JP2006157524A - Ip in-plant telephone system provided with program-updating function - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an IP in-plant telephone system capable of efficiently updating a program mounted on an IP telephone terminal that is connected to an IP-PBX. <P>SOLUTION: The IP in-plant telephone system includes a plurality of IP terminals that serve as IP telephones with a terminal program mounted on each terminal, an IP private branch exchange (PBX) connected to the IP terminals, and a distribution server, that holds the latest version of the terminal program to which the current version is upgraded and distributes it, in response to a demand for downloading it. In response to a command input involving program updating information that specifies at least one of the plurality of IP terminals, the IP PBX transmits an update request signal for requesting to update to the latest version to the one IP terminal. Each of the IP terminals downloads the latest version, from the distribution server to upgrade the current version to the latest version. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an IP private branch telephone system including a plurality of IP terminals having an IP telephone function by a terminal program and an IP private branch exchange (hereinafter referred to as IP-PBX) that accommodates these IP terminals. The present invention relates to an IP local area telephone system having an update function.

  An IP telephone terminal accommodated in one IP-PBX providing an exchange function in an IP telephone is not limited to one premises, and is installed over a wide range as if it is distributed and installed in a plurality of offices. It has become like this. Therefore, how to improve the maintainability of a large number of IP telephone terminals installed at a large distance has become a major issue. An IP telephone terminal is usually realized as one computer device, and the function is achieved by executing a software program. For maintenance of such a program, it is essential not only to repair bugs that cause malfunctions, but also to update the program to add new functions.

  Conventionally, such a program update for an IP telephone terminal requires that maintenance personnel individually update the program at the installation location of the IP telephone terminal. For example, in order to update a program for one IP telephone terminal, maintenance personnel check the version of the existing program, specify the server that provides the update program, update, and check the version after the update. It was necessary to manually perform all the updating operations. Furthermore, it is necessary to repeat this procedure for a large number of IP telephone terminals at each installation location.

  In such a conventional method, maintenance of a large number of IP telephone terminals installed over a wide range causes a significant maintenance cost. An object of the present invention is to provide an IP private telephone system that enables efficient updating of a program installed in an IP telephone terminal accommodated in an IP-PBX.

  An IP local area telephone system according to the present invention is an IP local area telephone system including a plurality of IP terminals that perform an IP telephone function according to a terminal program included therein, and an IP private branch exchange that accommodates the IP terminals. A distribution server that holds an update version replaced with a version and distributes the update version in response to a download request, and the IP private branch exchange inputs a command with update information designating at least one of the plurality of IP terminals In response to the update request signal transmitting means for transmitting an update request signal for requesting the update to the update version, each of the IP terminals responds to the update request signal according to the distribution request signal. A program that downloads the updated version from the server and updates the terminal program of the current version in place of the updated version. Characterized in that it comprises updating means.

  According to the IP local area telephone system according to the present invention, the update from the current version of the terminal program of the IP telephone terminal of the entire system to the updated version is concentrated through one terminal such as a maintenance terminal connected to the IP-PBX. And a configuration to control. Thereby, the terminal program installed in the IP telephone terminal accommodated in the IP-PBX can be efficiently updated.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
<First embodiment>
FIG. 1 shows a first embodiment of the present invention and shows the overall configuration of an IP private telephone system. The IP private telephone system 10 includes an IP-PBX 30, a plurality of IP telephone terminals 20a to 20x, a maintenance terminal 50, and a TFTP server 40, which are connected to each other via a LAN 60 that is a local area network. Yes.

  Each of the plurality of IP telephone terminals 20a to 20x is a terminal that realizes a telephone function equivalent to a normal telephone in an IP telephone. The IP telephone function operates when a terminal program to be installed is executed. Such a terminal program has an updated version that replaces the current version of the terminal program at that time, either irregularly or periodically, every time a failure occurs, in preparation for defect correction or new function addition that is inevitably predicted. Updated to terminal program. Each of the plurality of IP telephone terminals 20a to 20x further includes a TFTP client function for downloading data including a program from the TFTP server 40 using a TFTP (Trivial File Transfer Protocol) protocol (see Internet standard protocol RFC1350).

  The IP-PBX 30 is an IP private branch exchange that provides a telephone exchange function to the IP telephone terminals 20a to 20x, and accommodates a plurality of IP telephone terminals 20a to 20x via a LAN 60 that is a local area network. A conventional private branch exchange (PBX) basically needs to be installed at each site. However, the IP-PBX 30 is configured so that the IP telephone terminal 20a set at each site can be used if remote sites are connected by an IP network. ~ 20x can be centrally managed as an extension telephone. The hardware of the IP-PBX 30 is configured by computer hardware having a normal IP network function. The software configuration of the IP-PBX 30 includes an IP-PBX function unit 31, a terminal program management function unit 32, and a terminal program management table 33, as shown in the figure.

  The IP-PBX function unit 31 is software that forms the center of the IP-PBX 30 that performs connection and control to an extension telephone and an external public network. The terminal program management function unit 32 is software provided in the IP-PBX 30 and has a function of controlling updating of the terminal program according to a command from the maintenance terminal 50. The terminal program management table 33 is a table that is provided in the IP-PBX 30 and records and holds the program version number of the terminal program installed in each IP telephone terminal 20a to 20x. The program version number recorded and held in the terminal program management table 33 is transmitted from the IP telephone terminals 20a to 20x when the IP telephone terminals 20a to 20x are physically connected to the IP-PBX 30, and is always in the correct state. It is reflected in the management table 33.

  The TFTP server 40 responds to a request from each of the IP telephone terminals 20a to 20x, and responds to a download request that designates one of the file names of the terminal programs 50a and 50b having a designated file name. A TFTP function unit 41 for transmitting, that is, downloading to ˜20x is provided. This download is performed using the TFTP protocol that belongs to a higher layer than the IP protocol and realizes a necessary minimum file transfer function. Such downloading may be realized by another appropriate protocol such as FTP (File Transfer Protocol) protocol. In this embodiment, two terminal programs 50a and 50b are shown as an example. However, two or more terminal programs can be held and downloaded according to differences in terminal program update history or individual specifications of IP telephone terminals. It is also possible.

  FIG. 2 shows a configuration example of the terminal program management table shown in FIG. The terminal program management table 33 holds version numbers as identifiers of the IP telephone terminals 20a to 20x and the current version information of the terminal program currently installed in the IP telephone terminal corresponding to each of the identifiers. The The contents of the terminal program management table 33 are rewritten to the latest number as update version information in response to the update of the terminal program under the control of the terminal program management function unit 32. As shown in the figure, for example, if the identifier of the IP phone terminal 20a is “# 0001”, the version number of the terminal program installed in the IP phone terminal 20a is held as “V01 / L01”. .

  FIG. 3 shows a processing procedure of a program update process executed in the IP private telephone system shown in FIG. The processing procedure will be described with reference to the components shown in FIG.

  First, the maintenance terminal 50 displays the contents of the terminal program management table 33 (step S01). The contents of the terminal program management table 33 are received from the IP-PBX 30. Maintenance personnel who maintain the IP local area telephone system 10 confirm the program version number of the terminal program currently installed in each of the IP telephones 20a to 20x by such display, and determine which terminal is to update the program. be able to.

  Next, the maintenance terminal 50 notifies the update information to the IP-PBX 30 in response to a command input from maintenance personnel (step S02). In this case, the update information includes the identifier of the IP telephone terminal to be updated, the IP address of the TFTP server, and the program file name of the terminal program (hereinafter referred to as terminal program 50a as an example).

  In response to the update notification, the IP-PBX 30 uses the terminal program management function unit 31 to edit the content of the update information into a program update request addressed to the 1P telephone terminal, and transmits it to the IP telephone terminal (step S03). Here, the update target terminal will be described as an IP telephone terminal 20a.

  In response to the program update request, the IP telephone terminal 20a specifies the program file names of the TFTP server 40 and the terminal program 50a and starts the TFTP client program (step S04). By executing this client program, the IP telephone terminal 20a executes program download of the terminal program 50a with the TFTP server 40 (step S05). Upon completion of the execution, the IP telephone terminal 20a notifies the program version number to the IP-PBX 30 (step S06).

  In response to the notification, the IP-PBX 30 changes the contents of the terminal program management table 33 to the program version number of the update result (step S07), and then transmits the contents to the maintenance terminal 50, so that the maintenance terminal 50 displays the contents (step S08). As a result, maintenance personnel can confirm the completion of a series of maintenance operations.

As described above, in the first embodiment, it is possible to update the programs of all IP telephone terminals accommodated in the IP-PBX only by operating the maintenance terminal for the IP telephone terminals installed over a wide range. Thus, it is not necessary to perform a program update operation for each installation location of the IP telephone terminal. Thereby, the program update of the IP telephone terminal can be efficiently performed in a short time.
<Second embodiment>
The second embodiment of the present invention is realized in the same hardware configuration as that of the first embodiment as shown in FIG. That is, the IP private telephone system 10 includes an IP-PBX 30, a plurality of IP telephone terminals 20a to 20x, a maintenance terminal 50, and a TFTP server 40, which are connected to each other via a LAN 60 that is a local area network. Has been. Since the functions of these components are basically the same as those in the first embodiment, differences from the first embodiment will be described below.

  The terminal program management function unit 32 of the IP-PBX 30 controls the updating of the terminal program as in the case of the first embodiment, and further provides a time difference for starting the terminal program download for each of the IP telephone terminals 20a to 20x. It has a function to control delay processing. Such delay processing is controlled by designating the delay time (t1, t2,...) Included in the update information from the maintenance terminal 50 or based on the delay time set in the terminal program management table 33.

  FIG. 4 shows a configuration example of the terminal program management table in the second embodiment. The terminal program management table 33 includes, in addition to the identifiers of the IP telephone terminals 20a to 20x, the version number of the terminal program currently installed in the IP telephone terminal corresponding to each of the identifiers, A delay time for designating a time difference in execution of download to the IP telephone terminal is held. For example, the delay time “20 seconds” is stored and held corresponding to the identifier “# 0002” of the IP telephone terminal 20b. The contents of the terminal program management table 33 are rewritten to the latest number in response to the update of the terminal program under the control of the terminal program management function unit 32.

  FIG. 5 shows the procedure of the program update process in the second embodiment. The processing procedure will be described with reference to the components shown in FIG.

  First, the maintenance terminal 50 displays the contents of the terminal program management table 33 (step S21). The contents of the terminal program management table 33 are received from the IP-PBX 30. Maintenance personnel who maintain the IP local area telephone system confirm the program version number of the terminal program currently installed in each of the IP telephones 20a to 20x by such display, and determine which terminal is to update the program. Can do. Here, the terminals to be updated will be described below as two terminals, IP telephone terminals 20a and 20b.

  Next, the maintenance terminal 50 notifies the update information to the IP-PBX 30 in response to a command input from maintenance personnel (step S22). In this case, the update information includes the identifier of the IP telephone terminal to be updated, the IP address of the TFTP server, and the program file name of the terminal program (hereinafter referred to as terminal program 50b as an example). A delay time (t1 and t2) for providing a time difference for each terminal when executing the download is included. For the delay time, a form designated by the maintenance staff each time or a value preset in the terminal program management table 33 may be used as the default value. As shown in FIG. 4, the delay time t1 of the IP telephone terminal 20a (# 0001) can be set to 0 seconds, and the delay time t2 of the IP telephone terminal 20b (# 0002) can be set to 20 seconds.

  In response to the update notification, the IP-PBX 30 uses the terminal program management function unit 31 to edit the content of the update information into a program update request addressed to the 1P telephone terminal, and transmits it to the IP telephone terminal (step S23).

  In response to the program update request, the IP telephone terminal 20a starts the TFTP client program by designating the program file names of the TFTP server 40 and the terminal program 50b after time t1 has elapsed (step S24). With this program, the IP telephone terminal 20a executes the program download of the terminal program 50b with the TFTP server 40 (step S25). In response to the end of the execution, IP telephone terminal 20a notifies IP-PBX 30 of the program version number (step S26).

  On the other hand, in response to the program update request, the IP telephone terminal 20b starts the TFTP client program by designating the program file names of the TFTP server 40 and the terminal program 50b after the elapse of t2 (step S27). With this program, the IP telephone terminal 20b executes a program download of the terminal program 50b with the TFTP server 40 (step S28). In response to the end of the execution, the IP telephone terminal 20b notifies the IP-PBX 30 of the program version number (step S29).

  In response to the notifications from both the IP telephone terminals 20a and 20b, the IP-PBX 30 changes the contents of the terminal program management table 33 to the program version number of the update result (step S30), and then changes the contents. By transmitting to the maintenance terminal 50, the maintenance terminal 50 displays the contents (step S31). As a result, maintenance personnel can confirm the completion of a series of maintenance operations.

  In the second embodiment described above, it is possible to simultaneously update programs for a plurality of IP telephone terminals. In this case, it is expected that the load is concentrated on the TFTP server and the IP network is congested by simultaneously transmitting data to a plurality of terminals. By setting a delay time that defines the timing for starting a download request for an update program for each terminal, it is possible to avoid such load concentration and congestion.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS It is a block diagram which shows the 1st Example of this invention and shows the whole structure of an IP private telephone system. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a configuration example of the terminal program management table shown in FIG. It is a sequence diagram which shows the process sequence of the program update process performed in the IP local telephone system shown by FIG. It is a figure which shows the structural example of the terminal program management table in a 2nd Example. It is a sequence diagram which shows the process sequence of the program update process in a 2nd Example.

Explanation of symbols

10 IP local area telephone system 20a, 20b-20x IP telephone terminal 30 IP-PBX
31 IP-PBX functional unit 32 Terminal program management functional unit 33 Terminal program management table 40 TFTP server 41 TFTP server functional unit 50a, 50b Terminal program 60 LAN

Claims (6)

An IP private telephone system including a plurality of IP terminals that perform an IP telephone function according to a terminal program included therein, and an IP private branch exchange that accommodates the IP terminals,
A distribution server that holds an updated version that is substituted for the current version of the terminal program and distributes it in response to a download request;
The IP private branch exchange transmits an update request signal for requesting update to the update version toward the one in response to a command input accompanied by update information designating at least one of the plurality of IP terminals. Including update request signal transmission means,
Each of the IP terminals includes program update means for downloading the update version from the distribution server in response to the update request signal and updating the terminal program of the current version in place of the update version. IP local area telephone system.   2. The IP private telephone system according to claim 1, further comprising means for delaying the start of the download based on a delay time designated for each IP terminal.   The IP private branch exchange stores and holds current version information of a terminal program included in each of the plurality of IP terminals, and updates version information corresponding to the updated version in response to the update to the updated version. The IP local area telephone system according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising: means for displaying the current version information in response to a command input including a display request.   The IP private telephone system according to any one of the preceding claims, further comprising a maintenance terminal for inputting the command input to the IP-PBX.   The IP local area telephone system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the update information includes an identifier of the IP terminal, a file name of the terminal program of the updated version, and an IP address of the distribution server.   The IP local area telephone system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the distribution server distributes the updated version of the terminal program by a TFTP protocol.

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