JP2018142810A - Terminator, network system, program and communication method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a network system capable of performing multiple communications for a service function unit simultaneously and efficiently.SOLUTION: In the identifier impart/delete section of a terminator, a MAC frame including first and second identifiers selects an inter-port connection corresponding to the value of the first identifier with reference to the identifier information being stored in the identifier information storage section when being transferred from a communication port, deletes a second identifier having a first value from the MAC frame, and transfers the MAC frame after deleting the second identifier to the selected inter-port connection. In the identifier impart/delete section of the terminator, when the MAC frame containing the first identifier is transferred from any inter-port connection out of the multiple inter-port connections, the second identifier having the second value is imparted to the MAC frame with reference to the second value in the identifier information being stored in the identifier information storage section, and the MAC frame after imparted with the second identifier is transferred to the communication port.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

  The present invention relates to a termination device that processes media access control (MAC) frame information, and a network system, program, and communication method thereof.

  In the cloud era, it is effective to reduce costs to consolidate network (NW) service functions at specific locations in the NW. In this case, each user always communicates via a service function unit integrated at a specific location of the NW. By the way, in this type of conventional network system, various problems may occur in the relay NW that relays the service function unit and each user depending on what identification method is used for transferring the MAC frame for communication. In addition, as the number of user devices that communicate with each other increases, the service function unit also needs to be able to process a plurality of communications simultaneously. By connecting a plurality of logical ports to one physical port, a plurality of communications can be logically bundled and processed via the plurality of logical ports.

JP 2007-195077 A

  In recent years, there is a need for a network system that can simultaneously process a plurality of communications even if the number of logical ports is reduced.

  The present invention has been made paying attention to the above circumstances, and aims to provide a network system capable of efficiently performing a plurality of communications simultaneously with respect to a service function unit.

  In order to solve the above-described problem, a first aspect of the present invention includes a communication port that communicates a MAC frame with another terminal device, and an identifier assignment / connection that is connected to the communication port and assigns or deletes an identifier to the MAC frame. Termination comprising a deletion unit, one or more inter-port connection units connected to the communication port via the identifier addition / deletion unit, and an identifier information storage unit connected to the identifier addition / deletion unit In the apparatus, the communication port includes means for receiving a first MAC frame from the other terminal device and transmitting a second MAC frame to the other terminal device, wherein the first MAC frame And the second MAC frame includes a first identifier and a second identifier, and the second identifier included in the first MAC frame includes the first MAC frame. The second identifier included in the second MAC frame has a first value indicating that the second MAC frame is transmitted from the other terminal device, and the second MAC frame is transmitted to the other terminal device. The identifier information storage unit stores the second value as identifier information, and further includes the first value included in the first MAC frame as the identifier information. Means for storing information indicating the inter-port connection unit corresponding to the value of the identifier of the identifier, and when the first MAC frame is transferred from the communication port, the identifier assigning / deleting unit Refer to the information, select an interport connection unit corresponding to the value of the first identifier, delete the second identifier from the first MAC frame, and delete the second identifier. Third MAC frame And a fourth MAC frame including the first identifier from any one of the one or more inter-port connection units. Is transferred, the second identifier having the second value is added to the fourth MAC frame with reference to the second value in the identifier information, and the second identifier is Means for transferring the assigned MAC frame to the communication port as the second MAC frame.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, the value of the second identifier specifies the termination device to which the second identifier is added in addition to the communication direction of the MAC frame to which the second identifier is assigned. A value or a value for specifying a termination device as a transmission destination of the MAC frame.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, the first MAC frame has the second identifier before the first identifier, and adds the second identifier to the fourth MAC frame. Includes providing the second identifier before the first identifier of the fourth MAC frame.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the communication port is a physical port or a logical port.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, it is possible to perform communication in which an identifier capable of identifying a communication direction is assigned to a MAC frame communicated between terminal devices. For this reason, in the relay NW between the end devices, the MAC frame can be appropriately transferred using the identifier. Therefore, it is not necessary to change the setting of the switch in the relay NW every time a base is added. In addition, it is not necessary to enable transfer processing with a two-stage VID in a switch in the relay NW.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, the identifier assigned to the MAC frame transmitted by the termination device is added to the communication direction of the MAC frame, and the termination device to which the identifier is imparted can be specified. Can do. Alternatively, an identifier added to the MAC frame transmitted by the termination device can be added to the communication direction of the MAC frame so that the termination device of the transmission destination of the MAC frame can be specified. For this reason, even when the number of termination devices is increased in the network system, the relay NW can use the identifier to transfer the MAC frame to an appropriate termination device.

  According to the third aspect of the present invention, an identifier capable of identifying a communication direction can be given before another identifier of a MAC frame to be communicated. For this reason, the relay NW can perform an appropriate transfer process of the MAC frame by using an identifier that can identify the communication direction given to the MAC frame.

  According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, a logical port can be used in communication between termination devices. Therefore, by using a plurality of logical ports for one physical port, a plurality of communications can be processed simultaneously in the network system.

  That is, according to each aspect of the present invention, it is possible to provide a termination device that can efficiently perform a plurality of MAC frame communications simultaneously in communication between the termination devices, and a network system, program, and communication method thereof.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a network system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The figure which shows an example of the relay switch used in the relay NW in the network system shown in FIG. 1 according to the comparative example with 1st Embodiment of this invention. 1 shows an example of signal communication in an exemplary relay switch and an exemplary switch a in a relay NW used in the network system shown in FIG. 1 according to a comparative example with the first embodiment of the present invention. Figure. The figure which shows an example of the identifier information used in the relay switch shown in FIG. The figure which shows an example of the MAC address learning result in the port connection part 1 of the relay switch shown in FIG. 1 shows an example of signal communication in an exemplary relay switch and an exemplary switch a in a relay NW used in the network system shown in FIG. 1 according to a comparative example with the first embodiment of the present invention. Figure. The figure which shows an example of the identifier information used in the relay switch shown in FIG. The figure which shows an example of the MAC address learning result in the port connection part 1 of the relay switch shown in FIG. The figure which shows an example of the MAC address learning result in the port connection part 2 of the relay switch shown in FIG. The block diagram which shows an example of a function structure of the termination | terminus apparatus used as switch a and the service function part (alpha) in the network system shown in FIG. 1 according to 1st Embodiment of this invention. The block diagram which shows an example of a function structure of the termination | terminus apparatus used as switch a and the service function part (alpha) in the network system shown in FIG. 1 according to 1st Embodiment of this invention. FIG. 9 is an exemplary flowchart of signal processing executed in an identifier assigning / deleting unit in the terminating device shown in FIGS. 7 and 8. FIG. 9 is an exemplary flowchart of signal processing executed in an identifier assigning / deleting unit in the terminating device shown in FIGS. 7 and 8. The figure which shows an example of the signal communication in the example switch a used in the network system shown in FIG. 1 according to 1st Embodiment of this invention. The figure which shows an example of the identifier information used in the switch a shown in FIG. The figure which shows an example of the MAC address learning result in the port connection part 1 of the switch a shown in FIG. The figure which shows an example of the MAC address learning result in the port connection part 2 of the switch a shown in FIG. The figure which shows an example of the signal communication in the example service function part (alpha) used in the network system shown in FIG. 1 according to 1st Embodiment of this invention. The figure which shows an example of the identifier information used in the service function part (alpha) shown in FIG. The figure which shows an example of the MAC address learning result in the port connection part 1 of the service function part (alpha) shown in FIG. The figure which shows an example of the signal communication in the example relay switch in the relay NW used in the network system shown in FIG. 1 according to 1st Embodiment of this invention. The figure which shows an example of the identifier information used in the relay switch shown in FIG. The figure which shows an example of the MAC address learning result in the port connection part 1 of the relay switch shown in FIG. The figure which shows an example of the MAC address learning result in the port connection part 2 of the relay switch shown in FIG. The schematic block diagram of the network system which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of this invention. The figure which shows an example of the identifier information used in the example switch a in the network system shown in FIG. The figure which shows an example of the MAC address learning result in the port connection part 1 of the example switch a in the network system shown in FIG. The figure which shows an example of the MAC address learning result in the port connection part 2 of the example switch a in the network system shown in FIG. The figure which shows an example of the signal communication in the example switch b used in the network system shown in FIG. The figure which shows an example of the identifier information used in the switch b shown in FIG. The figure which shows an example of the MAC address learning result in the port connection part 1 of the switch b shown in FIG. The figure which shows an example of the signal communication in the example service function part (alpha) used in the network system shown in FIG. The figure which shows an example of the identifier information used in the service function part (alpha) shown in FIG. The figure which shows an example of the MAC address learning result in the port connection part 1 of the service function part (alpha) shown in FIG. The figure which shows the exemplary connection mode of a switch in the relay NW shown in FIG. The figure which shows an example of the signal communication in the switch A shown in FIG. The figure which shows an example of the identifier information used in the switch A shown in FIG. The figure which shows an example of the MAC address learning result in the port connection part 1 of the switch A shown in FIG. The figure which shows an example of the MAC address learning result in the port connection part 2 of the switch A shown in FIG. The figure which shows an example of the signal communication in the switch B shown in FIG. The figure which shows an example of the identifier information used in the switch B shown in FIG. The figure which shows an example of the MAC address learning result in the port connection part 1 of the switch B shown in FIG. The figure which shows an example of the MAC address learning result in the port connection part 2 of the switch B shown in FIG. The figure which shows an example of the signal communication in the switch C shown in FIG. The figure which shows an example of the identifier information used in the switch C shown in FIG. The figure which shows an example of the MAC address learning result in the port connection part 1 of the switch C shown in FIG. The figure which shows an example of the MAC address learning result in the port connection part 2 of the switch C shown in FIG. The figure which shows an example of the MAC address learning result in the port connection part 3 of the switch C shown in FIG. The figure which shows an example of the MAC address learning result in the port connection part 4 of the switch C shown in FIG. The figure which shows an example of the signal communication in the switch D shown in FIG. The figure which shows an example of the identifier information used in the switch D shown in FIG. The figure which shows an example of the MAC address learning result in the port connection part 1 of the switch D shown in FIG. The figure which shows an example of the MAC address learning result in the port connection part 2 of the switch D shown in FIG. The figure which shows an example of the MAC address learning result in the port connection part 3 of the switch D shown in FIG. The figure which shows an example of the MAC address learning result in the port connection part 4 of the switch D shown in FIG. The figure which shows an example of the signal communication in the example service function part (alpha) used in the comparative example of the network system shown in FIG. The figure which shows an example of the identifier information used in the service function part (alpha) shown in FIG.

  Embodiments according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In addition, what is generally described as a signal in the drawings is expressed as a MAC frame in each embodiment described below, but is not limited thereto. In the following description, the term “head” is used to indicate the position to which the identifier is assigned / attached in the MAC frame, but this does not necessarily mean the head in the MAC frame. . Specifically, the “head” indicates an order for a predetermined field to which an identifier such as a VID can be assigned. Such a field may be, for example, a VLAN-tag field following the transmission destination MAC address field and the transmission source MAC address field in the MAC frame. That is, the identifier is given to the head of the MAC frame / the identifier is given to the head of the MAC frame. The identifier is given to the first VLAN-tag field in the MAC frame / the identifier is the head of the MAC frame. Note that it is used to mean that it is attached to the VLAN-tag field.

[First Embodiment]
FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a network system according to the first embodiment of the present invention. In the network system of the present embodiment, for example, a service function unit α 1 that aggregates service functions is connected to a switch a 31 on the user side via a relay NW 2, and the switch a 31 is a base 1 (user A) 41 and base 2 (user A) 42 are connected. The MAC frame transmitted from each base is transmitted after a base identification VLAN ID (VID) that identifies the base from which the MAC frame is transmitted is added. As a result, the service function unit α1 that has received the MAC frame via the relay NW 2 can recognize from which base the MAC frame is received. The service function unit α 1 converts the base identification VID indicating the transmission source base of the received MAC frame into the base identification VID indicating the transmission destination base, and then transmits the MAC frame to the relay NW 2. The MAC frame transmitted from the site 1 (user A) 41 is given a MAC address X indicating that the site 1 (user A) 41 is the transmission source, and is transmitted from the site 2 (user A) 42. MAC address Y indicating that the base 2 (user A) 42 is the transmission source is assigned to the MAC frame.

  In order to deepen the understanding of the first embodiment of the present invention, first, various principles and comparative examples will be described.

(1) Comparative Example 1
FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a relay switch used in the relay NW 2 in the network system shown in FIG. 1 in accordance with a comparative example with the first embodiment of the present invention. The relay switch 202 illustrated in FIG. 2 is one switch in the switch group in the relay NW 2, and the number of switches in the switch group may be an arbitrary number of one or more. As described above, the service function unit α 1 converts the base identification VID indicating the transmission source base of the MAC frame received from the relay NW 2 into the base identification VID indicating the transmission destination base. The MAC frame is transmitted to the relay NW 2. As a result, the relay switch 202 in the relay NW 2 illustrated in FIG. 2 can perform a transfer process based on the base identification VID. As a result, the relay NW 2 receives the MAC frame received from the service function unit α1. It becomes possible to transfer to the destination site indicated by the site identification VID included in the MAC frame.

  In the relay switch 202 of FIG. 2, in order to perform the transfer process based on the above-described site identification VID, each physical port in the relay switch 202 is illustrated as a physical port in FIG. It may be any other communication port such as a port.The same applies to the following drawings.) In addition, it is managed in association with the base identification VID to which port connection unit the received MAC frame is transferred. Thus, when managing each site identification VID and each inter-port connection unit in association with each other, each time a new site is added, the base identification VID of the added site is newly associated with the inter-port connection unit. It is necessary to attach.

  In addition, in an apparatus including a plurality of interport connecting units as illustrated in FIG. 2, MAC address learning is performed using a different forwarding database (FDB) for each interport connecting unit. When each MAC port receives a MAC frame, each port connection unit checks whether or not the MAC address of the destination of the MAC frame is stored in the FDB. If it is stored, the port corresponding to the MAC address is stored in the MAC frame. If not stored, the MAC frame is transmitted to all ports other than the port that received the MAC frame (flooding). In order to prevent such unnecessary communication due to flooding, an apparatus that performs MAC frame transfer in this manner stores the MAC address of the transmission source of the received frame in correspondence with the received communication port in the FDB (MAC address). Learning).

(2) Comparative Example 2
FIG. 3 shows an exemplary relay switch 201 and an exemplary switch a in the relay NW 2 used in the network system shown in FIG. 1 according to another comparative example with the first embodiment of the present invention. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of signal communication at 311. FIG. In the MAC frame communicated between the switch a 311 illustrated in FIG. 3 and the relay NW 2, as illustrated in the MAC frame 11U2, the MAC frame 21D2, the MAC frame 31U2, and the MAC frame 41D2, the transmission source or the transmission A switch identification VID for specifying the previous switch is attached to the head of the MAC frame, and the MAC frame is transmitted so as to have a two-stage VID of the base identification VID and the switch identification VID. In this example, in addition to converting the base identification VID as described above with reference to FIG. 1 in the MAC frame, the service function unit α1 also converts the switch identification VID from the switch identification VID indicating the transmission source switch to the transmission destination. It is converted into a switch identification VID indicating the switch and transmitted. In this example, the relay switch 201 in the relay NW 2 recognizes only the switch identification VID given to the head of the MAC frame, and the internal base identification VID is handled as part of the data. For this reason, even if a new base is added, it is not necessary to change the setting based on the new base identification VID in the relay switch 201 in the relay NW 2. In the relay switch 201 of FIG. 3, only one switch identification VID value 10 indicating that the transmission source or transmission destination switch is the switch a 311 is used in the transfer process. Yes.

  FIG. 4A is a diagram illustrating an example of identifier information used in the relay switch 201 illustrated in FIG. The identifier information indicates an inter-port connection unit corresponding to the switch identification VID given to the head of the received MAC frame for each physical port, and the MAC frame received at each communication port is It can be seen that the received MAC frame is transmitted to the interport connection unit corresponding to the switch identification VID assigned to the head.

  4B is a diagram illustrating an example of a MAC address learning result in the inter-port connection unit 1 201-11 of the relay switch 201 illustrated in FIG. Also in the interport connecting unit 201-11 in the relay switch 201 illustrated in FIG. 3, MAC address learning is performed in the same manner as described above in the first comparative example. In the inter-port connection unit 201-11 in the relay switch 201 illustrated in FIG. 3, for example, the MAC frame including the MAC address X with the base 1 (user A) 41 as the transmission source is upstream, and the physical port of the relay switch 201 # 2 When received at 201-22, MAC address X is stored in association with port # 2. On the other hand, when the MAC frame is received with the base 2 (user A) 42 as the transmission destination and received at the physical port # 1 201-21 of the relay switch 201 in FIG. 3, the MAC address X is associated with the port # 1. Is memorized. As described above, in the example illustrated in FIG. 3, the port that learns each MAC address is switched every time uplink and downlink communication of the MAC frame including the MAC address is performed, and as a result, the communication becomes unstable. (FDB flapping).

(3) Comparative Example 3
FIG. 5 shows an exemplary relay switch 202 and an exemplary switch a in the relay NW used in the network system shown in FIG. 1 according to still another comparative example with the first embodiment of the present invention. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of signal communication at 311. FIG. In the example of FIG. 5, compared with the example of FIG. 3, only the configuration of the relay switch is changed. In the relay switch 202 of FIG. 5, the MAC frame including the same source MAC address from the upstream and downstream ports at each inter-port connection unit is configured by providing two inter-port connection units. Do not receive. Thereby, the FDB flapping described above does not occur, and the communication is stable.

  FIG. 6A is a diagram showing an example of identifier information used in the relay switch 202 shown in FIG. 5, and this identifier information enables communication as described with reference to FIG. Assuming that the relay switch 202 in FIG. 5 can recognize only the switch identification VID having the value 10 attached to the head of the received MAC frame, in the forwarding process in the relay switch 202, the MAC frame is transferred between any ports. Cannot select whether to transfer to the connection. Therefore, the relay switch 202 in FIG. 5 performs a transfer process for selecting which port connection unit the received MAC frame is to be transferred to based on the site identification VID in the received MAC frame. . In the identifier information shown in FIG. 6A, the inter-port connecting units 1 and 2 are associated with each port by the value of the base identification VID (shown as VID (Inner) in the table), Thereby, based on the base identification VID of the received MAC frame, it is possible to select an interport connecting unit that transfers the MAC frame. Thus, in the examples of FIGS. 5 and 6A, the MAC frame transfer process is based on the two-stage VID.

  6B is a diagram illustrating an example of a MAC address learning result in the inter-port connection unit 1 202-11 of the relay switch 202 illustrated in FIG. 5, and FIG. 6C is a connection between the ports of the relay switch 202 illustrated in FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of the MAC address learning result in a part 2 202-12. According to the examples of FIGS. 5 and 6A, the MAC address learning result is as shown, and the FDB flapping as described above does not occur.

  As the relay switch 202 in FIG. 5, it is necessary to use a special device that can perform a MAC frame transfer process based on the two-stage VID as described above.

(Constitution)
In the first embodiment of the present invention, the network system shown in FIG. 1 is configured to use the terminating device shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 as the switch a 31 and the service function unit α 1.

  FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing an example of a functional configuration of the terminating device 51 used as the switch a 31 and the service function unit α 1 in the network system shown in FIG. 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. . That is, the terminal device 51 used as the switch a 31 and the service function unit α 1 includes physical ports 51-21 and 51-22, identifier assigning / deleting units 51-41 and 51-42, and an identifier information storage unit 51. -61, inter-port connection units 51-11, ..., 51-1n, and transfer information storage units 51-51, ..., 51-5n.

  The physical ports 51-21 and 51-22 communicate the MAC frame including the first identifier and the second identifier with the other terminal device. The second identifier included in the MAC frame received from the other terminal device has a first value indicating that the MAC frame is transmitted from the other terminal device, and is included in the MAC frame transmitted to the other terminal device. The second identifier has a second value indicating that the MAC frame is transmitted to the other end device.

  Each of the identifier assigning / deleting units 51-41 and 51-42 has a one-to-one correspondence with the communication port, and when a MAC frame including the first identifier and the second identifier is transferred from the communication port. , Referring to the identifier information, selecting the inter-port connection unit corresponding to the value of the first identifier, deleting the second identifier having the first value from the MAC frame, and deleting the second identifier The subsequent MAC frame is transferred to the selected interport connection unit. The identifier assigning / deleting units 51-41 and 51-42 are configured to refer to the first value stored in the identifier information and delete the second identifier having the first value from the MAC frame. May be. The identifier assigning / deleting units 51-41 and 51-42 also store the second value stored in the identifier information when a MAC frame including the first identifier is transferred from any of the interport connecting units. The second identifier having the second value is assigned to the head of the MAC frame, and the MAC frame to which the second identifier is assigned is transferred to the communication port.

  The identifier information storage unit 51-61 stores the above-described second value as the identifier information, and further indicates an inter-port connection unit corresponding to the value of the first identifier included in the MAC frame as the identifier information. Store information. The identifier information storage unit 51-61 may store the first value described above as identifier information.

  The inter-port connecting units 51-11,..., 51-1n each connect between preset communication ports, receive MAC frames from the communication ports, and store them in the transfer information storage unit. The MAC frame is transferred to the communication port corresponding to the transmission destination MAC address of the MAC frame with reference to the information stored in the MAC frame. If the communication port corresponding to the destination MAC address of the MAC frame is not stored in the transfer information storage unit, the MAC frame is transferred to all communication ports except the port that received the MAC frame. Each of the inter-port connecting units 51-11,..., 51-1n is a set of a value of the source MAC address of the received MAC frame and a value for identifying the port that has received the MAC frame. Transfer to the transfer information storage unit.

  The transfer information storage units 51-51,..., 51-5n store a pair of a MAC address value and a value for identifying a communication port transferred from the interport connection unit.

  FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing another example of the functional configuration of the terminating device 52 used as the switch a 31 and the service function unit α 1 in the network system shown in FIG. 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. It is. That is, the terminal device 52 used as the switch a 31 and the service function unit α 1 includes physical ports 52-21 and 52-22, logical ports 52-31, 52-32, and 52-33, and physical ports-logical. Port connection unit 52-71, identifier assignment / deletion units 52-41, 52-42, 52-43, 52-44, identifier information storage unit 52-61, inter-port connection unit 52-11,. , 52-1n, and transfer information storage units 52-51,..., 52-5n.

  The combination of each of the logical ports 52-31, 52-32, 52-33 and the identifier assigning / deleting units 52-41, 52-42, 52-43 connected to the respective logical ports is respectively The identifier information storage unit 52-61, the interport connecting units 52-11, ..., 52-1n, and the transfer information storage units 52-51, ..., 52-5n, which are other components in the termination device 52 In connection with FIG. 7, the same operation as the combination of the physical port 51-21 and the identifier assigning / deleting unit 51-41 described above with reference to FIG. The termination device 51 shown in FIG. 7 does not include a logical port for each physical port. Therefore, communication with the other termination devices 6 and 7 is performed by logically one communication via each physical port. It becomes. On the other hand, in the termination device 52 shown in FIG. 8, a plurality of logical ports are connected to the physical port 52-21, and in communication with the other termination device 6, a plurality of logical ports are logically connected via the plurality of logical ports. It is possible to bundle communication. In the physical port-logical port connection unit 52-71 associated with the physical port in a one-to-one relationship, the bundled communication is made to each logical port based on some identifier included in the signal received from the other terminal device 6. Can be transferred separately. For example, the identifier information storage unit 52-61 stores the above-described first identifier value and second identifier value in association with each logical port for the physical port 52-21 as identifier information. deep. The physical port-logical port connection unit 52-71 refers to this identifier information and assigns the logical port corresponding to the value of the first identifier or the value of the second identifier assigned to the received MAC frame to the logical port. MAC frames can be transferred.

(Operation)
The operation of the terminal device configured as described above and used as the switch a 31 and the service function unit α 1 will be described.

  In the identifier assigning / deleting units 51-41 and 51-42 of the terminating device 51 shown in FIG. 7, and the identifier assigning / deleting units 52-41, 52-42 and 52-43 of the terminating device 52 shown in FIG. 52-44, signal processing for assigning an identifier having a value indicating the communication direction of the MAC frame to the MAC frame or deleting the identifier from the MAC frame is performed. 9A and 9B are exemplary flowcharts of the signal processing. The signal processing will be described below using the identifier assigning / deleting unit 51-41 in FIG. 7 as an example, but the same processing is performed by other identifier assigning / deleting units included in the terminal device 51 in FIG. Also, it should be noted that the processing can be executed in any identifier assigning / deleting unit included in the terminating device 52 in FIG.

  FIG. 9A is an exemplary flowchart of signal processing for deleting the identifier indicating the communication direction of the MAC frame from the MAC frame. In step S901, the identifier assigning / deleting unit 51-41 receives a MAC frame including the first identifier and the second identifier from the physical port 51-21. The second identifier included in the received MAC frame has a first value indicating that the MAC frame is transmitted from the other terminal device. In step S902, the identifier assigning / deleting unit 51-41 refers to the identifier information stored in the identifier information storing unit 51-61, and determines the interport connecting unit corresponding to the first identifier included in the MAC frame. select. The identifier information storage unit 51-61 stores information indicating the interport connecting unit corresponding to the value of the first identifier as the identifier information. In step S903, the identifier assigning / deleting unit 51-41 deletes the second identifier having the first value in the MAC frame. The identifier information storage unit 51-61 stores the first value as the identifier information, and the identifier assigning / deleting unit 51-41 refers to the first value stored in the identifier information, and The second identifier having the first value may be deleted from the frame. In step S904, the identifier assigning / deleting unit 51-41 transfers the MAC frame after deleting the second identifier to the inter-port connecting unit selected in step S902. Note that the order of step S902 and step S903 in the flow of FIG. 9A is merely an example, and a process in which step S902 is executed after step S903 may be performed.

  FIG. 9B is an exemplary flowchart of signal processing for assigning the identifier indicating the communication direction of the MAC frame to the MAC frame. In step S905, the identifier assigning / deleting unit 51-41 receives the MAC frame including the first identifier from any of the interport connecting units among the interport connecting units 51-11, ..., 51-1n. Receive. In step S906, the identifier assigning / deleting unit 51-41 refers to the second value in the identifier information stored in the identifier information storage unit 51-61, and selects the second identifier having the second value. It is added to the MAC frame. The identifier information storage unit 51-61 stores the second value as identifier information. In step S907, the identifier assigning / deleting unit 51-41 transfers the MAC frame to which the second identifier has been assigned to the physical port 51-21. The second value of the second identifier indicates that the MAC frame is transmitted to the other end device.

(1) Signal Processing in Switch a FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of signal communication in the exemplary switch a 312 used in the network system shown in FIG. 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. is there.

  As illustrated in FIG. 10, the switch a 312 receives the MAC frame 12U1 prefixed with the base identification VID having the value 100 from the base 1 (user A) 41. As described in step S905 of FIG. 9B, the MAC frame 12U1 is received by the identifier / assignment deletion unit (not shown) in the switch a 312 via the inter-port connection unit 1 312-11. As described in step S906 of FIG. 9B, the identifier / grant deletion unit sets a communication direction identification VID having a value 10 indicating that the MAC frame is transmitted to another terminal device at the head of the MAC frame 12U1. Give. The MAC frame 12U2 to which the communication direction identification VID is assigned is transferred to the physical port # 1 312-21 via the logical port # 1 312-31 as described in step S907 in FIG. 9B. Thereafter, the MAC frame 12U2 is transmitted from the switch a 312 to the relay NW 2.

  The MAC frame 32U1 that is transmitted from the base 2 (user A) 42 and includes the base identification VID having the value 200 is also subjected to the same processing and transferred via the inter-port connection unit 2 312-12. It is transmitted to the relay NW 2 as 32U2.

  On the other hand, the switch a 312 receives the MAC frame 22D2 including the communication direction identification VID having the value 20 and the site identification VID having the value 100 from the relay NW 2 at the physical port # 1 312-21. In the MAC frame 22D2, the communication direction identification VID is added to the head. The value 20 of the communication direction identification VID indicates that the MAC frame 22D2 is transmitted from the other end device. Here, the identifier information not shown is referred to, and the logical port # 1 312-31 corresponding to the physical port # 1 312-21 and the site identification VID having the value 100 is selected for the MAC frame 22D2. You may do it. As described in step S901 in FIG. 9A, the MAC frame 22D2 is received by the identifier / assignment deletion unit (not shown) via the physical port # 1 312-21. In the identifier / assignment deletion unit, the inter-port connection unit 1 312-11 is selected as described in step S902 of FIG. 9A. In the identifier / assignment deletion unit, as described in step S903 in FIG. 9A, the communication direction identification VID assigned to the head is deleted from the MAC frame 22D2. Thereafter, the MAC frame 22D1 after deletion of the communication direction identification VID is transferred to the selected interport connection unit 1 312-11 as described in step S904 in FIG. 9A. Thereafter, the MAC frame 22D1 is transmitted to the base 1 (user A) 41.

  The same processing is performed for the MAC frame 42D2 including the base identification VID having the value 200, transferred via the inter-port connection unit 2 312-12, and transmitted to the base 2 (user A) 42 as the MAC frame 42D1. Is done.

  FIG. 11A is a diagram showing an example of identifier information used in the switch a 312 shown in FIG. As the identifier information, each physical port, each base identification VID (shown as VID (Inner) in the table), and each communication direction identification VID (shown as transmission / reception VID (Outer) in the table). ) And corresponding logical ports and interport connections. As a result, regarding the MAC frame to be communicated at each physical port of the switch a 312, it is possible to select a logical port and an interport connection unit used for communication of the MAC frame based on the VID (Inner) indicating the base identification VID. It is shown. For example, a case where the MAC port 22D2 including the base identification VID having the value 100 is received from the relay NW 2 at the physical port # 1 312-21 in FIG. Referring to the identifier information table shown in FIG. 11A, the logical port # 1 and the interport connection unit 1 correspond to the physical port # 1 and the VID (Inner) 100. In this manner, as described with reference to FIG. 10, the logical port # 1 312-31 and the interport connecting unit 1 312-11 can be selected as the transfer destination of the MAC frame 22D2. For a MAC frame received from the outside at another physical port, the logical port to which the MAC frame is transferred and the interport connection unit can be selected in the same manner. Therefore, as illustrated in FIG. 10, the MAC frame 22D2 including the base identification VID having the value 100 with the base 1 (user A) 41 as the transmission destination is transmitted to the base 1 (user A) 41 as the MAC frame 22D1. The MAC frame 42D2 including the base identification VID having the value 200 with the base 2 (user A) 42 as the transmission destination can be transmitted to the base 2 (user A) 42 as the MAC frame 42D1. In the table of identifier information in FIG. 11A, the value for the transmission VID (Outer) for any value of the VID (Inner) for the physical port # 1 that is the port to which the MAC frame is transmitted to the relay NW 2 Thus, as described with reference to FIG. 10, the communication direction identification VID having the value 10 can be given to the MAC frame transmitted from the switch a 312 to the relay NW 2. The table of identifier information in FIG. 11A is merely an example, and for a MAC frame to be communicated at each physical port of the switch a 312, a logical port and an interport connection used for communication of the MAC frame can be selected by the base identification VID, Any value can be used as long as it can determine which value of the communication direction identification VID is assigned to the MAC frame transmitted to the relay NW 2.

  FIG. 11B is a diagram illustrating an example of a MAC address learning result in the interport connecting unit 1 312-11 of the switch a 312 illustrated in FIG. As described above, the MAC frame 12U1 with the base 1 (user A) 41 as the transmission source is transferred from the physical port # 2 312-22 to the interport connecting unit 1 312-11. That is, X, which is the MAC address of the transmission source base 1 (user A) 41 of the MAC frame 12U1, is stored in association with the physical port # 2 312-22. On the other hand, the MAC frame 22D1 having the base 1 (user A) 41 as the transmission destination is transferred from the logical port # 1 312-31 to the interport connecting unit 1 312-11. That is, Y that is the MAC address of the base 2 (user A) 42 of the transmission source of the MAC frame 22D1 is stored in association with the logical port # 1 312-31.

  FIG. 11C is a diagram illustrating an example of a MAC address learning result in the inter-port connection unit 2 312-12 of the switch a 312 illustrated in FIG. As described above, the MAC frame 32U1 having the base 2 (user A) 42 as a transmission source is transferred from the physical port # 3 312-23 to the interport connecting unit 2 312-12. That is, Y, which is the MAC address of the transmission source base 2 (user A) 42 of the MAC frame 32U1, is stored in association with the physical port # 3 312-23. On the other hand, the MAC frame 42D1 having the base 2 (user A) 42 as the transmission destination is transferred from the logical port # 2 312-32 to the interport connecting unit 2 312-12. That is, X, which is the MAC address of the transmission source base 1 (user A) 41 of the MAC frame 42D1, is stored in association with the logical port # 2 312-32.

  As shown in FIG. 11B and FIG. 11C, in each MAC address learning result of each port connection part of the switch a 312, each MAC address is learned for a specific communication port, and the above Comparative Example 2 FDB flapping as described in the above does not occur.

(2) Signal Processing in Service Function Unit α FIG. 12 shows an example of signal communication in the exemplary service function unit α 101 used in the network system shown in FIG. 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG.

  As illustrated in FIG. 12, the service function unit α 101 receives the MAC frame 12U3 including the communication direction identification VID having the value 10 and the site identification VID having the value 100 from the relay NW 2. In the MAC frame 12U3, the communication direction identification VID is given at the head. In the service function unit α101, the value 10 of the communication direction identification VID indicates that the MAC frame 12U3 is transmitted from the other end device. In the service function unit α 101, identifier information not shown here is referred to, and the logical port # 1 101-31 corresponding to the site identification VID having the value 100 is selected for the MAC frame 12U3. The MAC frame 12U3 is received by the identifier / assignment deletion unit (not shown here) via the logical port # 1 101-31 as described in step S901 in FIG. 9A. In the identifier / assignment deletion unit, the inter-port connection unit 1 101-11 is selected as described in step S902 of FIG. 9A. In the identifier / assignment deletion unit, as described in step S903 of FIG. 9A, the communication direction identification VID assigned to the head is deleted from the MAC frame 12U3. Thereafter, the MAC frame after deletion of the communication direction identification VID is transferred to the selected interport connection unit 1 101-11 as described in step S904 of FIG. 9A. In the MAC frame, the base identification VID having a value 100 indicating that the transmission source of the MAC frame is the base 1 (user A) 41 is deleted, and the transmission destination is the base 2 (user A) 42 instead. A base identification VID having a value 200 indicating that is provided. Thereafter, the identifier information not shown here is referred to, and the logical port # 2 101-32 corresponding to the site identification VID having the value 200 is selected for the MAC frame. Thereafter, as described in step S905 of FIG. 9B, the MAC frame is transferred from the inter-port connection unit 1 101-11 to the identifier / assignment deletion unit. As described in step S906 of FIG. 9B, the identifier / assignment deletion unit assigns a communication direction identification VID having a value 20 indicating that the MAC frame is transmitted to another terminal device at the head of the MAC frame. To do. The MAC frame 42D3 to which the communication direction identification VID is assigned is transferred to the logical port # 2 101-32 as described in step S907 in FIG. 9B, and then the relay NW 2 via the physical port # 1 101-21. Sent to.

  In the service function unit α 101, the same processing is performed for the MAC frame 32U3, and is transferred to the inter-port connection unit 1 101-11 via the logical port # 2 101-32, and the base identification VID having the value 200 Is deleted and a base identification VID having a value of 100 is assigned, and the MAC frame 22D3 is transmitted to the relay NW 2 via the logical port # 1 101-31.

  FIG. 13A is a diagram showing an example of identifier information used in the service function unit α 101 shown in FIG. As the identifier information, each physical port, each base identification VID (shown as VID (Inner) in the table), and each communication direction identification VID (shown as transmission / reception VID (Outer) in the table). ) And corresponding logical ports and interport connections. Accordingly, with respect to the MAC frame communicated at the physical port # 1 101-21 of the service function unit α 101, the logical port and the port used for communication of the MAC frame based on the VID (Inner) indicating the base identification VID described above It is shown that the connection can be selected. For example, a case where the MAC port 12U3 including the base identification VID having the value 100 is received from the relay NW 2 at the physical port # 1 101-21 in FIG. Referring to the identifier information table shown in FIG. 11A, the logical port # 1 and the interport connection unit 1 correspond to the physical port # 1 and the VID (Inner) 100. In this manner, as described with reference to FIG. 12, the logical port # 1 101-31 and the interport connecting unit 1 101-11 can be selected as the transfer destination of the MAC frame 12U3. In addition, after the service function unit α 101 deletes the base identification VID having the value 100 from the MAC frame and assigns the base identification VID having the value 200, as described with reference to FIG. The logical port # 2 101-32 corresponding to the VID (Inner) 200 can be used for the transfer. For other MAC frames communicated at the physical port # 1 101-21, a logical port and an interport connection unit used for communication of the MAC frame can be similarly selected. In the identifier information table of FIG. 13A, the value for the transmission VID (Outer) with respect to any value of the VID (Inner) for the physical port # 1 that is the port to which the MAC frame is transmitted to the relay NW 2 20 is stored, so that the communication direction identification VID having the value 20 can be given to the MAC frame transmitted from the service function unit α 101 to the relay NW 2 as described with reference to FIG. . The table of identifier information in FIG. 13A is merely an example, and for a MAC frame to be communicated at physical port # 1 101-21, a logical port and an interport connection used for communication of the MAC frame can be selected by the base identification VID, Any value can be used as long as it can determine which value of the communication direction identification VID is assigned to the MAC frame transmitted to the relay NW 2.

  FIG. 13B is a diagram illustrating an example of a MAC address learning result in the interport connecting unit 1 101-11 of the service function unit α 101 illustrated in FIG. As described in detail with reference to FIGS. 11B and 11C, according to the example of FIGS. 12 and 13A, the inter-port connection unit 1 101-11 of the service function unit α 101 as illustrated in FIG. 13B. In the MAC address learning result, each MAC address is learned for a specific communication port, and the FDB flapping as described in Comparative Example 2 does not occur.

(3) Signal Processing in Relay Switch in Relay NW Corresponding to the Terminating Device FIG. 14 is an illustration in the relay NW 2 used in the network system shown in FIG. 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of signal communication in a typical relay switch 203.

  As illustrated in FIG. 14, the relay switch 203 transmits the MAC frame 52U2 transmitted from the switch a 312 and having the communication direction identification VID having the value 10 at the head to the physical port # 2 203-22. Receive. The MAC frame 52U2 may be the MAC frame 12U2 including the base identification VID having the value 100 and including the MAC address X, or the MAC frame 32U2 including the base identification VID having the value 200 and including the MAC address Y. Good. In the relay switch 203, identifier information not shown here is referred to, and the inter-port connection unit 1 203-11 corresponding to the direction identification VID having the value 10 is selected for the MAC frame 52U2. The MAC frame 52U2 is transferred via the selected interport connection unit 1 203-11, and is transmitted from the physical port # 1 203-21 to the service function unit α 101 side as the MAC frame 52U3.

  On the other hand, the relay switch 203 receives, at the physical port # 1 203-21, the MAC frame 62D3 that is transmitted from the service function unit α 101 and is prefixed with the communication direction identification VID having the value 20. The MAC frame 62D3 may be the MAC frame 22D3 including the base identification VID having the value 100 and including the MAC address Y, or the MAC frame 42D3 including the base identification VID having the value 200 and including the MAC address X. Good. In the relay switch 203, identifier information not shown here is referred to, and the inter-port connection unit 2 203-12 corresponding to the direction identification VID having the value 20 is selected for the MAC frame 62D3. The MAC frame 62D3 is transferred via the selected interport connecting unit 2 203-12, and is transmitted as the MAC frame 62D2 from the physical port # 2 203-22 to the switch a 312 side.

  FIG. 15A is a diagram illustrating an example of identifier information used in the relay switch 203 illustrated in FIG. As the identifier information, the corresponding logical ports and interport connections are shown for each physical port and each communication direction identification VID (shown as VID (Outer) in the table). As a result, regarding the MAC frame to be communicated at each physical port of the relay switch 203, it is possible to select a logical port and an interport connection unit used for communication of the MAC frame based on the VID (Outer) indicating the communication direction identification VID. It is shown. For example, a case where the MAC port 52U2 including the communication direction identification VID having the value 10 transmitted from the switch a 312 is received at the physical port # 2 203-22 in FIG. 14 will be described. Referring to the identifier information table shown in FIG. 15A, the logical port # 3 and the interport connection unit 1 correspond to the physical port # 2 and the VID (Outer) 10. In this manner, as described with reference to FIG. 14, the logical port # 3 203-33 and the interport connecting unit 1 203-11 can be selected as the transfer destination of the MAC frame 52U2. For other MAC frames communicated at other physical ports of the relay switch 203, a logical port and an interport connection unit used for communication of the MAC frame can be similarly selected. The table of identifier information in FIG. 15A is merely an example, and as long as the MAC frame communicated in each physical port can be selected by the communication direction identification VID, the logical port used for communication of the MAC frame and the interport connection unit can be selected. Good.

  FIG. 15B is a diagram illustrating an example of a MAC address learning result in the inter-port connection unit 1 203-11 of the relay switch 203 illustrated in FIG. FIG. 15C is a diagram illustrating an example of a MAC address learning result in the interport connecting unit 2203-12 of the relay switch 203 illustrated in FIG. As described in detail with reference to FIGS. 11B and 11C, according to the examples of FIGS. 14 and 15A, as shown in FIGS. 15B and 15C, In the MAC address learning result, each MAC address is learned for a specific communication port, and FDB flapping as described in Comparative Example 2 does not occur. In addition, by enabling the relay switch 203 to recognize the communication direction identification VID, unlike Comparative Example 1, it is not necessary to change the design even when a new base is added. It should be noted that it is not necessary to enable transfer processing of MAC frames based on the two-stage VID.

(effect)
As described above in detail, the system according to the first embodiment of the present invention performs the following processing.

  (1) In the network system in which the switch a 312 and the service function unit α 101 communicate via the relay NW 2, the switch a 312 and the service function unit α 101 correspond to the MAC frame that communicates via the relay NW 2. A communication direction identification VID that can identify the communication direction of the MAC frame is assigned to the MAC frame for communication. The switch a 312 receives the MAC frame from the base 1 (user A) 41 and the base 2 (user A) 42, and the identifier / assignment deletion unit transmits the MAC frame to the other end device at the head of the MAC frame. The MAC frame is transmitted to the relay NW 2 with the communication direction identification VID having a value 10 indicating that the MAC frame is assigned. Further, the switch a 312 receives the MAC frame including the communication direction identification VID having the value 20 from the relay NW 2. The communication direction identification VID value 20 indicates that the MAC frame is transmitted from the other end device. After that, the switch a 312 deletes the communication direction identification VID from the MAC frame in the identifier assigning / deleting unit, and transmits the MAC frame to the site 1 (user A) 41 or the site 2 (user B) 42. . The service function unit α 101 receives the MAC frame including the communication direction identification VID having the value 10 from the relay NW 2. Thereafter, the service function unit α 101 deletes the communication direction identification VID from the MAC frame, and transmits the MAC frame to the inter-port connection unit 1 101-11. In the service function unit α 101, when the MAC frame is transferred from the inter-port connecting unit 1 101-11 to the identifier assigning / deleting unit, the MAC frame is transmitted to the head of the MAC frame by the identifier assigning / deleting unit. Is added to the communication direction identification VID having a value of 20, and then transmitted to the relay NW 2.

  (2) The identifier assignment / deletion unit inside the switch a 312 and the service function unit α 101 assigns a communication direction identification VID to the head of the MAC frame communicated between the switch a 312 and the service function unit α 101.

  (3) The switch a 312 uses the logical port # 1 312-31 and the logical port # 2 312-32 for the physical port # 1 312-21 that receives the MAC frame from the relay NW 2. The service function unit α 101 uses the logical port # 1 101-31 and the logical port # 2 101-32 for the physical port # 1 101-21 that receives the MAC frame from the relay NW 2. .

  By performing the above processing, the following effects can be obtained according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

  (1) Communication is performed in which an identifier for identifying a communication direction is assigned to a MAC frame communicated between the switch a 312 and the service function unit α 101. Therefore, in the relay NW 2 between the switch a 312 and the service function unit α 101, it is possible to perform an appropriate transfer process of the MAC frame using the identifier. It is not necessary to change the setting of the switch in the relay NW 2 every time the network is added, and unlike the comparative example 3, the relay switch 203 in the relay NW 2 can perform the MAC frame transfer process based on the two-stage VID. There is no need to do so.

  (2) In the MAC frame communicated between the switch a 312 and the service function unit α 101, the communication direction identification VID is given to the head. For this reason, the relay NW 2 between the switch a 312 and the service function unit α 101 performs an appropriate transfer process of the MAC frame by using the communication direction identification VID given to the head of the MAC frame. Can be executed.

  (3) Between the switch a 312 and the service function unit α 101, a plurality of logical ports are used for one physical port that receives a MAC frame. For this reason, in the communication between the switch a 312 and the service function unit α 101, a plurality of communications can be processed simultaneously.

[Second Embodiment]
FIG. 16 is a schematic configuration diagram of a network system according to the second embodiment of the present invention. In the network system of the present embodiment, for example, a service function unit α 1 that aggregates service functions is connected to a user-side switch a 31 and a switch b 32 via a relay NW 2, and the switch a 31 is The base 1 (user A) 41 and the base 2 (user A) 42 are connected, and the switch b 32 is connected to the base 3 (user A) 43. In FIG. 16, the same components that perform the same operations as those of the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and details thereof are omitted here for the sake of brevity. The MAC frame transmitted from the base 3 (user A) 43 is assigned with a base identification VID and a MAC address Z that specify the base of the transmission source of the MAC frame.

(Constitution)
In the second embodiment of the present invention, in the network system shown in FIG. 16, as the switch a 31, the switch b 32, and the service function unit α 1, the same termination device as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 is used. The details are omitted here for the sake of brevity.

  In the first embodiment, a configuration is adopted in which a communication direction identification VID indicating the communication direction of the MAC frame is given to the MAC frame that communicates between the terminal devices. On the other hand, in the second embodiment of the present invention, instead of the communication direction identification VID, a VID (hereinafter referred to as switch & communication direction identification) indicating the transmission source or transmission destination switch of the MAC frame and the communication direction of the MAC frame. VID).

  In the following description, as the switch & communication direction identification VID given to the MAC frame transmitted from the switch a 31 to the relay NW 2, the terminal device that gives the switch & communication direction identification VID to the MAC frame is the switch a 31. A switch & communication direction identification VID having a value 10 indicating that the MAC frame is to be transmitted to the other end device is used. Further, as the switch & communication direction identification VID given to the MAC frame received by the switch a 31 from the relay NW 2, the destination device of the MAC frame is the switch a 31 and the MAC frame is sent from the other terminal device. A switch & communication direction identification VID having a value 20 indicating that it is transmitted is used. Further, as the switch & communication direction identification VID given to the MAC frame transmitted from the switch b 32 to the relay NW 2, the terminal device that gives the switch & communication direction identification VID to the MAC frame is the switch b 32. A switch & communication direction identification VID having a value 30 indicating that the MAC frame is transmitted to the other end device is used. Further, as the switch & communication direction identification VID given to the MAC frame received from the relay NW2 by the switch b 32, the destination terminal device of the MAC frame is the switch b 32 and the MAC frame is transmitted from the other terminal device. A switch & communication direction identification VID having a value 40 indicating that it is transmitted is used.

(Operation)
(1) Signal Processing in Switch a The switch a 312 assigns / deletes the switch & communication direction identification VID having the values 10 and 20 in the MAC frame that communicates with the relay NW 2. Since the same processing as the signal communication in the switch a 312 according to the first embodiment shown in FIG. 10 is performed, the details are omitted here. FIG. 17A is a diagram illustrating an example of identifier information used in the exemplary switch a 312 in the network system illustrated in FIG. 16, and the same processing as described with reference to FIG. It is omitted here.

  FIG. 17B is a diagram illustrating an example of a MAC address learning result in the interport connecting unit 1 312-11 of the exemplary switch a 312 in the network system illustrated in FIG. FIG. 17C is a diagram illustrating an example of a MAC address learning result in the inter-port connection unit 2 312-12 of the exemplary switch a 312 in the network system illustrated in FIG. Since the MAC frame including the MAC address Z from the base 3 (user A) 43 is transmitted to the base 1 (user A) 41 and the base 2 (user 2) 42, the learning result stored in FIG. 11B and FIG. In addition, in the MAC address learning result in the interport connecting unit 1 312-11 shown in FIG. 17B, the MAC address Z is stored in association with the logical port # 1 312-31, and the interport connecting unit shown in FIG. 17C. 2 In the MAC address learning result in 312-12, the MAC address Z is stored in association with the logical port # 2 312-32. As shown in FIG. 17B and FIG. 17C, each MAC address is learned for a specific communication port in each MAC address learning result of each inter-port connection unit of the switch a 312. FDB flapping as described in the above does not occur.

(2) Signal Processing in Switch b FIG. 18 is a diagram showing an example of signal communication in the exemplary switch b 32 used in the network system shown in FIG. As illustrated in FIG. 18, the switch b 32 receives from the site 3 (user A) 43 the MAC frame 73U1 to which the site identification VID having the value 300 is added at the head. As described in step S905 of FIG. 9B, the MAC frame 73U1 is received by the identifier / assignment deleting unit (not shown) in the switch b 32 via the interport connecting unit 1 32-11. As described in step S906 of FIG. 9B, the identifier / grant deletion unit adds the switch & communication direction identification VID having the value 30 to the head of the MAC frame 73U1, and has the switch & communication direction identification VID. The value 30 indicates that the terminal device that assigns the switch & communication direction identification VID to the MAC frame is the switch b 32 and that the MAC frame is transmitted to the other terminal device. The MAC frame 73U2 to which the communication direction identification VID has been assigned is transferred to the physical port # 1 32-21 as described in step S907 in FIG. 9B. Thereafter, the MAC frame 73U2 is transmitted from the switch b 32 to the relay NW 2.

  On the other hand, the switch b 32 receives the MAC frame 83D2 including the switch & communication direction identification VID having the value 40 and the site identification VID having the value 300 from the relay NW 2 at the physical port # 1 32-21. In the MAC frame 83D2, the switch & communication direction identification VID is added to the head. The switch & communication direction identification VID value 40 indicates that the destination device of the MAC frame 83D2 is the switch b 32 and that the MAC frame 83D2 is transmitted from the other device. As described in step S901 in FIG. 9A, the MAC frame 83D2 is received by the identifier / assignment deletion unit (not shown) via the physical port # 1 32-21. In the identifier / assignment deletion unit, the interport connection unit 132-11 is selected as described in step S902 of FIG. 9A. In the identifier / assignment deletion unit, as described in step S903 in FIG. 9A, the switch & communication direction identification VID assigned to the head is deleted from the MAC frame 83D2. Thereafter, the MAC frame 83D1 after the deletion of the communication direction identification VID is transferred to the selected inter-port connection unit 132-11 as described in step S904 in FIG. 9A. Thereafter, the MAC frame 83D1 is transmitted to the base 3 (user A) 43.

  FIG. 19A is a diagram showing an example of identifier information used in the switch b 32 shown in FIG. As identifier information, each physical port, each base identification VID (in the table, indicated as VID (Inner)), each switch & communication direction identification VID (in the table, indicated as transmission / reception VID (Outer)) Corresponding inter-port connections are shown. As a result, with respect to the MAC frame communicated at each physical port of the switch b 32, the port used for communication of the MAC frame based on the VID (Inner) indicating the base identification VID as described above with reference to FIG. It is shown that an inter-connection can be selected.

  FIG. 19B is a diagram illustrating an example of a MAC address learning result in the inter-port connection unit 1 32-11 of the switch b 32 illustrated in FIG. 18 and 19A, the MAC address learning result is as shown, and the FDB flapping as described in Comparative Example 2 does not occur.

(3) Signal Processing in Service Function Unit α FIG. 20 is a diagram illustrating an example of signal communication in the exemplary service function unit α 102 used in the network system illustrated in FIG. 16.

  The service function unit α 102 illustrated in FIG. 20 is a service function unit according to the first embodiment illustrated in FIG. 12 except that the process is based on three types of base identification VIDs of values 100, 200, and 300. Since the same processing as the signal communication at α 101 is performed, details are omitted here.

  FIG. 21A is a diagram showing an example of identifier information used in the service function unit α 102 shown in FIG. 20, but the same processing as described with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 21B is a diagram illustrating an example of a MAC address learning result in the interport connecting unit 1 102-11 of the service function unit α 102 illustrated in FIG. 20 and 21A, the MAC address learning result is as shown, and the FDB flapping as described in the second comparative example does not occur.

(4) Signal Processing in Relay Switch in Relay NW Corresponding to the Termination Device FIG. 22 is a diagram showing an exemplary connection mode of switches in the relay NW 2 shown in FIG. As illustrated, in the relay NW 2, the switch a 31 as a termination device is connected to a switch group including the switch A 21 in the relay NW 2, and the switch b 32 as a termination device is connected to the switch in the relay NW 2. The switch group including the switch A including the switch A 21 and the switch group including the switch B 22 are connected to the switch group including the B 22. It is connected to the service function unit α1 through a switch group including the switch group. Note that the number of switches in the switch group may be any number of one or more.

  FIG. 23 is a diagram illustrating an example of signal communication in the switch A 21 illustrated in FIG.

  In the switch A 21 in FIG. 23, the same processing as the signal communication in the relay switch 203 according to the first embodiment shown in FIG. 14 is performed, and details thereof are omitted here.

  FIG. 24A is a diagram showing an example of identifier information used in the switch A 21 shown in FIG. 23, but the same processing as that described with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 24B is a diagram illustrating an example of a MAC address learning result in the inter-port connection unit 1 21-11 of the switch A 21 illustrated in FIG. FIG. 24C is a diagram illustrating an example of a MAC address learning result in the inter-port connection unit 2 21-12 of the switch A 21 illustrated in FIG. According to the examples of FIGS. 23 and 24A, the MAC address learning result is as shown, and the FDB flapping as described in the comparative example 2 does not occur.

  FIG. 25 is a diagram illustrating an example of signal communication in the switch B 22 illustrated in FIG.

  In the switch B 22 in FIG. 25, the same processing as the signal communication in the relay switch 203 according to the first embodiment shown in FIG. 14 is performed, so the details are omitted here.

  FIG. 26A is a diagram showing an example of the identifier information used in the switch B 22 shown in FIG. 25, but the details are omitted here because the same processing as described with reference to FIG. 15A is performed.

  FIG. 26B is a diagram illustrating an example of a MAC address learning result in the inter-port connection unit 1 22-11 of the switch B 22 illustrated in FIG. FIG. 26C is a diagram illustrating an example of a MAC address learning result in the inter-port connection unit 2 22-12 of the switch B 22 illustrated in FIG. According to the example of FIGS. 25 and 26A, the MAC address learning result as shown is obtained, and the FDB flapping as described in the comparative example 2 does not occur.

  FIG. 27 is a diagram illustrating an example of signal communication in the switch C23 illustrated in FIG.

  As illustrated in FIG. 27, the switch C 23 transmits the MAC frame transmitted from the service function unit α 102 based on the value of the switch & communication direction identification VID of the MAC frame. It can be transferred to the port-to-port connection connected to the previous switch. For example, the switch C 23 receives, at the physical port # 1 23-21, the MAC frame 63D5 that is transmitted from the service function unit α 102 and is prefixed with the switch & communication direction identification VID having the value 20. As described above, the value 20 of the switch & communication direction identification VID indicates that the destination device of the MAC frame 63D5 is the switch a 312 and that the MAC frame 63D5 is transmitted from the other device. It shows. In the switch C 23, identifier information not shown here is referred to, and the interport connecting unit 2 23-12 corresponding to the switch & direction identification VID having the value 20 is selected for the MAC frame 63D5. The MAC frame 63D5 is transferred via the selected interport connection unit 2 23-12, and is transmitted as the MAC frame 63D4 from the physical port # 2 23-22 to the switch a 312 side. Similarly, the MAC frame 83D5 transmitted from the service function unit α 102 and having the switch & communication direction identification VID having the value 40 added to the head is transferred via the inter-port connection unit 423-14, and the MAC frame 83D4 is transmitted from the physical port # 3 23-23 to the switch b 32 side.

  On the other hand, the relay switch C 23 receives, at the physical port # 2 23-22, the MAC frame 53U4 transmitted from the switch a 312 and prefixed with the switch & communication direction identification VID having the value 10. In the switch C 23, identifier information not shown here is referred to, and the interport connecting unit 1 23-11 corresponding to the switch & direction identification VID having the value 10 is selected for the MAC frame 53 U 4. The MAC frame 53U4 is transferred through the selected inter-port connection unit 1 23-11, and is transmitted as the MAC frame 53U5 from the physical port # 1 23-21 to the service function unit α 102 side. Similarly, the MAC frame 73U4 transmitted from the switch b 32 and having the switch & communication direction identification VID having the value 30 added to the head is transferred via the inter-port connection unit 323-13, and is referred to as the MAC frame 73U5. Are transmitted from the physical port # 1 23-21 to the service function unit α 102 side.

  FIG. 28A is a diagram showing an example of identifier information used in the switch C 23 shown in FIG. As the identifier information, the corresponding logical ports and interport connections are shown for each physical port and each switch & communication direction identification VID (shown as VID (Outer) in the table). As a result, as described with reference to FIG. 27, the MAC frame communicated at each physical port of the switch C 23 is used for communication of the MAC frame based on the VID (Outer) indicating the switch & communication direction identification VID. It has been shown that logical ports and interport connections can be selected.

  FIG. 28B is a diagram illustrating an example of a MAC address learning result in the inter-port connection unit 1 23-11 of the switch C 23 illustrated in FIG. FIG. 28C is a diagram illustrating an example of the MAC address learning result in the inter-port connection unit 2 23-12 of the switch C 23 illustrated in FIG. Furthermore, FIG. 28D is a diagram illustrating an example of a MAC address learning result in the inter-port connection unit 3 23-13 of the switch C 23 illustrated in FIG. Furthermore, FIG. 28E is a diagram illustrating an example of a MAC address learning result in the inter-port connection unit 4 23-14 of the switch C 23 illustrated in FIG. According to the examples of FIGS. 27 and 28A, the MAC address learning result as shown is obtained, and the FDB flapping as described in the comparative example 2 does not occur.

  FIG. 29 is a diagram illustrating an example of signal communication in the switch D 24 illustrated in FIG.

  In the switch D 24 in FIG. 29, processing similar to the signal communication in the switch C 23 shown in FIG. 27 is performed, and details thereof are omitted here.

  FIG. 30A is a diagram showing an example of the identifier information used in the switch D 24 shown in FIG. 29. Since the same processing as described with reference to FIG. 28A is performed, details thereof are omitted here.

  FIG. 30B is a diagram illustrating an example of the MAC address learning result in the inter-port connection unit 1 24-11 of the switch D 24 illustrated in FIG. 29. FIG. 30C is a diagram illustrating an example of a MAC address learning result in the inter-port connection unit 2 24-12 of the switch D 24 illustrated in FIG. Furthermore, FIG. 30D is a diagram illustrating an example of the MAC address learning result in the inter-port connection unit 324-13 of the switch D 24 illustrated in FIG. Furthermore, FIG. 30E is a diagram illustrating an example of a MAC address learning result in the inter-port connection unit 4 24-14 of the switch D 24 illustrated in FIG. According to the example of FIGS. 29 and 30A, the MAC address learning result as shown is obtained, and the FDB flapping as described in the comparative example 2 does not occur.

(effect)
As described above in detail, the system according to the second embodiment of the present invention performs the following processing.

  In a network system in which the switch a 312, the switch b 32, and the service function unit α 102 communicate via the relay NW 2, the MACs that the switch a 312, the switch b 32, and the service function unit α 102 each transmit to the relay NW 2 The frame is transmitted after the switch & communication direction identification VID is given. The switch & communication direction identification VID adds the switch & communication direction identification VID to the MAC frame in addition to the communication direction of the MAC frame. It has a value that specifies the terminating device to be assigned or a value that identifies the terminating device that is the transmission destination of the MAC frame.

  For this reason, according to the second embodiment of the present invention, even when the number of termination devices is increased in the network system, the relay NW uses the switch & communication direction identification VID to appropriately identify the MAC frame. Can be transferred to a different termination device.

  Here, FIG. 31 shows signal communication in the exemplary service function unit α 103 when the service function unit α 1 in the network system shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows an example. FIG. 32 is a diagram showing an example of identifier information used in the service function unit α 103 shown in FIG. When using the service function unit 102 according to the second embodiment of the present invention illustrated in FIG. 20 as described above, compared with the service function unit α 103 using the technology of Patent Document 1 illustrated in FIG. The number of logical ports used is reduced.

[Other Embodiments]
In the first embodiment described in detail above, a network system in which one switch as a termination device is connected to one service function unit α as a termination device has been described. In the second embodiment, a network system in which two switches as termination devices are connected to one service function unit α as a termination device has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments. For example, a network system in which N switches as termination devices are connected to one service function unit α as a termination device. It may be configured. In addition, a configuration in which an identifier for identifying the service function unit is separately used, as in the case of using the identifier for identifying the switch as the termination device in the second embodiment, after providing a plurality of service function units as the termination device. Thus, a network system in which M switches as termination devices are connected to N service function units as termination devices may be configured. In the above embodiment, the case where VID is used as an identifier is shown as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and can be applied to, for example, B-tag / I-tag in PBB. There may be other identifiers that can be used for MAC address learning.

  In addition, for example, the configuration of the service function unit and each switch, the processing procedure and processing contents for assigning / deleting identifiers, and the like can be implemented with various modifications without departing from the gist of the present invention.

  In short, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments as they are, and can be embodied by modifying the components without departing from the scope of the invention in the implementation stage. Further, various inventions can be formed by appropriately combining a plurality of constituent elements disclosed in the embodiment. For example, some components may be deleted from all the components shown in each embodiment. Furthermore, you may combine suitably the component covering different embodiment.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Service function part (alpha), 2 ... Relay NW, 31 ... Switch a, 41 ... Base 1 (user A), 42 ... Base 2 (user A), 202 ... Relay switch, 202-11 ... Port connection part 1, 202-12 ... interport connection unit 2, 202-21 ... physical port # 1, 202-22 ... physical port # 2, 201 ... relay switch, 201-11 ... interport connection unit 1, 201-21 ... physical port # 1, 201-22 ... physical port # 2, 311 ... switch a, 311-11 ... inter-port connection unit 1, 311-12 ... inter-port connection unit 2, 311-21 ... physical port # 1, 311-22 ... physical Port # 2, 311-23 ... physical port # 3, 11U1 ... signal, 11U2 ... signal, 11U3 ... signal, 21D1 ... signal, 21D2 ... signal, 21D3 ... signal, 31U1 ... signal, 31U2 ... signal 31U3 ... Signal, 41D1 ... Signal, 41D2 ... Signal, 41D3 ... Signal, 51 ... Termination device, 6 ... Other termination device, 7 ... Other termination device, 51-11 ... Inter-port connection # 1, 51-1n ... Between ports Connection unit #n, 51-21 ... physical port, 51-22 ... physical port, 51-41 ... identifier assignment / deletion unit, 51-42 ... identifier assignment / deletion unit, 51-51 ... transfer information storage unit # 1, 51-5n: Transfer information storage unit #n, 51-61: Identifier information storage unit, 52 ... Termination device, 52-11 ... Port connection unit # 1, 52-1n ... Port connection unit #n, 52-21 ... physical port, 52-22 ... physical port, 52-31 ... logical port, 52-32 ... logical port, 52-33 ... logical port, 52-41 ... identifier assignment / deletion unit, 52-42 ... identifier assignment / deletion Part, 52-43 ... with identifier Giving / Deleting Unit, 52-44 ... Identifier Giving / Deleting Unit, 52-51 ... Transfer Information Storage Unit # 1, 52-5n ... Transfer Information Storage Unit #n, 52-61 ... Identifier Information Storage Unit, 52-71 ... Physical port-logical port connection unit, 312... Switch a, 312-11... Inter-port connection unit 1, 312-12... Inter-port connection unit 2, 312-21 ... physical port # 1, 312-22. 312-23 ... physical port # 3, 312-31 ... logical port # 1, 312-32 ... logical port # 2, 12U1 ... signal, 12U2 ... signal, 22D1 ... signal, 22D2 ... signal, 32U1 ... signal, 32U2 ... Signal, 42D1 ... Signal, 42D2 ... Signal, 101 ... Service function part α, 101-11 ... Inter-port connection part 1, 101-21 ... Physical port # 1, 101-31 ... Logical port # 1,101 32 ... Logical port # 2, 12U3 ... Signal, 22D3 ... Signal, 32U3 ... Signal, 42D3 ... Signal, 203 ... Relay switch, 203-11 ... Inter-port connection 1, 203-12 ... Inter-port connection 2, 203- 21 ... Physical port # 1, 203-22 ... Physical port # 2, 203-31 ... Logical port # 1, 203-32 ... Logical port # 2, 203-33 ... Logical port # 3, 203-34 ... Logical port # 4, 52U2 ... signal, 52U3 ... signal, 62D2 ... signal, 62D3 ... signal, 32 ... switch b, 43 ... site 3 (user A), 32-11 ... interport connection 1, 32-21 ... physical port # 1 32-22 ... physical port # 2, 73U1 ... signal, 73U2 ... signal, 83D1 ... signal, 83D2 ... signal, 102 ... service function part α, 102-11 ... interport connection part 1 102-21 ... physical port # 1, 102-31 ... logical port # 1, 102-32 ... logical port # 2, 102-33 ... logical port # 3, 13U3 ... signal, 23D3 ... signal, 33U3 ... signal, 43D3 ... Signal, 73U3 ... Signal, 83D3 ... Signal, 21 ... Switch A, 22 ... Switch B, 23 ... Switch C, 24 ... Switch D, 21-11 ... Port connection section 21, 21-12 ... Port connection section 2, 21-21 ... Physical ports # 1, 21-22 ... Physical ports # 2, 21-31 ... Logical ports # 1,21-32 ... Logical ports # 2, 21-33 ... Logical ports # 3, 21-34 ... Logic Port # 4, 53U2 ... signal, 53U4 ... signal, 63D2 ... signal, 63D4 ... signal, 22-11 ... inter-port connection unit 1, 22-12 ... inter-port connection unit 2, 22-21 ... physical port # 22-22 ... physical port # 2, 22-31 ... logical port # 1, 22-32 ... logical port # 2, 22-33 ... logical port # 3, 22-34 ... logical port # 4, 73U4 ... signal, 83D4 ... Signal 23-11 ... Port connection part 1, 23-12 ... Port connection part 2, 23-13 ... Port connection part 3, 23-14 ... Port connection part 4, 23-21 ... Physical port # 1, 23-22 ... Physical port # 2, 23-23 ... Physical port # 3, 23-31 ... Logical port # 1, 23-32 ... Logical port # 2, 23-33 ... Logical port # 3, 23- 34 ... Logic port # 4, 23-35 ... Logic port # 5, 23-36 ... Logic port # 6, 23-37 ... Logic port # 7, 23-38 ... Logic port # 8, 53U5 ... Signal, 63D5 ... Signal 73U5 ... signal, 83D5 ... signal, 24-11... Port connecting portion 1, 24-12... Port connecting portion 2, 24-13... Port connecting portion 3, 24-14... Port connecting portion 4, 24-21. -22 ... Physical port # 2, 24-31 ... Logical port # 1, 24-32 ... Logical port # 2, 24-33 ... Logical port # 3, 24-34 ... Logical port # 4, 24-35 ... Logical port # 5, 24-36 ... logical port # 6, 24-37 ... logical port # 7, 24-38 ... logical port # 8, 53U3 ... signal, 63D3 ... signal, 103 ... service function unit [alpha], 103-11 ... port Inter-connection unit 1, 103-21 ... physical port # 1, 103-31 ... logical port # 1, 103-32 ... logical port # 2, 103-33 ... logical port # 3, 103-34 ... logical port # 4, 103-35 ... Logical port # , 103-36 ... the logical port # 6,14U3 ... signal, 24D3 ... signal, 34U3 ... signal, 44D3 ... signal, 74U3 ... signal, 84D3 ... signal

Claims (7)

A communication port for communicating a MAC frame with another terminal device;
An identifier assigning / deleting unit connected to the communication port and assigning or deleting an identifier to a MAC frame;
One or more inter-port connection units connected to the communication port via the identifier assigning / deleting unit;
An identifier information storage unit connected to the identifier assigning / deleting unit,
The communication port includes means for receiving a first MAC frame from the other terminal device and transmitting a second MAC frame to the other terminal device;
The first MAC frame and the second MAC frame include a first identifier and a second identifier, and the second identifier included in the first MAC frame is the first MAC frame. Has a first value indicating that the second MAC frame is transmitted from the other terminal device, and the second identifier included in the second MAC frame is transmitted to the other terminal device. A second value indicating that
The identifier information storage unit stores the second value as identifier information, and further, an inter-port connection corresponding to a value of the first identifier included in the first MAC frame as the identifier information Means for storing information indicating the part,
The identifier assigning / deleting unit
When the first MAC frame is transferred from the communication port, the identifier information is referred to, an interport connecting unit corresponding to the value of the first identifier is selected, and the first MAC frame is selected. Means for deleting the second identifier from and transferring the third MAC frame after the deletion of the second identifier to the selected inter-port connection unit;
When a fourth MAC frame including the first identifier is transferred from any one of the one or more inter-port connection units, the second value is set in the identifier information. Referring to, the second identifier having the second value is assigned to the fourth MAC frame, and the MAC frame after the second identifier is assigned to the communication port is referred to as the second MAC frame. And means for transferring as
An end device characterized by that. The value of the second identifier is a value that specifies a terminal device to which the second identifier is added in addition to the communication direction of the MAC frame to which the second identifier is assigned, or transmission of the MAC frame The termination device according to claim 1, wherein the termination device has a value that identifies the previous termination device. The first MAC frame has the second identifier before the first identifier;
Giving the second identifier to the fourth MAC frame includes giving the second identifier before the first identifier of the fourth MAC frame. The termination device according to claim 1 or 2. The termination device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the communication port is a physical port or a logical port.   A network system comprising two or more termination devices according to claim 1.   The program for functioning as various means in the termination | terminus apparatus in any one of Claims 1 thru | or 4. A communication port that communicates a MAC frame with another terminal device, an identifier assignment / deletion unit that is connected to the communication port and assigns or deletes an identifier to the MAC frame, and the communication port via the identifier addition / deletion unit A communication method executed by a terminating device comprising one or more connected ports connected to each other and an identifier information storage connected to the identifier assigning / deleting unit,
The communication port includes receiving a first MAC frame from the other terminal device, and transmitting a second MAC frame to the other terminal device;
The first MAC frame and the second MAC frame include a first identifier and a second identifier, and the second identifier included in the first MAC frame is the first MAC frame. Has a first value indicating that the second MAC frame is transmitted from the other terminal device, and the second identifier included in the second MAC frame is transmitted to the other terminal device. A second value indicating that
The identifier information storage unit stores the second value as identifier information, and further, an inter-port connection corresponding to the value of the first identifier included in the first MAC frame as the identifier information Storing information indicating the part,
The identifier assigning / deleting unit
When the first MAC frame is transferred from the communication port, the identifier information is referred to, an interport connecting unit corresponding to the value of the first identifier is selected, and the first MAC frame is selected. Deleting the second identifier from the network, and transferring the third MAC frame after the deletion of the second identifier to the selected interport connection unit;
The identifier assigning / deleting unit
When a fourth MAC frame including the first identifier is transferred from any one of the one or more inter-port connection units, the second value is set in the identifier information. Referring to, the second identifier having the second value is assigned to the fourth MAC frame, and the MAC frame after the second identifier is assigned to the communication port is referred to as the second MAC frame. And a process of transferring as a communication method.