JP3636931B2 - Redundant line interface controller - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides a circuit by a control program (software) when routing packets in an asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) communication network, particularly IP packets in TCP / IP (Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protocol). The present invention relates to a duplex control device for a line interface that performs switching control of duplex (active / standby) interfaces.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Conventionally, in an ATM communication network, when a packet is routed, a line interface duplex (active / standby) switching control is performed. Also, in the TCP / IP communication network (intranet, Internet, extranet), when IP packets are routed, switching control of duplexed line interfaces (working system / standby system) is performed.
[0003]
FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a conventional duplex line interface.
In this example, the duplex mode and the one mode of operation mode in which no duplexing is performed (appropriately described as one mode of operation) are operated separately. When operating in the duplex mode, the switching of the switch 71 is controlled to transfer the main signal to the representative port in FIG. The main signal is distributed to the working / standby line interfaces (transmission IFs # 1 to #N) by the distribution circuits 72-1, 72-2,... 72-N. In addition, selectors 73-1, 73-2,... 73-N provided on the output side of the switch 71 select one operation mode or operation in the duplex mode.
[0004]
As shown in FIG. 7, in order to make the switch 71 designed for one operation mode correspond to the duplex mode in the line interface (reception IF # 1 to #N, transmission IF # 1 to #N), a selector Peripheral circuits such as 73-1 to 73-N and distribution circuits 72-1 to 72-N are added to the switch 71. When operating in the duplex mode, the switch 71 must be controlled to transfer the main signal to the representative port. In other words, the peripheral circuit configuration and control of the switch 71 are complicated.
[0005]
Also, as shown in FIG. 7, the working interface / standby system port, which port interface # 1 and # 2, which port is the combination of the working system / standby system, and the line interface # 3 In # 4, it is necessary to determine in advance in the hardware configuration which port of the active system / standby system and which port the combination of the active system / standby system will be. In other words, fixed allocation is performed.
[0006]
Further, when a redundant configuration of 1: N (active system: multiple standby systems) line interface is realized, the peripheral circuits such as the selectors 73-1 to 73-N and the distribution circuits 72-1 to 72-N are changed. Need to be added. In addition, the information of the combination of the active system / standby system is also fixedly allocated, and the redundant configuration of the 1: N line interface cannot be easily realized.
[0007]
There are various proposals regarding such a duplex line interface. For example, in the “packet switch” disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 62-115949, the line interface discriminates the received packet and transfers it to the line to reduce the control load. .
[0008]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
As described above, in the conventional example described above, when a switch designed for one operation mode is used to duplicate a line interface in routing, it is necessary to add peripheral circuits such as a selector and a distribution circuit to the switch. However, there is a disadvantage that the configuration becomes complicated and the apparatus scale increases.
[0009]
The present invention solves such a problem in the prior art, and uses a switch designed for one operation form without adding a peripheral circuit when duplicating a line interface in routing. It is an object of the present invention to provide a duplex control device for a line interface that can switch the duplex of a line interface by a control program (software) and can suppress an increase in the scale of the device.
[0010]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above object, a line interface duplexing control apparatus according to the present invention is a circuit interface duplexing control apparatus that performs switching control of line interface duplexing in TCP / IP IP packet routing. The reception side and transmission side interface ports for sending out the information monitored for the failure, the switch for sending data from the reception side interface port to the transmission side interface port, and the working system for the working / standby system information A network control unit that creates a routing table by mapping only existing ports to destination ports, and performs switching based on failure information from the reception side and transmission side interface ports and a switching request instruction from the network control unit Cut off The network control unit updates the working / standby system information when the switching request signal is transferred, so that the newly used port becomes the destination port. Updating the routing table and distributing the updated routing table to the IP address search unit of the interface port on the receiving side, wherein the switching control unit includes failure information from the receiving side interface port and the transmitting side interface port, and When receiving a switching request instruction from the network control unit, it is determined whether to perform switching, and when it is determined that switching is to be performed, a switching request signal is transferred to the network control unit. is there.
[0013]
The receiving-side interface port includes an address search unit that searches a routing table to determine a sending port, and a routing table that determines a sending destination port based on a sending-side address and a subnet mask.
[0014]
The network control unit creates a routing table and creates working / standby system information storing the working port and the protection port for each of the inputs and outputs on the line.
[0015]
The switch is configured to accommodate a plurality of ports in the slot. Further, the line interface duplexing control device searches the sending slot number and the sending port number based on the sending address and the subnet mask from the routing table generated by the network control unit, and the active / operating system in the network control unit. The information is assigned in combination with a transmission slot number and a transmission port number.
[0018]
Such a line interface duplexing control method and apparatus according to the present invention control switching of line interface duplexing in routing by a control program. In this switching control, data is switched between any two line interface ports, and the address is searched by referring to the routing table created based on the information on the redundant configuration of the active / standby line interface. Determine the port.
[0019]
In this case, network control creates a routing table based on the routing protocol and performs distribution control for address search. Further, in the address search, control is performed to determine the destination port with reference to the distributed routing table.
[0020]
As a result, it is possible to switch the duplex of the line interface by the control program (software) without adding a peripheral circuit when using a switch designed for one operation form and duplicating the line interface in routing. Thus, the increase in the scale of the apparatus can be suppressed.
[0021]
In other words, the network control is performed without assigning the combination information of which port is the active system and which port is the standby system to the line by hardware with a selector added to the switch as in the conventional example. Are commonly managed as active / standby information. This eliminates the need for a peripheral circuit related to the switch for switching the active / active port.
[0022]
In addition, for a certain line, the combination information on which port is used as the active system and which port is used as the standby system is not fixedly allocated, and can be freely allocated according to the actual operation.
[0023]
Further, a redundant configuration of 1: N line interfaces can be easily realized by assigning a plurality of spare ports to one working port for the working / standby information.
[0026]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Next, an embodiment of a duplex control apparatus for line interfaces according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an embodiment of a duplex control device for line interfaces according to the present invention.
In FIG. 1, this example describes a case where IP packets are routed in TCP / IP in an asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) communication network.
[0027]
In this example, the failure information of the switch 1 that sends a signal (data) from the reception-side interface port 2 to the transmission-side interface port 3 and the active / standby system is monitored, and this monitoring information is notified to the switching control unit 7. Receiving side interface port 2 and transmission side interface port 3 for monitoring the failure information of the active / standby system and notifying the monitoring control unit 7 of this monitoring information. On the other hand, the network control unit 5 that creates the routing table 10 so as to map only the ports that are currently used to the destination port, the control bus 6 for exchanging switching request signals, etc., fault information and network control Switching to execute control for determining whether to perform switching in response to a switching request instruction from the operator through part 5 And a control unit 7.
[0028]
The reception-side interface port 2 includes an IP address search unit 4 that searches the routing table 10 to determine a transmission port, and a routing table 10 that determines a transmission destination port using a transmission-side IP address and a subnet mask as keys. ing. Further, the network control unit 5 creates a routing table 10 and further creates working / standby system information 11 storing the working system port and the protection system port for each input and output of a certain line. .
[0029]
The control program in the network control unit 5 and the switching control unit 7, that is, the application of the processing procedure of the operation of the present invention is general-purpose package software such as a floppy disk (FD), CD-ROM or MO. Can be provided.
[0030]
Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described.
First, the operation of the main part will be described.
The IP packet from the reception side interface port 2 is supplied to the switch 1 and is sent to the transmission side interface port 3 from here. The IP address search unit 4 refers to the routing table 10 to determine the transmission destination of the switch 1 at that time.
[0031]
FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the contents of the routing table 10 in FIG.
In FIG. 2, this routing table 10 is a table for determining a destination port using a transmission side IP address and a subnet mask as keys, and the IP address search unit 4 in FIG. To determine the sending port.
[0032]
The routing table 10 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is created by the network control unit 5 shown in FIG. 1 and distributed to the IP address search unit 4 of each receiving side interface port 2 through the control bus 6. The network control unit 5 creates the routing table 10 based on the routing protocol. This creation is performed with reference to the working / standby information 11.
[0033]
FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the contents of the active / standby system information 11.
As shown in FIG. 3, the active / standby system information 11 stores information about the ports that are the active system and the ports that are the standby system for each input and output of a certain line. When a 1: N redundant configuration is performed, a plurality of standby ports are assigned to one active port.
[0034]
The network control unit 5 creates a routing table 10 in the active / standby system information 11 so as to map only the ports that are the active system to the destination ports. When the switching request signal is transferred by the switching control unit 7 through the control bus 6, the network control unit 5 updates the working / standby system information 11 so that the newly used port is sent out. The routing table 10 is updated so that it becomes the destination port. The updated routing table 10 is distributed to the IP address search units 4 of the respective reception-side interface ports 2 through the control bus 6.
[0035]
The reception-side interface port 2 and the transmission-side interface port 3 monitor failure information regardless of the active / standby system, and notify the switching control unit 7 of the monitoring information. The switching control unit 7 determines whether to perform switching based on the failure information and the switching request instruction from the operator through the network control unit 5. In this case, it is determined whether to switch the active / spare system only for the input port, whether to switch the active / standby system only for the output port, or to switch both ports.
[0036]
When the switching control unit 7 determines to perform switching, a switching request signal is transferred to the network control unit 5 through the control bus 6. The switching control unit 7 also sends a switching request signal to each receiving-side interface port 2 and transmitting-side interface port 3.
[0037]
Next, the operation of the embodiment corresponding to the present invention will be described.
Each of the reception-side interface port 2 and the transmission-side interface port 3 monitors failure information and notifies the switching control unit 7 of the monitoring information. At this time, the active input port becomes active and sends an IP packet to the switch 1, and the standby input port becomes inactive. In this case, data generation for the switch 1 is not performed.
[0038]
The switching control unit 7 determines whether to perform switching based on the failure information and a switching request instruction from the operator through the network control unit 5. In this case, it is determined whether only the input port is switched between the active / standby system, only the output port is switched between the active / standby system, or both ports are switched. When the switching control unit 7 determines to perform switching, the switching control unit 7 transfers a switching request signal to the network control unit 5 through the control bus 6. The switching control unit 7 also sends a switching request signal to each receiving-side interface port 2 and transmitting-side interface port 3.
[0039]
The network control unit 5 changes the working / standby system information 11 when switching between both ports and switching only the output port. Further, the routing table 10 is also changed based on the changed working / standby information 11. The sending port of the routing table 10 is set so that the working port of the working / standby system information 11 is always mapped.
[0040]
FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining respective modifications of the active / standby system information 11 and the routing table 10.
In FIG. 4, the active / spare system information 11 and the routing table 10 when a switching request regarding an output port is generated for a line in which interface # 1 is the active system and interface # 2 is operated as the standby system. Make each change. When switching only the input port, only the working / standby system information 11 is changed, and the routing table 10 is not changed.
[0041]
Further, the network control unit 5 transfers the created routing table 10 to the IP address search unit 4 of each receiving-side interface port 2 through the control bus 6. Each of the working port / reception-side interface port that has received the switching control signal completes the switching process required by the hardware.
Also, when switching both ports or switching only the input port, the active input port is deactivated to stop the input data so that no new data is generated for the switch 1 any more. To do. Furthermore, the switching is completed by setting the standby input port to active.
[0042]
FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a configuration of another embodiment, and FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining a routing table 10 and active / active system information 11 in another embodiment.
In FIG. 5, in another embodiment here, a plurality of ports are accommodated in the slot of one switch 1.
[0043]
In this case, the routing table 10 and the active / active system information 11 generated by the network control unit 5 are expanded as shown in FIG. That is, the routing table 10 is extended so that the sending slot number and the sending port number can be searched using the sending IP address and the subnet mask as keys. In the active / active system information 11, a transmission slot number and a transmission port number are assigned as a set as active / active system information of a certain line.
[0044]
Thus, even when a plurality of ports are accommodated in the slot of one switch 1, the present invention can be applied. In an actual device, one physical card (interface) is often assigned to one switch 1 slot. In this case, an active / operating port is provided in one card. Can be assigned.
[0045]
In the above embodiment, for a certain line, the combination information of which port is the active system and which port is the standby system is added to the switch by a hardware configuration as in the conventional example, that is, a selector or the like. It is not fixedly assigned. That is, since the network control unit 5 commonly manages the active / standby information 11, peripheral circuits related to the switch 1 for switching the active / active port are not required.
[0046]
In addition, for a certain line, the combination information on which port is used as the active system and which port is used as the standby system is not fixedly allocated, and can be freely allocated according to the actual operation.
[0047]
Further, by assigning a plurality of spare ports to one working port for the working / standby information 11, it is possible to easily cope with a redundant configuration of 1: N line interfaces. It becomes like this.
[0048]
【The invention's effect】
As is clear from the above description, according to the duplex control device for a line interface of the present invention, data is switched between any two line interface ports, and in the address search, the active / standby system of the line interface is switched. Control for determining a transmission port is executed by referring to a routing table created based on the redundant configuration information. In this case, network control creates a routing table based on the routing protocol and performs distribution control for address search. Further, in the address search, control is performed to determine the destination port with reference to the distributed routing table.
[0049]
As a result, it is possible to switch the duplex of the line interface by the control program (software) without adding a peripheral circuit when duplexing the line interface in routing using a switch designed for one operation mode. Thus, the increase in the scale of the apparatus can be suppressed.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an embodiment of a duplex control device for a line interface according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the contents of a routing table in FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the contents of active / standby system information in FIG. 1;
FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining a change state of working / standby system information and a routing table in the embodiment;
FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a configuration of another embodiment.
FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining a routing table and active / active information in another embodiment.
FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a conventional duplex line interface.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Switch 2 Reception side interface port 3 Transmission side interface port 4 IP address search part 5 Network control part 7 Switching control part 10 Routing table 11 Working system / standby system information

Claims (4)

In a line interface duplexing control device that performs switching control between a duplexed working port and a standby system port in routing of TCP / IP IP packets,
Using the sender IP address and subnet mask as keys, search the routing table based on the routing table used to determine the outgoing port on the sender side of the switch and the sender IP address and subnet mask. An IP address search unit for determining a port, and a receiving side interface for sending out fault information that monitors faults of an active port and a standby port on the input side of a certain line;
And transmitting-side interface for sending failure information monitored for failure on the output side of the active system ports and a standby system port of a second line,
A switch for sending the data of the receiving-side interface or found on the transmission side interface,
Create a working / standby information information of the working system port and a standby system port is stored to the input side and output side respectively of a line, and a current system to said working / standby information a network control unit to create a routing table by mapping the depot over preparative send a only has ports,
And a switching control unit that performs switching based on the switching request command from the fault information of the receiving side and the transmission side interface or al and the network control unit,
The network control unit, when the switch request signal is transferred, by updating the active / standby information, the routing table as a port becomes the newly active system is sent depot over preparative update, and distribute the updated routing table to the IP address retrieving unit for receiving Gawai Ntafe scan,
The switching control unit, when receiving a switching request command from the fault information of the receiving-side interface及 beauty sender interface or al and the network control unit, do decision whether to switch,
A line interface duplication control device, characterized in that, when it is determined to perform switching, a switching request signal is transferred to the network control unit. The network control unit
Creating routing table, and, according to claim 1 Symbol mounting line, characterized in that to create the working / standby information storing a port and a standby system ports of the active system for each of the input and output in line Interface duplex control device. The switch is
Line interface duplicated control apparatus according to claim 1 Symbol mounting, characterized in that they contain a plurality of ports for the slot. In line interface duplicated control apparatus of claim 3, wherein,
The routing table is
Using the transmission side IP address and subnet mask as keys, the transmission slot number assigned to the transmission side slot in the transmission side interface on the transmission side of the switch and the transmission port number assigned to the transmission side slot can be searched. Extended to
Active / standby system information
A line interface duplication control device, which is expanded to assign a transmission slot number and a transmission port number as a set as active / standby information of a certain line .

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