JP2022172494A - Network diagnostic system, network diagnostic method, and network diagnostic program - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a network diagnostic system, a network diagnostic method, and a network diagnostic program that can detect a sign of communication trouble and identify a deteriorated part in a network before a network apparatus fails.SOLUTION: A network diagnostic system is a diagnostic system of a network to which two or more host computers and a target apparatus are connected. The network diagnostic system includes: a communication result acquisition unit configured to acquire a communication result between each of the host computers and the target apparatus; a path information acquisition unit configured to acquire information about a communication path between each of the host computers and the target apparatus; and a deteriorated part identifying unit configured to identify a deteriorated part on the communication path based on the communication result and the information about the communication path.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

The present disclosure relates to a network diagnostic system, network diagnostic method and network diagnostic program.

In a power plant, plant equipment may be operated and monitored via a network. If an abnormality occurs in communication via the network, it becomes impossible to properly operate and monitor plant equipment via the network. Therefore, it is conceivable to perform network abnormality diagnosis.

Although Cited Document 1 does not relate to a power plant, it discloses a network diagnosis system for determining the location of communication bottlenecks between bases. In this network diagnosis system, test traffic is increased step by step between a location where a transmitting device is installed and a location where a receiving device is installed. Based on the comparison between the amount and the threshold, it is determined whether or not there is a bottleneck between bases.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2020-43478

By the way, network diagnosis in a power plant usually detects a failure of a network device (for example, disconnection of a network cable) and outputs an alarm. In this way, since network device failure is detected, communication failure has already occurred by the time an alarm is issued, and there have been problems such as being unable to operate or monitor items where the network is not duplicated.

In view of the circumstances described above, at least one embodiment of the present invention provides a network diagnosis system, network diagnosis method, and network that are capable of detecting signs of communication failure and identifying deteriorated portions in a network before failure of network equipment. The purpose is to provide a diagnostic program.

A network diagnostic system according to at least one embodiment of the present invention comprises:
A diagnostic system for a network to which two or more host computers and a target device are connected,
a communication result acquisition unit configured to acquire a communication result between each of the host computers and the target device;
a route information acquisition unit configured to acquire information regarding a communication route between each of the host computers and the target device;
a deteriorated part identification unit configured to identify a deteriorated part on the communication path based on the communication result and information about the communication path;
Prepare.

Also, a network diagnostic method according to at least one embodiment of the present invention includes:
A method of diagnosing a network to which two or more host computers and a target device are connected,
obtaining communication results between each of the host computers and the target device;
obtaining information about communication paths between each of the host computers and the target device;
identifying a deteriorated portion on the communication path based on the communication result and information about the communication path;
Prepare.

Further, a network diagnostic program according to at least one embodiment of the present invention,
A diagnostic program for a network to which two or more host computers and a target device are connected,
to the computer,
a procedure for acquiring communication results between each of the host computers and the target device;
a procedure for obtaining information about communication paths between each of the host computers and the target device;
a procedure for identifying a deteriorated portion on the communication path based on the communication result and information on the communication path;
is configured to run

According to at least one embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a network diagnosis system, a network diagnosis method, and a network diagnosis program capable of detecting signs of communication failure and identifying deteriorated portions in a network before network equipment fails. be.

1 is a schematic diagram showing an example configuration of a network to be diagnosed by a network diagnosis system according to an embodiment; FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a network diagnosis system according to one embodiment; FIG. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of information regarding communication paths between a host computer and a target device; FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing communication when executing a ping command; FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of execution results of a ping command; FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing communication between devices connected to a network to be diagnosed; FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of communication results between a host computer (Host_1) and a target device; FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of communication results between a host computer (Host_2) and a target device; It is a figure which shows an example of a diagnosis result. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an output example of diagnostic results by the network diagnostic system according to one embodiment;

Several embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the dimensions, materials, shapes, relative arrangements, etc. of the components described as embodiments or shown in the drawings are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention, and are merely illustrative examples. do not have.

(Configuration of network to be diagnosed)
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example configuration of a network to be diagnosed by a network diagnosis system according to some embodiments. As shown in FIG. 1, a network 1 to be diagnosed includes a plurality of devices including two or more host computers 10 and one or more target devices 12, a switching hub 2 and a connection cable 4 (copper cable, optical fiber cable, etc.). ) is a computer network connected via network equipment, including Network 1 may be connected to an external network via router 6 . Note that the network 1 shown in FIG. 1 is connected to the Internet 8 (external network) via a router 6 .

Each of a plurality of devices including two or more host computers 10 and one or more target devices 12 is a device assigned an IP address, and may include computers such as PCs (personal computers), control devices, or routers. The control device may be configured to control or monitor components of the power plant (eg, gas turbine, steam turbine, generator, etc.).

In the example shown in FIG. 1, the network 1 includes a plurality of devices connected via network devices including two switching hubs 2 (Hub_1, Hub_2) and a plurality of connection cables 4 (cable_1 to cable_10). . The multiple devices include two host computers 10 (Host_1, Host_2) and multiple target devices 12 (Dev_A to Dev_G). A device Dev_D that is the target device 12 functions as a router 6 .

(Configuration of network diagnosis system)
FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram of a network diagnosis system according to one embodiment. As shown in FIG. 2, the network diagnosis system 20 includes an analysis section 21 including a communication result acquisition section 22, a route information acquisition section 24, and a deteriorated portion identification section . The network diagnostic system 20 also includes a storage unit 30 for storing information processed by the communication result acquisition unit 22, the route information acquisition unit 24, and/or the deteriorated site identification unit 26. FIG.

The communication result acquisition unit 22 is configured to acquire communication results between each of the host computers 10 (Host_1, Host_2) and the target devices 12 (Dev_A to Dev_G).

In some embodiments, the communication result acquisition unit 22 is configured to send commands to each of the host computers 10 to communicate with each of the one or more target devices 12 . Each of the host computers 10 that received the command communicates with each of the one or more target devices 12 according to the command, and stores the communication result in the storage device (internal storage device or external storage device) of the host computer 10. configured to Further, the communication result acquiring unit 22 is configured to acquire the communication result stored in the storage device of the host computer 10 from each host computer 10 and store it in the storage unit 30 .

The route information acquisition unit 24 is configured to acquire information on communication routes between each of the host computers 10 (Host_1, Host_2) and the target devices 12 (Dev_A to Dev_G). Information about the communication path may be stored in the storage unit 30 . The route information acquisition unit 24 may be configured to acquire information about communication routes stored in the storage unit 30 from the storage unit 30 .

The information about the above-mentioned communication path is the network device (switching hub 2 and connection cable 4) through which each of the host computers 10 (Host_1, Host_2) and each of the target devices 12 (Dev_A to Dev_G) are connected. is information indicating

The information on the communication path described above may include, for example, information (a network configuration diagram, etc.) indicating the network configuration of the network 1 to be diagnosed. Alternatively, the information on the communication path described above may include information in a table format as shown in FIG. 3, for example. Here, FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of information (table) regarding communication paths between each host computer 10 belonging to the network 1 to be diagnosed and the target device 12. As shown in FIG.

The table shown in FIG. 3 shows combinations of a pair of devices belonging to the network 1 (host computer 10, target device 12, and switching hub 2) and a connection cable 4 connecting the pair of devices. For example, in the table of FIG. 3, Host_1 (host computer 10) and Hub_1 (switching hub 2) are connected via cable_1 (connection cable 4), and Dev_A (target device 12) and Hub_1 are It is shown to be connected via cable_2 (connection cable 4). Therefore, it can be seen from the table in FIG. 3 that Host_1 and Dev_A are connected to each other via cable_1, Hub_1, and cable_2.

Alternatively, in the table of FIG. 3, Host_2 (host computer 10) and Hub_2 (switching hub 2) are connected via cable_6 (connection cable 4), and Hub_2 and Hub_1 are connected via cable_10 (connection cable 4). and that Dev_A and Hub_1 are connected via cable_2. Therefore, it can be seen from the table in FIG. 3 that Host_2 and Dev_A are connected to each other via cable_6, Hub_2, cable_10, Hub_1, and cable_2.

The deteriorated part identification unit 26 is configured to identify a deteriorated part on the communication route based on the communication result obtained by the communication result obtaining unit 22 and the communication route information obtained by the route information obtaining unit 24. . The deteriorated part identifying unit 26 acquires the above-described communication result and/or information about the communication route from the storage unit 30, and determines the deteriorated part on the communication route based on the communication result and/or the information about the communication route thus obtained. may be specified.

The network diagnosis system 20 may include an output section 28 configured to output information indicating the diagnosis result by the deteriorated portion identifying section 26 . The output unit 28 may be configured to output the diagnostic results described above as visual information or auditory information to the terminal device 32 (device such as a display or speaker). The terminal device 32 to which the diagnostic result is to be output may be a device (such as a mobile terminal) connected via an external network such as the Internet 8 (see FIG. 1).

The analysis unit 21 includes a computer including a processor (CPU, etc.), a storage device (memory device; RAM, etc.), an auxiliary storage unit, an interface, and the like. The analysis unit 21 receives signals from devices (such as the host computer 10) connected to the network 1 via an interface. The processor is configured to process the signal thus received. Also, the processor is configured to process the program deployed on the storage device. As a result, the functions of the above functional units (the communication result acquisition unit 22, the route information acquisition unit 24, the deteriorated part identification unit 26 and/or the output unit 28) are realized.

The processing content of the analysis unit 21 is implemented as a program executed by a processor. The program may be stored in an auxiliary storage unit. During program execution, these programs are expanded in the storage device. The processor is adapted to read the program from the storage device and execute the instructions contained in the program.

The analysis unit 21 may be configured by a computer such as a PC connected to the network 1 . The computer constituting the analysis unit 21 may be one of the one or more target devices 12, one of the two or more host computers 10, or the target device 12 or the host computer. A computer other than the computer 10 may be used. Note that in the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 1 , the device Dev_C, which is the target device 12 , functions as the analysis unit 21 .

The storage unit 30 may include an internal storage device (main storage device) or an external storage device (auxiliary storage device) of the computer that constitutes the analysis unit 21, or may include a storage device connected to the computer via a network. It's okay.

In the network diagnosis system 20 according to the above-described embodiment, communication results between two or more host computers 10 and target devices 12, and information on communication routes between two or more host computers 10 and target devices 12 are collected. get. Therefore, based on these pieces of information, it is possible to determine the presence or absence of deterioration of the network equipment (for example, the connection cable 4 or the switching hub 2, etc.) arranged on the communication path between each host computer 10 and the target equipment 12. . Therefore, according to the network diagnostic system 20 according to the above-described embodiment, a sign of a communication failure is detected and a deteriorated part in the network 1 is specified before network device failure (for example, disconnection of the connection cable 4) occurs. be able to.

(Network diagnosis flow)
The flow of network diagnosis using the network diagnosis system 20 described above will be described in more detail below.

A network diagnosis method according to some embodiments is a method for diagnosing a network 1 in which two or more host computers 10 and one or more target devices 12 are connected. a step of acquiring communication results between the host computer 10 and the target device 12 (a step of acquiring information on the communication route between each host computer 10 and the target device 12 (a route information acquiring step); and a step of identifying a deteriorated portion on the communication path of the network 1 (deteriorated portion identifying step) based on the information on the communication path described above.

(Communication result acquisition step)
In some embodiments, first, the communication result acquisition unit 22 acquires communication results between each of the host computers 10 (Host_1, Host_2) and the target devices 12 (Dev_A to Dev_G).

The communication result acquisition unit 22 sends a command to each of the host computers 10 (Host_1, Host_2) to communicate with each of the target devices 12 (Dev_A to Dev_G). Each of the host computers 10 (Host_1, Host_2) that has received the command communicates with each of the target devices 12 (Dev_A to Dev_G) according to the command, and sends the communication result to each of the host computers 10 (Host_1, Host_2). Store in a storage device (internal storage device or external storage device). Further, the communication result acquisition unit 22 acquires the communication results stored in the storage devices of the host computers 10 (Host_1, Host_2) from the respective host computers 10 (Host_1, Host_2), and stores them in the storage unit 30 .

In some embodiments, in the communication result obtaining step, the communication result obtaining unit 22 obtains the communication result between each host computer 10 (Host_1, Host_2) and the target device 12 (Dev_A to Dev_G) as each host A parameter indicating the communication speed between the computers (Host_1, Host_2) and the target devices 12 (Dev_A to Dev_G) is acquired.

In some embodiments, the parameter indicating the above-mentioned communication speed is the target device corresponding to the transmission packet from the transmission of the transmission packet to the target devices 12 (Dev_A to Dev_G) for each of the host computers (Host_1, Host_2). This is the time until the response packet is received from the device 12 (Dev_A to Dev_G).

In one embodiment, in the communication result obtaining step, the communication result obtaining unit 22 executes a ping command with the target devices 12 (Dev_A to Dev_G) as destinations in each of the host computers (Host_1, Host_2), based on the execution result of the , to obtain the parameter indicating the above-mentioned communication speed.

Here, FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing communication when the ping command is executed, and FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the execution result of the ping command.

Ping is software for confirming the reachability of a node in an IP network, and is provided in most operating systems in which network functions are implemented. When the source host (eg Host_1 as host computer 10) specifies the destination host (eg Dev_A as target device 12) and executes the ping command, the source host sends an ICMP ( Internet Control Message Protocol) packet (transmission packet) is transmitted, and an ICMP packet (response packet) including an echo response is returned from the destination host that received the packet to the source host (see FIG. 4). Ping results typically include the number of packets sent by the source host to the destination host, the number of packets received by the source host from the destination host, the number of packets lost, and the round trip time of the packet (the It includes the time from sending a packet to receiving a response packet (round-trip time), etc. (see FIG. 5).

That is, in the communication result acquisition step, Host_1 (host computer 10) designates each of the target devices 12 (Dev_A to Dev_G) as the destination host based on the command from the communication result acquisition unit 22 and executes the ping command. The execution result (communication result) of the ping command from Host_1 (host computer 10) to each of the target devices 12 (Dev_A to Dev_G) is stored in the storage device of Host_1 (host computer 10). The execution result (communication result) includes the round-trip time of the ICMP packet. Similarly, Host_2 (host computer 10) executes the ping command by designating each of the target devices 12 (Dev_A to Dev_G) as the destination host based on the command from the communication result acquisition unit 22, and stores the execution result in the storage device. memorize to

Then, the communication result acquisition unit 22 acquires the execution results of the ping command from Host_1 and Host_2 (host computers 10), and calculates the round trip time included in the execution results from Host_1 and Host_2 (host computers 10) and the target device 12. (Dev_A to Dev_G) are acquired as parameters indicating the communication speed between each.

Alternatively, in one embodiment, in the communication result acquisition step, the communication result acquisition unit 22 sends packets to the target devices 12 (Dev_A to Dev_G) for each of the host computers 10 (Host_1, Host_2), or the transmission packets Based on the time stamp included in the response packet from the target device 12 (Dev_A to Dev_G) corresponding to , the parameter indicating the above-described communication speed is acquired.

Here, FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing communication between devices connected to the network 1. As shown in FIG. In communication based on the TCP/IP protocol, when a transmission packet containing transmission data is transmitted from a transmission source host (for example, Host_1 as host computer 10) to a destination host (for example, Dev_A as target device 12), the destination host sends An acknowledgment packet (response packet) is returned. The headers of these transmission packets and response packets each store the time stamp of the transmission packet. Therefore, based on the difference between the reception time of the response packet at the source host and the time stamp stored in the header of the sent packet or the response packet, the round-trip time of the packet (the transmission time of the sent packet at the source host to the reception of the response packet; the round-trip time) can be calculated. The host computer 10 can acquire the contents of packets transmitted and received by the host computer 10 using software such as packet capture.

That is, in the communication result acquisition step, Host_1 (host computer 10) transmits a transmission packet including transmission data to each of target devices 12 (Dev_A to Dev_G) based on a command from communication result acquisition section 22. FIG. Then, an acknowledgment packet (response packet) is returned from the target device 12 (Dev_A to Dev_G) to Host_1 (host computer 10). Host_1 (host computer 10) stores, for example, the content of the acknowledgment packet together with the reception time of the acknowledgment packet. Host_2 (host computer 10) similarly transmits a transmission packet including transmission data to each of the target devices 12 (Dev_A to Dev_G) based on the command from the communication result acquisition unit 22, and responds to the transmission packet. The content of the acknowledgment packet received is stored together with the reception time of the acknowledgment packet.

Then, the communication result acquisition unit 22 acquires the content of the acknowledgment packet corresponding to the transmitted packet and the reception time (communication result) of the acknowledgment packet from Host_1 and Host_2 (host computer 10), and based on the communication result, to calculate the round-trip time required for communication between each host computer (Host_1, Host_2) and each of the target devices 12 (Dev_A to Dev_G). Then, each of the round trip times calculated in this way is obtained as a parameter indicating the communication speed between each of Host_1 and Host_2 (host computer 10) and target devices 12 (Dev_A to Dev_G).

(Route information acquisition step)
Next, the route information acquisition unit 24 acquires information on communication routes between each of the host computers 10 (Host_1, Host_2) and the target devices 12 (Dev_A to Dev_G). The route information acquisition unit 24 may acquire information about communication routes stored in the storage unit 30 from the storage unit 30 . The information about the above-mentioned communication path is as already explained, and is, for example, the table shown in FIG.

(Deteriorated part identification step)
Next, the deteriorated part identification unit 26 identifies a deteriorated part on the communication path of the network 1 based on the communication result obtained in the communication result obtaining step and the communication path information obtained in the route information obtaining step.

A deteriorated portion on the communication path between the host computer 10 and the target device 12 can be identified, for example, as follows. Here, in the communication result acquisition step, the round-trip time included in the execution result of the ping command executed by the host computers 10 (Host_1, Host_2) with the target devices 12 (Dev_A to Dev_G) as destinations is It is assumed that the parameter (communication result) indicating the communication speed with the device 12 is acquired. A case where the round-trip time of the communication packet is calculated based on the time stamp included in the header of the communication packet can also be explained in the same way.

The deteriorated part identification unit 26 compares the above-described round-trip time, which is a parameter indicating the communication speed between each host computer 10 and target device 12, with a threshold.

As a result of the above comparison, if the round trip time is equal to or less than the threshold, it can be determined that the communication speed between the corresponding host computer 10 and target device 12 has not decreased. In this case, it can be determined that each of the network devices (switching hub 2, connection cable 4, etc.) placed between the relevant host computer 10 and the target device has not deteriorated. A network device arranged between the corresponding host computer 10 and the target device can be specified from the information regarding the communication route acquired in the route information acquisition step.

On the other hand, if the round-trip time exceeds the threshold as a result of the above comparison, it can be determined that the communication speed between the corresponding host computer 10 and target device 12 has decreased. In this case, it can be determined that any of the network devices (switching hub 2, connection cable 4, etc.) placed between the relevant host computer 10 and the target device has deteriorated. A network device arranged between the corresponding host computer 10 and the target device can be specified from the information regarding the communication route acquired in the route information acquisition step.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the result of communication between the first host computer 10 (Host_1) and the target device 12 (Dev_A) and the result of comparison with the threshold value of the parameter indicating the communication speed. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of the result of communication between the second host computer 10 (Host_2) and the target device 12 (Dev_A) and the result of comparison with the threshold of the parameter indicating the communication speed.

As shown in FIG. 7, the round-trip time (parameter indicating communication speed) of communication packets between the first host computer 10 (Host_1) and the target device 12 (Dev_A) exceeds the threshold. In this case, deterioration occurs in at least one of Hub_1 (switching hub 2), cable_1, or cable_2 (connection cable 4), which are network devices arranged between the host computer 10 (Host_1) and the target device 12 (Dev_A). is determined to be In addition, in FIG. 7, "NG" is appended to the network equipment determined to be possibly deteriorated.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 8, the round-trip time (parameter indicating communication speed) of communication packets between the second host computer 10 (Host_2) and the target device 12 (Dev_A) is below the threshold. In this case, there is no deterioration in Hub_1, Hub_2 (switching hub 2), cable_2, cable_6 or cable_10 (connection cable 4), which are network devices arranged between the host computer 10 (Host_2) and the target device 12 (Dev_A). determined not to have occurred. In addition, in FIG. 8, "OK" is added to the network devices determined to have no deterioration.

As described above, the communication result between the first host computer 10 (Host_1) and the target device 12 (Dev_A) and the communication result between the second host computer 10 (Host_2) and the target device 12 (Dev_A) are obtained, these communication results are integrated to identify the deteriorated portion on the communication path between the host computer 10 (Host_1, Host_2) and the target device 12 (Dev_A). Here, FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of the diagnosis result including the specified deteriorated portion.

As described above, from the result of communication between the first host computer 10 (Host_1) and the target device 12 (Dev_A), at least one of Hub_1 (switching hub 2), cable_1, or cable_2 (connection cable 4) is degraded. is occurring (see FIG. 7). On the other hand, from the result of communication between the second host computer 10 (Host_2) and the target device 12 (Dev_A), there is no deterioration in Hub_1, Hub_2 (switching hub 2), cable_2, cable_6 or cable_10 (connection cable 4). It is determined that it has not occurred (see FIG. 8). By integrating these determination results, it is possible to specify that cable_1 (connection cable 4) has deteriorated. In addition, it can be detected that there is a sign of communication failure occurring in a portion including cable_1 in network 1 .

In the above description, the communication path between the host computer 10 (Host_1, Host_2) and the target device 12 (Dev_A) is focused. Dev_G), it is possible to determine the deteriorated part in the same manner.

That is, when there is a target device 12 whose communication speed with one of the two host computers 10 (Host_1, Host_2) is not reduced but the communication speed with the other is reduced, the target device and It can be specified that deterioration has occurred in a network device that is arranged between the other host computer 10 described above and that is not arranged between the host computer 10 described above.

Note that the threshold to be compared with the parameter indicating the communication speed is individually set for each combination of the host computer 10 and the target device 12 . That is, for example, the threshold set for the parameter indicating the communication speed between Host_1 and Dev_A and the threshold set for the parameter indicating the communication speed between Host_2 and Dev_A may be different. . Also, for example, the threshold set for the parameter indicating the communication speed between Host_1 and Dev_A and the threshold set for the parameter indicating the communication speed between Host_1 and Dev_B may be different. .

According to the method according to the embodiment described above, communication results between two or more host computers 10 (Host_1, Host_2) and target devices 12 (Dev_A to Dev_G), and two or more host computers 10 and target Acquire information about the communication path with the device 12 . Therefore, based on these pieces of information, it is possible to determine the presence or absence of deterioration of the network equipment (for example, the connection cable 4 or the switching hub 2, etc.) arranged on the communication path between each host computer 10 and the target equipment 12. . Therefore, according to the above-described embodiment, it is possible to detect a sign of communication failure and identify a deteriorated part in the network 1 before network equipment fails.

In addition, according to some embodiments, a parameter indicating the communication speed between each host computer 10 and target device 12 is acquired. The potential for degradation of network equipment placed in the communication path to and from equipment 12 can be determined. As a result, it is possible to detect a sign of communication failure and identify a deteriorated portion in the network 1 before network equipment fails.

Further, according to some embodiments, the communication speed between each host computer 10 and target device 12 is determined based on the comparison of a parameter indicating the communication speed between each host computer 10 and target device 12 with a threshold. It is possible to appropriately determine the possibility of deterioration of the network equipment arranged on the communication path.

Further, according to some embodiments, for each host computer 10, the time from transmission of a transmission packet to the target device 12 to reception of a response packet from the target device 12 corresponding to the transmission packet is Acquired as a parameter that indicates the communication speed. Therefore, based on the parameters, it is possible to appropriately determine the possibility of deterioration of the network equipment arranged on the communication path between each host computer 10 and the target equipment 12 .

Further, in some embodiments, a parameter indicating the above-described communication speed is acquired based on the execution result of the ping command sent from each host computer 10 to the target device 12 . Therefore, the above parameters can be obtained by a simple procedure.

Further, in some embodiments, for each host computer 10, the above communication speed is adjusted based on the time stamp included in the transmission packet to the target device 12 or the response packet from the target device 12 corresponding to the transmission packet. Gets the parameter shown. Therefore, the above parameters can be obtained by a simple procedure.

Note that if there is a deteriorated part on the communication path between the target device 12 connected to the network 1 and other devices, the number of discarded packets per unit time in the target device 12 increases. Therefore, based on the number of discarded packets per unit time in the target device 12, it may be determined that there is a deteriorated portion on the communication path between the target device 12 and other devices. The deteriorated part identification unit 26 may be configured to identify the deteriorated part on the communication path between the target device 12 and other devices, considering the number of discarded packets per unit time in the target device 12. . The number of discarded packets per unit time in the target device 12 can be obtained based on the execution result of the netstat command in the target device 12 or the like.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an output example of diagnostic results from the output unit 28 of the network diagnostic system 20 according to one embodiment.

In one embodiment, the output unit 28 may be configured to output a screen display 100 as shown in FIG. 10 to a display such as the terminal device 32 . A screen display 100 shown in FIG. 10 includes a network configuration diagram 102 and a graph 104 showing changes over time in the communication speed between the host computer 10 (here, Host_1) and the target device 12 (here, Dev_A).

In the network configuration diagram 102, the deteriorated portion (cable_1 in the example shown in FIG. 10) on the communication path specified by the network diagnostic system 20 is marked with a mark (x) indicating that it is a deteriorated portion. The graph 104 also shows the threshold along with the temporal change in the communication speed between the host computer 10 and the target device 12 . The change in communication speed over time can be obtained by repeatedly performing the above-described network diagnosis method at regular intervals and accumulating communication speeds (parameters indicating communication speed; round-trip time, etc.).

In this way, by visually displaying the information indicating the diagnosis result by the network diagnosis system 20, the operator can easily and accurately recognize the detection of a sign of communication failure and the diagnosis result of a deteriorated part in the network. be able to.

The contents described in each of the above embodiments are understood as follows, for example.

(1) A network diagnostic system (20) according to at least one embodiment of the invention, comprising:
A diagnostic system for a network (1) to which two or more host computers (10) and target equipment (12) are connected,
a communication result acquisition unit (22) configured to acquire communication results between each of the host computers and the target device;
a route information acquisition unit (24) configured to acquire information about a communication route between each host computer and the target device;
a deteriorated part identification unit (26) configured to identify a deteriorated part on the communication path based on the communication result and information about the communication path;
Prepare.

In the above configuration (1), communication results between two or more host computers and target devices and information on communication routes between two or more host computers and target devices are acquired. Therefore, based on these pieces of information, it is possible to determine the presence or absence of deterioration of network equipment (for example, cables, switching hubs, etc.) arranged on the communication path between each host computer and the target equipment. Therefore, according to the configuration (1) above, it is possible to detect a sign of communication failure and identify a deteriorated portion in the network before the network device fails.

(2) In some embodiments, in the configuration of (1) above,
The communication result acquisition unit is configured to acquire, as the communication result, a parameter indicating a communication speed between each of the host computers and the target device.

According to the above configuration (2), when deterioration progresses in a certain part of the network, the communication speed via that part tends to decrease in the network. According to the above configuration (2), since the parameter indicating the communication speed between each host computer and the target device is obtained, based on the parameter, the communication speed between each host computer and the target device is determined. can determine the possibility of deterioration of the network equipment arranged on the communication path of the As a result, it is possible to detect a sign of communication failure and identify a deteriorated portion in the network before the network equipment fails.

(3) In some embodiments, in the configuration of (2) above,
The deteriorated portion identification unit is configured to identify the deteriorated portion based on comparison between the parameter and a threshold value.

According to the configuration (3) above, based on the comparison between the parameter indicating the communication speed between each host computer and the target device and the threshold, the It is possible to appropriately determine the possibility of deterioration of the network equipment that is used.

(4) In some embodiments, in the configuration of (2) or (3) above,
The parameter is the time from sending a send packet to the target device to receiving a response packet from the target device corresponding to the send packet for each of the host computers.

According to the above configuration (4), for each host computer, the time from transmission of a transmission packet to a target device to reception of a response packet from the target device corresponding to the transmission packet indicates the above-mentioned communication speed. Get it as a parameter. Therefore, based on the parameters, it is possible to appropriately determine the possibility of deterioration of the network equipment arranged on the communication path between each host computer and the target equipment.

(5) In some embodiments, in the configuration of any one of (2) to (4) above,
The communication result acquisition unit is configured to acquire the parameter based on an execution result of a ping command executed by each of the host computers with the target device as a destination.

According to the above configuration (5), the parameter indicating the above-described communication speed is obtained based on the execution result of the ping command executed with the target device as the destination in each host computer. Therefore, the above parameters can be obtained by a simple procedure.

(6) In some embodiments, in any of the above configurations (2) to (4),
The communication result acquisition unit acquires the parameter based on a time stamp included in a packet transmitted from each of the host computers to the target device or a response packet from the target device corresponding to the transmission packet. configured as

According to the above configuration (6), for each host computer, the parameter indicating the above-mentioned communication speed based on the time stamp included in the transmission packet to the target device or the response packet from the target device corresponding to the transmission packet to get Therefore, the above parameters can be obtained by a simple procedure.

(7) In some embodiments, in the configuration of any one of (1) to (6) above,
The network diagnostic system comprises:
An output unit (28) configured to output information indicating a diagnosis result by the deteriorated part identification unit is provided.

According to the above configuration (7), it is possible to output the information indicating the diagnosis result by the deteriorated part identification unit to the terminal device, so that the detection of the sign of the communication failure and the diagnosis result of the deteriorated part in the network can be sent to the operator or the like. can be easily and accurately recognized.

(8) A network diagnostic method according to at least one embodiment of the present invention,
A method of diagnosing a network to which two or more host computers and a target device are connected,
obtaining communication results between each of the host computers and the target device;
obtaining information about communication paths between each of the host computers and the target device;
identifying a deteriorated portion on the communication path based on the communication result and information about the communication path;
Prepare.

In the above method (8), communication results between two or more host computers and target devices and information on communication paths between two or more host computers and target devices are obtained. Therefore, based on these pieces of information, it is possible to determine the presence or absence of deterioration of network equipment (for example, cables, switching hubs, etc.) arranged on the communication path between each host computer and the target equipment. Therefore, according to the above method (8), it is possible to detect a sign of communication failure and identify a deteriorated portion in the network before network equipment fails.

(9) A network diagnostic program according to at least one embodiment of the present invention,
A diagnostic program for a network to which two or more host computers and a target device are connected,
to the computer,
a procedure for acquiring communication results between each of the host computers and the target device;
a procedure for obtaining information about communication paths between each of the host computers and the target device;
a procedure for identifying a deteriorated portion on the communication path based on the communication result and information on the communication path;
is configured to run

The program of (9) above acquires communication results between two or more host computers and target devices, and information on communication routes between two or more host computers and target devices. Therefore, based on these pieces of information, it is possible to determine the presence or absence of deterioration of network equipment (for example, cables, switching hubs, etc.) arranged on the communication path between each host computer and the target equipment. Therefore, according to the program (9) above, it is possible to detect a sign of communication failure and identify a deteriorated part in the network before network equipment fails.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and includes modifications of the above-described embodiments and modes in which these modes are combined as appropriate.

As used herein, expressions such as "in a certain direction", "along a certain direction", "parallel", "perpendicular", "center", "concentric" or "coaxial", etc. express relative or absolute arrangements. represents not only such arrangement strictly, but also the state of being relatively displaced with a tolerance or an angle or distance to the extent that the same function can be obtained.
For example, expressions such as "identical", "equal", and "homogeneous", which express that things are in the same state, not only express the state of being strictly equal, but also have tolerances or differences to the extent that the same function can be obtained. It shall also represent the existing state.
Further, in this specification, expressions representing shapes such as a quadrilateral shape and a cylindrical shape not only represent shapes such as a quadrilateral shape and a cylindrical shape in a geometrically strict sense, but also within the range in which the same effect can be obtained. , a shape including an uneven portion, a chamfered portion, and the like.
Moreover, in this specification, the expressions “comprising”, “including”, or “having” one component are not exclusive expressions excluding the presence of other components.

1 network 2 switching hub 4 connection cable 6 router 8 internet 10 host computer 12 target device 20 network diagnosis system 21 analysis unit 22 communication result acquisition unit 24 route information acquisition unit 26 deterioration site identification unit 28 output unit 30 storage unit 32 terminal device 100 Screen display 102 Network configuration diagram 104 Graph

Claims (9)

A diagnostic system for a network to which two or more host computers and a target device are connected,
a communication result acquisition unit configured to acquire a communication result between each of the host computers and the target device;
a route information acquisition unit configured to acquire information regarding a communication route between each of the host computers and the target device;
a deteriorated part identification unit configured to identify a deteriorated part on the communication path based on the communication result and information about the communication path;
network diagnostic system. 2. The network diagnosis system according to claim 1, wherein said communication result acquisition unit is configured to acquire, as said communication result, a parameter indicating a communication speed between each said host computer and said target device. 3. The network diagnostic system according to claim 2, wherein said deteriorated portion identification unit is configured to identify said deteriorated portion based on comparison between said parameter and a threshold value. 4. The network according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the parameter is the time from transmission of a transmission packet to the target device for each of the host computers to reception of a response packet from the target device corresponding to the transmission packet. diagnostic system. 5. The communication result acquisition unit according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the communication result acquisition unit is configured to acquire the parameter based on an execution result of a ping command executed by each of the host computers with the target device as a destination. A network diagnostic system as described in paragraph 1. The communication result acquisition unit acquires the parameter based on a time stamp included in a packet transmitted from each of the host computers to the target device or a response packet from the target device corresponding to the transmission packet. 5. A network diagnostic system as claimed in any one of claims 2 to 4, configured to: 7. The network diagnosis system according to any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising an output unit configured to output information indicating a diagnosis result by said deteriorated part identification unit. A method of diagnosing a network to which two or more host computers and a target device are connected,
obtaining communication results between each of the host computers and the target device;
obtaining information about communication paths between each of the host computers and the target device;
identifying a deteriorated portion on the communication path based on the communication result and information about the communication path;
A network diagnostic method comprising: A diagnostic program for a network to which two or more host computers and a target device are connected,
to the computer,
a procedure for acquiring communication results between each of the host computers and the target device;
a procedure for obtaining information about communication paths between each of the host computers and the target device;
a procedure for identifying a deteriorated portion on the communication path based on the communication result and information on the communication path;
A network diagnostic program to run

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