JP5182705B2 - Network tester and test control method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a network tester, and more particularly, to a network test for improving the efficiency of a test and a test control method thereof.

  In recent years, the use of a large-scale network environment has also been advanced, and it is common to use a network hub when connecting many user terminals to a network. In the environment where a LAN cable is used to connect a user terminal and a network hub, when a communication failure occurs in the network, it is necessary to check the connection status between the network hub, the LAN cable, and the terminal. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a general connection between a network hub and a terminal. As shown in FIG. 6, the LAN cable is housed under the floor or bound to the back of the desk, which makes it difficult to visually confirm.

  As the scale of the network expands and becomes complicated, it takes a lot of time and labor to check the connection status. In order to solve this problem, network testers have become popular as a tool for troubleshooting network connectivity problems. This network tester determines the status of devices such as network hubs and NICs (Network Interface Cards), identifies online / offline of LAN cables, speed (10/100/1000), full duplex / half It is possible to display the link status of the duplex cable pair. This network tester is generally provided as a single unit.

  In Patent Document 1, in order to efficiently investigate using a network analyzer when a network failure occurs in a LAN environment, a concentrator (HUB) is provided with a switch HUB circuit and a shared HUB circuit, and both circuits can be selected by a changeover switch. ) Is disclosed. This line concentrator can be used as a switch HUB by selecting a switch HUB circuit during normal operation. In addition, when a network failure occurs, it can be used as a shared HUB by selecting a shared HUB circuit. Therefore, it becomes possible to investigate a network failure by connecting a network analyzer to this concentrator.

  In Patent Document 2, in order to efficiently perform a line test in a communication line network, the settings for interface cards and ports used during normal operation are changed without providing a special line test card or test port. Thus, a transmission apparatus (apparatus used as a functional unit for circuit switching or the like) that easily provides connection settings for circuit testing is disclosed. In this transmission apparatus, signal switching means capable of arbitrarily setting a circuit for connecting an operation line and a circuit for circuit test is configured by setting a software program.

  In Patent Document 3, in order to perform tests such as optical line communication confirmation, quality confirmation, and fault location search, a node apparatus (remote device) that can perform a line test using an operation signal without using an external test apparatus. Node device / master node device) is disclosed. In the remote node device, the first operation signal received by the loopback unit is looped back by the own device, and the optical wavelength multiplexer is assigned to an optical wavelength different from that of the first operation signal and the first operation signal. The second operation signal is combined and transmitted to the master node device.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-141926 International Publication No. WO2003 / 065652 International Publication No. WO2004 / 070975

  However, in Patent Document 1, an operation for connecting a network analyzer to a shared HUB occurs, and as the number of LAN cable connections increases, the operation becomes complicated and a lot of time and labor are required.

  Also in Patent Document 2 and Patent Document 3, it is difficult to detect online / offline identification of LAN cables, straight / cross disconnection check, etc. in an environment such as LAN / WAN. The work becomes complicated and requires a lot of time and labor.

  In addition, in the normal network tester described above, when a problem such as communication failure occurs in the network, work to connect to the LAN cable occurs, and the work becomes more complicated as the number of LAN cable connections increases. Can be. In other words, when testing multiple LAN cables, it is necessary to perform as many times as there are cables. For example, in an environment connected to a plurality of networks, a plurality of network hubs and a plurality of terminals connected to each network hub exist, and the connection relationship between the terminals and the hub becomes complicated. For this reason, confirming the connection destination is a cumbersome operation, and there is a problem that much time and labor are required.

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a network tester and a test control method thereof that can easily execute a network test even when the number of connection cables increases.

  A network tester according to the present invention includes a plurality of network connectors, display means for performing display corresponding to each of the plurality of network connectors, hub means for providing a hub function, tester means for providing a tester function, A function selection means for selecting either the hub function or the tester function, and a scan selection means for automatically selecting the plurality of network connectors one after another and connecting to the tester means when the tester function is selected. The tester means displays a test result for the network connector connected by the scan selection means on the display means.

  A test control method in a network tester according to the present invention includes a plurality of network connectors, display means for performing display corresponding to each of the plurality of network connectors, hub means for providing a hub function, and a tester for providing a tester function. A test control method in a network tester comprising: a plurality of network connectors when a function selection means selects either the hub function or the tester function, and a scan selection means selects the tester function; Are sequentially selected and connected to the tester means, and the tester means displays the test result for the network connector connected by the scan selection means on the display means.

  According to the present invention, a network test can be easily executed even when the number of connection cables increases.

It is a block diagram which shows the function structure of the network tester with a hub function which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is the figure which showed the example of a connection of the network tester with a hub function which concerns on this embodiment. It is a schematic block diagram which shows the 1st example of the test terminal in this embodiment. It is a schematic block diagram of the LAN board with a test function which shows the 2nd example of the test terminal in this embodiment. It is the figure which showed the example of a connection with the terminal which mounted the network tester with a hub function using the 2nd example of the test terminal in this embodiment, and the LAN board with a test function. It is the figure which showed the general connection of a network hub and a terminal.

  Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described below.

1. First embodiment
1.1) Configuration As shown in FIG. 1, the network tester 10 with a hub function according to the first embodiment of the present invention is provided with a function switch 101 and the operation unit 109 of the function switch 101 is operated. Thus, either the hub function unit 102 or the tester function unit 103 is selected and operated. Further, the network tester 10 is provided with a scan control unit 104, and the scan control unit 104 linked with the tester function unit 103 causes the test result switching unit 105 and the port switching unit 106 to perform a scanning operation in synchronization.

  The network tester 10 is provided with N network connectors 107 and N display units 108 corresponding to the network connectors. Each of the N display units 108 is connected to the test result switching unit 105, and sequentially connected to the tester function unit 103 by the scan operation of the test result switching unit 105. Each of the N network connectors 107 is connected to the hub function unit 102 through the function switch 101 when the hub function is selected, and is connected to the port switch 106 when the test function is selected. The port switch 106 sequentially connects N network connectors 107 to the tester function unit 103 through the function switch 101 by scan control by the scan control unit 104.

  That is, when the tester function unit 103 is selected by the operation unit 109 of the function switcher 101, the tester function unit 103 sequentially performs connection tests on the N network connectors 107 according to the scan operation of the port switcher 106. The test results are sequentially displayed on the N display units 108 according to the scan operation of the test result switching unit 105. That is, when the tester function unit 103 is selected by the operation unit 109 of the function switcher 101, the tester function unit 103 and the scan control unit 104 start operation, and the test result switcher 105 and the port switcher 106 are synchronized. The tester function unit 103 sequentially executes the tests.

  When the hub function unit 102 is selected on the operation unit 109 of the function switcher 101, the hub function unit 102 is connected to each network connector 107 through the function switcher 101, so that the normal network hub function operates and the tester The function does not work.

  The network tester 10 is provided with a control unit (not shown) that controls execution of the above processing. The control unit can use a program control processor such as a CPU, and the hub function, tester function, and scan control function can be realized by executing a computer program on the program control processor.

  As will be described later, when the tester function unit 103 receives a unique identification value from the test terminal connected to the LAN cable connected to the network connector 107, the tester function unit 103 determines the test result based on the identification value, The test results are sequentially displayed on the corresponding display units 108. Here, examples of display of test results include straight / cross disconnection check (network tester function) and test terminal unique information.

  Note that the display unit 108 that displays the test result does not necessarily have a one-to-one correspondence with the network connector 107, as long as the network connector can be identified. For example, when a unique identification value is received from a test terminal, information for identifying the test terminal can be displayed on one display unit.

  Since the internal processing of the hub function unit 102 and the tester function unit 103 is well known, the detailed configuration thereof is omitted.

1.2) Operation In the above network tester, when the hub function unit 102 is selected by the operation unit 109 of the function switching unit 101, the normal network hub function is executed, so that details are omitted. A case where 103 is selected will be described.

  First, as shown in FIG. 2, it is assumed that one network tester 10 has 8 ports, and a plurality of 8-port network testers 10.1 to 10. A plurality of terminals 1-n are connected by m. When the tester function unit is used, the network tester 10.1-10. A total of n network connectors 107 of m are connected to the test terminal 30 by cables. It is assumed that the middle of each cable passes through difficult-to-view areas 20 such as underfloor storage and the back of the desk. In particular, in such a network, the connection relationship between the hub and the terminal is complicated, and it is not easy to check the connection, but according to the present embodiment, it can be easily executed.

  When the hub function unit 102 is selected by the operation unit 109 of the function switching unit 101, the scan control unit 104 starts scan control of the test result switching unit 105 and the port switching unit 106. The port scan of the network connector 107 is executed by the scan operation of the port switch 106. That is, a connection test is sequentially executed for each network connector 107, and the test result is sequentially displayed on the corresponding display unit 108 through the test result switch 105 operating in synchronization with the port switch 106.

  The tester function unit 103 receives a unique identification value from the test terminal, determines the test result based on the identification value, and displays the test result on the corresponding display unit 108. Examples of test result display include straight / cross disconnection check (network tester function) and unique information of the test terminal.

1.3) Effect According to the present embodiment, it is possible to use one network tester by switching between the hub function unit and the tester function unit. That is, it can be used as a network hub by selecting the hub function unit during normal operation, and can be used as a network tester by selecting the tester function unit during testing. Therefore, there is no need to connect the network tester to the LAN cable during the test, and the test work workload is reduced.

  In addition, since the test is automatically executed sequentially by scanning for multiple network connectors and the result is displayed, it is not necessary to perform the same number of tests as the number of LAN cables sequentially, reducing the number of tests. Work workload is greatly reduced.

  Further, the test terminal returns unique information, and the network tester detects it, thereby associating the number of test terminals connected to the network connector. Thereby, it becomes easy to detect the connection destination of the cable in which a plurality of cables are entangled in the middle of the route.

2. First Example of Test Terminal As shown in FIG. 3, the unique identification value of the test terminal 40 can be variably set. The test terminal 40 includes an identification value generation unit 201, an identification value setting unit 202, and a network connector 203 in addition to a normal communication unit (not shown). The network connector 203 and the communication unit can communicate with the network tester 10 through a LAN cable, and the user can set a desired setting value by operating the identification value setting unit 202. When the test terminal 40 receives a test signal from the network tester 10, the identification value set by the identification value setting unit 202 is transmitted from the identification value generation unit 201 to the network tester 10.

  The network tester 10 determines a test result based on the received identification value, and displays the test result on a corresponding display unit. Since the identification value of the test terminal can be set arbitrarily by the user, there is an effect of improving availability according to the user's usage environment.

3. Second Example of Test Terminal As shown in FIG. 4, the test terminal is not an independent unit as described above, but can be realized as a part of the function of the LAN board mounted on the terminal.

  In FIG. 4, the test terminal 50 includes a test function unit 302 and a LAN function unit 303 that are switched by a function changeover switch 301 and a network connector 304 in addition to a normal communication unit (not shown). Communication with the network tester 10 is possible via the LAN cable by the network connector 203 and the communication unit. The test function unit 302 can have the test function of the test terminal 30 or the same identification value setting function as the test terminal 40.

  When the LAN board function unit 303 is selected by the function selector switch 301, it operates as a normal LAN board. When the test function unit 302 is selected by the function changeover switch 301, when a test signal is received from the network tester 10, a fixed or variably set identification value is returned to the network tester 10.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the LAN board 50 shown in FIG. 4 is mounted on the terminal. During normal operation, the hub function unit 102 is selected by the operation unit 109 of the network tester 10 and the LAN board function unit 303 is selected by the function switch 301 of the LAN board, so that it can be used as a normal network environment.

  During the test, the tester function unit 103 is selected by the operation unit 109 of the network tester 10 and the test function unit 302 is selected by the function changeover switch 301 of the LAN board, whereby the above-described response to the test signal from the network tester 10 Can do. Since the test terminal function is selectably offset on the LAN board, there is no need to reconnect the test terminal at the time of the test, and the test work workload is reduced.

  The present invention can be applied to a network tester for confirming a connection status between a network hub, a LAN cable, and a terminal.

10 Network tester
101 Function selector
102 Hub function
103 Tester function
104 Scan control unit
105 Test result selector
106 port selector
107 Network connector
108 Display
109 Control panel
201 Identification value generator
202 Identification value setting section
203 Network connector
301 Function selector switch
302 Test function
303 LAN board function
304 network connector

Claims (12)

A network tester,
Multiple network connectors,
Display means for performing display corresponding to each of the plurality of network connectors;
Hub means for providing a hub function;
A tester means for providing a tester function;
Function selecting means for selecting either the hub function or the tester function;
When the tester function is selected, scan selection means for automatically and sequentially selecting the plurality of network connectors and connecting to the tester means;
The network tester is characterized in that the tester means displays a test result for the network connector connected by the scan selection means on the display means. The display means comprises a plurality of display units respectively corresponding to a plurality of network connectors,
When the tester function is selected, the scan selection unit automatically and sequentially selects the plurality of display units in synchronization with selection of the plurality of network connectors, and connects to the tester unit. The network tester according to claim 1. 2. The tester means, when executing a connection test , receives a unique identification value from a test terminal connected to the network connector and judges a test result based on the identification value. Or the network tester according to 2. A network tester system comprising: at least one network tester; and a plurality of test terminals respectively connected through a cable to a plurality of network connectors of the at least one network tester,
The network tester includes display means for displaying corresponding to a plurality of network connectors, hub means for providing a hub function, tester means for providing a tester function, and either the hub function or the tester function. And a function selection means for selecting a scan selection means for automatically and sequentially selecting the plurality of network connectors when the tester function is selected, and connecting to the tester means,
Each of the test terminals has a test unit that, when receiving a test signal from the network tester, returns identification information of the test terminal to the network tester,
The network tester system, wherein the tester means of the network tester displays a test result for a test terminal connected to a network connector connected by the scan selection means on the display means.   The test means of the test terminal further includes identification value setting means for setting identification information desired by a user, and the identification information set in the identification value setting means when the network tester executes a connection test. The network tester system according to claim 4, wherein the network tester is transmitted to the network tester.   6. The network tester system according to claim 4, wherein the test terminal is mounted with a network board including the test means and a network control means for connecting the cable. A test control method in a network tester having a plurality of network connectors, display means for performing display corresponding to each of the plurality of network connectors, hub means for providing a hub function, and tester means for providing a tester function There,
The function selection means selects either the hub function or the tester function,
When the tester function is selected by the scan selection means, the plurality of network connectors are automatically and sequentially selected and connected to the tester means,
The tester means displays a test result for the network connector connected by the scan selection means on the display means;
A test control method for a network tester. The display means comprises a plurality of display units respectively corresponding to a plurality of network connectors,
When the tester function is selected, the scan selection unit automatically and sequentially selects the plurality of display units in synchronization with selection of the plurality of network connectors, and connects to the tester unit. The test control method in a network tester according to claim 7. 8. The tester means, when executing a connection test , receives a unique identification value from a test terminal connected to the network connector and judges a test result based on the identification value. Or a test control method in the network tester according to 8; A program control processor in a network tester having a plurality of network connectors, display means for performing display corresponding to each of the plurality of network connectors, hub means for providing a hub function, and tester means for providing a tester function A program for executing test control,
The function selection means selects either the hub function or the tester function,
When the tester function is selected by the scan selection means, the plurality of network connectors are automatically and sequentially selected and connected to the tester means,
The tester means displays a test result for the network connector connected by the scan selection means on the display means;
A program for causing the program control processor to function as described above. The display means comprises a plurality of display units respectively corresponding to a plurality of network connectors,
When the tester function is selected, the scan selection unit automatically and sequentially selects the plurality of display units in synchronization with selection of the plurality of network connectors, and connects to the tester unit. The program according to claim 10. 11. The tester means, when executing a connection test , receives a unique identification value from a test terminal connected to the network connector and judges a test result based on the identification value. Or the program of 11.

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