JPH06223019A - Network system - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide a control system which provides centralized control by a download server by maintaining the identity between constitution information that network equipment holds and constitution information that the download server holds. CONSTITUTION:The network system consists of the network equipment 2 having a constitution information file 4 containing constitution information characteristic to the equipment in a network 1 and a terminal interface 7 for setting the constitution information, terminal equipment 3 which sets the constitution information of the network equipment 2 through the terminal interface 7, and the download server 5 which downloads the constitution information of the network equipment 2 to the network equipment 2 through the network 1, and is equipped with a means which sends change information 8 to the download server 5 when the constitution information of the network equipment 2 is changed from the terminal equipment 3.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a network system, and more particularly, to a management system for unique configuration information held by a network device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, local area networks have been widely used. In this kind of network, HUB,
When installing a network device such as a bridge or router, if the network device has an intelligence function, unique configuration information in the network (for example, IP address, device name / type, administrator name, etc.) Must be stored in the device. Usually, a network builder or administrator carries out this work, but as a concrete means therefor, the following means have been adopted.

As a first means, as shown in FIG. 6, the network device 2 connected to the network 1 is RS-
When the terminal interface 7 such as 232C is provided, there is a means for setting the general-purpose terminal device 3 through the terminal interface 7. In this case, the terminal device 3 must be prepared in the immediate vicinity of the network device 2, but the installation work of the configuration information 4 of the network device 2 can be easily performed around the network device 2.

As a second means, as shown in FIG. 7, the configuration information 6 of the network device 2 is installed on another device called a download server 5 provided in the network 1.
Is edited and saved in a file format, and the file is transferred as a download file 11 to the network device 2 to be installed. Such a download server 5 is used for collectively managing the configuration information of the plurality of network devices 2 at one place. Even after the configuration information is downloaded to a certain network device 2, the configuration information file is stored for network management or for re-download.

[0005]

Since the above-described first means and second means of the conventional example have their respective advantages, it is desirable that both of them can be used as the setting information of the network device configuration information. . However, in that case,
If the terminal device later changes the configuration information for the network device for which the configuration information has been set by downloading, the contents of the configuration information file of the network device saved in the download server and the current point There is a problem that the configuration information of the actually operating network device does not match and the download server side cannot perform centralized management.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to determine the identity of the configuration information held in the network device and the configuration information held in the download server. It is to provide a management method for maintaining and realizing unified management in a download server.

[0007]

In the network system of the present invention, in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, FIG.
As shown in FIG. 2, a network device 2 having a configuration information file storing device-specific configuration information 4 in the network 1 and a terminal interface 7 for setting the configuration information, and the network via the terminal interface 7. The terminal device 3 for setting the configuration information of the device 2 and the download server 5 for downloading the configuration information 6 of the network device 2 to the network device 2 via the network 1, and the configuration information 4 of the network device 2 It is characterized in that it is provided with means for communicating the change information 8 with the download server 5 when it is changed from the terminal device 3. Here, the network device 2 has a first counter that counts the number of times the configuration information is changed from the terminal device 3, and the download server 5 counts the number of times that the configuration information of the network device 2 is changed. 2 counter and communication means for referring to the value of the first counter in the network device 2, and when it is detected that the values of the first and second counters do not match, the configuration information of the network device 2 Is preferably transferred to the download server 5. Further, as another means for solving the same problem, the network device 2 sends, to the download server 5, notification information that notifies the occurrence of a change event when the configuration information is changed from the terminal device 3, or It is preferable to include means for uploading a file including the configuration information to the download server 5.

[0008]

According to the present invention, when the configuration information of the network device 2 is changed from the terminal device 3, the occurrence of the change event is notified to the download server 5 side, so that the download server 5 side has its own configuration. It can be recognized that the information 6 does not match the current configuration information 4 of the network device 2. Further, when the network device 2 holds a counter for the number of changes, the change event occurrence notification is
Even when the download server 5 is not in operation, the configuration information for the network device 2 can be obtained by referring to the value of the counter held by the network device 2 when the download server 5 is activated later. It is possible to recognize whether a change has been made.

[0009]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS FIG. 1 shows the configuration of the entire system in the invention described in claim 1. In the figure, 1 is a network, 2 is a network device, 3 is a terminal device, 4 is configuration information owned by the network device, 5 is a download server, 6 is a network device configuration information file owned by the download server, and 7 is the network device 2. The reference numeral 8 indicates a flow of configuration change information transmitted and received between the network device 2 and the download server 5. Now, it is assumed that the network server 2 has the configuration information 6 set by the download server 5 and stores the information in the configuration information file 4 of its own storage device by downloading. In this state, the contents of the configuration information file 4 of the network device 2 and the configuration information file 6 of the download server 5 match. Here, when the configuration information of the network device 2 is changed from the terminal device 3 using the terminal interface 7, it is detected that the content of the configuration information file 4 of the network device 2 is changed,
The configuration change information 8 is exchanged using the communication procedure in the network 1. The information exchange means in this case is
Any protocol may be used as long as it is a protocol supported by the network device 2 and the download server 5, and the data format at the time of exchanging information does not matter.

2 and 3 show the operation sequence in the invention described in claim 2, and the overall configuration of the network is assumed to be the same as that of FIG. FIG. 2 shows a sequence of count-up operation of the configuration information change counter x in the network device 2,
FIG. 3 shows an operation sequence when a reference request for configuration information regarding a certain network device 2 is input to the download server 5. In FIG. 2, the network device 2 sets the value of the counter x at the end of the download as an initial value, and when the configuration information is changed from the terminal device 3, increases the value of the counter x by one. In FIG. 3, when the download server 5 downloads to a certain network device 2, the initial value is set in the configuration information change count register y for the network device 2 in the download server 5. In the illustrated example, the initial values of the counter are x = 0 and y = 0, but any initial value is acceptable as long as x = y. When there is a request to refer to the configuration information of the network device 2 later, the download server 5 first acquires the value of the change counter x by communicating with the network device 2 on the network 1. At this time, the change count register y of its own is compared with the value of the change count counter x of the network device 2 side. If they match, it is determined that the configuration information of its own matches the contents of the network device 2 side. , Immediately open the config information. if,
If they do not match, the configuration information on the network device 2 side is acquired by the communication means on the network 1,
It updates its own config information and the value of the change count register y, and then opens the config information.
It should be noted that the communication means on the network 1 in this case may be any protocol supported by the network device 2 and the download server 5, for example, a network management protocol (SNMP) or the like may be used.

FIG. 4 shows an embodiment of claim 3 of the present invention. In the figure, 9 represents a trap packet, which notifies the download server 5 of the occurrence of a configuration information change event when the network device 2 changes the configuration information by the terminal device 3.

FIG. 5 shows an embodiment of claim 4 of the present invention. In the figure, 10 indicates uploading of the configuration information file. When the network device 2 changes the configuration information by the terminal device 3, the configuration information file including the new configuration information is uploaded to the download server 5. Make a request. In this case, the file transfer protocol is used to collectively notify the download server 5 side of the configuration information in a file format.

[0013]

According to the invention described in claim 1, when the configuration information of the network device is changed from the terminal device, the occurrence of the change event is notified to the download server side. It is possible to recognize that the configuration information that is held does not match the configuration information that is currently held by the network device, and there is an effect that it can be used as a criterion for performing an operation for matching.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, even when the change event occurrence notification is given when the download server is not in operation, it is held by the network device at the time when the download server is activated later. By referring to the value of the counter, it is possible to recognize whether or not the configuration information has been changed for the network device.

According to the invention described in claim 3, there is an effect that the configuration information change on the network device side can be notified to the download server side.
According to the described invention, there is an effect that the changed configuration information content can be transferred to the download server side. In addition, in any of the first to fourth aspects of the invention, there is an effect that it is possible to maintain the sameness of the configuration information on the network device side and the download server side.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of a network according to the invention of claim 1.

FIG. 2 is an operation explanatory diagram on the network device side in the invention of claim 2;

FIG. 3 is an operation explanatory diagram of the download server side in the invention of claim 2;

FIG. 4 is an overall configuration diagram of a network according to the invention of claim 3;

FIG. 5 is an overall configuration diagram of a network according to a fourth aspect of the invention.

FIG. 6 is an overall configuration diagram of a conventional example.

FIG. 7 is an overall configuration diagram of another conventional example.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 network 2 network device 3 terminal device 4 configuration information saved in network device 5 download server 6 configuration information saved in download server 7 terminal interface of network device 8 configuration information 9 trap information 10 upload file 11 download file

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A network device having means for storing device-specific configuration information in a network and a terminal interface for setting the configuration information,
A terminal device that sets configuration information of the network device via the terminal interface, and a download server that downloads the configuration information of the network device to the network device via the network. A network system comprising means for communicating change information with a download server when changed by a device. 2. The network device has a first counter for counting the number of times the configuration information has been changed by the terminal device, and the download server has a second counter for counting the number of changes of the configuration information of the network device. The network system according to claim 1, further comprising a counter and a communication unit for referring to a value of the first counter in the network device. 3. The network system according to claim 1, wherein the network device includes means for sending notification information indicating a change event occurrence to the download server when the configuration information is changed by the terminal device. . 4. The network system according to claim 1, wherein the network device comprises means for uploading a file including the configuration information to a download server when the configuration information is changed by the terminal device.