part (1613) for transmitting the band control information, a band control setting result information receiving part (1623) for receiving band control setting result information presenting the result of band setting in the router device from the router device and a notification processing part (1617) for notifying the external terminal which sends out the band control information of the band control setting result information. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a bandwidth control system for access lines. In particular, in a network system in which a local network such as a LAN is connected to a core network using an access line, a technique for realizing flexible and highly accurate bandwidth control regarding this access line shared by a plurality of users. Regarding

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art FIG. 11 shows an example of a network system including a user network (local network) such as a LAN and a core network for transferring data between the user networks.

As shown in FIG. 11, this network system includes user networks 1 and 2 configured as a plurality of LANs (local area networks),
A core network 3 that transfers data between the user networks, access lines 4 and 5 that connect the user networks to the core network, and access lines 4 and 5
Gateway devices 6 and 7 respectively connecting the user networks 1 and 2, and an edge router 8 installed to accommodate the access lines 4 and 5 in the core network 3.
And 9. A terminal device 10 in which an application using the network runs is connected to each of the user networks 1 and 2.

(1) Problems relating to inbound bandwidth control A conventional LAN connection system using an access line is
User network (LAN) for access lines 4 and 5
A system that provides a fixed band connection service up to the terminal device on the side is adopted. Therefore, in order for the user to control the bandwidth of the traffic input / output to / from the access lines 4 and 5, it is necessary to execute the bandwidth control processing within the gateway devices 6 and 7 installed on the user network 1 and 2 sides. was there.

FIG. 12 is a conceptual diagram showing the points and directions of bandwidth control in the prior art. As shown in FIG. 12, the bandwidth of the input traffic from the core network 3 side to the access lines 4 and 5 cannot be controlled by the user side.

[0006] For example, an application having an asymmetric traffic characteristic such as obtaining a file from another user network (LAN) connected to the core network 3 or one-way access from the core network 3 side If you use a connectionless application such as video transmission that does not have a connection, in which data is transferred via lines 4 and 5,
A large amount of traffic is transferred from the core network 3 side to the user networks 4 and 5 via the access lines 4 and 5. In this case, there is a problem that the bandwidth control in the gateway devices 6 and 7 set by the user does not function effectively.

Further, in the past, band control setting in each device had to be made individually for each device. Therefore, it is impossible to centrally manage the bandwidth settings of the gateway devices 6 and 7 and the edge routers 8 and 9 connected to the access lines 4 and 5. Therefore, when changing the band setting data set in these devices, it is necessary to connect to each device individually and set the band again.

Further, conventionally, the gateway devices 6 and 7 have been used.
The user manages the edge routers 8 and 9 on the other hand, and the network operator manages the edge routers 8 and 9. Therefore, the user cannot freely change the band setting of the access line.

(2) Problems in Bandwidth Guarantee of Wireless LAN Network System A random access method is adopted on the wireless LAN. Therefore, when the access lines 4 and 5 are connected to the user networks 1 and 2 which are wireless LANs, the band used by the end users who connect to the wireless LAN is strictly limited even if band control is performed on the access lines. There was a problem that we could not guarantee.

Further, since the wireless LAN uses a random access method, a plurality of users can be connected to the wireless LA.
In the case of being accommodated in N, the throughput as a whole decreases. Therefore, when accommodating the traffic for communicating with the core network 3, if the access lines 3 and 4 having a capacity exceeding the throughput of the wireless LAN are used, there is a problem that the line utilization rate decreases.

(3) Accounting Problems Conventional Edge Routers 8 and 9, Gateway Devices 6 and 7
In, the transfer amount of packets transferred to the access line could be measured, but the used bandwidth could not be measured. In particular, when the usage line charge is charged as a pay-as-you-go charge, the charge is made only on the basis of the transfer amount of the transferred packets, and it is not possible to adopt a charge policy that considers the actual bandwidth used. For example, when a plurality of users share an access line and transfer the same amount of data, whether data is transferred at low speed over a long time or data is transferred at high speed in a short time There was an unfair feeling that the charges were the same.

Further, the conventional charging system was centrally managed by the core network 3. Therefore, when the bandwidths of multiple access lines are different and the charging policy is changed for each access line type, it is necessary to manage all combinations of access line types and charging policies, which complicates processing. There was a problem of becoming.

[0013]

As described above, the conventional network system for connecting a plurality of local networks using access lines has the following problems.

(1) That is, even if the user tries to control the traffic transferred on the access line, there is a problem that the user cannot control the traffic depending on the application used, especially in the case of an inbound traffic type application. .

(2) Even if the edge routers 8 and 9 and the gateway devices 6 and 7 are connected to a single access line, it is necessary to set the bandwidth control settings individually for each of these devices, so it is possible to unify them. There is a problem that the bandwidth information cannot be managed.

(3) When connecting the access lines 4 and 5 to the wireless LAN, there is a problem that the bandwidth of the users accommodated in the wireless LAN cannot be strictly guaranteed.
Further, when accommodating a plurality of users in the wireless LAN, there is a problem that the utilization rate of the access line is reduced due to the reduction of the wireless LAN throughput depending on the capacity of the access line.

(4) Regarding the charging system, in the case of the pay-as-you-go system, only the transfer data amount (packet amount) is taken into consideration, and there is a problem that the charging system considering the used bandwidth cannot be applied.

[0018]

According to the present invention, a gateway device installed on the user network side,
An automatic transmission / reception function for bandwidth control information is provided with a router installed on the core network side, and this automatic transmission / reception function for bandwidth control information allows the user to access a plurality of user networks via access lines or users. -Achieve optimal bandwidth control between the network and core network.

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a gateway device for connecting a local network to another network via an access line, the band control information of the access line being received from an external terminal device. The bandwidth control information setting processing unit set in the own device and the router device that accommodates the access line in the core network,
A band control information transmitting unit that transmits the band control information, a band control setting result information receiving unit that receives band control setting result information indicating a result of band setting in the router device from the router device, and the band control setting An access line bandwidth control gateway device is provided, comprising: a notification processing unit that notifies the external terminal that has sent the bandwidth control information of the result information.

According to another feature of the present invention, the bandwidth control information set in the bandwidth control information setting processing section is set for each packet transmission source address and packet transmission destination address.

According to another feature of the present invention, the notification processing unit adds information indicating whether or not bandwidth control is possible in the gateway device to the bandwidth control setting result information, and the bandwidth to which the information is added is added. The control result information is notified to the external terminal.

According to another feature of the present invention, the bandwidth control information set in the bandwidth control information setting processing section is the first bandwidth control information relating to data transmitted from the local network to the access line. , Second bandwidth control information regarding data sent from the core network to the access line.

According to another feature of the present invention, the access line bandwidth control gateway device further collects information on a band used by a packet transferred to the access line, and the collected information on the used band. Is provided as a first billing data used for billing processing of packet transmission / reception.

According to another feature of the present invention, the billing data generating section collects the information on the used band for each terminal device belonging to the local network.

According to another feature of the present invention, the access line band control gateway device further comprises a plurality of wireless LAN interfaces, and refers to the band control information set for each wireless LAN interface. , A wireless LAN interface transfer unit that distributes packet transfer to each of the wireless LAN interfaces for each set band.

According to another feature of the present invention, the access line bandwidth control gateway apparatus further measures a used bandwidth per unit time and a packet amount to be transferred for each source address and destination address of the packet. In addition, a traffic amount measuring unit for generating the measured used band and the amount of transferred packets as second billing data used for billing processing of packet transmission / reception.

According to another feature of the present invention, there is provided a router device for accommodating an access line in a core network,
A band control information setting processing unit that sets the band control information of the access line received from an external terminal device in its own device, and a gateway device that connects the local network to another network via the access line, A band control information transmitting unit that transmits the band control information, a band control setting result information receiving unit that receives band control setting result information indicating a result of band setting in the router device from the gateway device, and the band control setting An access line bandwidth control router device is provided, comprising: a notification processing unit that notifies the external terminal that has sent the bandwidth control information of the result information.

According to another feature of the present invention, the bandwidth control information set in the bandwidth control information setting processing section is set for each packet transmission source address and packet transmission destination address.

According to another feature of the present invention, the notification processing unit adds information indicating whether or not bandwidth control is possible in the gateway device to the bandwidth control setting result information, and the bandwidth to which the information is added is added. The control result information is notified to the external terminal.

According to another feature of the present invention, the bandwidth control information set in the bandwidth control information setting processing section is the first bandwidth control information relating to data transmitted from the core network to the access line. And second bandwidth control information regarding data transmitted from the local network to the access line.

According to another feature of the present invention, the access line band control router device further collects information on a band used by a packet transferred to the access line,
A billing data generation unit that generates the collected information on the used bandwidth as first billing data used for billing processing of packet transmission / reception is provided.

According to another feature of the present invention, the billing data generator collects the information on the used band for each terminal device.

According to another feature of the present invention, the access line band control router device further measures the used band per unit time and the amount of packets to be transferred for each source address and destination address of the packet. In addition, a traffic amount measuring unit for generating the measured used band and the amount of transferred packets as second billing data used for billing processing of packet transmission / reception.

According to another characteristic of the present invention, an access line band including a gateway device for connecting the local network to the core network via the access line and a router device for accommodating the access line in the core network. In the control system, the gateway device includes a first band control information setting processing unit that sets band control information of the access line, which is received from an external terminal device, in the own device, and the router device. A first band control information transmitting unit that transmits the band control information, and a first band control setting result information receiving unit that receives band control setting result information indicating a result of band setting in the router device from the router device. And a first notification processing unit that notifies the band control setting result information to the external terminal that has transmitted the band control information. Then, the router device includes a second band control information setting processing unit that sets band control information of the access line, which is received from an external terminal device, in the device itself, and the band control information to the gateway device. And a second band control setting result information receiving unit for receiving band control setting result information indicating a result of band setting in the router device from the gateway device; An access line bandwidth control system is provided, comprising: a second notification processing unit that notifies the external terminal that has transmitted the bandwidth control information of the control setting result information.

According to another feature of the present invention, a terminal device connected to a local network and accessing another network from the local network via an access line and a core network, wherein the bandwidth of the access line is A bandwidth control information setting instruction unit that transmits a bandwidth control information setting instruction signal for setting control information in the gateway device of the local network, and a router device that accommodates the access line in the core network Bandwidth control setting result information indicating the result of bandwidth setting in the router device, which is received by the gateway device from the bandwidth control information transmitting unit that transmits information and the router device that places the access line in the core network. Bandwidth control setting for receiving through the gateway device Terminal apparatus characterized by comprising a fruit information receiving unit is provided.

[0036]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION An access line bandwidth control system according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to FIGS.

In the first embodiment, an automatic transmission / reception function of information regarding bandwidth control is provided between a gateway device installed on the user network side and a router installed on the core network side. An automatic transmission / reception function of information provides a function of performing optimum bandwidth control between a plurality of user networks via an access line or between a user network and a core network.

In the first embodiment, if the bandwidth control information of the access line is set to the gateway device or the edge router by the automatic transmission / reception function of the bandwidth control information, the gateway connecting the access line to the core network. It becomes possible to centrally manage the bandwidth control settings of the device and the edge router that connects the access line to the user network.

FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram showing the configuration of an access line bandwidth control system according to the first embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the access line bandwidth control system according to the first embodiment includes a core network 3 and an edge router 18 installed in the core network 3.
A user network 1, a gateway device 16 installed in the user network 1, and an access line 4 connecting the core network 3 and the user network 1.

In this specification, bandwidth control means
It refers to controlling the bandwidth usage of the network based on the protocol type or IP address. Specifically, for example, a certain bandwidth is assigned to a certain service or the maximum bandwidth that can be used by a certain service or access line is set. It means the control to change. The edge router is a router located at the boundary between the core network and other networks among the control devices having the router function.

The gateway device 16 includes a control signal transmitting / receiving unit 1 for transmitting / receiving control signals to / from the edge router 18.
61 is provided. The control signal transmission / reception unit 161 transmits / receives the band control setting information to be set and the band control setting result to / from the edge router 18 connected via the access line 4.

The edge router 18 is a control signal transmitting / receiving unit 1 for transmitting / receiving control signals to / from the gateway device 16.
81 is provided. The control signal transmission / reception unit 181 transmits / receives the band control setting information to be set and the band control setting result to / from the gateway device 16 connected via the access line 4.

Next, the configuration and operation of the control signal transmitting / receiving sections 161, 181 according to the first embodiment will be described.

(1) Band control setting from user network side The control signal transmitting / receiving unit 161 of the gateway device 16 sets band control from an external terminal (for example, a terminal device connected to the user network 1 such as LAN). Is received, the bandwidth is set in the gateway device 16, and the bandwidth setting signal is transmitted to the control signal transmitting / receiving unit 181 of the edge router 18.

Control signal transmitter / receiver 1 of the edge router 18
81 receives the band setting signal from the gateway device 16 side, sets the band in the edge router 18, and transmits a band setting completion signal to the control signal transmitting / receiving unit 161 of the gateway device 16.

The control signal transmitting / receiving unit 1 of the gateway device 16 which has received the band setting completion signal from the edge router 18
61 notifies the external terminal of the result to the external terminal that has sent the bandwidth control setting request.

(2) Bandwidth control setting from the core network side The control signal transmitting / receiving unit 181 of the edge router 18 receives a bandwidth control setting request from an external terminal and sets the bandwidth in the edge router 18. At the same time, the band setting signal is transmitted to the control signal transmitting / receiving unit 161 of the gateway device 16.

Upon receiving the band setting signal from the edge router 18, the control signal transmitting / receiving unit 161 of the gateway device 16 sets the band in the gateway device 16 and sends a band setting completion signal to the control signal transmitting / receiving unit of the edge router 18. 181 is transmitted.

The control signal transmitting / receiving unit 1 of the edge router 18 which has received the band setting completion signal from the gateway device 16.
81 notifies the result to the external terminal that has sent the bandwidth control setting request.

In this case, the band control signal may be transferred via the access line or may be transferred via a line different from the access line.

In the first embodiment, the band setting information is the destination IP address, the source IP address, the destination IP.
Net address, source IP net address, or
The IP address and the TCP / UDP port number are managed as a unit. When the band is set for each terminal, it can be realized by setting the band for each destination IP address and each source IP address.

FIG. 2 shows a band control setting processing sequence when the band control information is set in the gateway device 16 and the edge router 18 from the terminal 10 connected to the user network 1 in the first embodiment.

The terminal 10 transmits a band control setting request signal on the access line 4 to the gateway device 16. The band control setting request signal includes band control setting information of traffic sent from the user network 1 to the access line 4 and band control setting information of traffic input from the core network 3 to the access line.

When the gateway device 16 receives the band control setting request signal, the gateway device 16 sets the band control of the output traffic to the access line 4 in its own device based on the band control setting information in the signal (band control setting). Process 16
3). The gateway device 16 further transfers the received band control setting request signal to the edge router 18.
Edge router 18 that received the band control setting request signal
Performs band control setting of output traffic to the access line based on the band control setting information in the signal (band control setting process 183).

The edge router 18 which has made the band control setting in its own device generates a band control setting completion signal and transmits it to the gateway device 16. This band control setting completion signal includes whether or not band setting is possible for each device for which band setting is requested.

Upon receipt of the band control setting completion signal, the gateway device 16 adds the availability of band control of the gateway device 16 to the signal and transmits the added band control setting completion signal to the requesting terminal 10. When the terminal 10 receives the band control setting completion signal, the band control setting sequence ends.

FIG. 3 shows an example of the layout of the band control setting request signal and the band control setting completion signal. These signals are header parts (3a to 3d) common to all signals.
And a data section (3e to 3) indicating the band setting contents for each device.
g, 3e ′ to 3g ′).

The signal header portion includes the following elements.

The signal number 3a describes the signal number. In the case of the completion signal, the same signal number as the corresponding request signal is inserted. The signal type 3b describes the type of signal indicating whether it is a request signal or a completion signal. The address of the terminal 10 which issued the request signal is described in the signal transmission source address 3c. The length of all signals is described in the signal length 3d.

The data part of the signal includes the following elements for each device. Data for each of a plurality of devices may be included. In FIG. 3, data for one terminal is 3e to 3g, and data for another terminal is 3e.
e'-3g '.

In the signal destination address, the address of the device for which band setting is performed is described.

In the set content length (3e, 3e '), the length of the data of the set content for each device is described. Settings (3
In the case of the request signal, the contents of band control actually set in the device are described in f, 3f '). On the other hand, in the case of the completion signal, the content of the band control for which the setting is actually successful is described.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the functional arrangement of the control signal transmission / reception unit 161 of the gateway device 16 according to the first embodiment.

The control signal transmitting / receiving unit 161 of the gateway device 16 includes the packet input units 1615 and 1623, the packet output units 1617 and 1625, and the packet transfer unit 16.
13, a band control unit 1621, and a control signal identification unit 161.
And 9.

The packet input section 1615 inputs a packet from each interface to the user network 1. The packet output unit 1617 outputs a packet to each interface to the user network 1. The packet transfer unit 1613 sends the packet to each packet output unit 16 according to the destination of the packet held in the packet.
25. Further, the packet transfer unit 1613 transfers the signal to the control signal identification unit 1619 which receives the band control signal. Based on the received control signal, the control signal identifying unit 1619, in the case of a setting request signal, the band control unit 162.
Bandwidth control setting to 1. On the other hand, in the case of the setting completion signal, whether or not the setting of the corresponding setting request is possible is added to the signal, and the terminal 10 that has transmitted the setting request is transferred to the packet transfer unit 1613 as the destination address. Furthermore, when the setting request signal is received from an external terminal other than the edge router 18, the setting request signal is transferred to the packet transfer unit 1613 with the edge router 18 as the destination. Band control unit 162
1 controls the bandwidth of the traffic output to the access line based on the parameter set in the received bandwidth control setting signal. The packet input unit 1623 inputs a packet from the core network 3 via the access line. The packet output unit 1625 outputs the packet to the core network 3.

The control signal identifying unit 1619 and other components may be entirely or partially configured by software installed in the central control unit 1611.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing the functional arrangement of the control signal transmitting / receiving unit 181 of the edge router 18 according to the first embodiment.

Control signal transmitter / receiver 1 of the edge router 18
81 is a packet input unit 1815, 1823, a packet output unit 1817, 1825, and a packet transfer unit 181.
3, band control section 1821, and control signal identifying section 1819
And.

The packet input unit 1815 inputs a packet from each interface to the core network 3. The packet output unit 1817 is used for the core network 3
Output packets to each interface to. The packet transfer unit 1813 sends the packet to each packet output unit 182 according to the destination of the packet held in the packet.
Transfer to 5. Further, the packet transfer unit 1813 transfers the signal to the control signal identification unit 1819 that receives the band control signal. The control signal identification unit 1819, based on the received control signal, in the case of a setting request signal, the band control unit 1821.
Set bandwidth control to. On the other hand, in the case of the setting completion signal,
Whether or not the setting of the corresponding setting request is possible is added to the signal, and the terminal 10 that has transmitted the setting request is transferred to the packet transfer unit 1813 as the destination address. Furthermore, when the setting request signal is received from an external terminal other than the gateway device 16,
The setting request signal is transferred to the packet transfer unit 1813 with the gateway device 16 as the destination. Band controller 1821
Performs bandwidth control of the traffic output to the access line based on the parameter set in the received band control setting signal. The packet input unit 1823 inputs a packet from the user network 1 via the access line. The packet output unit 1825 outputs a packet to the user network 1.

The control signal identifying unit 1819 and other components may be wholly or partially configured by software installed in the central controller 1811.

According to the first embodiment, between the gateway device installed on the user network side and the router installed on the core network side, the bandwidth control setting information is automatically transmitted by the control information transmitting / receiving unit. Since it is transmitted and received, optimum bandwidth control is realized between a plurality of user networks via an access line or between a user network and a core network. Bandwidth control settings for the gateway device that connects the access line to the core network, and the edge router that connects the access line to the user network, if bandwidth control settings for the access line are made to the gateway device or the edge router. Can be managed centrally.

Second Embodiment Next, with reference to FIG. 6 and FIG. 7, an access line bandwidth control system according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described only about differences from the first embodiment. .

In the second embodiment, a plurality of wireless LAN interfaces are mounted on the gateway device installed on the user network side, and these wireless LANs are installed.
Realizes bandwidth guarantee for each interface.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing the functional arrangement of the control signal transmission / reception unit 161 of the gateway device 16 according to the second embodiment.

The control signal transmitting / receiving unit 161 of the gateway device 16 has a radio packet transfer unit 1631, a packet input unit 1623, a packet output unit 1625, a packet transfer unit 1613, a bandwidth control unit 1621, and a control signal identifying unit 1619. And.

The wireless packet transfer unit 1631 distributes and transfers the packets to the wireless LAN interfaces 71 and 73 based on the setting in the band control unit 1621. Each of the wireless LAN interfaces 71 and 73 includes a packet input unit 1615 and a packet output unit 1617, respectively.

By matching the class of each band setting with each wireless LAN network, it is possible to provide the guarantee in the access line 4 including the wireless LAN network without the band guarantee in the wireless LAN.

All or part of the wireless packet transfer unit 1631 and other components may be configured by software installed in the central control unit 1611.

A packet input unit 1623, a packet output unit 1625, a packet transfer unit 1613, and a bandwidth control unit 1 in the control signal transmission / reception unit 161 of the gateway device 16.
The configurations and operations of the control signal discriminating unit 1619 and the control unit 621 are the same as those in the first embodiment.

FIG. 7 shows an example of a band control image by the gateway device 16 of the user network 1 having a plurality of wireless LANs in the second embodiment. Figure 7
, The wireless LAN is IEEE802.11b (total bandwidth 11 Mbps) and the access line is 10 Mbps.
Consider a case where a network having a ps band is applied. The gateway device 16 is equipped with a plurality of interfaces connected to the access lines and a plurality of wireless LAN interfaces connected to the wireless LAN lines 71 and 73. In the gateway device 16, the wireless packet transfer unit 162
7, the band control information for each wireless LAN interface is received, and the band control unit 1821 receives the wireless L
The bandwidth control setting of the access line is executed for each AN interface. In FIG. 7, as an example, a case where 70% is set for the wireless LAN # 1 and 30% is set for the wireless LAN # 2 is shown. In this way, by setting the band control information of the access line for each wireless LAN interface, it is possible to guarantee the use of 70% of the access line band for the network of wireless LAN # 1.

Note that, for example, consider a case where both the wireless LANs # 1 and # 2 accommodate a plurality of users and the outputs from the gateway device 16 are reduced to about 4 Mbps and 1 Mbps, respectively. If only wireless LAN # 1 is connected to access line 4, the access line utilization rate is 40%.
On the other hand, by accommodating the wireless LAN # 2 in the same access line, the access line utilization rate becomes 50%, and the line utilization rate can be improved.

According to the second embodiment, a plurality of wireless LAN interfaces are mounted on the gateway device installed on the user network side, and the bandwidth control unit 1821 is provided.
In, the band guarantee for each wireless LAN interface is realized.

Third Embodiment Next, with reference to FIG. 8 to FIG. 10, an access line bandwidth control system according to a third embodiment of the present invention will be described only with respect to points different from the first and second embodiments. explain.

In the third embodiment, a billing process is realized in consideration of the band usage amount for each user network or each terminal device.

That is, in the gateway device 16 of the third embodiment, the used bandwidth of the packet transferred to the access line 4 is measured. At the same time or in place of this, at the edge router 18, the access line 4
The used bandwidth of the packet transferred to is measured.

In order to measure the used band for each terminal of the user network 1, the edge router 1 is set for each source address of the packet transferred in the gateway device 16.
In 8, it can be realized by measuring the used band for each destination address. By referring to the measured data of the used bandwidth, it becomes possible to perform a pay-per-use charge proportional to the used bandwidth.

FIG. 8 shows an example of the configuration of a billing system and a billing calculation according to the third embodiment. As shown in FIG. 8, the edge router 18 generates and stores the amount of transferred information, the average information transfer rate, and the transfer time for each destination address as billing data. On the other hand, the gateway device 16 generates and stores the amount of transferred information, the average information transfer speed, and the transfer time for each source address of the packet as billing data. For example, when calculating the charge to the terminal address 192.168.1.101 at 12:00, “10 yen charge per 1 Mbyte transfer, but 30% when the average transfer rate exceeds 3 Mbps More billing. " From the billing data, the billing amount 96.
You get 4 yen.

0.5 × 10 + 7 × 10 × 1.3 + 0.0
3 × 10 + 0.01 × 10 = 96.4 That is, it is possible to realize the charging policy of “increase the charge by 30% for a packet when the transmission speed exceeds 3 Mbps”.

Further, in the gateway device 16 and the edge router 18, the billing data is generated and stored according to the band of the access line, and the billing data is calculated according to the billing data measured by the gateway device 16 for each used band. By doing so, the administrator who manages the core network 3 can perform the charging process according to the different charging policy for each access line without managing the access line type.

For example, "" the bandwidth of the access line is 6 Mb
In the case of ps, if the transmission rate exceeds 3 Mbps, the charge is increased by 20%, and if the bandwidth of the access line is 10 Mbps, the transmission rate is 3 Mbps.
For packets exceeding s, the charge is 10
Increase by%. The billing policy "" can be realized by changing the settings of the gateway device 16 and the edge router 18.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing the functional arrangement of the control signal transmitting / receiving unit 161 of the gateway device 16 according to the third embodiment.

The control signal transmitting / receiving unit 161 of the gateway device 16 includes packet input units 1615 and 1623, packet output units 1617 and 1625, and a packet transfer unit 16.
13, a band control unit 1621, and a control signal identification unit 161.
9, a traffic amount analyzing unit 1627, and a traffic amount collecting unit 1629.

The traffic amount collection unit 1629 measures the bandwidth used per unit time and the transfer packet amount for the traffic amount output to each interface.
The traffic volume analysis unit 1627 processes the measured traffic volume into the format shown in FIG. 10, and periodically transmits this billing data to a billing information server (not shown). By referring to the billing data based on the traffic amount, it becomes possible to perform the pay-per-use accounting in proportion to the used band.

As shown in FIG. 10, for each traffic,
The data transfer time, the source address, the destination address, the average information transfer rate, and the transferred information amount are generated and stored by the traffic amount analysis unit 1627 as billing data.

All or part of the traffic amount analyzing unit 1627 and other components may be configured by software installed in the central control unit 1611.

The packet input units 1615 and 1623, the packet output units 1617 and 1625, and the packet transfer unit 16 in the control signal transmission / reception unit 161 of the gateway device 16.
13, a band control unit 1621, and a control signal identification unit 161.
The configuration and the operation with 9 are the same as those in the first embodiment.

The traffic amount collection unit 162 shown in FIG.
9 and the traffic amount analysis unit 1627 may be provided in the edge router 18 together with or instead of the gateway device 16.

According to the third embodiment, the traffic amount collecting unit and the traffic amount analyzing unit in the gateway device 16 and the edge router 18 measure the used bandwidth amount per unit time. It is possible to provide a fee service in consideration of the bandwidth used to users. Further, the charging data is accumulated in the gateway device 16 and the edge router 18,
If this billing data is used for billing calculation, billing can be performed with different billing policies depending on the bandwidth of the access line.

It should be fully understood that the present invention includes various embodiments and the like not described here. Therefore, the present invention should be limited only by the matters specifying the invention according to the scope of claims appropriate from this disclosure.

[0100]

According to the present invention, it is possible to control the bandwidth of all inbound and outbound outputs to the access line. Therefore, highly accurate band control of the access line is realized regardless of the application used.

Further, since the external terminal can centrally manage the bandwidth control settings of the gateway device and the router, the access line can be flexibly applied according to the user's request.

Furthermore, by mounting a plurality of wireless LAN interfaces on the gateway device, the wireless LAN
When using as a user network, it is possible to guarantee the bandwidth of the access line for each wireless LAN interface.

Even when the throughput of the wireless LAN drops due to accommodating a plurality of users, it is possible to prevent the line utilization rate of the access line from decreasing by mounting a plurality of wireless LANs.

Furthermore, by implementing a means for measuring the amount of bandwidth used per unit time for the traffic volume of the access line, it is possible to provide a fee service considering the bandwidth used to the users who use the variable band line. it can. Further, by accumulating the accounting data for accounting calculation in the gateway device and the edge router and executing the accounting calculation, it is possible to perform charging with different charging policies according to the band of the access line.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram showing a configuration of an access line bandwidth control system according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a bandwidth control setting processing sequence when bandwidth control information is set in the gateway device 16 and the edge router 18 from the terminal 10 connected to the user network 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. Is.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a layout of a band control setting request signal and a band control setting completion signal.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of a control signal transmission / reception unit 161 of the gateway device 16 according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of a control signal transmission / reception unit 181 of the edge router 18 according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of a control signal transmission / reception unit 161 of the gateway device 16 according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a band control image by the gateway device 16 of the user network 1 having a plurality of wireless LANs in the second embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a charging system and an example of charging calculation according to a third embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of a control signal transmission / reception unit 161 of the gateway device 16 according to the third embodiment.

FIG. 10 is generated by a traffic volume analysis unit 1627,
It is a figure which shows an example of the charging data memorize | stored for every traffic including a data transfer time, a source address, a destination address, an average information transfer speed, and the amount of information transferred.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a network system including a user network (local network) such as a LAN and a core network for transferring data between the user networks.

FIG. 12 is a conceptual diagram showing points and directions of bandwidth control in the conventional technique.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 User network 3 core network 4 access lines 10 terminal devices 16 Gateway device 18 Router equipment

   ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued front page    (72) Inventor Hiroto Suda             2-3-1, Otemachi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo             Inside Telegraph and Telephone Corporation F term (reference) 5K030 HA08 HD03 HD06 JL01 LC09                       MB09                 5K033 AA01 CB06 DA06 DB18

Claims (17)

[Claims] 1. A gateway device for connecting a local network to another network via an access line, wherein a band for setting band control information of the access line, which is received from an external terminal device, in its own device. A control information setting processing unit, a band control information transmitting unit that transmits the band control information to a router device that accommodates the access line in a core network, and a result of band setting in the router device from the router device. It is characterized by comprising a band control setting result information receiving unit that receives band control setting result information, and a notification processing unit that notifies the external terminal that has transmitted the band control information of the band control setting result information. Access line bandwidth control gateway device. 2. The access line band according to claim 1, wherein the band control information set in the band control information setting processing unit is set for each packet transmission source address and packet transmission destination address. Control gateway device. 3. The notification processing unit adds, to the bandwidth control setting result information, information indicating whether or not bandwidth control is possible in the gateway device, and the bandwidth control result information to which the information is added is added to the external terminal. The access line bandwidth control gateway device according to claim 1, wherein the access line bandwidth control gateway device is notified. 4. The bandwidth control information set in the bandwidth control information setting processing unit includes first bandwidth control information regarding data transmitted from the local network to the access line, and the access from the core network. The access line band control gateway apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: second band control information regarding data transmitted to the line. 5. The access line bandwidth control gateway device further collects information on a band used by a packet transferred to the access line, and uses the collected information on the used band for packet transmission / reception accounting processing. The access line bandwidth control gateway device according to claim 1, further comprising: a billing data generation unit that generates as the first billing data to be used. 6. The billing data generation unit collects information on the used bandwidth for each terminal device belonging to the local network.
The access line bandwidth control gateway device described in 1. 7. The access line bandwidth control gateway device further comprises a plurality of wireless LAN interfaces, and the wireless L
A wireless LAN interface transfer unit is provided, which refers to the band control information set for each AN interface and distributes packet transfer to each of the wireless LAN interfaces for each set band. The access line bandwidth control gateway device according to claim 1. 8. The access line bandwidth control gateway device further comprises: for each source address and destination address of the packet,
A traffic amount measuring unit that measures a used band per unit time and a transferred packet amount, and generates the measured used band and transferred packet amount as second charging data used in a charging process for packet transmission / reception. The access line bandwidth control gateway device according to claim 1, further comprising: 9. A router device for accommodating an access line in a core network, and a band control information setting processing unit for setting the band control information of the access line, which is received from an external terminal device, in its own device. , A bandwidth control information transmission unit that transmits the bandwidth control information to a gateway device that connects the local network to another network through an access line, and a bandwidth that indicates the result of bandwidth setting in the router device from the gateway device. An access comprising: a band control setting result information receiving unit that receives control setting result information; and a notification processing unit that notifies the band control setting result information to the external terminal that has transmitted the band control information. Line band control router device. 10. The access line band according to claim 9, wherein the band control information set in the band control information setting processing unit is set for each packet transmission source address and packet transmission destination address. Control router device. 11. The notification processing unit adds, to the bandwidth control setting result information, information indicating whether or not bandwidth control is possible in the gateway device, and the bandwidth control result information to which the information is added is added to the external terminal. The access line band control router device according to claim 9, wherein 12. The bandwidth control information set in the bandwidth control information setting processing unit includes first bandwidth control information regarding data transmitted from the core network to the access line, and the access from the local network. 10. The access line band control router device according to claim 9, further comprising second band control information regarding data transmitted to the line. 13. The access line bandwidth control router device further collects information on a band used by a packet transferred to the access line, and uses the collected information on the used band for packet transmission / reception accounting processing. The access line bandwidth control router device according to claim 9, further comprising a billing data generation unit that generates the first billing data to be used. 14. The access line band control router device according to claim 13, wherein the billing data generation unit collects information on the used band for each terminal device. 15. The access line bandwidth control router device further comprises: for each source address and destination address of a packet,
A traffic amount measuring unit that measures a used band per unit time and a transferred packet amount and generates the measured used band and transferred packet amount as second billing data used for billing processing of packet transmission and reception. The access line band control router device according to claim 9, wherein the access line band control router device is provided. 16. An access line bandwidth control system including a gateway device for connecting a local network to a core network via an access line, and a router device for accommodating the access line in the core network. The device includes a first band control information setting processing unit that sets band control information of the access line, which is received from an external terminal device, in the device itself, and transmits the band control information to the router device. A first bandwidth control information transmitting unit, a first bandwidth control setting result information receiving unit that receives bandwidth control setting result information indicating a result of bandwidth setting in the router device from the router device, and the bandwidth control setting result information A first notification processing unit for notifying the external terminal that has transmitted the bandwidth control information. A second band control information setting processing unit for setting the band control information of the access line, which is received from an external terminal device, in its own device; and a second band control information transmitting unit for transmitting the band control information to the gateway device. A second bandwidth control information transmitting unit, and second bandwidth control setting result information indicating a result of bandwidth setting in the router apparatus from the gateway apparatus.
And a second notification processing unit for notifying the external terminal that has sent the bandwidth control information of the bandwidth control setting result information. system. 17. An access line and a core connected to a local network from the local network.
A terminal device for accessing another network via a network, the band control information setting transmitting a band control information setting instruction signal for setting the band control information of the access line in the gateway device of the local network. An instruction unit, a bandwidth control information transmission unit that transmits the bandwidth control information to a router device that accommodates the access line in the core network, and a router device that puts the access line in the core network from the gateway device to the gateway. Received by the device,
A terminal device, comprising: a band control setting result information receiving unit that receives band control setting result information indicating a result of band setting in the router device via the gateway device.