JP2010062950A - Relay server, and relayed communication system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a means for allowing each device to confirm an activation state of an application of other devices in real time in a relayed communication system, where remote LANs communicate beyond WANs. <P>SOLUTION: Relay servers 12, 22 relay mutual communication between client terminals 11, 21. The relay servers 12 (22) creates the following information to allow the entire relayed communication system to share the information; namely relay group information indicating that the relay servers 12, 22 compose a relay group and relay server information indicating the client terminal 11 (21) communicable with the relay servers 12 (22) and the application. Each device in the relayed communication system can share information for the activation state of the application of other devices. Each device in the relayed communication system can select an application, namely an opposite party for executing data transmission and reception, based on the activation state of the application of other devices. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a relay server and a relay communication system that enable a client terminal connected to a remote LAN (Local Area Network) to communicate over a WAN (Wide Area Network).

  A client terminal connected to a remote LAN may communicate over a WAN. A VPN (Virtual Private Network) can construct a network as if a remote LAN is directly connected. However, it is difficult for VPN to build a scalable and flexible network.

  The relay communication system disclosed in Patent Document 1 can construct a network as if a remote LAN is directly connected, like VPN. And unlike a VPN, a relay communication system is easy to construct a network with expandability and flexibility.

  The relay communication system includes a WAN and a plurality of LANs. Each LAN includes a relay server. Each relay server stores relay group information about a relay server included in the relay communication system and shared resource information about a resource shared by the relay communication system.

  When a client terminal connected to one LAN operates a resource stored in a client terminal connected to another LAN, the relay server connected to these LANs is based on the relay group information and the shared resource information. , Relay resource operations.

  The number of LANs included in the relay communication system may increase or decrease. Resources shared by the relay communication system may be updated. However, the relay communication system can update the relay group information and the shared resource information in response to these changes. And the relay communication system can construct | assemble a network with an expandability and flexibility corresponding to these changes.

JP 2008-129991 A

  In the relay communication system disclosed in Patent Document 1, the increase / decrease state and connection state of the LAN and client terminals may change. However, when the client terminal and the relay server specify the communication destination, a specific means for confirming the increase / decrease state and connection state of the device in real time is not disclosed. Furthermore, the activation state of the application stored in the client terminal and the relay server may change. However, when the client terminal and the relay server specify the communication destination, no specific means for confirming the activation state of the application stored in the apparatus in real time is disclosed.

  Therefore, in view of the above problems, in the relay communication system that enables a client terminal connected to a remote LAN to communicate over a WAN, the client terminal and the relay server specify a communication destination. It is an object of the present invention to provide a specific means for confirming an increase / decrease state and a connection state of devices in real time. It is another object of the present invention to provide a specific means for confirming in real time the activation state of an application stored in a device when a client terminal and a relay server specify a communication destination.

In order to solve the above problem, the invention according to claim 1 is a relay server that can communicate with the first relay server connected to the first network and functions as the second relay server connected to the second network. A relay group information creating unit for creating relay group information indicating that the first relay server and the second relay server constitute a relay group, and a first relay server indicating an activation state of the first relay server. First client terminal related to the first client terminal registered in the first relay server, including activation information and a connection state between the first relay server and the first client terminal connected to the first network First information indicating registration information and the activation state of the first application stored in the first relay server or the first client terminal First relay server information created by the first relay server, second relay server start information indicating the start state of the second relay server, the second relay server, and the second relay server Second client terminal registration information related to the second client terminal registered in the second relay server, including a connection state with a second client terminal connected to two networks, and the second relay server or the second Relay server information including second relay server information generated by the second relay server, and second relay server information including second application start information indicating a start state of the second application stored in the second client terminal, and the relay A relay server sharing unit for sharing group information between the first relay server and the second relay server; and the relay group. And between the client terminal sharing unit that shares with the relay server information and-loop information between the second relay server the second client terminal,
It is characterized by providing.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the relay server according to the first aspect, the second relay server relays the first application selected based on the relay group information and the relay server information. The communication execution part which performs communication is provided.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the relay server according to the first or second aspect, the first application activation information and the first application activation information according to changes in activation states of the first application and the second application, respectively An update information update unit configured to update the relay server information by updating the second application activation information; and the inter-relay server sharing unit transmits the updated relay server information to the first relay server and the relay server information. It is shared with the second relay server.

  The invention according to claim 4 is a relay communication comprising a first network, a second network, a first relay server connected to the first network, and a second relay server connected to the second network. The first relay server and the second relay server are relay system information creating the relay group information indicating that the first relay server and the second relay server constitute a relay group. The first relay server includes: first relay server activation information indicating an activation state of the first relay server; and a first client terminal connected to the first relay server and the first network. First client terminal registration information related to the first client terminal registered in the first relay server including a connection state between the first relay server and the first relay server. Or a first relay server information creating unit that creates first relay server information including first application activation information stored in the first client terminal, wherein the second relay server Registered in the second relay server, including the second relay server activation information indicating the activation status of the two relay servers, and the connection status between the second relay server and the second client terminal connected to the second network. Second relay server information including second client terminal registration information related to the second client terminal and the start information of the second application stored in the second relay server or the second client terminal is created. A second relay server information creation unit, wherein the first relay server and the second relay server include the first relay server information and the second relay server information Relay server information including relay server information and the relay group information, and the relay server sharing unit that shares the relay group information between the first relay server and the second relay server, the first relay server Includes a first inter-client-terminal sharing unit that shares the relay group information and the relay server information between the first relay server and the first client terminal, and the second relay server includes the relay group information And a second inter-client-terminal sharing unit that shares the relay server information between the second relay server and the second client terminal.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the relay communication system according to the fourth aspect, the first relay server corresponds to the second application selected based on the relay group information and the relay server information. The communication execution part which performs the communication which 1 relay server relays is included, It is characterized by the above-mentioned.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the relay communication system according to the fourth or fifth aspect, the first relay server and the second relay server are activated by the first application and the second application, respectively. An update information updating unit that updates the relay server information by updating the first application activation information and the second application activation information according to a change in state, and the inter-relay server sharing unit is updated. The relay server information is shared between the first relay server and the second relay server.

  The relay communication system includes a first network and a second network. The first network includes a first relay server and a first client terminal. A terminal connected to the first network includes a first application. The second network includes a second relay server and a second client terminal. A terminal connected to the second network includes a second application. The first relay server and the second relay server relay communication between the first application and the second application.

  The first (second) relay server creates relay group information, first (second) relay server information, and client terminal information. The relay group information is information indicating that the first relay server and the second relay server constitute a relay group. The first (second) relay server information is information indicating the first (second) client terminal capable of communicating with the first (second) relay server and information indicating the first (second) application. is there. The client terminal information is information indicating a connection environment of the first (second) client terminal in the first (second) network.

  The first (second) relay server can share the first relay server information and the second relay server information between the first relay server and the second relay server by referring to the relay group information. The first (second) relay server refers to each client terminal information so that the relay group information and the relay server information can be obtained between the first (second) relay server and the first (second) client terminal. Can share.

  The first (second) relay server information can include communication enable / disable information of the first (second) relay server and the first (second) client terminal. The first (second) relay server information can include communication enable / disable information of the first (second) application of the terminal connected to the first (second) network. Each device in the relay communication system can share information about the increase / decrease state and connection state of the device. Each device in the relay communication system can share information about the activation state of the application. Each device in the relay communication system can select an application of a client terminal or a relay server that is a counterpart to execute data transmission / reception based on the increase / decrease state and connection state of the device, and the activation state of the application.

{Overall configuration of relay communication system}
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an overall configuration of a relay communication system. The relay communication system includes LANs 1 and 2 and WAN3. LANs 1 and 2 are small-scale networks constructed remotely. The WAN 3 is a large-scale network such as the Internet.

  The LAN 1 includes a client terminal 11 and a relay server 12. The LAN 2 includes a client terminal 21 and a relay server 22. The WAN 3 includes a SIP (Session Initiation Protocol) server 31.

  The client terminals 11 and 21 are personal computers or the like. The relay servers 12 and 22 relay communication between the client terminals 11 and 21. The SIP server 31 relays communication between the relay servers 12 and 22.

  In the present embodiment, SIP is used as a communication protocol between the relay servers 12 and 22, but a protocol other than SIP may be used. When a protocol other than SIP is used, communication between the relay servers 12 and 22 may be directly executed.

{Components of relay server}
FIG. 2 is a diagram showing components of the relay server 12 (22). The relay server 12 (22) includes an interface unit 121 (221), a control unit 122 (222), and a database storage unit 123 (223). A code without parentheses indicates a code in the relay server 12. Reference numerals with parentheses indicate reference numerals in the relay server 22.

  The interface unit 121 (221) performs communication with the client terminal 11 (21) connected to the LAN 1 (2) using the private IP address. The interface unit 121 (221) performs communication with the SIP server 31 connected to the WAN 3 using the global IP address.

  The control unit 122 (222) performs control for relaying communication between the client terminals 11 and 21. The control unit 122 (222) creates or updates the following information stored in the database storage unit 123 (223).

The database storage unit 123 (223) includes the relay group information storage unit 124 (224), the relay server information storage unit 125 (225), and the client terminal information storage unit 126 (226).
Consists of Specific examples of the above information will be described later.

  In the present embodiment, the relay servers 12 and 22 do not include an application program (hereinafter referred to as an application), unlike the client terminals 11 and 21 described later, but the application is similar to the client terminals 11 and 21 described later. You may prepare. When the relay servers 12 and 22 include applications, the identification information of the applications of the relay servers 12 and 22 may be included in the later-described relay server information as application activation information of the relay servers 12 and 22.

{Components of client terminal}
FIG. 3 shows the components of the client terminal 11 (21). The client terminal 11 (21) includes an interface unit 111 (211), a control unit 112 (212), an application 113 (213), and a database storage unit 116 (216). Reference numerals without parentheses indicate reference numerals in the client terminal 11. Reference numerals with parentheses indicate reference numerals in the client terminal 21.

  The interface unit 111 (211) performs communication with the relay server 12 (22) connected to the LAN 1 (2) using the private IP address.

  The control unit 112 (212) performs control for executing communication between the client terminal 11 (21) and the relay server 12 (22).

  The control unit 112 (212) inputs or outputs application data to be processed by the application 113 (213). The application 113 (213) includes a first application 114 (214) and a second application 115 (215). The first applications 114 and 214 are the same application. The second applications 115 and 215 are the same application. The first applications 114 and 214 are different from the second applications 115 and 215.

  The control unit 112 (212) creates or updates the following information stored in the database storage unit 116 (216). The database storage unit 116 (216) includes a relay group information storage unit 117 (217) and a relay server information storage unit 118 (218). Specific examples of the above information will be described later.

{Specific example of relay group information}
FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating the relay group information 40 as a specific example of the relay group information. The relay group information is information indicating an outline of the relay server that constitutes the relay communication system.

  The relay group information 40 includes upper information 401 and lower information 402.

  The upper information 401 is information regarding the relay group at the upper level. “Id” indicates identification information of the relay group. “Lastmod” indicates the latest update time of the relay group information. “Name” indicates the name of the relay group.

  The lower information 402 is information about the relay server at the lower level. “Id” indicates identification information of the relay server.

  The relay group information 40 is stored in the relay group information storage units 124, 224, 117, and 217. That is, the relay group information 40 is shared by the relay servers 12 and 22 and the client terminals 11 and 21.

{Specific example of relay server information}
FIG. 5 is a diagram showing relay server information 50 as a specific example of the relay server information. The relay server information is information that indicates details of the relay server that constitutes the relay communication system, and is an information that indicates an outline of the client terminal that constitutes the relay communication system.

  The relay server information 50 includes upper information 501-1 and 501-2 and lower information 502-1 and 502-2. The upper information 501-1 and 501-2 include relay server activation information 503-1 and 503-2, respectively. The lower information 502-1 and 502-2 include application activation information 504-1 and 504-2, and client terminal site information 505-1 and 505-2 indicating whether the client terminal is logged in to the relay server, respectively. .

  The upper information 501-1 and 501-2 are information on the relay server at the upper level. “Id” indicates identification information of the relay server. “Name” indicates the name of the relay server. The relay server activation information 503-1 and 503-2 are information about whether the relay server is activated.

  The lower information 502-1 and 502-2 are information about the lower client terminals. “Div” indicates a department name of the client terminal. The application activation information 504-1 and 504-2 are application identification information and information indicating that the application is activated. “Group” indicates identification information of the relay group to which the client terminal belongs. “Id” indicates identification information of the client terminal. “Name” indicates the name of the client terminal. Client terminal site information 505-1 and 505-2 indicate identification information of the relay server to which the client terminal is logged on.

  The relay server information 50 is stored in the relay server information storage units 125, 225, 118, and 218. That is, the relay server information 50 is shared by the relay servers 12 and 22 and the client terminals 11 and 21.

  When the relay server is activated, the relay server activation information 503-1 and 503-2 are “active”. When the relay server is not activated, the relay server activation information 503-1 and 503-2 are blank. Thereby, information about whether the relay server is activated is shared as the whole relay communication system.

  When the application is activated, application activation information 504-1 and 504-2 are described. When the application is not activated, application activation information 504-1 and 504-2 are not described. Thereby, the information about whether the application is activated is shared as the whole relay communication system. Further, as described above, there are cases where the relay servers 12 and 22 store applications, and the activation status of the applications stored in the relay servers 12 and 22 can be shared by the entire relay communication system. In this case, information similar to the application activation information 504-1 and 504-2 is described in the upper information 501-1 and 501-2 as information on the activation state of the application stored in the relay servers 12 and 22. It only has to be done. Further, the number of applications sharing the activation state in the entire relay communication system may be single or plural. Applications are stored in both the first client terminal 11 and the first relay server 12, and both activation states can be shared.

  When the client terminal is logged on to the relay server, client terminal site information 505-1 and 505-2 are described. When the client terminal is not logged on to the relay server, the client terminal site information 505-1 and 505-2 are not described. As a result, information about whether the client terminal is logged on to the relay server is shared as the entire relay communication system.

{Specific examples of client terminal information}
FIG. 6 is a diagram showing client terminal information 60 and 70 as specific examples of the client terminal information. The client terminal information is information indicating details of the client terminals that constitute the relay communication system.

  The client terminal information 60 and 70 includes client terminal address information 601 and 701, client terminal expiration date information 602 and 702, and client terminal port information 603 and 703, respectively.

  “Div” indicates a department name of the client terminal. “Group” indicates identification information of the relay group to which the client terminal belongs. Client terminal address information 601, 701 indicates the IP address of the client terminal. The client terminal expiration date information 602 and 702 indicates the registration expiration date of the client terminal. “Id” indicates identification information of the client terminal. “Name” indicates the name of the client terminal. “Pass” indicates a password of the client terminal. The client terminal port information 603, 703 indicates the port number of the client terminal.

  The client terminal information 60 is stored only in the client terminal information storage unit 126, and the client terminal information 70 is stored only in the client terminal information storage unit 226. That is, the client terminal information 60 is held only by the relay server 12, and the client terminal information 70 is held only by the relay server 22.

{Information sharing flow}
FIG. 7 and FIG. 8 are diagrams showing the flow of processing in which relay group information and relay server information are shared. The relay servers 12 and 22 participate in the relay communication system. The user of the client terminal 11 does not start the second application 115 while logging on to the relay server 12 and starting the first application 114. The user of the client terminal 21 logs on to the relay server 22 and activates the first application 214 and activates the second application 215.

[Processing flow from step S1 to step S2]
The administrator of the relay server 12 and the administrator of the relay server 22 make a contract for building a group of relay communication systems between the LANs 1 and 2.

  The administrator of the relay server 12 creates an account for the user of the client terminal 11 (step S1: CreateAccount ()). The control unit 122 creates relay server information 51-1 and stores it in the relay server information storage unit 125.

  The administrator of the relay server 22 creates an account for the user of the client terminal 21 (Step S2: CreateAccount ()). The control unit 222 creates relay server information 51-2 and stores it in the relay server information storage unit 225.

  Through the above processing flow, the relay server 12 holds the relay server information 51-1. The relay server 22 has relay server information 51-2.

  The first frame in FIG. 9 shows the relay server information 51-1. The upper information 511-1 is information about the relay server 12 at the upper level. As “id”, “relay-server-1@abc.net” is set. “RELAY SERVER 1” is set as “name”. “Active” is set as the relay server activation information 513-1. That is, the relay server 12 is activated.

  The lower information 512-1 is information about the client terminal 11 at the lower level. “Software” is set as “div”. “20070402133100@relay-server-1.abc.net” is set as “group”. As “id”, “client-1@relay-server-1.abc.net” is set. “CLIENT 1” is set as “name”. The client terminal site information 515-1 is blank. That is, the user of the client terminal 11 is not logged on to the relay server 12.

  Application startup information is not described. That is, since the user of the client terminal 11 is not logged on to the relay server 12, the relay server 12 is not involved in the activation state of the application stored in the client terminal 11.

  The second frame in FIG. 9 shows the relay server information 51-2. The upper information 511-2 is information about the relay server 22 at the upper level. As “id”, “relay-server-2@abc.net” is set. “RELAY SERVER 2” is set as “name”. “Active” is set as the relay server activation information 513-2. That is, the relay server 22 is activated.

  The lower information 512-2 is information about the client terminal 21 that is a lower level. “Software” is set as “div”. “20070402133100@relay-server-1.abc.net” is set as “group”. As “id”, “client-2@relay-server-2.abc.net” is set. “CLIENT 2” is set as “name”. The client terminal site information 515-2 is blank. That is, the user of the client terminal 21 is not logged on to the relay server 22.

  Application startup information is not described. That is, since the user of the client terminal 21 is not logged on to the relay server 22, the relay server 22 is not involved in how the application stored in the client terminal 21 is activated.

[Processing flow from step S3 to step S4]
In the following description, communication between the relay servers 12 and 22 is relayed by the SIP server 31. A method in which the relay server 12 (22) performs communication with the relay server 22 (12) via the SIP server 31 will be described.

  The relay server 12 (22) transmits, for example, data in which the account of the relay server 22 (12) is designated as a communication destination to the SIP server 31. The SIP server 31 associates the accounts of the relay servers 12 and 22 with the global IP addresses of the relay servers 12 and 22, respectively. The SIP server 31 acquires the global IP address of the relay server 22 (12) based on the account of the relay server 22 (12). The SIP server 31 transmits, for example, data in which the global IP address of the relay server 22 (12) is designated as a communication destination to the relay server 22 (12).

  The relay server 12 requests the relay server 22 to construct a group of the relay communication system (step S3: SetGroup ()). The control unit 122 creates the relay group information 42 and stores it in the relay group information storage unit 124. The control unit 222 creates the relay group information 42 and stores it in the relay group information storage unit 224.

  The relay server 12 requests the relay server 22 to exchange relay server information (step S4: exchange (db)). The relay server 12 transmits a copy of the relay server information 51-1 to the relay server 22. The relay server 22 transmits a copy of the relay server information 51-2 to the relay server 12.

  The control unit 122 creates the relay server information 52 by duplicating the relay server information 51-2 and combining the relay server information 51-1, and stores the relay server information 52 in the relay server information storage unit 125. The control unit 222 creates the relay server information 52 by combining the relay server information 51-1 and the relay server information 51-2, and stores the relay server information 52 in the relay server information storage unit 225.

  The control unit 122 creates client terminal information 62 and stores it in the client terminal information storage unit 126. The control unit 222 creates client terminal information 72 and stores it in the client terminal information storage unit 226. The creation process and storage process of the client terminal information 62 are executed in step S1, and the creation process and storage process of the client terminal information 72 are executed in step S2.

  Through the above processing flow, the relay server 12 holds the relay group information 42, the relay server information 52, and the client terminal information 62. The relay server 22 has relay group information 42, relay server information 52, and client terminal information 72. The relay group information 42 and the relay server information 52 are shared by the relay servers 12 and 22.

  The first frame in FIG. 10 shows the relay group information 42. The upper information 421 is information about the relay group at the upper level. As “id”, “20070402133100@relay-server-1.abc.net” is set. As “lastmod”, “20070402133100” is set. “GROUP 1” is set as “name”.

  The lower information 422 is information about the relay servers 12 and 22 that are lower. As “id”, “relay-server-1@abc.net” and “relay-server-2@abc.net” are set.

  The second frame in FIG. 10 shows the relay server information 52. The upper information 521-1 and 521-2 are the same as the upper information 511-1 and 511-2 in FIG. 9, respectively. The lower information 522-1 and 522-2 are the same as the lower information 512-1 and 512-2 in FIG. 9, respectively.

  The third frame in FIG. 10 shows client terminal information 62. “Software” is set as “div”. “20070402133100@relay-server-1.abc.net” is set as “group”. As “id”, “client-1@relay-server-1.abc.net” is set. “CLIENT 1” is set as “name”. “Client-1” is set as “pass”.

  The client terminal address information 621 is blank. “0” is set as the client terminal expiration date information 622. The client terminal port information 623 is blank. That is, the user of the client terminal 11 is not logged on to the relay server 12.

  The fourth frame in FIG. 10 shows client terminal information 72. “Software” is set as “div”. “20070402133100@relay-server-1.abc.net” is set as “group”. As “id”, “client-2@relay-server-2.abc.net” is set. “CLIENT 2” is set as “name”. “Client-2” is set as “pass”.

  The client terminal address information 721 is blank. “0” is set as the client terminal expiration date information 722. The client terminal port information 723 is blank. That is, the user of the client terminal 21 is not logged on to the relay server 22.

[Processing flow from step S5 to step S7]
The user of the client terminal 11 activates the first application 114 and creates a message that the user desires to share in the relay communication system. The first application 114 registers its own identification information set in advance in the control unit 112 (step S5: CreateMessage ()). The user of the client terminal 11 does not start the second application 115 while starting the first application 114.

  The user of the client terminal 21 activates the first application 214 and creates a message that the user desires to share in the relay communication system. The first application 214 registers its own identification information set in advance in the control unit 212 (step S6: CreateMessage ()). The user of the client terminal 21 activates the first application 214 and activates the second application 215 (Step S7: CreateMessage ()). Steps S6 and S7 are executed in the same manner.

[Processing flow from step S8 to step S10]
The user of the client terminal 11 inputs “client-1@relay-server-1.abc.net” as the identification information of the client terminal 11 and inputs “client-1” as the password of the client terminal 11. . The user of the client terminal 11 has activated the first application 114 in step S5. The user of the client terminal 11 logs on to the relay server 12 (step S8: REGISTER (ID, PASS, APPLKEY1)). The control unit 122 performs authentication of the user of the client terminal 11 by referring to the client terminal information 62.

  The control unit 122 accepts logon of the user of the client terminal 11. The control unit 122 creates the relay server information 53 by updating the relay server information 52 and stores it in the relay server information storage unit 125. The control unit 122 creates the client terminal information 63 by updating the client terminal information 62 and stores the client terminal information 63 in the client terminal information storage unit 126. The control unit 122 does not update the relay group information 42.

  The client terminal 11 requests the relay server 12 to provide relay group information and relay server information (step S9: get ()). The relay server 12 transmits a copy of the relay group information 42 and the relay server information 53 to the client terminal 11. The client terminal 11 stores the relay group information 42 in the relay group information storage unit 117, and stores the relay server information 53 in the relay server information storage unit 118.

  The control unit 122 refers to the relay group information 42 and the relay server information 53 to determine a relay server to be notified that the relay server information 52 has been updated to the relay server information 53. The control unit 122 determines the relay server 22 whose relay server activation information 533-2 of the relay server information 53 is “active” as a relay server to be notified.

  The relay server 12 notifies the relay server 22 that the relay server information 52 has been updated to the relay server information 53 (step S10: NOTIFY ()). The control unit 222 updates the relay server information 52 to create the relay server information 53 and stores it in the relay server information storage unit 225.

  The control unit 222 refers to the client terminal information 72 to determine a client terminal to be notified that the relay server information 52 has been updated to the relay server information 53. The control unit 222 does not determine the client terminal 21 in which the client terminal address information 721 of the client terminal information 72 is blank and the client terminal port information 723 of the client terminal information 72 is blank as a client terminal to be notified. .

  Through the above processing flow, the relay server 12 holds the relay group information 42, the relay server information 53, and the client terminal information 63. The relay server 22 has relay group information 42, relay server information 53, and client terminal information 72. The client terminal 11 has relay group information 42 and relay server information 53. The relay group information 42 and the relay server information 53 are shared by the relay servers 12 and 22 and the client terminal 11.

  The first frame in FIG. 11 shows the relay group information 42. In the processing flow from step S8 to step S10, the relay group information 42 is not updated because a new relay server has not participated in the relay communication system.

  The second frame in FIG. 11 shows the relay server information 53. The updated part is indicated by the underlined part. The user of the client terminal 11 does not activate the second application 115 while the first application 114 is activated. Further, the user of the client terminal 11 is logged on to the relay server 12. Therefore, “applkey =“ applkey1 ”” is described as the application activation information 534-1 of the lower information 532-1, but “applkey =“ applkey2 ”” is not described. Further, the client terminal site information 535-1 of the lower information 532-1 is fixed to “relay-server-1@abc.net”.

  The third frame in FIG. 11 shows client terminal information 63. The updated part is indicated by the underlined part. The user of the client terminal 11 is logged on to the relay server 12. Therefore, the client terminal address information 631 is fixed to “192.168.10.2”. Further, the client terminal expiration date information 632 is fixed to “1213935960484”. Further, the client terminal port information 633 is fixed to “5070”.

  The fourth frame in FIG. 11 shows client terminal information 72. In the processing flow from step S8 to step S10, since the user of the client terminal 21 is not logged on to the relay server 22, the client terminal information 72 is not updated.

[Flow of processing from step S11 to step S14]
The user of the client terminal 21 inputs “client-2@relay-server-2.abc.net” as identification information of the client terminal 21, and inputs “client-2” as the password of the client terminal 21. . The user of the client terminal 21 activates the first application 214 and the second application 215 in steps S6 and S7. The user of the client terminal 21 logs on to the relay server 22 (step S11: REGISTER (ID, PASS, APPLKEY1, APPLKEY2)). The control unit 222 performs authentication of the user of the client terminal 21 by referring to the client terminal information 72.

  The control unit 222 accepts logon of the user of the client terminal 21. The control unit 222 updates the relay server information 53 to create the relay server information 54 and stores it in the relay server information storage unit 225. The control unit 222 creates the client terminal information 74 by updating the client terminal information 72 and stores it in the client terminal information storage unit 226. The control unit 222 does not update the relay group information 42.

  The client terminal 21 requests the relay server 22 to provide relay group information and relay server information (step S12: get ()). The relay server 22 transmits a copy of the relay group information 42 and the relay server information 54 to the client terminal 21. The client terminal 21 stores the relay group information 42 in the relay group information storage unit 217, and stores the relay server information 54 in the relay server information storage unit 218.

  The control unit 222 refers to the relay group information 42 and the relay server information 54 to determine a relay server to be notified that the relay server information 53 has been updated to the relay server information 54. The control unit 222 determines the relay server 12 whose relay server activation information 543-1 of the relay server information 54 is “active” as a relay server to be notified.

  The relay server 22 notifies the relay server 12 that the relay server information 53 has been updated to the relay server information 54 (step S13: NOTIFY ()). The control unit 122 creates the relay server information 54 by updating the relay server information 53 and stores it in the relay server information storage unit 125.

  The control unit 122 refers to the client terminal information 63 to determine a client terminal to be notified that the relay server information 53 has been updated to the relay server information 54. The control unit 122 determines the client terminal 11 in which the client terminal address information 631 of the client terminal information 63 is determined and the client terminal port information 633 of the client terminal information 63 is determined as a client terminal to be notified.

  The relay server 12 notifies the client terminal 11 that the relay server information 53 has been updated to the relay server information 54 (step S14: NOTIFY ()). The control unit 112 creates the relay server information 54 by updating the relay server information 53 and stores it in the relay server information storage unit 118.

  Through the above processing flow, the relay server 12 has the relay group information 42, the relay server information 54, and the client terminal information 63. The relay server 22 has relay group information 42, relay server information 54, and client terminal information 74. The client terminal 11 has relay group information 42 and relay server information 54. The client terminal 21 has relay group information 42 and relay server information 54. The relay group information 42 and the relay server information 54 are shared by the relay servers 12 and 22 and the client terminals 11 and 21.

  The first frame in FIG. 12 shows the relay group information 42. In the processing flow from step S11 to step S14, the relay group information 42 is not updated because a new relay server does not participate in the relay communication system.

  The second frame in FIG. 12 shows the relay server information 54. The updated part is indicated by the underlined part. The user of the client terminal 21 has activated the first application 214 and has activated the second application 215. Further, the user of the client terminal 21 is logged on to the relay server 22. Therefore, “appkey =“ applkey1, applkey2 ”” is described as the application activation information 544-2 of the lower information 542-2. Further, the client terminal site information 545-2 of the lower information 542-2 is fixed to “relay-server-2@abc.net”.

  The third frame in FIG. 12 shows client terminal information 63. In the processing flow from step S11 to step S14, since the user of the client terminal 11 has not logged off from the relay server 12, the client terminal information 63 is not updated.

  The fourth frame in FIG. 12 shows client terminal information 74. The updated part is indicated by the underlined part. The user of the client terminal 21 is logged on to the relay server 22. Therefore, the client terminal address information 741 is fixed at “192.168.1.10”. Further, the client terminal expiration date information 742 is fixed to “1213935978484”. Further, the client terminal port information 743 is fixed to “5070”.

{Summary of information sharing}
In a relay communication system, the increase / decrease state and connection state of LANs and client terminals may change. The activation state of the application stored in the client terminal and the relay server may change. Therefore, when one relay server recognizes the state change, it immediately updates the relay group information, the relay server information, and the client terminal information.

  Then, the one relay server immediately notifies the other relay servers described in the relay group information and the relay server information that the relay group information and the relay server information are updated. Further, the one relay server immediately notifies the client terminal described in the client terminal information that the relay group information and the relay server information are updated.

  However, if one relay server determines that another relay server is not connected even if the other relay server is described in the relay group information and relay server information, it immediately notifies the other relay server. Never do. Furthermore, even if the client terminal is described in the client terminal information, the one relay server does not immediately notify the client terminal when it is determined that the client terminal is not connected.

  As a result, the information about the increase / decrease state and connection state of the LAN and the client terminal and the information about the activation state of the application stored in the client terminal and the relay server are shared in real time as the entire relay communication system.

{Flow of data transmission / reception}
13 and 14 are diagrams illustrating a flow of data transmission / reception after information sharing. After the information sharing, the relay group information 42, the relay server information 54, and the client terminal information 63 and 74 shown in FIG. 12 are stored.

  The user of the client terminal 11 does not start the second application 115 while logging on to the relay server 12 and starting the first application 114. The user of the client terminal 21 logs on to the relay server 22 and activates the first application 214 and activates the second application 215.

  The first applications 114 and 214 are the same application. The second applications 115 and 215 are the same application. The first applications 114 and 214 are different from the second applications 115 and 215.

[Processing flow from step S15 to step S18]
FIG. 13 shows a flow of processing for establishing a connection before transmitting / receiving data. The user of the client terminal 11 confirms the relay group to which the client terminal 11 belongs. Specifically, the user of the client terminal 11 displays the relay group information 42 on the display screen of the client terminal 11 (getGroup ()). In the relay group information 42, identification information “relay-server-1@abc.net” and “relay-server-2@abc.net” of the relay servers 12 and 22 are set. The user of the client terminal 11 confirms that the client terminal 11 belongs to a relay group configured by the relay servers 12 and 22.

  The user of the client terminal 11 displays the relay server information 54 corresponding to the relay group information 42 on the display screen of the client terminal 11 (getServer ()). The user of the client terminal 11 refers to the relay server information 54 and confirms information on the relay servers that form the relay group, the client terminals that are positioned below the relay server, and the applications that are running in the relay group. .

  The user of the client terminal 11 refers to the relay server information 54 and confirms that data transmission / reception with the client terminal 21 is possible. Further, the user of the client terminal 11 confirms that the first application 214 is activated in the client terminal 21 and that communication is possible.

  For the relay server 12, the first application 114 confirms that the relay server activation information 543-1 of the relay server information 54 is set to “active”. That is, it is confirmed that the relay server 12 is activated.

  For the relay server 22, the first application 114 confirms that the relay server activation information 543-2 of the relay server information 54 is set to “active”. That is, it is confirmed that the relay server 22 is activated.

  The first application 114 confirms that the client terminal site information 545-2 of the relay server information 54 is set to “relay-server-2@abc.net” for the client terminal 21. That is, it is confirmed that the client terminal 21 is logged on to the relay server 22.

  For the client terminal 21, the first application 114 confirms that the application activation information 544-2 of the relay server information 54 is set to “applkey1, applkey2”. That is, it is confirmed that the first application 214 and the second application 215 stored in the client terminal 21 are activated.

  The first application 114 confirms that data can be transmitted to the first application 214 stored in the client terminal 21 via the relay servers 12 and 22. The first application 114 determines to transmit data to the first application 214 stored in the client terminal 21.

  The first application 114 outputs connection establishment request information to the control unit 112. In the communication (stream (1)) between the client terminal 11 and the relay server 12, the client terminal 11 transmits connection establishment request information to the relay server 12 (step S15: open (client-2, client-1, applkey1)).

  The relay server 12 associates the communication between the stream (1) and the relay server 12 and the relay server 22 (stream (2)) as the communication relayed by itself (stream (1): open () == stream ( 2): open ()). The relay server 12 transmits connection establishment request information to the relay server 22 in the stream (2) (step S15.1: open (client-2, client-1, appkey1)).

  The relay server 22 associates the communication (stream (3)) between the stream (2) and the relay server 22 and the client terminal 21 as communication relayed by itself (stream (2): open () == stream ( 3): open ()). The relay server 22 transmits connection establishment request information using the client terminal information 74 to the client terminal 21 in the stream (3) (step S15.1.1: open (client-2, client-1). , Applkey1)). That is, the connection establishment request information is transmitted to the client terminal 21 based on the client terminal address information 742 “192.168.1.10” and the client terminal port information 745 “5070” corresponding to the client terminal 21. . The control unit 212 confirms that connection establishment request information should be output to the first application 214 and should not be output to the second application 215. The control unit 212 outputs connection establishment request information to the first application 214.

  In the stream (3), the client terminal 21 transmits connection establishment permission information to the relay server 22 (ack for step S15.1.1).

  The relay server 22 refers to the association between stream (2) and stream (3) (stream (2): ack () == stream (3): ack ()). In the stream (2), the relay server 22 transmits connection establishment permission information to the relay server 12 (ack for step S15.1).

  The relay server 12 refers to the association between stream (1) and stream (2) (stream (1): ack () == stream (2): ack ()). In the stream (1), the relay server 12 transmits connection establishment permission information to the client terminal 11 (ack for step S15).

  The client terminal 11 establishes a connection (connection (1)) between the client terminal 11 and the relay server 12 to the relay server 12 (step S16: connection (1)).

  The relay server 12 establishes a connection (connection (2)) between the relay server 12 and the relay server 22 with respect to the relay server 22 (step S17: connection (2)). The relay server 12 associates connection (1) and connection (2) as a connection relayed by itself.

  The relay server 22 establishes a connection (connection (3)) between the relay server 22 and the client terminal 21 using the client terminal information 74 with respect to the client terminal 21 (step S18: connection (3)). The relay server 22 associates connection (2) and connection (3) as a connection relayed by itself.

  Through the above processing flow, as described below, the first application 114 stored in the client terminal 11 and the first application 214 stored in the client terminal 21 can transmit and receive data bidirectionally.

  A case where the first application 114 stored in the client terminal 11 transmits data to the first application 214 stored in the client terminal 21 will be described. The first application 114 outputs data to the control unit 112. The client terminal 11 transmits data in connection (1) (connection (1): send ()). When the relay server 12 receives data in the connection (1), the relay server 12 refers to the association between the connection (1) and the connection (2), thereby transmitting the data in the connection (2) (connection (1): recv ( ) == connection (2): send ()).

  When the relay server 22 receives data in the connection (2), the relay server 22 refers to the association between the connection (2) and the connection (3), thereby transmitting the data in the connection (3) (connection (2): recv ( ) == connection (3): send ()). The client terminal 21 receives data in connection (3) (connection (3): recv ()). The control unit 212 outputs data to the first application 214.

  A case where the first application 214 stored in the client terminal 21 transmits data to the first application 114 stored in the client terminal 11 will be described. The first application 214 outputs data to the control unit 212. The client terminal 21 transmits data in connection (3) (connection (3): send ()). When the relay server 22 receives data in the connection (3), the relay server 22 refers to the association between the connection (2) and the connection (3), thereby transmitting the data in the connection (2) (connection (2): send ( ) == connection (3): recv ()).

  When the relay server 12 receives the data in the connection (2), the relay server 12 transmits the data in the connection (1) by referring to the association between the connection (1) and the connection (2) (connection (1): send ( ) == connection (2): recv ()). The client terminal 11 receives data in connection (1) (connection (1): recv ()). The control unit 112 outputs data to the first application 114.

[Flow of processing from step S19 to step S22]
FIG. 14 shows a flow of processing for disconnecting a connection after transmitting / receiving data. In FIG. 13, the first application 114 stored in the client terminal 11 transmits connection establishment request information to the first application 214 stored in the client terminal 21. In FIG. 14, the first application 214 stored in the client terminal 21 transmits connection disconnection request information to the first application 114 stored in the client terminal 11.

  The first application 214 outputs connection disconnection request information to the control unit 212. The client terminal 21 transmits connection disconnection request information to the relay server 22 in stream (3) (step S19: close ()).

  The relay server 22 refers to the association between stream (2) and stream (3) (stream (2): close () == stream (3): close ()). The relay server 22 transmits connection disconnection request information to the relay server 12 in the stream (2) (step S19.1: close ()).

  The relay server 12 refers to the association between stream (1) and stream (2) (stream (1): close () == stream (2): close ()). The relay server 12 transmits connection disconnection request information to the client terminal 11 in stream (1) (step S19.1.1: close ()). The control unit 112 outputs connection disconnection request information to the first application 114.

  The client terminal 21 disconnects connection (3) from the relay server 22 (step S20: disconnect (3)).

  The relay server 22 refers to the association between the connection (2) and the connection (3) (connection (2): disconnect == connection (3): disconnect). The relay server 22 disconnects connection (2) from the relay server 12 (step S21: disconnect (2)).

  The relay server 12 refers to the association between connection (1) and connection (2) (connection (1): disconnect == connection (2): disconnect). The relay server 12 disconnects connection (1) from the client terminal 11 (step S22: disconnect (1)).

  The client terminal and the relay server refer to the relay group information and the relay server information. The client terminal and the relay server can check the increase / decrease state and connection state of the other client terminals and the relay server, and the activation state of the application stored in the other client terminal and the relay server. The client terminal and the relay server can transmit and receive data bidirectionally with the other client terminal and the relay server after confirming the state of the other client terminal and the relay server.

It is a figure which shows the whole structure of a relay communication system. It is a figure which shows the component of a relay server. It is a figure which shows the component of a client terminal. It is a figure which shows the specific example of relay group information. It is a figure which shows the specific example of relay server information. It is a figure which shows the specific example of client terminal information. It is a figure which shows the flow of information sharing. It is a figure which shows the flow of information sharing. It is a figure which shows the information stored after step S2. It is a figure which shows the information stored after step S4. It is a figure which shows the information stored after step S10. It is a figure which shows the information stored after step S14. It is a figure which shows the flow of data transmission / reception. It is a figure which shows the flow of data transmission / reception.

Explanation of symbols

1, 2 LAN
3 WAN
11, 21 Client terminal 12, 22 Relay server 31 SIP server 111, 211 Interface unit 112, 212 Control unit 113, 213 Application 114, 214 First application 115, 215 Second application 116, 216 Database storage unit 117, 217 Relay group Information storage unit 118, 218 Relay server information storage unit 121, 221 Interface unit 122, 222 Control unit 123, 223 Database storage unit 124, 224 Relay group information storage unit 125, 225 Relay server information storage unit 126, 226 Client terminal information storage Part

Claims (6)

A relay server capable of communicating with a first relay server connected to a first network and functioning as a second relay server connected to a second network;
A relay group information creating unit that creates relay group information indicating that the first relay server and the second relay server constitute a relay group;
The first relay server includes first relay server activation information indicating an activation state of the first relay server, and a connection state between the first relay server and a first client terminal connected to the first network. First client terminal registration information related to the registered first client terminal, and first application activation information indicating an activation state of the first application stored in the first relay server or the first client terminal, Including first relay server information created by the first relay server;
The second relay server includes the second relay server activation information indicating the activation state of the second relay server and the connection state between the second relay server and the second client terminal connected to the second network. Second client terminal registration information relating to the registered second client terminal, and second application activation information indicating an activation state of the second application stored in the second relay server or the second client terminal, Second relay server information created by the second relay server, and
Relay server information including the relay group information, and the relay group sharing unit that shares the relay group information between the first relay server and the second relay server,
An inter-client-terminal sharing unit that shares the relay group information and the relay server information between the second relay server and the second client terminal;
A relay server comprising: The relay server according to claim 1, further comprising:
A communication execution unit that executes communication relayed by the second relay server for the first application selected based on the relay group information and the relay server information;
A relay server comprising: In the relay server according to claim 1 or 2,
An activation information updating unit for updating the relay server information by updating the first application activation information and the second application activation information in accordance with changes in activation states of the first application and the second application;
With
The inter-relay server sharing unit shares the updated relay server information between the first relay server and the second relay server. A first network, a second network,
A first relay server connected to the first network;
A second relay server connected to the second network;
A relay communication system comprising:
The first relay server and the second relay server are:
A relay group information creating unit that creates relay group information indicating that the first relay server and the second relay server constitute a relay group;
Including
The first relay server is
The first relay server includes first relay server activation information indicating an activation state of the first relay server, and a connection state between the first relay server and a first client terminal connected to the first network. First relay server information including first client terminal registration information relating to the registered first client terminal, and activation information of the first application stored in the first relay server or the first client terminal, A first relay server information creation unit to be created;
Including
The second relay server is
The second relay server includes the second relay server activation information indicating the activation state of the second relay server and the connection state between the second relay server and the second client terminal connected to the second network. Second relay server information including second client terminal registration information relating to the registered second client terminal, and activation information of the second application stored in the second relay server or the second client terminal. A second relay server information creation unit to be created;
Including
The first relay server and the second relay server are:
Inter-relay server sharing in which the relay server information including the first relay server information and the second relay server information and the relay group information are shared between the first relay server and the second relay server. Part,
Including
The first relay server is
A first inter-client-terminal sharing unit that shares the relay group information and the relay server information between the first relay server and the first client terminal;
Including
The second relay server is
A second inter-client-terminal sharing unit that shares the relay group information and the relay server information between the second relay server and the second client terminal;
A relay communication system comprising: The relay communication system according to claim 4,
The first relay server is
A communication execution unit that executes communication relayed by the first relay server for the second application selected based on the relay group information and the relay server information;
A relay communication system comprising: In the relay communication system according to claim 4 or 5,
The first relay server and the second relay server are:
An activation information updating unit for updating the relay server information by updating the first application activation information and the second application activation information in accordance with changes in activation states of the first application and the second application;
Including
The inter-relay server sharing unit shares the updated relay server information between the first relay server and the second relay server.

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