JP2007019947A - Communication system and filter setting method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method for automating updating of filter information set in a WAP (Wireless Access Point). <P>SOLUTION: A server device (11) connected to a radio repeater (12) for controlling the acceptance/rejection of connecting a wireless LAN terminal (13) on the basis of filter information 201 instructs the radio repeater to give a connection permission to all wireless LAN terminals and asks the wireless LAN terminals for a MAC address of the terminal after the instruction. The wireless LAN terminals receiving a request from the server device transmit the MAC address of their own MAC address to the radio repeater in response to the request. The server device uses the MAC address received from the wireless LAN terminals to file filter information and transmits the filter information to the radio repeater. The radio repeater sets the filter information received from the server device and controls the acceptance/rejection of connecting the wireless LAN terminals according to the filter information. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a communication system for a wireless LAN terminal, and more particularly to a technique for setting a MAC address used for a filter function of a wireless relay device.

  FIG. 3 shows a basic configuration of a communication system for a wireless LAN terminal. The illustrated system includes a wireless LAN terminal 3, a WAP (Wireless Access Point) 2, and a server device 1 connected to the WAP 2 by a wired LAN via Ethernet (registered trademark). The WAP 2 identifies the wireless LAN terminal 3 to which connection permission has been given by using a MAC address by a filter function called a so-called MAC filter.

As a conventional technique related to connection control of a wireless LAN terminal, for example, there is one described in Patent Document 1 described later. In the technique described in Patent Document 1, an access point device of a wireless LAN system registers a MAC address of a client computer that has made a connection request in a memory to enable wireless connection, and restricts the number of registrations to wirelessly. This is to control the communication performance of communication.
JP 2003-124939 A

  However, the filter function setting information such as the upper limit value of the number of registrations referred to by the access point device needs to be registered from the server device 1 to the WAP 2 by an operator operation. In such registration by an operator operation, there is a possibility that the setting information may not be input correctly. If there is an input error, a situation arises in which even a legitimate user's wireless LAN terminal 3 cannot be connected. Furthermore, there arises a disadvantage that time and labor are spent investigating the cause of the connection failure and re-registering the MAC address.

  In addition, when a user having a wireless LAN terminal 3 whose MAC address is registered in the WAP 2 replaces the wireless LAN terminal 3 with another one due to maintenance or the like, the wireless LAN terminal 3 after replacement has its MAC address before replacement. Different from that. Therefore, also in this case, an update operation of the address list registered in the WAP 2 is required by the operation of the operator of the server device 1.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide a method for automating the update of filter information set in a WAP.

  A communication system according to the present invention is connected to a wireless LAN terminal to which a fixed IP address is assigned, a wireless relay apparatus that controls whether or not the wireless LAN terminal can be connected based on filter information, and the wireless relay apparatus to be communicable. And a server device that stores the IP address of the wireless LAN terminal, wherein the server device has a means for invalidating the filter information of the wireless relay device, and the IP address to be stored after the filter information is invalidated as a destination. Means for requesting the wireless LAN terminal for the MAC address of the terminal, and means for organizing filter information from the MAC address acquired by the request and setting the filter information in the wireless relay device. In response to the MAC address request from the server device, the terminal transmits a MAC address of the terminal itself. To.

  The filter setting method according to the present invention is communicably connected to a wireless relay device that controls whether or not a wireless LAN terminal to which a fixed IP address is assigned is connected based on filter information, and stores the IP address of the wireless LAN terminal. The server device invalidates the filter information of the wireless relay device, and the server device requests the MAC address of the terminal to the wireless LAN terminal with the stored IP address as the destination after the filter information is invalidated. A step in which the wireless LAN terminal that has received the request transmits the MAC address of its own terminal to the wireless relay device in response to the request, and the server device obtains filter information from the MAC address acquired by the request. Organizing and setting the filter information in the wireless relay device.

  According to the present invention, when the filter information of the wireless relay device is updated, the processing is automated, so that an input operation by an operator operation becomes unnecessary. Thereby, the filter information can be updated appropriately and promptly when a wireless LAN terminal is added to or exchanged with the system.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. As shown in FIG. 1, the system of this embodiment controls a wireless LAN terminal 30, a WAP (Wireless Access Point) 12 that is a wireless relay device that provides a wireless LAN environment to the wireless LAN terminal 30, and a WAP 20. The server apparatus 10 is provided. The server apparatus 10 and the WAP 20 are connected via a wired LAN by Ethernet (registered trademark). A fixed IP address is assigned to the wireless LAN terminal 30 in advance.

  The WAP 20 incorporates a filter program 21 for controlling whether or not the wireless LAN terminal 30 can be connected. The filter program 21 is a program that performs the same function as a MAC filter conventionally known in this field. The WAP 20 executes the filter program 21 to identify the wireless LAN terminal 30 by its MAC address, and operates to give a connection permission to the wireless LAN terminal 30 having the MAC address in the address list 22. The address list 22 corresponds to the filter information in the present invention.

  The server apparatus 10 incorporates an automatic setting program 11 for managing the address list 22 of the WAP 20. The automatic setting program 11 includes a list deletion unit 12 that instructs the WAP 20 to invalidate the address list 22, an address request unit 13 that requests a MAC address from the wireless LAN terminal 30 after instructing the list deletion, and a wireless LAN terminal 30. And a list updating unit 14 that organizes an address list 22 using the MAC addresses acquired from the information and transmits the list to the WAP 20.

  The server device 10 stores the IP address of the wireless LAN terminal 30 in advance in its storage medium (not shown). As described above, the IP address of the wireless LAN terminal 30 is not automatically assigned every time the terminal is activated, but is fixed. For example, if the system is an order management system, the IP addresses stored in the server device 10 are desirably those of all wireless LAN terminals 30 that are order receiving terminals. The address request means 13 of the automatic setting program 11 transmits a request for the MAC address to the stored IP address.

  An address transmission program 31 is incorporated in the wireless LAN terminal 30. The wireless LAN terminal 30 operates to notify the server device 10 of the MAC address of its own terminal in response to the MAC address request from the server device 10 by executing the address transmission program 31.

  The server device 10 and the wireless LAN terminal 30 according to the present embodiment exchange MAC addresses using an exclusive communication protocol, that is, a unique communication protocol that can be processed only by the server device 10 and the wireless LAN terminal 30 of the present system. . As this protocol, a unique command control protocol assuming application to the sixth and seventh layers of the OSI reference model is used.

  The operation procedure of this embodiment will be described with reference to the sequence diagram shown in FIG. First, the server device 10 starts the automatic setting program 11. This is performed, for example, when the address list 22 of the WAP 20 is updated, such as when the store is opened or when the wireless LAN terminal 30 is replaced, when the system is a store order management or product management system. Moreover, you may make it start regularly for every predetermined period by the timer setting to the server apparatus 10. FIG.

  When the automatic setting program 11 of the server device 10 is activated, the list deletion unit 12 invalidates the address list 22 of the WAP 20 (step S1). This control for the WAP 20 can be performed using, for example, a conventionally known Telnet. By invalidating the address list 22, all the MAC addresses previously registered in the address list 22 are deleted (step S2).

  Since the access restriction on the WAP 20 is once released by the invalidation of the address list 22, access to the wireless LAN terminal 30 that is newly registered in the address list 22 is also permitted.

  Next, the address requesting means 13 of the automatic setting program 11 requests the MAC address from the wireless LAN terminal 30 using the IP address of the wireless LAN terminal 30 stored in advance (step S3). The wireless LAN terminal 30 that has received the request reads the MAC address of its own terminal by the address transmission program 31, and transmits it to the server device 10 (step S4).

  Since the request for the MAC address transmitted by the server device 10 is destined for the fixed IP address stored in advance in the server device 10, that is, the destination is the wireless LAN terminal 30 to be managed, the unmanaged terminal Will not be sent to. Therefore, the required MAC address can be acquired efficiently.

  Note that the access restriction for the WAP 20 is once released when the MAC address is exchanged, but the communication during this time uses a unique communication protocol between the server device 10 and the wireless LAN terminal 30 as described above. Even if there is a terminal that attempts to illegally use the IP address of the wireless LAN terminal 30, it can be eliminated. Therefore, security is ensured even if the address list 22 is invalidated.

  When the server device 10 acquires the MAC address from the wireless LAN terminal 30, the list update unit 14 organizes a new address list 22 with all the acquired MAC addresses (step S5). At this time, since the wireless LAN terminal 30 excluded from the system due to maintenance or the like does not respond to the server device 10, the MAC address is not listed in the new address list 22.

  Finally, the list update means 14 transmits a new address list 22 to the WAP 20 and controls the Telnet so as to restart the filter function using the address list 22 (steps S6 and S7).

  According to the embodiment described above, when the address list 22 of the WAP 20 is updated, the process is automated by the automatic setting program 11 of the server device 10, so that an input operation by an operator operation becomes unnecessary. As a result, the address list 22 can be updated appropriately and quickly by replacing or adding the wireless LAN terminal 30. Further, since the MAC address of the wireless LAN terminal 30 excluded from the system is automatically excluded from the address list 22 due to the update, the enlargement of the address list 22 due to holding unnecessary MAC addresses can be prevented. .

  In the above-described embodiment, a unique communication protocol is used between the server device 10 and the wireless LAN terminal 30 as a communication protocol when the MAC address is exchanged. However, this is not essential, and a general-purpose communication protocol is used depending on the use of the system. It may be changed as appropriate. For example, in an application where the possibility of unauthorized access to the wireless LAN is extremely low, such as in a small shop or a closed site, a general-purpose communication protocol can be used instead of a unique communication protocol.

  The present invention includes, for example, a POS system used in a retail store, a restaurant, or the like, or an order management system including an order terminal, a kitchen printer, an order controller, or the like, or a store server and an inventory management terminal. It is suitable for various uses such as a sales system in which a wireless LAN can be used.

It is a block diagram which shows the structure of embodiment of this invention. It is a sequence diagram which shows the operation | movement procedure of embodiment. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating the conventional system.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Server apparatus 11 Automatic setting program 12 List deletion means 13 Address request means 14 List update means 20 WAP
21 Filter program 22 Address list 30 Wireless LAN terminal 31 Address transmission program

Claims (10)

A wireless LAN terminal to which a fixed IP address is assigned, a wireless relay apparatus that controls whether or not the wireless LAN terminal can be connected based on filter information, and an IP address of the wireless LAN terminal that is communicably connected to the wireless relay apparatus And a server device for storing
The server device invalidates the filter information of the wireless relay device, means for requesting the MAC address of the terminal to the wireless LAN terminal with the stored IP address as the destination after the filter information is invalidated, Means for organizing filter information from the MAC address acquired by the request and setting the filter information in the wireless relay device;
The wireless LAN terminal has a means for transmitting a MAC address of the own terminal in response to a request for a MAC address from the server device.   The communication system according to claim 1, wherein the server device and the wireless LAN terminal execute exchange of the MAC address by an exclusive communication protocol. A server device that is communicably connected to a wireless relay device that controls whether or not a wireless LAN terminal that is assigned a fixed IP address is connected based on filter information, and that stores the IP address of the wireless LAN terminal,
Means for invalidating filter information of the wireless relay device, means for requesting the MAC address of the terminal to the wireless LAN terminal with the stored IP address as the destination after the invalidation of filter information, and obtained by the request Means for organizing filter information from MAC addresses and setting the filter information in the wireless relay device.   4. The server device according to claim 3, wherein exchange of a MAC address with a wireless LAN terminal is executed by an exclusive communication protocol.   A program for causing a computer to function as the server device according to claim 3 or 4.   A wireless LAN terminal comprising means for transmitting a MAC address of its own terminal in response to a request for a MAC address from a server device that is communicably connected to a wireless relay device and stores an IP address of the wireless LAN terminal.   7. The wireless LAN terminal according to claim 6, wherein exchange of a MAC address with the wireless relay device is executed by an exclusive communication protocol.   A program for causing a computer to function as the wireless LAN terminal according to claim 6 or 7. A server device that is communicably connected to a wireless relay device that controls whether or not a wireless LAN terminal to which a fixed IP address is assigned is controlled based on filter information, and that stores the IP address of the wireless LAN terminal. Disabling filter information,
The server device requests the wireless LAN terminal for the MAC address of the terminal with the IP address stored after the filter information is invalidated as a destination;
The wireless LAN terminal that has received the request transmits the MAC address of the terminal to the wireless relay device in response to the request;
A filter setting method comprising: the server device organizing filter information from a MAC address acquired by the request and setting the filter information in the wireless relay device.   The filter setting method according to claim 9, wherein the server device and the wireless LAN terminal execute each step of sending and receiving a MAC address using an exclusive communication protocol.

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