JP2019016889A - Management device, management system, network device setting method, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

To easily perform setting to a network device even when a plurality of controllers of different methods are used.SOLUTION: A management device includes a user interface unit that provides a setting screen of a network device to a user terminal and receives input information on the network device from the user terminal, a setting information generating unit that generates setting information for the network device on the basis of the input information, and a transmission unit that transmits the setting information to a controller that executes setting for the network device.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

  The present invention relates to a technique for setting a network device.

  An SD-WAN (Software Defined Wide Area Network) service using an SDN (Software Defined Network) technology for constructing a virtual network by software is provided. With the SD-WAN service, for example, a separate network is virtually constructed on a plurality of underlay networks of different qualities such as VPN and the Internet, route distribution according to the importance of communication, and centralization of a plurality of bases Can be changed.

  In the SD-WAN service, generally, a network device for SD-WAN is installed at each base, and a desired network is constructed by setting the network device from the SD-WAN controller.

JP 2012-53667 A

  The SD-WAN controller is provided by the vendor as a set with the network device. Since each vendor has a feature in the SD-WAN technology, a user may construct his / her network by combining SD-WAN controllers and network devices of a plurality of vendors.

  However, since the method is different for each vendor, the setting environment (setting screen or the like) in the SD-WAN controller is different for each vendor. Also, the setting environment differs depending on the OS and model number of the device. In particular, in the SD-WAN setting, the setting items are many and complicated. For example, in a plurality of connection bases, there are complicated settings such as QoS for each application, setting of communication environment used, threshold used for switching when quality is lowered, switching destination, setting of security policy of different NW, and the like.

  Therefore, as described above, when using devices of a plurality of vendors, there is a problem that the user needs to perform complicated settings in different setting environments for each vendor, and setting takes a lot of trouble. For example, the UI (User Interface) is different for each vendor, and a user burden is large because errors due to differences in words such as setting locations and item names are likely to occur. In addition, it is troublesome in that it is necessary to log in to a plurality of devices.

  Note that the above problem is not limited to the SD-WAN, and is a problem that can occur in general when a network is set using a plurality of controllers.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and an object of the present invention is to provide a technique that allows easy setting to a network device even when a plurality of controllers are used.

According to the disclosed technology, a user interface unit that provides a network device setting screen to a user terminal and receives input information related to the network device from the user terminal;
A setting information generation unit that generates setting information for the network device based on the input information;
A management apparatus is provided, comprising: a transmission unit that transmits the setting information to a controller that performs settings for the network device.

  According to the disclosed technology, there is provided a technology that allows easy setting to a network device even when a plurality of controllers are used.

1 is an overall configuration diagram of a system in an embodiment of the present invention. 2 is a functional configuration diagram of a common management apparatus 100. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration example of a common management apparatus 100. FIG. 4 is a flowchart for explaining an operation example of a common management apparatus 100. It is a figure which shows the example of a screen. It is a figure which shows the example of the table information stored in the data storage part. It is a figure which shows the example of the table information stored in the data storage part.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment (this embodiment) of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The embodiment described below is merely an example, and the embodiment to which the present invention is applied is not limited to the following embodiment. Note that the individual controllers and edge devices in the following embodiments are assumed to be devices for SD-WAN, but the present invention is not limited to SD-WAN and is applicable to various network technologies. Is possible.

(Overall system configuration)
FIG. 1 shows an example of the overall configuration of the system in the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the system includes a common management device 100, individual controllers 10A, 10B, and 10C, and edge devices 20A, 20B, and 20C. These devices are connected by a control network as shown by connection lines in FIG. 1 and can communicate with each other. The control network is not limited to a specific network. For example, the control network may be the Internet, a VPN, a mobile network, or a dedicated line.

  The individual controllers 10A, 10B, and 10C and the edge devices 20A, 20B, and 20C are devices installed as an SD-WAN service for a user (here, “user U”) by a communication company, for example. . Under the common management apparatus 100, an individual controller of a user other than the user U is connected, but only the apparatus of the user U is shown here. The common management device 100 may also be a device dedicated to the user U.

  Further, the user management terminal 200 of the user U is connected to the common management apparatus 100 via, for example, the Internet. The user management terminal 200 may be referred to as a “user terminal”.

  The common management apparatus 100 provides a setting screen to the user management terminal 200, generates setting information for each individual controller based on information input from the user management terminal 200 through the setting screen, and sets the setting information for each individual controller. Send information.

  Regarding the above setting screen, the common management device 100 may generate a setting screen and transmit the data of the setting screen to the user management terminal 200. The common management device 100 is necessary for generating the setting screen. It is also possible to transmit various data (such as parameters) to the user management terminal 200 and the user management terminal 200 generates a setting screen.

  Details of the common management apparatus 100 will be described later. The common management apparatus 100 may be referred to as a “management apparatus”. A system including the common management apparatus 100 and the individual controller may be referred to as a “management system”.

  The individual controllers 10A, 10B, and 10C are SD-WAN controllers, respectively. Here, the individual controller 10A is an SD-WAN controller of vendor A (hereinafter referred to as method A), the individual controller 10B is an SD-WAN controller of vendor B (hereinafter referred to as method B), and the individual controller 10C is This is an SD-WAN controller of vendor C (hereinafter referred to as method C). Each individual controller includes a function of performing settings for an edge device by connecting to the edge device under the network and transmitting setting information (commands, parameters, and the like) to the edge device.

  Each of the edge devices 20A, 20B, and 20C is a network device installed at a different base in the user U, and is, for example, a router or a switch. The edge device 20A is a network device of method A and is set by the individual controller 10A. The edge device 20B is a network device of method B and is set by the individual controller 10B. The edge device 20C is a system C network device, and is set by the individual controller 10C.

  The edge devices 20A, 20B, and 20C construct a network desired by the user U (eg, VPN between arbitrary bases, Internet connection between a base and a cloud data center, etc.). The edge device may be referred to as CPE, terminal, or the like. The network device connected to the individual controller is not limited to the edge device, and may be an SD-WAN gateway, for example. Further, the edge device and the SD-WAN gateway may be a physical device or a virtual machine realized by a virtual technology.

  The user management terminal 200 is, for example, a PC equipped with a browser, a smartphone, a tablet, or the like.

  In FIG. 1, three individual controllers 10A, 10B, and 10C are shown as individual controllers. However, this is only an example, and the number of individual controllers may be less than three (1 or 2). It may be a number greater than three. Further, the number of network devices (edge devices) under each individual controller is not limited to one and may be two or more.

(Configuration of common management apparatus 100)
FIG. 2 shows a functional configuration example of the common management apparatus 100. As shown in FIG. 2, the common management apparatus 100 includes a user IF (interface) unit 110, a setting information generation unit 120, a system IF (interface) unit 130, and a data storage unit 140.

  The user IF unit 110 receives access from the user management terminal 200, provides a setting screen to the user management terminal 200, and receives information input from the setting screen from the user management terminal 200. The user IF unit 110 has a Web server function, for example.

  The setting information generation unit 120 generates setting information to be transmitted to the individual controller based on the input information received from the user management terminal 200 and the information stored in the data storage unit 140. Details of the operation of the setting information generation unit 120 will be described later.

  The system IF unit 130 is a functional unit that communicates with each individual controller. For example, setting information for the edge device 20A of the method A is transmitted from the system IF unit 130 to the individual controller 20A. For example, the system IF unit 130 transmits the setting information to the target individual controller by using the north band API for each individual controller. The system IF unit 130 may be referred to as a “transmission unit”.

  The data storage unit 140 stores user information, a conversion table (also referred to as a conversion database), a template, and the like.

  The common management apparatus 100 may be realized by a virtual machine using a cloud service, or may be realized by using individual physical servers. In any case, the physical entity (hardware) of the common management apparatus 100 is a computer on which a program is executed. That is, each unit of the common management apparatus 100 can be realized by causing a computer to execute a program.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration example of the common management apparatus 100. The common management device 100 of FIG. 3 includes a drive device 150, an auxiliary storage device 152, a memory device 153, a CPU 154, an interface device 155, a display device 156, an input device 157, and the like, which are mutually connected by a bus B.

  A program for realizing processing in the common management apparatus 100 is provided by a recording medium 151 such as a CD-ROM or a memory card, for example. When the recording medium 151 storing the program is set in the drive device 150, the program is installed from the recording medium 151 into the auxiliary storage device 152 via the drive device 150. However, the program does not necessarily have to be installed from the recording medium 151, and may be downloaded from another computer via a network. The auxiliary storage device 152 stores the installed program and also stores necessary files and data.

  The memory device 153 reads the program from the auxiliary storage device 152 and stores it when there is an instruction to start the program. The CPU 154 realizes functions related to the common management apparatus 100 according to a program stored in the memory device 153. The interface device 155 is used as an interface for connecting to a network. The display device 156 displays a GUI (Graphical User Interface) or the like by a program. The input device 157 includes a keyboard and mouse, buttons, a touch panel, and the like, and is used to input various operation instructions. Note that the common management device 100 may not include the display device 156 and / or the input device 157.

(Operation of Common Management Device 100)
Next, an operation example of the common management apparatus 100 regarding the network construction of the user U will be described along the procedure of the flowchart of FIG.

  Here, it is assumed that the conversion table, the template, and the like are already stored in the data storage unit 140, but the user information regarding the device of the user U is not stored. In this case, as pre-setting, information (base, method, model number, OS version, etc.) regarding the device used by the user U is stored in the data storage unit 140 (step S101). This pre-setting may be performed by the user U himself from the user management terminal 200, or may be performed by a communication carrier based on application information from the user U or the like. The subsequent operations are based on the assumption that the user U performs the setting to the edge device when constructing a desired network from the user management terminal 200.

  In step S102, the user management terminal 200 accesses the common management apparatus 100, information on the setting screen is transmitted from the common management apparatus 100, and the user management terminal 200 displays the setting screen. When the user management terminal 200 accesses the common management apparatus 100, for example, the ID / password of the user U is transmitted to the common management apparatus 100. Thereby, the common management apparatus 100 can perform user authentication and specify user information of the user U stored in the data storage unit 140.

  An example (image) of the setting screen is shown in FIG. FIG. 5A shows, for example, that the user U wants to make settings related to VPN1 and inputs “VPN1” to display the configuration (connection between edge device 20A and edge device 20B). It shows that. FIG. 5B shows a setting screen that is displayed after the user U wants to perform LAN side port setting in the edge device 20A and performs the designation. This setting screen indicates that port 0 is set to VLAN 10 and information for enabling it is input. FIG. 5C shows a setting screen that is displayed after the user U wants to simultaneously perform LAN-side port settings in the edge device 20A and the edge device 20B and designates them.

  FIG. 5 shows an example of a GUI (Graphical User Interface) as an example of the setting screen. However, this is an example, and the setting screen may be a CLI (Command Line Interface).

  The setting screen is common regardless of the method of the edge device and the individual controller. For example, the user U can execute the setting to the edge device 20A and the setting to the edge device 20B without being aware of the difference in the method.

  In step S <b> 103 of FIG. 4, the user IF unit 110 of the common management apparatus 100 receives the input information input on the setting screen of the user management terminal 200.

  In step S104, the setting information generation unit 120 of the common management device 100 generates setting information for the edge device (for example, the edge device 20A shown in FIG. 5B) corresponding to the input information input by the user U. .

  In step S104, first, the setting information generation unit 120 specifies the user information of the user U by searching the data storage unit 140 based on the user U ID. FIG. 6 shows an example of user information of the user U. As shown in FIG. 6, the user information in this example includes base information of the user, information on a device installed at the base, system information on the device, model information, OS information, and the like.

  Next, the setting information generation unit 120 acquires the method information, the model number information, the OS information, and the like of the edge device (edge device 20A) to be set this time from the user information of the user U, and the acquired method of the edge device 20A Based on the information, the model number information, and the OS information, the template ID corresponding to the method information, the model number information, and the OS information of the edge device 20A is acquired by searching the conversion table for acquiring the template ID in the data storage unit 140.

  FIG. 7A shows an example of a conversion table for obtaining a template ID. As shown in FIG. 7A, the conversion table is a table in which method information, model number information, OS information, and a template ID are associated with each other.

  Setting of network devices such as edge devices is generally performed by commands and parameters. Since the setting contents for the network device having the same method and OS version have many common parts for a plurality of setting items, they can be made into a template. A template is a list of commands and variables (variables to which parameters are input), but is not limited to this. In the data storage unit 140, a plurality of templates corresponding to a set of a plurality of methods and OSs are stored together with a template ID.

  For example, in the example of FIG. 7A, when the method of the device to be set is method A, the model number is ABC1, and the OS version is 1, the setting information generation unit 120 acquires 1 as the template ID.

  The setting information generation unit 120 acquires a template whose template ID is 1 from the data storage unit 140 and uses it as basic setting information. This may be referred to as a basic config.

  Subsequently, the setting information generation unit 120 determines the target setting item by searching the conversion table for acquiring the target setting item based on the template ID and the setting item. FIG. 7B is a diagram illustrating an example of a conversion table for acquiring target setting items. As illustrated in FIG. 7B, the conversion table is a table in which a template ID, a setting item, and a target setting item are associated with each other. In FIG. 7B, for example, the setting target item indicated by “I” in the LAN side port setting is different from the setting target item indicated by “I” in the VLAN network address setting.

  Here, the template ID used for the search is the template ID acquired from the conversion table for acquiring the template ID, and the setting item is a setting item for the device to be set this time included in the input information (example: FIG. 5). (LAN side port setting shown in (b)), and the target setting item is a setting content (for example, necessary for setting) necessary for setting this setting item in the corresponding template (basic setting information). Parameter (variable) or the like).

  For example, in the example of FIG. 7B, when the template ID is “1” and the setting item is “LAN side port setting”, the setting information generation unit 120 sets “LAN side port setting” as the target setting item. Get “I” of

  Subsequently, the setting information generation unit 120 generates setting information for the setting target device from the basic setting information and the target setting item obtained as described above.

  For example, when the basic setting information corresponding to the method A, the model number ABC1, and the OS version 1 is obtained as the basic setting information and “I” is obtained as the target setting item, the setting information generation unit 120 In the basic setting information (a list of commands and variables), the value of the parameter input as input information to the variable group identified by the target setting item “I” (example: port shown in FIG. 5B) The setting information is generated by substituting (number: 0, VLAN number: 10, etc.).

  In step S105, the system IF unit 130 of the common management apparatus 100 transmits the setting information generated in step S104 to the individual controller of the target method, and the individual controller transmits the setting information to the target device. To set.

  For example, when the setting target device is the edge device 20A, the system IF unit 130 transmits setting information to the individual controller 10A. The individual controller 10A transmits the setting information to the edge device 20A. The individual controller 10A may hold the setting information, and the edge device 20A may autonomously acquire the setting information.

  In addition, the setting information transmitted from the common management apparatus 100 to the individual controller may not be the same as the setting information transmitted from the individual controller that has received the setting information to the setting target network device. For example, the individual controller that has received the setting information may process the setting information in a form suitable for transmission to the network device to be set, and transmit the processed setting information.

  In the above example, after determining the template ID, the target setting item corresponding to the setting item is determined. However, a template may be prepared for each “method, model number, OS, setting item”. . In this case, the setting information generation unit 120 acquires a template corresponding to the “method, model number, OS, setting item” to be set from the data storage unit 140 and substitutes the value of the input information for the variable in the template. Create configuration information.

  Moreover, generating the setting information from the template as in the above example is merely an example. For example, for each “method, model number, OS, setting item”, a program for generating setting information from input information (setting value) is stored in the data storage unit 140, and the setting information generation unit 120 stores the target “method”. The setting information in which the input information (setting value) is incorporated may be generated by reading out the program corresponding to “model number, OS, setting item” from the data storage unit 140 and executing the program.

  In the above example, an example in which setting is made on one edge device has been described. However, setting on a plurality of edge devices can be performed simultaneously. When setting to a plurality of edge devices is performed simultaneously, the setting to each edge device is executed in the same manner as the setting to one edge device described above.

  For example, when setting the edge device 20A and the edge device 20B at the same time, in step S102, the setting screen shown in FIG. 5C is displayed, and in step S103, the setting information generation unit 120 determines that the edge device 20A and the edge device 20B Input information for setting the device 20B is received. In step S104, the setting information generation unit 120 generates setting information for the edge device 20A and setting information for the edge device 20B. In step S105, the system IF unit 130 transmits the setting information for the edge device 20A to the individual controller 10A. Then, the setting information for the edge device 20B is transmitted to the individual controller 10B.

  Further, the common management apparatus 100 may have a function of collecting uplink information. For example, the common management device 100 receives log information transmitted from the individual controllers 10A to 10C, the edge devices 20A to 20C, or other devices, acquires the usage amount and the like from the log information, and determines the usage amount and the like. It may be transmitted to a charging system or the like.

(Effect of embodiment)
According to the present embodiment, the user can input the setting value from the setting screen that does not depend on the method of the individual controller. It can be easily performed. For example, the technology according to the present embodiment can be used in the case where it is necessary to integrate different methods due to, for example, a merger between companies that already have an SD-WAN environment.

  In the present embodiment, even when one individual controller is connected to the common management apparatus 100, the user can make settings on a setting screen that does not depend on a specific method, OS, etc. Can be easily set.

  In addition, the technology described in this embodiment makes it possible to easily set the network device even when a plurality of controllers of the same method are used.

  As described above, especially in the SD-WAN setting, there are many setting items and the setting is complicated when a plurality of devices having different methods are used. However, as described in the present embodiment, the setting complexity is further increased. By using the technology, a plurality of devices can be handled in an integrated manner, so that settings can be made easier than before.

(Summary of embodiment)
According to the present embodiment, the network device setting screen is provided to the user terminal, the user interface unit that receives input information related to the network device from the user terminal, and the network based on the input information. There is provided a management apparatus comprising: a setting information generation unit that generates setting information for a device; and a transmission unit that transmits the setting information to a controller that performs setting for the network device.

  The management apparatus further includes a data storage unit that stores a template for each network device method, and the setting information generation unit stores a template corresponding to the method of the network device that is the target of the input information. The setting information may be generated from the template and generated from the template.

  The data storage unit stores, for each user, user information including network device method information, and the setting information generation unit determines the network device method that is the target of the input information from the user information. It may be specified.

  In addition, according to the present embodiment, the management system includes a management device and a controller that executes settings for the network device, and the management device provides a setting screen for the network device to a user terminal. Receiving the input information related to the network device from the user terminal, generating the setting information for the network device based on the input information, and transmitting the setting information to the controller. A management system is provided that performs settings for the network device based on the setting information received from a device.

  Although the present embodiment has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiment, and various modifications and changes can be made within the scope of the gist of the present invention described in the claims. Is possible.

100 Common management device 200 User management terminal 10A, 10B, 10C Individual controller 20A, 20B, 20C Edge device 110 User IF unit 120 Setting information generation unit 130 System IF unit 140 Data storage unit 150 Drive device 151 Recording medium 152 Auxiliary storage device 153 Memory device 154 CPU
155 Interface device 156 Display device 157 Input device

Claims (6)

A user interface unit that provides a network device setting screen to the user terminal and receives input information related to the network device from the user terminal;
A setting information generation unit that generates setting information for the network device based on the input information;
A management unit comprising: a transmission unit configured to transmit the setting information to a controller that performs settings for the network device. The management apparatus further includes a data storage unit that stores a template for each network device method,
The said setting information generation part acquires the template corresponding to the system of the network apparatus used as the object of the said input information from the said data storage part, The said setting information is produced | generated from the said template. The management apparatus as described in. The data storage unit stores, for each user, user information including network device method information,
The management apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the setting information generation unit identifies a method of a network device that is a target of the input information from the user information. A management system having a management device and a controller that executes settings for network devices,
The management device
Providing a setting screen of the network device to the user terminal, receiving input information regarding the network device from the user terminal;
Based on the input information, generate setting information for the network device, send the setting information to the controller,
The controller is
A management system that executes setting for the network device based on the setting information received from the management device. A network device setting method executed by a management device that communicates with a controller that executes settings for a network device,
Providing a setting screen of the network device to a user terminal, and receiving input information regarding the network device from the user terminal;
A setting information generating step for generating setting information for the network device based on the input information;
A network device setting method comprising: a transmission step of transmitting the setting information to the controller that executes settings for the network device.   The program for functioning a computer as each part in the management apparatus of any one of Claims 1 thru | or 3.

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