JP2017059950A - Path reservation support device, path reservation support program, and path reservation support method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a path reservation support device capable of suitably performing reservation support even when a long term preservation period is assumed.SOLUTION: A path reservation support device 40 comprises: a recommendation unit 42a that acquires a user request from a traffic DB 41b, in which the amount of use of a link for each time slot is stored, and a user terminal device 30; a time slot aggregation unit 42d that, on the basis of the amount of use for each time slot, determines similarity among a plurality of time slots to aggregate the time slots to a plurality of groups; and a path accommodation calculation unit 42c that, with respect to a route of a path capable of accommodating a user request path, evaluates the route's state in one time slot included in an aggregated group in the case that the route is reserved and reflects a result of the evaluation in the other time slots included in the group. The recommendation unit 42a outputs a result of evaluation for each time slot with respect to the route to the user terminal device.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a technique for supporting reservation of a path set on a communication network.

  It is important for network operators to effectively use the resources of the entire network to maintain transfer quality and reduce network costs. In the carrier network, a wavelength path or a packet path (MPLS (Multi Protocol Label Switching) path or the like) is set on the physical infrastructure network to configure a user traffic transfer path, that is, a path.

  As such a path setting environment, an environment in which a user can directly set a path for communication network resources has recently appeared, such as an SDN (Software Defined Network) portal service. As a communication method in such an environment, an on-demand communication (see Non-Patent Document 1) for opening a path on demand at a timing when a path setting request from a user occurs, and a period during which the user uses a communication network are specified. There is a reservation type communication (see Non-Patent Document 2) that opens a path when the period starts.

  In reservation-type communication, when a user inputs path constraint conditions such as a path start point, end point, usage period, required bandwidth (requested bandwidth), and delay to the system, the system responds whether the path can be set (non-patented). Reference 2). Usually, a network management system such as a reservation type path accommodation system manages the state of the network. Therefore, prior to making a reservation request from the user, the use status of the communication network resource is provided to the user as reservable / unreservable so that the user can confirm in advance whether or not a path for making a reservation request can be set. It is possible to improve the system convenience for the user.

A. Mahimkar, AL Chiu, R. Doverspike, MD Feuer, P. Magill, E. Mavrogiorgis, J. Pastor, SL Woodward, and J. Yates, “Bandwidth on demand for inter-data center communication,” in Proc. Of the 10th ACM Workshop on Hot Topics in Networks, 2011, paper 24. L. Shen, X. Yang, A. Todimala, and B. Ramamurthy, “A two-phase approach for dynamic lightpath scheduling in WDM optical networks,” in Proc. IEEE Int. Conf. Commun., Glasgow, UK, Jun. 24- 28, 2007, pp. 2412-2417

  In reservation-type communication, a response is made to the user as to whether or not reservation is possible, that is, whether or not reservation is possible, in response to a user's reservation request (path start point, end point, bandwidth, usage period, etc.). On the other hand, since it is impossible to predict in advance where the path type (endpoint, bandwidth, etc.) requested by the user and where the usage period will be concentrated, if the system responds only to the availability of resources, the user request There is a possibility of being biased to a specific path or time zone, and the resources are not always efficiently used for the carrier that provides the communication resources. For example, if user requests are concentrated on specific resource usage, the rejection rate of user requests increases, while unused resources exist in other time zones and routes, resulting in inefficiency in capital investment. , There is a risk of reducing profits.

In view of such matters, before actually assigning a user request to a specific time slot and route, by calculating in advance an evaluation value when the user request is assigned to an existing route and time slot, It is possible to simulate the effect in advance.
The resource allocation algorithm described in Non-Patent Document 2 can be applied to this prior simulation. This resource allocation algorithm performs a greedy search (brute force search) for resource allocation to each path and time slot, and calculates an optimal resource allocation solution.

However, when such a resource allocation algorithm is applied to a long reservation period found in a general reservation system such as several months to one year, the number of time slots to be calculated increases, and the processing time significantly increases.
On the other hand, since the pre-simulation is assumed to be executed after the user's reservation request is generated until the response is returned, for example, in order to provide a user interface equivalent to the web, The time needs to be kept to a few seconds.

  The present invention was devised in view of the above circumstances, and a path reservation support apparatus, a path reservation support program, and a path reservation support method capable of suitably performing a reservation support even when a long reservation period is assumed. The purpose is to provide.

  In order to achieve the above object, a path reservation support apparatus according to the present invention is a path reservation support apparatus that supports reservation of a user request path set on a communication network, and each time slot of a link connecting physical nodes. Stored in the storage unit, a storage unit that stores the usage amount or the remaining usage amount, a recommendation unit that obtains a user request including a path condition having a start point and an end point of the user request path from the user terminal device, and the storage unit Based on the usage amount or remaining usage amount of the link for each time slot, the similarity of the plurality of time slots is determined, and the plurality of time slots are grouped into a plurality of groups based on the determined similarity. The user request path can be accommodated by referring to the time slot aggregating unit to be aggregated and the storage unit using the user request. With respect to a route of a short path, when the route is reserved, the state of the route in one time slot included in the aggregated group is evaluated, and an evaluation result is evaluated for the other time included in the group. A path accommodation calculation unit that reflects the result in the slot, and the recommendation unit outputs the evaluation result for each of the time slots related to the route to the user terminal device.

  According to such a configuration, time slots are aggregated and grouped, one time slot in the group is evaluated, and the evaluation result is applied to other time slots in the group, so even when a long reservation period is assumed Reservation support can be suitably performed.

  The path accommodation calculation unit calculates a plurality of paths of paths that can accommodate the user request path, and each of the plurality of paths includes the one group included in the aggregated group when the path is reserved. The time slot may be evaluated, and the evaluation result may be reflected in the other time slots included in the group.

  According to such a configuration, by performing the same processing for a plurality of routes, it is possible to suitably perform reservation support even when a long reservation period is assumed while proposing a plurality of routes to the user. .

  The path accommodation calculation unit may be configured to calculate a maximum link utilization rate of the time slot when the route is reserved as the evaluation result.

  According to such a configuration, the maximum link utilization rate is calculated as the evaluation result of the time slot, and a proposal based on the maximum link utilization rate is made to the user. Therefore, the resource utilization efficiency of the communication network is improved, and as a result, the revenue is increased. Can be improved.

  Also, the path reservation support program of the present invention provides a computer as a path reservation support device that supports reservation of a user request path set on a communication network from a user terminal device to a path having a start point and an end point of the user request path. Recommendation means for acquiring a user request including a condition, and determining the similarity of a plurality of time slots based on the usage amount or remaining usage amount of each time slot of a link connecting physical nodes stored in the storage unit And a time slot aggregating means for aggregating a plurality of the time slots into a plurality of groups based on the determined similarity, the user request path can be accommodated by referring to the storage unit using the user request For the path of a simple path, the aggregated group when the path is reserved A path accommodation calculating unit that evaluates a state of the route in one of the included time slots and reflects an evaluation result in the other time slot included in the group; and the recommendation unit includes the route The evaluation result for each of the time slots is output to the user terminal device.

  The path reservation support method of the present invention is a path reservation support method by a path reservation support apparatus that supports reservation of a user request path set on a communication network, wherein the path reservation support apparatus is connected from a user terminal device. , A step of acquiring a user request including a path condition having a start point and an end point of a user request path, and a plurality of times based on a use amount or a remaining use amount for each time slot of a link connecting physical nodes stored in a storage unit Determining the similarity of the time slots of the plurality of times, aggregating the plurality of time slots into a plurality of groups based on the determined similarity, and referring to the storage unit using the user request , Regarding the path of a path that can accommodate the user request path, the aggregated group in the case where the path is reserved. And evaluating the state of the route in one of the time slots included in the time slot, reflecting the evaluation result in the other time slots included in the group, and the evaluation result for each time slot related to the route in the time slot. And outputting to the user terminal device.

  According to the present invention, reservation support can be suitably performed even when a long reservation period is assumed.

1 is a schematic diagram showing a path reservation support system including a path reservation support apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure which shows the example in which various information is memorize | stored for every time slot in traffic DB, network status DB, path | pass DB, and calendar management DB. (A) is a figure which shows an example of the relationship between ID and similarity of several time slots, (b) is a figure which shows an example of the result of having aggregated several time slots into several groups. It is a figure which shows an example of the calendar displayed on the display part of a user terminal device. It is a sequence diagram for demonstrating the operation example of a path reservation assistance system. It is a flowchart for demonstrating a time slot aggregation process. It is a flowchart for demonstrating a path | pass accommodation calculation process. (A) is a figure which shows an example of a network topology, (b) is a figure which shows an example of the relationship between the demand identifier of a user demand demand vector, and route information, (c) is a figure which shows an example of a calculation formula of link usage. It is. It is a flowchart for demonstrating a time slot expansion | deployment process.

  Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. As shown in FIG. 1, the path reservation support system 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention promptly executes arithmetic processing for a long reservation period in reservation-type communication in a communication network 10, and passes a path from the user terminal device 30. This is a system for favorably supporting a reservation.

  The communication network 10 includes a physical infrastructure network 11 and at least one network control device (not shown) that controls the physical infrastructure network 11. The physical infrastructure network 11 includes a plurality of transfer nodes 11a such as an IP (Internet Protocol) router and a plurality of transmission nodes 11b such as an OXC (Optical Cross Connect), and is connected to each other so that the nodes 11a and 11b can communicate with each other. A link 11c which is a link is provided. In the physical infrastructure network 11, a path such as a wavelength path having a transfer node 11 a as a start point and an end point, an MPLS (Multi Protocol Label Switching) path, or the like can be set.

  The path reservation support system 1 includes a network management device 20, one or more user terminal devices 30 (only one is shown in FIG. 1), and a path reservation support device 40.

<Network management device 20>
The network management device 20 manages the configuration and state of the entire physical infrastructure network 11 and sets a path for the physical infrastructure network 11 based on an instruction from the path reservation support device 40.

<User terminal device 30>
The user terminal device 30 is a terminal device used by a user who makes a pass reservation. The user terminal device 30 outputs an input unit 31 composed of a keyboard, a mouse, a touch panel, etc., a display unit 32 composed of a monitor, etc., and an operation result of the input unit 31 by the user to the path reservation support device 40, or provides path reservation support. And a control unit 33 that displays data acquired from the device 40 on the display unit 32. The control unit 33 of the user terminal device 30 transmits the user terminal device ID together with various information to the path reservation support device 40, and the path reservation support device 40 uses the user terminal device ID based on the user terminal device ID. 30 can be identified, and a plurality of user terminal devices 30 can be distinguished and information can be transmitted and received.

<Pass reservation support device>
The path reservation support device 40 supports the path reservation by the user terminal device 30 and accepts a path reservation request from the user terminal device 30, and based on the reservation time (start time and end time), the network management device A path opening request is transmitted to 20. The path reservation support apparatus 40 includes a storage unit 41 and a control unit 42.

<Storage unit>
The storage unit 41 includes a network topology DB 41a, a traffic DB 41b, a network state DB 41c, a path DB 41d, and a calendar management DB 41e as various databases. The traffic DB 41b, network status DB 41c, path DB 41d, and calendar management DB 41e have information to be stored for each time slot as shown in FIG. The time slot is a period obtained by dividing an entire period (for example, one month) to be reserved for a pass by a unit time (for example, one hour).

<Network topology DB>
The network topology DB 41a stores the connection relationship between the forwarding node 11a and the transmission node 11b, which are physical nodes, and the link 11c, and the bandwidth (capacity) of each link 11c in association with each other.

<Traffic DB>
The traffic DB 41b stores the traffic amount (that is, the existing usage amount) for each time slot of each link 11c.

<Network status DB>
The network state DB 41c stores the remaining usage amount for each time slot of each link 11c.

<Path DB>
The path DB 41d stores information (accommodated path information) regarding the accommodated paths to the physical infrastructure network 11 for each time slot.

<Calendar management DB>
The calendar management DB 41e stores information on reserved paths (reserved path information) and information on unreserved paths (unreserved path information) for each time slot.

<Control unit>
The control unit 42 includes a recommendation unit 42a, a network management device interface unit 42b, a path accommodation calculation unit 42c, a time slot aggregation unit 42d, and a calendar management unit 42e as functional units.

<Recommendation Department>
The recommendation unit 42 a is an interface for the user terminal device 30. The recommendation unit 42a acquires a user request, a reservation request, and the like transmitted from the user terminal device 30, and sends a query result (calendar) according to the user request, a reservation response according to the reservation request, and the like to the user terminal device 30. Or send. The recommendation unit 42a outputs the acquired user request to the path accommodation calculation unit 42c, and outputs the acquired reservation request to the calendar management unit 42e.

  Here, the user request includes a path condition having a start point and an end point of the user request path. In addition, the path condition includes a required bandwidth of the path, a delay, a distance, and the like. In addition, the user request can include a usage period as necessary. In this case, the path accommodation calculation unit 42c of the path reservation support apparatus 40 performs calculation, sorting, and group classification of the maximum link utilization rate within the range of the usage period.

<Network management device interface unit>
The network management device interface unit 42 b is an interface to the network management device 20. The network management device interface unit 42b manages the network topology DB 41a, the traffic DB 41b, the network state DB 41c, and the path DB 41d.

  In other words, the network management device interface unit 42b collects from the network management device 20 the connection relationship between the forwarding node 11a and the transmission node 11b, which are physical nodes, and the link 11c, and the bandwidth (capacity) of each link 11c. Store in the DB 41a.

  The network management device interface unit 42b collects the traffic volume for each time slot of each link 11c from the network management device 20 and stores it in the traffic DB 41b. Note that the traffic volume for each time slot of each link 11c managed by the network management apparatus 20 may be calculated based on the requested bandwidth of the reserved path, and it is one day of the past traffic volume. May be an amount predicted based on fluctuations in one week, fluctuations in one week, fluctuations in one month, or the like, or may be calculated by combining these.

  Further, the network management apparatus interface unit 42b refers to the network topology DB 41a and the traffic DB 41b, and determines the remaining usage amount for each time slot of each link 11c based on the bandwidth (capacity) of each link 11c and the traffic amount for each time slot. The calculation result is stored in the network state DB 41c.

  Further, the network management device interface unit 42b collects information (accommodated path information) regarding the accommodated paths to the physical infrastructure network 11 for each time slot from the network management apparatus 20, and stores the collected information in the path DB 41d. The accommodated path information includes the path of the accommodated path (passing nodes 11a and 11b and link 11c) and the like.

<Pass accommodation calculator>
The path accommodation calculation unit 42c acquires the user request output from the recommendation unit 42a, refers to the network state DB 41c based on the acquired user request, and assigns a path and period (time slot) to which the user request path condition is assigned. ).
The path accommodation calculation unit 42c outputs the calculation result to the recommendation unit 42a.

Specifically, the path accommodation calculation unit 42c, based on the information stored in the user request and network state DB 41c, includes the path conditions (the start and end points of the user request path, the requested bandwidth of the path, the delay, the distance). Etc.) is generated. Such a route is obtained by connecting two transfer nodes 11a serving as a start point and an end point of a user request path with a transmission node 11b and a link 11c, and usually a plurality of routes are generated. The path accommodation calculation unit 42c uses a usage amount or a remaining usage amount of the link 11c included in the route for every time slot of the entire period to be reserved for the path for all the routes satisfying the user request. The state of the time slot when the time slot for each route is reserved by the method is evaluated.
The path accommodation calculation unit 42c outputs the evaluation result to the recommendation unit 42a.

  The path accommodation calculation unit 42c may be configured to sort all the calculated maximum usage link rates in ascending order and divide the sorted maximum usage link rates into a predetermined number of groups. Here, the number of groups is the number of plans presented to the user terminal device 30, and the number of maximum used link rates included in one group (that is, the number of combinations of routes and time slots) is the number of each group. Are the same. In this case, the path accommodation calculation unit 42c assigns an identifier to each divided group, and outputs the identifier assignment result to the recommendation unit 42a.

  In the present embodiment, the path accommodation calculation unit 42c simplifies the calculation by using the result of aggregating a plurality of time slots n into a plurality of groups by a time slot aggregating unit 42d described later. Such a simplification method will be described in detail in an operation example described later.

<Time slot aggregation unit>
The time slot aggregating unit 42d uses a traffic amount (usage amount) for each time slot of the link 11c stored in the traffic DB 41b or a plurality of remaining usage amounts for each time slot of the link 11c stored in the network state DB 41c. The similarity of the time slot n is determined, and based on the determination result, a plurality of similar time slots n are aggregated and grouped together, and the aggregation result is output to the path accommodation calculating unit 42c.

When executing the similarity determination and aggregation of the time slot n, the time slot aggregation unit 42d refers to the network topology DB 41a and the traffic DB 41b, and refers to the bandwidth (capacity) of each link 11c and the traffic amount for each time slot n (existing). Link usage rate) for each time slot of each link 11c is calculated.
Alternatively, the time slot aggregating unit 42d refers to the network topology DB 41a and the network state DB 41c, and based on the bandwidth (capacity) of each link 11c and the remaining usage amount for each time slot n (existing link remaining usage amount), The link utilization rate for each time slot n of the link 11c is calculated.

The time slot aggregation unit 42d determines the similarity of the plurality of time slots n using the calculated link utilization rate.
For example, the time slot aggregating unit 42d can determine the similarity of a plurality of time slots n based on the cosine similarity between the vectors by regarding the link utilization rate of each time slot n as a vector.
The time slot aggregating unit 42d can also determine the similarity of a plurality of time slots n using a KL (Kullback-Leibler) divergence method by regarding the link utilization rate of each time slot as a probability distribution.

Here, as shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, consider a case where there are N time slots n from n = 0 to n = N−1.
In the example shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the time slot aggregation unit 42d determines that the first time slot n (= 0) and the second time slot n (= 1) are similar. These time slots n (= 0, 1,...) Are aggregated as a first group, and 0 is assigned as a group ID to time slots n belonging to this group (gid = 0).
The time slot aggregating unit 42d determines that the third time slot n (= 2) and the Nth time slot n (= N-1) are similar, and these time slots n (= 2). ,..., N−1) are aggregated as the second group, and 1 is assigned as the group ID to time slot n belonging to this group (gid = 1).
Further, the time slot aggregation unit determines that the fourth time slot n (= 3) is not similar to the time slot n of the previous group, and sets the time slot n (= 3,...) To the third time slot n. Aggregating as a group, 2 is assigned as a group ID to time slot n belonging to this group (gid = 2).

  Returning to FIG. 1, the recommendation unit 42a obtains a combination of a route, a time slot, and an evaluation result from the path accommodation calculation unit 42c, and assigns attributes (service quality, service price, etc.) to the evaluation result. The assigned evaluation result is output to the user terminal device 30 in a format that can be displayed as a calendar. The control unit 33 of the user terminal device 30 acquires the evaluation result and displays it on the display unit 32 (see FIG. 4).

  Further, the control unit 33 can cause the display unit 32 to display the attributes (service quality, service price, etc.) of the combination of the selected path and time slot based on the selection result obtained by operating the input unit 31. The control unit 33 of the user terminal device 30 generates a path reservation request based on the operation result of the input unit 31 in a state where the attribute assignment result is displayed on the display unit 32, and the generated reservation request is supported by the path reservation support. Transmit to device 40.

  Examples of the attribute to be given include service ID, service quality, service price, and the like. The service quality is set so that the lower the maximum link utilization rate is, the higher the communication quality is, and the higher the accommodation efficiency when the reservation is made, the higher the service quality. The service price is set so that the group having a lower maximum link utilization rate has a higher communication quality and higher accommodation efficiency when a reservation is made, so that the service price is lower.

  The assignment of the attribute is not limited to the configuration that is automatically given by the recommendation unit 42a, and may be a configuration that is manually given by the operator of the pass reservation support apparatus 40.

<Calendar Management Department>
The calendar management unit 42e acquires a pass reservation request transmitted from the user terminal device 30 via the recommendation unit 42a, and constructs a calendar management DB 41e based on the acquired reservation request.

  Also, the calendar management unit 42e refers to the calendar management DB 41e to confirm the status of the next time slot at the start time of a certain time slot, and the start time of the next time slot is the start time of the path reservation. If there is such a path, a path establishment request for the path is transmitted to the network management apparatus 20 via the network management apparatus interface unit 42b. If there is a path whose start time of the next time slot (that is, the end time of the current time slot) is the end time of the path reservation, the calendar management unit 42e sends a path deletion request for the path. The data is transmitted to the network management apparatus 20 via the network management apparatus interface unit 42b. Based on the path establishment request and the path deletion request, the network management device 20 opens the path at the reservation start time or deletes the path at the reservation end time.

<Operation example>
Subsequently, an operation example of the path reservation support system 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. First, the control unit 33 of the user terminal device 30 transmits a user request (resource status inquiry) based on the operation result of the input unit 31 to the recommendation unit 42a of the path reservation support device 40 (step S1). The recommendation unit 42a outputs the acquired user request as a calculation request to the path accommodation calculation unit 42c (step S2).

  When acquiring the calculation request, the path accommodation calculation unit 42c outputs the aggregation request to the time slot aggregation unit 42d (step S3A). When acquiring the aggregation request, the time slot aggregation unit 42d executes time slot aggregation processing (step S3B).

≪Time slot aggregation process≫
Here, with reference to FIG. 6, the time slot aggregation processing in step S3B will be described in detail.
As shown in FIG. 6, the time slot aggregating unit 42d initializes group IDs (gid) of N time slots n (= 0 to N−1) (step S21).
In this operation example, the group IDs of all time slots n (= 0 to N−1) are set to −1 (gid = −1).

Subsequently, the time slot aggregation unit 42d selects the first time slot n (= 0), sets the temporary ID of the selected time slot n (= 0) to 0 (temporary ID = 0), The value of the temporary ID is set to the group ID of the selected time slot n (= 0) (step S22).
Here, the temporary ID is a temporary identifier that is temporarily given in order to aggregate each time slot n into a plurality of groups and assign a group ID for each group.
That is, the time slot n = 0 is classified into the first group (gid = 0).

  Subsequently, for the first time slot n (= 0), the time slot n is not the last time slot n (= N−1) (No in step S23), and the time slot n has been scanned ( That is, since the similarity is already determined) (Yes in step S24), the time slot aggregating unit 42d increments the value of n by 1 (step S28), and the flowchart returns to step S23.

  Subsequently, for the second time slot n (= 1), the time slot n is not the last time slot n (= N−1) (No in step S23), and the time slot n has not been scanned. Since there is no (No in step S24), the time slot aggregation unit 42d determines the similarity between the time slot n and the previous time slots 0 to n-1 (step S25).

If it is determined in step S25 that the time slot n is similar to any of the previous time slots 0 to n-1, the time slot aggregating unit 42d selects a temporary time slot having similarity. ID (that is, group ID) is set to the group ID of time slot n (step S26).
Here, for the determination of the similarity to the time slot n, the time slot having the smallest value of n in each group among the previous time slots 0 to n−1 is used.
After execution of step S26, the time slot aggregating unit 42d increments the value of n by 1 (step S28), and the flowchart returns to step S23.

On the other hand, if it is determined in step S25 that the time slot n is not similar to any of the previous time slots 0 to n-1, the time slot aggregating unit 42d And the increased temporary ID is set to the group ID of time slot n (step S27).
After execution of step S27, the time slot aggregating unit 42d increments the value of n by 1 (step S28), and the flowchart returns to step S23.

In this way, the time slot aggregation unit 42d repeats the processes of steps S23 to S28 for all time slots n (= 0 to N−1).
When group aggregation of all time slots n (= 0 to N−1) is completed (Yes in step S23), the time slot aggregation unit 42d is a time that is the total number of groups in which the temporary IDs at the time of group aggregation termination are aggregated. Set to slot size M.

In the example of FIG. 3, N time slots n (= 0 to N−1) are aggregated into M (here, 3) groups.
Time slot n (= 0, 1,...) Is aggregated in the first group (gid = 0), and time slot n (= 2,... N−1) is aggregated in the second group (gid = 1). ) And time slot n (= 3,...) Is aggregated in the third group (gid = 2).

  Returning to FIG. 5, the time slot aggregating unit 42d outputs the result of associating the time slots, that is, the result of associating the group ID with the ID of the time slot n (see FIG. 3B) to the path accommodation calculating unit 42c. (Step S3C). Upon acquiring the time slot aggregation result, the path accommodation calculation unit 42c executes a path accommodation calculation process (step S3D), and then executes a time slot expansion process (step S3E).

The group aggregation process (step S3B) is not limited to a mode that is executed every time there is a user request (step S1), and the result of the group aggregation process that has been executed once is a user request within a predetermined time thereafter. The aspect applied with respect to may be sufficient.
This is because it is unlikely that the distribution of the link utilization rate is greatly fluctuated within a predetermined time, and it is considered that there is no problem even if the previous aggregation result is used.

≪Pass accommodation calculation process≫
Here, with reference to FIG. 7, the path accommodation calculation process in step S3D will be described in detail.
As illustrated in FIG. 7, the path accommodation calculation unit 42c selects the first group (gid = 0) (step S31).
Subsequently, with respect to the first group (gid = 0), since the group is not the last group (gid = M−1) (No in step S32), the path accommodation calculation unit 42c aggregates into the first group. Among the time slots n, the path calculation is performed for the time slot n with the smallest n (step S33).
Examples of the route calculation method include a method of calculating the shortest route by the Dijkstra method, a method of calculating a route with high resource use efficiency by using the link usage amount as a weight by the CSPF (Constrained shortest Path First) method, and the like.

Subsequently, the path accommodation calculation unit 42c calculates an evaluation value for the calculated route based on the traffic amount (link usage amount) stored in the traffic DB 41b and the user request (step S34).
The evaluation value is a value indicating a route state for each time slot when a reservation according to a user request is made. In this embodiment, the existing link usage stored in the traffic DB 41b and the user request It is calculated using the sum of the link usage amount that is increased by the reservation when the corresponding reservation is made.

When calculating the maximum link usage rate as the evaluation value, the path accommodation calculation unit 42c uses the link usage amount that is the product of the route matrix and the user request demand vector (that is, when a reservation according to a user request is made) 2) and the existing link usage stored in the traffic DB 41b is calculated.
The added value indicates the link usage amount for each link 11c included in the route, and the path accommodation calculation unit 42c calculates a value obtained by dividing the added value by the link bandwidth of each link 11c. The maximum value among them is selected as the maximum link utilization rate.

Here, the path matrix is a matrix with each link 11c as a row and a service endpoint pair as a column. When a link 11c with a certain service endpoint is used, the corresponding element is set to 1. If the link 11c with the service end point is not used, the corresponding element is set to 0.
The user request demand vector is a vector in which the number of service endpoint pairs is the number of elements, the requested bandwidth is set for the element corresponding to the service endpoint included in the user request, and the other elements are 0. Is set.

Here, a calculation example of the link usage amount using the route matrix will be described with reference to FIG.
As shown in FIG. 8A, in the network topology in the calculation example, the nodes B1 to B4 are communicably connected by the links L1 to L8.
As shown in FIG. 8B, the user request demand vector T is configured with demand identifiers T1 to T12 as elements.
For example, the route of the demand identifier T1 in the user request demand vector T is a route from the node B1 to the node B2, and is configured by a link L3 from the node B1 to the node B2.
Therefore, as shown in FIG. 8C, in the first column of the path matrix T, the element in the third row corresponding to the link L3 is set to 1, and the other elements are set to 0.
The route of the demand identifier T2 in the user request demand vector T is a route from the node B1 to the node B4, and is configured by a link L3 from the node B1 to the node B2 and a link L5 from the node B2 to the node B4. Has been.
Therefore, as shown in FIG. 8C, in the second column of the path matrix T, the elements in the third and fifth rows corresponding to the links L3 and L5 are set to 1, and the other elements are set to 0. Has been.

In such network topology and route setting, when the demand identifier T2 of the user request demand vector T is 100 [Gbps] and the other demand identifiers T1, T3 to T12 are 0 [Gbps], each link L1 When the link usage amount X configured with the link usage amounts X1 to X8 of L8 as elements is calculated by the equation X = A × T, the link usage amounts X1 to X8 of the links L1 to L8 are calculated as follows:
X1 = 0 [Gbps]
X2 = 0 [Gbps]
X3 = 100 [Gbps]
X4 = 0 [Gbps]
X5 = 100 [Gbps]
X6 = 0 [Gbps]
X7 = 0 [Gbps]
X8 = 0 [Gbps]
It becomes.
The link usage calculated in this way is the link usage that increases due to the reservation when the reservation based on the user request is made. The path accommodation calculation unit 42c adds the link usage amount calculated in this way and the traffic amount (existing link usage amount) stored in the traffic DB 41b, and calculates an evaluation value using the added value. To do.

  Subsequently, the path accommodation calculation unit 42c increases the value of gid by 1 (step S35), and the flowchart returns to step S32.

In this way, the path accommodation calculation unit 42c repeats the processes of steps S32 to S35 for all groups.
When the evaluation value calculation for all groups is completed (Yes in step S32), the path accommodation calculation unit 42c ends the path accommodation calculation process.

In the example of FIG. 3, for the first group (gid = 0), the evaluation value of the first time slot n (= 0) included in the group is calculated for each path of FIG.
Further, for the second group (gid = 1), the evaluation value of the third time slot n (= 2) included in the group is calculated for each path in FIG.
For the third group (gid = 2), the evaluation value of the fourth time slot (n = 3) included in the group is calculated for each path in FIG.

≪Time slot expansion process≫
Here, with reference to FIG. 9, the time slot expansion process in step S3E will be described in detail.
As shown in FIG. 9, the path accommodation calculation unit 42c selects the first time slot n (= 0) (step S41).
Subsequently, for the first time slot n (= 0), since the time slot n is not the last time slot n (= N−1) (No in step S42), the path accommodation calculating unit 42c With reference to the group ID of the slot n, the evaluation value corresponding to the referenced group ID is set to the evaluation value of the time slot n (step S43).

In this way, the path accommodation calculation unit 42c repeats the processing of steps S42 to S44 for all time slots n.
When the expansion of evaluation values for all time slots n is completed (Yes in step S42), the path accommodation calculation unit 42c ends the time slot expansion process.

In the example of FIG. 3, regarding the first group (gid = 0), the evaluation value in the path 1 of the first time slot n (= 0) included in the group is the other time slot n included in the group. It is applied as an evaluation value in the route 1 of (= 1,...).
For the second group (gid = 1), the evaluation value in the path 1 of the third time slot n (= 2) included in the group is the other time slot n (=..., Included in the group. It is applied as an evaluation value in the route 1 of (N-1).
For the third group (gid = 2), the evaluation value in the route 1 of the fourth time slot (n = 3) included in the group is the evaluation value in the route 1 of the other time slot included in the group. Applied as a value.
In addition, the application of the evaluation value is performed in the same manner for the other paths 2, 3,.

  That is, when performing path reservation support for N time slots and K routes, conventionally, it has been necessary to execute evaluation value calculation N × K times. By consolidating slots into M groups (N> M), the number of evaluation value calculations can be reduced to M × K times.

  Returning to FIG. 5, the path accommodation calculation unit 42c outputs the combination of route, time slot and evaluation value (evaluation result) to the recommendation unit 42a as a calculation response (step S4). The recommendation unit 42a converts the calculation response into a format that can be drawn as a calendar, adds an attribute to the calculation response (step S5), and transmits the attribute to the user terminal device 30 (step S6).

  The control unit 33 of the user terminal device 30 causes the display unit 32 to display the calculation response to which the attribute is assigned as a calendar. In a state where the calculation response is displayed, the control unit 33 of the user terminal device 30 generates a pass reservation request based on the operation result of the input unit 31 and transmits it to the recommendation unit 42a (step S7).

  The recommendation unit 42a outputs the acquired reservation request as a request confirmation to the path accommodation calculation unit 42c (step S8). The path accommodation calculation unit 42c determines whether or not the reservation request can be accepted by referring to the path DB 41d and the calendar management DB 41e. If the reservation request cannot be accepted, the path accommodation calculation unit 42c notifies the fact through the recommendation unit 42a. To the user terminal device 30 (not shown). On the other hand, if it can be accepted, the path accommodation calculation unit 42c outputs a response to that effect to the recommendation unit 42a (step S9), and the recommendation unit 42a sets the reservation request as a service order registration to the calendar management unit. 42e (step S10).

  Further, the path accommodation calculation unit 42c transmits a reservation response to the user terminal device 30 via the recommendation unit 42a at the same time as or immediately after the service order registration (step S11).

  The calendar management unit 42e stores the reservation request in the calendar management DB 41e, and when the reservation start deadline (the disclosure time of the time slot immediately before the time slot of the reserved path) has arrived, the path management request is sent to the network management device. The data is output to the interface unit 42b (step S12). The network management device interface unit 42b transmits a path establishment request to the network management device 20 (step S13).

The path reservation support apparatus 40 of the path reservation support system 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention and the path reservation support method using the path reservation support apparatus 40 aggregate time slots and group them, and evaluate one time slot in the group. Since the evaluation result is applied to other time slots in the group, reservation support can be suitably performed even when a long reservation period is assumed.
The path reservation support apparatus 40 and the path reservation support method by the path reservation support apparatus 40 perform a long-term reservation while proposing a plurality of routes to the user by performing the same processing for a plurality of routes. Even when a period is assumed, reservation support can be suitably performed.
Further, the path reservation support apparatus 40 and the path reservation support method by the path reservation support apparatus 40 calculate the maximum link usage rate as the evaluation result of the time slot, and make a proposal based on the maximum link usage rate to the user. Resource utilization efficiency of the communication network 10 can be improved, and as a result, profit can be improved.

In addition, the path reservation support apparatus 40 and the path reservation support method by the path reservation support apparatus 40 prioritize the actual reservation of the path in order of the path path and time slot combinations that can be reserved in ascending order of the maximum link utilization rate. When presented as a group that is sorted and sorted, a group with a low maximum link utilization rate is preferentially recommended to the user, improving the resource utilization efficiency of the communication network 10, and consequently improving the profit. it can.
The path reservation support apparatus 40 and the path reservation support method by the path reservation support apparatus 40 collect information on the network topology DB 41a and traffic DB 41b, and calculate and store information on the network state DB 41c based on the collected information. Therefore, the maximum link utilization rate for each time slot of the path can be suitably calculated.
The path reservation support apparatus 40 and the path reservation support method by the path reservation support apparatus 40 use the maximum link by excluding combinations of paths and time slots that cannot be reserved based on information in the path DB 41d and calendar management DB 41e. Since the rates are calculated and sorted, only combinations of paths and time slots that can be reserved can be classified and presented in groups.
Further, the path reservation support apparatus 40 and the path reservation support method by the path reservation support apparatus 40 calculate and sort the maximum link utilization rate of the time slot corresponding to the use period of the user requested path. Only combinations of period passes and time slots can be suitably presented in a group.
Further, in the path reservation support device 40 and the path reservation support method by the path reservation support device 40, the group having a lower maximum use link rate is set to a lower price for the group having a lower maximum use link rate. The resource utilization efficiency of the communication network 10 can be improved suitably.

As mentioned above, although embodiment of this invention was described, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment, In the range which does not deviate from the summary of this invention, it can change suitably. For example, the number of groups to be aggregated can be set as appropriate. For example, the threshold value in the similarity determination step is changed so that the number of groups increases as the number of time slots and the number of paths increases. It may be.
Further, the number of groups when the sorted maximum link usage rate is divided into groups may be configured such that the number of groups is changed as the number of sorted maximum link usage rates increases.
In addition, each group may be configured to include the same number of maximum link utilization rates, and a threshold (lower limit and upper limit) for the maximum link utilization rate is set for each group. The maximum link utilization rate within the threshold range may be classified as the same group.
Moreover, the structure which an attribute is given so that a reservation of the time slot close | similar to the time when the user request | requirement was acquired among all the periods used for the path | pass reservation or a utilization period may be given preferentially may be sufficient.
Further, the time slot aggregation unit 42d and the path accommodation calculation unit 42c may be configured to perform similarity determination and time slot evaluation using the remaining link usage amount instead of the link usage amount.
The present invention can also be embodied as a path reservation support program that causes a computer to function as the path reservation support apparatus 40.

1 pass reservation support system 11c link (physical link)
20 network management device 30 user terminal device 40 path reservation support device 41a network topology DB (storage unit)
41b Traffic DB (storage unit)
41c Network status DB (storage unit)
41d path DB (path storage unit)
41e Calendar management DB (calendar management storage unit)
42a Recommendation unit 42b Network management device interface unit 42c Path accommodation calculation unit 42d Time slot aggregation unit 42e Calendar management unit

Claims (5)

A path reservation support apparatus for supporting reservation of a user request path set on a communication network,
A storage unit for storing the usage amount or the remaining usage amount for each time slot of the link connecting the physical nodes;
A recommendation unit for acquiring a user request including a path condition having a start point and an end point of a user request path from the user terminal device;
Based on the usage amount or remaining usage amount of the link stored in the storage unit for each time slot, the similarity of the plurality of time slots is determined, and the plurality of the time slots are determined based on the determined similarity. A time slot aggregating unit for aggregating time slots into a plurality of groups;
One time slot included in the aggregated group when a route of the path that can accommodate the user request path is reserved by referring to the storage unit using the user request. A path accommodation calculation unit that evaluates the state of the route at the same time and reflects the evaluation result in the other time slots included in the group;
With
The said recommendation part outputs the said evaluation result for every said time slot regarding the said path | route to the said user terminal device. The path reservation assistance apparatus characterized by the above-mentioned. The path accommodation calculation unit calculates a plurality of paths of paths that can accommodate the user request path, and each of the plurality of paths includes the one group included in the aggregated group when the path is reserved. The path reservation support apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the time slot is evaluated, and the evaluation result is reflected in the other time slots included in the group. The path reservation support unit according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the path accommodation calculation unit calculates, as the evaluation result, a maximum link utilization rate of the time slot when the route is reserved. apparatus. A computer as a path reservation support apparatus that supports reservation of a user request path set on a communication network,
Recommendation means for acquiring a user request including a path condition having a start point and an end point of the user request path from the user terminal device,
Based on the usage amount or remaining usage amount of each time slot of the link connecting the physical nodes stored in the storage unit, the similarity of the plurality of time slots is determined, and a plurality of the time slots are determined based on the determined similarity. Time slot aggregating means for aggregating the time slots into a plurality of groups,
One time slot included in the aggregated group when a route of the path that can accommodate the user request path is reserved by referring to the storage unit using the user request. Path accommodation calculation means for evaluating the state of the route in the system and reflecting the evaluation result in the other time slots included in the group;
Function as
The recommendation means outputs the evaluation result for each time slot related to the route to the user terminal device. A path reservation support method by a path reservation support apparatus that supports reservation of a user request path set on a communication network,
The path reservation support device
Obtaining a user request including a path condition having a start point and an end point of the user request path from the user terminal device;
Based on the usage amount or remaining usage amount of each time slot of the link connecting the physical nodes stored in the storage unit, the similarity of the plurality of time slots is determined, and a plurality of the time slots are determined based on the determined similarity. Aggregating said time slots into a plurality of groups;
One time slot included in the aggregated group when a route of the path that can accommodate the user request path is reserved by referring to the storage unit using the user request. Evaluating the state of the route at, and reflecting the evaluation result in the other time slots included in the group;
Outputting the evaluation result for each of the time slots related to the route to the user terminal device;
A path reservation support method comprising:

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