JPH0879326A - Network equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To relieve the processing load on a terminal equipment connected to plural network systems. CONSTITUTION: Memory areas of transmission reception buffer memories 20a-20d of plural network systems A-D are formed to be a consecutive memory area when viewing from a host connection terminal equipment 10 and areas 20a1 , 20b1 , 20c1 , 20d1 storing network operation information storing network management information of each network system are provided respectively to the transmission reception buffer memories 20a-20d. Thus, the number of interfaces between the host connection terminal equipment 10 and the network systems is decreased by one and then the processing load of the host connection terminal equipment 10 is relieved.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a network device for a system connected to a plurality of networks in a system for general industry.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art FIG. 9 shows, for example, Mitsubishi Electric Technical Report Vol. 6
5, No. 7 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a conventional network device shown in p47 to p52 of 1991,
In the figure, A, B, C and D are different network systems, 1a, 1b, 1c and 1d are transmission lines for carrying data in the respective network systems A, B, C and D, 2a, 2b, 2c and 2d are The transmission lines 1a, 1
It is a transmission / reception block that is inserted in b, 1c, and 1d to receive data carried on a transmission line and to transmit data to the transmission line. Further, 3a, 3b, 3c, 3d are microprocessors 4a, 4b, 4 which control transmission / reception processing and protocol processing of each network system A, B, C, D.
c, 4d are the microprocessors 3a, 3b, 3c,
This is a 3d internal local bus.

Next, 5a, 5b, 5c and 5d are connected to the transmission / reception blocks 2a, 2b, 2c and 2d by the internal local buses 4a, 4b, 4c and 4d in the respective network systems A, B, C and D. It is a transmission / reception buffer memory. Also, 5a ₁ , 5b ₁ , 5c ₁ , 5d
₁ represents a part of the transmission / reception buffer memory 5a, 5b, 5c, 5d for each network system A, B, C, D, and stores the network management information of each network system A, B, C, D so that it can be transmitted and received. This is the area that will be used. For example, the area 5a ₁ for storing the network management information is composed of areas of predetermined addresses x to y of the buffer memory 5a, and all nodes including the node statuses of the node addresses ND1 to NDn of the network system A. The status information of is stored.

Further, 6a, 6b, 6c, 6d are microprocessors for high-level interface processing provided for each network system A, B, C, D, 7a, 7b,
7c and 7d are microprocessors 6a, 6b, 6c and 6
It is the internal local bus of d. The transmission / reception buffer memories 5a, 5b, 5c, 5d are also used as local memories of the microprocessors 6a, 6b, 6c, 6d for higher-level interface processing. Next, 8a, 8b, 8
c and 8d are drivers / receivers for exchanging data with the host connection terminal device 10, and 9a, 9b, 9c and 9d are interfaces for connecting the driver / receivers 8a, 8b, 8c and 8d and the host connection terminal device 10. It is a cable.

Further, 11a, 11b, 11c, 11d
Is a driver / receiver for connecting the workstation 13 to a network device via the interface cable 12. The workstation 13 uses the driver / receiver 11 when confirming the operation status of each network system by the user who manages the network.
Areas 5a ₁ and 5b of the transmission / reception buffer memories 5a, 5b, 5c and 5d, which are connected to the driver / receiver corresponding to the network to be confirmed among a, 11b, 11c and 11d by the interface cable 12.
_The network status information stored in ₁ , 5c ₁ and 5d ₁ is collected and reported.

Next, the operation will be described. First, the operation outline of the network system A will be described. The data of the transmission line 1a of the network system A is received by the transmission / reception block 2a,
Is analyzed by the microprocessor 3a which controls the transmission / reception block 2a, the transmission / reception processing and the protocol processing,
It is stored in the transmission / reception buffer memory 5a. Upon detecting that the data is stored in the transmission / reception buffer memory 5a, the high-order interface processing microprocessor 6a reports the reception to the high-order connection terminal device 10 and prompts the high-order connection terminal device 10 to perform the data reception process. In this way, from the network system A to the host connection terminal device 10
Data reception processing is performed.

On the other hand, when data is transmitted from the upper connection terminal device 10, the upper connection terminal device 10 transfers data to the transmission / reception buffer memory 5a of the network system A through the interface cable 9a, and therefore the upper connection terminal device 10 is used for processing the upper interface. It requests the microprocessor 6a for the transmission process. As a result, the transmission data is transferred to the transmission / reception buffer memory 5a of the network system A under the control of the microprocessor 6a. Then, the microprocessor 3a causes the transmission / reception buffer memory 5
When it is detected that the transmission data is stored in a, the transmission process is performed on the transmission path 1a of the network system A. The transmission / reception processing is similarly performed for the network systems B, C, and D.

When the host connection terminal 10 uses the network systems A, B, C and D in parallel to transmit and receive data, the above-mentioned network system transmission / reception processing is performed in parallel. At this time, the host connection terminal device 10 has the interface cables 9a, 9b,
Transmission / reception buffer memories 5a, 5b, via 9c, 9d,
Access 5c and 5d. In this case, since the transmission / reception buffer memories 5a, 5b, 5c, 5d are configured as separate memories, each interface cable 9
Different network systems A, B, C, and D are accessed via a, 9b, 9c, and 9d in four different procedures and by replacing the address of the buffer memory.

Any of the network systems A, B,
In C and D as well, the status information of all the nodes is stored in the areas 5a ₁ and 5b where the network management information is stored by the periodic update operation by the microprocessors 3a, 3b, 3c and 3d which manage the transmission / reception processing and the protocol processing.
_The latest information is stored in ₁ , 5c ₁ and 5d ₁ . Here, the operation of storing the network management information will be described by taking the network system A as an example. The microprocessor 3a collects the status information of its own node of the network system A at regular intervals by some method,
The latest information is sequentially stored in the own node status information storage area of the area 5a ₁ for storing network management information.

On the other hand, regarding the status information of the other nodes of the network system A, the microprocessor 3a which controls transmission / reception processing and protocol processing performs reception / analysis processing on the status information of other nodes sequentially transmitted from the transmission line 1a. Thus, the network management information is sequentially stored in the other node status storage area 5a ₁ . As a result, the status information of all the nodes of the network system A can be collected in the area 5a ₁ for storing the network management information. The same operation is performed for the other network systems B, C and D, and the area 5b ₁ for storing the network management information,
5c ₁ and 5d ₁ are connected to the respective network systems B, C and D
The status information of all the nodes is sequentially stored.

The upper connection terminal device 10 stores an area 5a for storing network management information via interface cables 9a, 9b, 9c, 9d and microprocessors 6a, 6b, 6c, 6d for processing upper interfaces.
Access ₁ , 5b ₁ , 5c ₁ , 5d ₁ . In this case, the higher-level connection terminal device 10 will access the statuses of all the nodes of all the network systems according to their respective processing procedures. The accessed status information is processed and edited by the host connection terminal device 10.

[0012]

Since the conventional network device is configured as described above, when a plurality of network systems A, B, C, D are connected to the host connection terminal device 10, Interface hardware such as microprocessors 6a, 6b, 6c, 6d, drivers / receivers 8a, 8b, 8c, 8d, interface cables 9a, 9b, 9c, 9d are required for the number of networks, resulting in a complicated device configuration. There was a problem that Further, when viewed from the upper-level connection terminal device 10, the memory to be accessed is the same as the number of networks, that is, the transmission / reception buffer memories 5a, 5b, 5
Since there are c and 5d, these are connected to the host connection terminal device 1
There is a problem that a method of efficiently accessing from 0 is required, and the load of software is increased.

Further, in the conventional network device, the host connection terminal device 10 and each network system A, B,
A handshake for access is required for the number of interfaces with C and D, and the transmission / reception buffer memories 5a, 5b, 5c, and 5d serving as access areas are also discontinuous, so that a plurality of network systems A, B, and C are used. , D
Access to each network, it is necessary to individually access each network, and the upper-level connection terminal device 10 must also be equipped with handshake processing for the number of networks, and the processing load of the higher-level connection terminal device 10 is large. There was a problem that

Further, in the conventional network device, when a plurality of network systems A, B, C and D exist, each network independently sets a network management data area independently of other networks, and a host connection terminal is provided. The device 10 has to perform network management of a plurality of network systems A, B, C, and D whose access methods are not uniform, which causes a problem of increasing the load of the host connection terminal device 10. It was

Further, in the conventional network device, when performing network management, there are as many management targets as there are networks in an arbitrary aggregation node, so a management device for each network system A, B, C, D is required. When the upper-level connection terminal device 10 performs network management processing, individual information of each network system A, B, C, D is collected / edited via the plurality of interfaces and processed by the upper-level connection terminal device 10. I have to
There is a problem that the processing load of the upper-level connection terminal device 10 increases.

Further, in the conventional network device, when a failure occurs in any one of the plurality of network systems A, B, C and D, the upper connection terminal device 10 causes a failure in addition to the data transmission / reception process. There is a problem that the processing load increases because the network switching process is performed after the detection and analysis.

The inventions of claims 1 and 2 have been made to solve the above problems, and an object thereof is to obtain a network device capable of simplifying a physical interface with an upper connection terminal device. To do.

It is an object of the present invention to obtain a network device capable of simplifying a data transmission processing function with a host connection terminal and a network management processing function.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a network device capable of facilitating the degenerate operation function when a failure occurs.

[0020]

A network device according to the invention of claim 1 has a configuration in which a plurality of networks are integrated as one node, and manages data transmission / reception between an upper connection terminal device and transmission / reception holding means. A control means is provided.

In the network device according to the second aspect of the present invention, the transmission / reception holding means of each network is a continuous memory space accessible by the control means and the integrated control means.

In the network device according to the invention of claim 3, the transmission / reception holding means is provided with a network management area in which management information of each network is stored and which is accessible from the control means and the integrated control means. Is.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the network device, the centralized control means has a network management function for performing network management of the aggregated nodes and network management of each of the plurality of networks, and a workstation provided outside. And an input / output interface means for mediating with.

In the network device according to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the transmission / reception holding means is accessible from the centralized control means, and how to perform the degenerate operation when a failure occurs in any one of the plurality of networks. In addition to providing a degenerate operation management area that stores degenerate operation information, the centralized control means prevents failure during data transmission / reception processing using an arbitrary network, and reduces the degeneration operation management area. The switching function is provided to switch the network based on the driving information.

[0025]

In the network device according to the invention of claim 1,
Since the overall control means manages data transmission / reception between the host connection terminal device and the transmission / reception holding means, the connection between the host connection terminal device and a plurality of networks is simplified, and the interface such as transmission / reception processing is unified. It will be possible.

In the network device according to the second aspect of the present invention, since the transmission / reception holding means of each network is a continuous memory space of the integrated control means, the control means for controlling the protocol of each network can change the conventional transmission / reception processing. On the other hand, the integrated control means simplifies and unifies the interface with the host connection terminal devices connected to the plurality of networks, and the processing load of the host connection terminal device can be reduced without paying too much attention to the plurality of networks. Can be reduced.

In the network device according to the third aspect of the present invention, since the transmission / reception holding means is provided with the network management area in which the management information of each network is stored and which can be accessed by the control means and the overall control means, a plurality of networks can be provided. The interface with the connected upper connection terminal device is made common, and the processing load of the upper connection terminal device can be reduced without paying too much attention to multiple networks.

In the network device according to the invention of claim 4, the workstation accesses the network management area of the transmission / reception holding means only through the input / output interface means to collect the management information of each network. , The management of a plurality of networks between the workstation and the workstation can be simplified, and the load processing of the host connection terminal device can be reduced.

The network device according to a fifth aspect of the present invention can be accessed by the integrated control means, and the degenerate operation information defines how to perform the degenerate operation when a failure occurs in any one of the plurality of networks. Is provided in the transmission / reception holding means, and the integrated control means is provided for avoiding a failure during data transmission / reception processing using an arbitrary network, and the reduced operation information stored in the reduced operation management area. Since a switching function for switching networks based on the above is provided, when any one of the networks fails, degenerate operation can be performed in any of the other networks without increasing the load of the host connection terminal device. .

[0030]

【Example】

Example 1. An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a network device according to an embodiment of the present invention, which is a conventional technique shown in FIG.
Corresponding parts shown in are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted. In the figure, 20a, 20b, 20c and 20d are network systems (plural networks) A,
B, C, D transmission / reception blocks (transmission / reception means) 2a, 2
internal local buses 4a, 4b, 4c, b, 2c, 2d,
It is a transmission / reception buffer memory (transmission / reception holding means) connected by 4d. Further, 21 is a general microprocessor (total control means) that collectively manages each network system A, B, C, D, 22 is a local memory of the general microprocessor 21, 23 is an internal local bus of the general microprocessor 21, Reference numeral 24 is a driver / receiver for connecting to the higher-level connection terminal device 10 via the interface cable 25.

The transmission / reception buffer memories 20a, 20
As described above, b, 20c, and 20d are also configured as the local memory of the general microprocessor 21, and are configured so that the address space is a continuous memory area when viewed from the general microprocessor 21. In other words, the transmission / reception buffer memory 20a,
20b, 20c and 20d are microprocessors (control means) 3 of the respective network systems A, B, C and D.
a, 3b, 3c, 3d, and a common memory of the integrated microprocessor 21.

Next, the operation will be described. First, the operation outline of the network system A will be described. The data of the transmission path (plurality of transmission paths) 1a of the network system A is the transmission / reception block 2a of the network system A.
Is received by the microprocessor 3a, analyzed by the microprocessor 3a, and stored in the transmission / reception buffer memory 20a.
When the general microprocessor 21 detects that the data is stored in the transmission / reception buffer memory 20a, it reports the reception to the higher-order connection terminal device 10 and sends the data to the higher-order connection terminal device 1
Prompt 0 for data reception processing. In this way, the data reception process from the network system A to the upper connection terminal device 10 is performed.

On the other hand, when data is transmitted from the host connection terminal device 10, the host connection terminal device 10 transfers the data to the transmission / reception buffer memory 20a of the network system A via the interface cable 25 so as to transfer the data. Request the transmission process to. As a result, the transmission data is transferred to the transmission / reception buffer memory 20a of the network system A. When the microprocessor 3a detects that the transmission data is stored in the transmission / reception buffer memory 20a, the transmission process is performed on the transmission path 1a of the network system A. The transmission / reception processing is similarly performed for the network systems B, C, and D.

As described above, in the first embodiment, the host device 10 and the transmission / reception buffer memories 20a, 20b, 2 are connected.
Since the data transmission / reception management between 0c and 20d is performed by one integrated microprocessor 21, the configuration and processing can be simplified. Further, when the host connection terminal device 10 uses the network systems A, B, C, D in parallel to transmit and receive data, the above-mentioned network system transmission / reception processing is performed in parallel. The connection terminal device 10 uses only the interface cable 25 to transmit / receive buffer memories 20a, 20b, 20c, 20.
You can access d. Furthermore, the transmission / reception buffer memory 2
Since 0a, 20b, 20c and 20d are configured as one continuous area, it is possible to replace the addresses for the transmission / reception buffer memories 20a, 20b, 20c and 20d through the single interface cable 25 in the same procedure. , Different network systems A, B,
C and D can be accessed. For example, received data from different networks can be stored in a transmission / reception buffer configured as a continuous memory space. Therefore, when the received data of each network is read, it can be read only by replacing the address.

Example 2. Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the network device according to the second embodiment. The corresponding parts shown in FIG. 1 are assigned the same reference numerals and explanations thereof are omitted.
In the figure, 20a ₁ , 20b ₁ , 20c ₁ , 20d ₁
Represents a part of the transmission / reception buffer memory 20a, 20b, 20c, 20d of each network system A, B, C, D, and is an area (network management) where network management information of each network system A, B, C, D is stored. Area). These areas 20a ₁ and 20b
₁ , 20c ₁ and 20d ₁ are transmission / reception buffer memories 20a, 20b and 20 configured as continuous memory spaces.
It is provided in a fixed area (predetermined address space) of c and 20d, and is configured to be accessible only by replacing the address from the general microprocessor 21.

FIG. 3 shows an example of the structure of the status information of all the nodes stored in the area 20a ₁ for storing the network management information. In the figure, area 20a ₁
Is the address from the address x in the buffer memory 20a to y.
It is provided at the address, and the node statuses of the node addresses ND1 to NDn of the network system A are sequentially stored. This configuration example is similarly assigned to the network systems B, C, D, and the areas 20b ₁ , 20c ₁ , 20d _{1 of the} transmission / reception buffer memories 20b, 20c, 20d are also similarly configured.

Next, the operation will be described. First, the operation outline of the network system A will be described. The data of the transmission line 1a of the network system A is received by the transmission / reception block 2a,
It is analyzed by the microprocessor 3a and stored in the transmission / reception buffer memory 20a. When the centralized microprocessor 21 detects that the data is stored in the transmission / reception buffer memory 20a, it reports that the data has been received to the higher order connection terminal device 10 and prompts the higher order connection terminal device 10 to perform the data reception process. In this way, the data reception process from the network system A to the upper connection terminal device 10 is performed.

On the other hand, when transmitting data from the upper connection terminal device 10, the upper connection terminal device 10 transfers the data to the transmission / reception buffer memory 20a of the network system A via the interface cable 25.
It requests the general microprocessor 21 for transmission processing. As a result, the transmission data is transferred to the transmission / reception buffer memory 20a of the network system A. When the microprocessor 3a detects that the transmission data is stored in the transmission / reception buffer memory 20a, the transmission process is performed on the transmission path 1a of the network system A. The transmission / reception processing is similarly performed for the network systems B, C, and D.

Any of the network systems A, B,
In C and D as well, the status information of all the nodes is stored in the area 20a _{1 in} which the network management information is stored by the update operation executed at a constant cycle by the microprocessors 3a, 3b, 3c and 3d that control the transmission / reception processing and the protocol processing. , 20b ₁ , 20c ₁ , 20d ₁ store the latest information. Here, only the network system A will be described. The microprocessor 3a collects the status information of its own node of the network system A at a constant cycle by some method, and sequentially stores the latest information in the own node status information storage area of the area 20a ₁ for storing network management information.

On the other hand, the status information of the other nodes of the network system A is an area for storing the network management information by the microprocessor 3a receiving and analyzing the status information of the other nodes sequentially transmitted from the transmission line 1a. 20a ₁ is sequentially stored in the other node status storage area. As a result, the status information of all the nodes of the network system A can be collected in the area 20a ₁ for storing the network management information. By the same operation for the other network systems B, C, D, the status information of all the nodes of each network system is sequentially stored in the areas 20b ₁ , 20c ₁ , 20d ₁ for storing the network management information.

The upper-level connection terminal device 10 has an area 20a ₁ for storing network management information via the interface cable 25 and the integrated microprocessor 21.
20b ₁ , 20c ₁ and 20d ₁ are accessed. In this case, the higher-level connection terminal device 10 can access the status information of all the nodes of all the network systems by the unified interface that is different only in the buffer memory address. The accessed status information is processed and edited by the host connection terminal device 10.

As described above, in the second embodiment, the host connection terminal device 10 stores the area 20a ₁ , 20b ₁ , 20c ₁ , 2 for storing network management information via the interface cable 25 and the integrated microprocessor 21.
When accessing 0d ₁ , it can be accessed by a unified interface that differs only in the buffer memory address.
In other words, the transmission / reception buffer memories 20a, 20b,
20c, 20d, microprocessors 3a, 3b, 3
Areas 20a ₁ , 20b ₁ , 20c ₁ , 2 in which management information of each network is stored in a fixed area that is accessible from c and 3d and the integrated microprocessor 21.
Since it is configured to provide 0d ₁ , the above area 20a
_If the addresses of ₁ , 20b ₁ , 20c ₁ , 20d ₁ are assigned to predetermined values or the offset addresses are unified, when the upper connection terminal device 10 attempts to access these network management information, the addresses are You can access each area just by replacing.

Example 3. Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the network device according to the third embodiment, and the corresponding parts shown in FIG. 2 described above are assigned the same reference numerals and explanations thereof are omitted. In the figure, 27 is an interface cable 2
8 is a driver / receiver (input / output interface means) for connecting the workstation 29 to a network device via 8. The workstation 29 includes the interface cable 28 and the driver / receiver 2
Under the control of the integrated microprocessor 21 via 7,
Transmission / reception buffer memory 20a, 20b, 20c, 20d
Areas 20a ₁ , 20b ₁ , 20c ₁ , 20d ₁ are collected, status information of each area is collected, and the operating status of each network system is reported to the user who manages the network. The structure of each area 20a ₁ , 20b ₁ , 20c ₁ , 20d ₁ is the same as in FIG.

Next, the operation will be described. In addition, each network system A, B, C, D and the host connection terminal device 1
The data transmission / reception operation with respect to 0 and the storage operation of the network management information are the same as those in the above-described first and second embodiments, and therefore description thereof will be omitted. Workstation 29
Are areas 20a ₁ , 20b ₁ , 20c for storing network management information via the interface cable 28 and the integrated microprocessor 21 at regular intervals.
₁ , 20d ₁ are accessed and status information of each area is collected, so that each network system A,
The network management individual information of B, C and D is collected and the operation status of each network system is reported to the user who manages the network.

As described above, in the third embodiment, the workstation 29 changes the status information of all the nodes of all the network systems via the single driver / receiver 27 only by changing the address. Since this area can be accessed, the data transmission processing function and the network management processing function with the integrated microprocessor 21 can be simplified.

Example 4. Next, a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the network device according to the fourth embodiment, and the corresponding parts shown in FIG. 2 described above are assigned the same reference numerals and explanations thereof are omitted. In the figure, in the fourth embodiment, areas 20a ₁ , 20b ₁ , 20c for storing network management information are shown.
The configuration of ₁ and 20d ₁ is different from that of the above-described embodiment. Figure 6
FIG. 3 is a conceptual diagram showing the structure of network management information in area 20a ₁ of transmission / reception buffer memory 20a.
In the figure, an area 20a ₁ is provided at a certain address x to y in the transmission / reception buffer memory 20a, and the node statuses of the node addresses ND1 to NDn of the network system A are sequentially stored and the priority order is further increased. In order, a flag area (degenerate operation management area) 20a ₂ that indicates whether the network system is backed up and a system name that stores the network system name used in place of the network system when a failure occurs in the network system Area (degenerate operation management area) 20a ₃
Is provided. In addition, reference numerals j, k, and 1 in the drawing indicate any one of the network systems B, C, and D.

Information regarding the above backup is
Higher-level connection terminal device 1 in network system A
0, or it is prewritten in the area 20a ₁ by the workstation 29. In the illustrated example, it is assumed that the backup system names are D, C, and B from the top, and the backup presence / absence flags are 1, 1, 0 from the top, as information about backup. This configuration example is similarly assigned to the network systems B, C and D, and the areas 20b ₁ and 20c of the respective transmission / reception buffer memories 20b, 20c and 20d.
_The same applies to the configuration of ₁ and 20d ₁ .

Next, the operation will be described. In addition, each network system A, B, C, D and the host connection terminal device 1
The data transmission / reception operation with respect to 0 and the storage operation of the network management information are the same as those in the above-described second and third embodiments, and therefore description thereof will be omitted. Further, in the following description, only the network system A will be described. Here, FIG. 7 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the fourth embodiment. In the figure, first, in step ST1,
The upper connection terminal device 10 or the workstation 29 is set in the area 20a ₁ in advance. Next, step ST
2, it is assumed that a failure occurs in the network system A in the data transmission / reception operation and the network management information storage operation.

When a failure occurs, first, step ST3
At, the upper connection terminal device 10 issues a transmission request to the network system A in the following procedure. First, a transmission request is sent from the host connection terminal device 10 to the general microprocessor 21. Upon receiving this request, the general microprocessor 21 checks the status of the own node of the own network system A and the status of the destination node in the area 20a ₁ . When the own node abnormality is detected, the general microprocessor 21
In step ST4, according to the priority of the areas 20a _1, reaffirmed by the backup network system whether the flag area 20a ₂ area 20a ₁ flags, to check the backup network system name system name area 20a _3.

First, in step ST5, it is determined whether or not it is the backup network system j (for example, the network system B). If it is the backup network system j, step S
The determination result at T5 is "YES", and step S
Go to T6. At step ST6, the status of the backup network system j is confirmed. Then, if the status of the backup network system j is normal, the determination result in step ST6 is "YES".
Then, the process proceeds to step ST7. In step ST7,
The transmission process for the network system A is switched to the backup network system j (for example, the network system B) to perform the transmission process.

On the other hand, if the status of the backup network system j is abnormal, the determination result in step ST5 is "NO", and the process proceeds to step ST8. In step ST8, it is determined whether or not the backup network system k (for example, the network system C). Then, in the case of the backup network system k, the determination result in step ST8 is “YES”, and the process proceeds to step ST9. In step ST9, the status of the backup network system k is confirmed. If the status of the backup network system k is normal, step S
The determination result in T9 is “YES”, and step S
Proceed to T10. In step ST10, the transmission process for the network system A is switched to the backup network system k (for example, the network system C) to perform the transmission process.

On the other hand, if the status of the backup network system k is abnormal, the determination result in step ST8 is "NO", and the process proceeds to step ST11. In step ST11, it is determined whether or not the backup network system 1 (for example, the network system D). Then, in the case of the backup network system 1, the determination result in step ST11 is “YES”, and the process proceeds to step ST12. In step ST12, the status of the backup network system 1 is confirmed. Then, if the status of the backup network system 1 is normal, the determination result in step ST12 is "YES", and the process proceeds to step ST13. In step ST13, the transmission process for the network system A is switched to the backup network system 1 (for example, the network system D) to perform the transmission process.

On the other hand, if the status of the backup network system 1 is abnormal, step ST11.
The determination result in step S14 is "NO", and step ST14
Go to. In step ST14, since there is no alternative network system, the transmission is stopped because an abnormality has occurred in the transmission processing.

As described above, in the fourth embodiment, the workstation 29 can be accessed from both the general microprocessor 21 and the microprocessors 3a, 3b, 3c and 3d that control the protocol of each network. , The transmission / reception buffer memories 20a, 20b, 20c, 20d in which consecutive addresses are set
Area 20a ₁ , 20b ₁ , 20c ₁ , 20d ₁ ,
In order of priority, a flag indicating whether or not the network system is backed up and a network system name used in place of the network system when a failure occurs in the network system are stored. When a failure occurs, the degenerate operation is performed in any of the other networks according to the above information, so that the degenerate operation operation function when the failure occurs can be facilitated.

Example 5. Next, a fifth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a network device according to the fifth embodiment. The corresponding parts shown in FIG. 2 described above are assigned the same reference numerals and explanations thereof are omitted. In the figure, in the fifth embodiment, areas 20a ₁ , 20b ₁ , 20c for storing network management information are shown.
The configuration of ₁ and 20d ₁ is different from that of the above-described embodiment. That is, in the fifth embodiment, the transmission / reception buffer memories 20a, 20b, 20c, 20d of the respective network systems are arranged in one continuous area in order to make the transmission / reception buffer memories 20a, 20b, 20c, 20d one continuous area.
Areas 20a ₁ , 20b ₁ , 20 for storing network management information in areas different from a, 20b, 20c, 20d
c ₁ and 20d ₁ are provided. In addition, each area 20
The configurations of a ₁ , 20b ₁ , 20c ₁ and 20d ₁ are the same as in FIG.

Next, the operation will be described. In addition, each network system A, B, C, D and the host connection terminal device 1
Since the data transmission / reception operation with 0 is the same as that of the second embodiment described above, the description thereof will be omitted. In any of the network systems A, B, C, and D, the status information of all nodes is transmitted / received by the microprocessors 3a, 3b, 3c, and 3d, which control transmission / reception processing and protocol processing, by the periodical update operation.
The latest information is stored in areas 20a ₁ , 20b ₁ , 20c ₁ and 20d ₁ provided separately from a, 20b, 20c and 20d. Here, the network system A will be described as an example. The microprocessor 3a collects the status information of the self node of the network system A at a constant cycle by some method, and sequentially stores the latest information in the self node status information storage area of the area 20a ₁ for storing the network management information.

On the other hand, regarding the status information of the other nodes of the network system A, the microprocessor 3a which controls the transmission / reception processing and the protocol processing performs the reception / analysis processing for the status information of the other nodes sequentially transmitted from the transmission line 1a. Thus, the network management information is sequentially stored in the other node status storage area of the area 20a ₁ . This enables network system A
The status information of all the nodes can be collected in the area 20a ₁ for storing the network management information. The same operation is performed for the other network systems B, C, and D to store the network management information in the area 20.
to _{b 1, 20c 1, 20d 1} , status information of all the nodes of the network system are stored sequentially.

As described above, in the fifth embodiment, when the higher-level connection terminal device 10 uses the network systems A, B, C, D in parallel to transmit / receive data, the above-mentioned network system transmission / reception processes are performed in parallel. At this time, the higher-level connection terminal device 10 then transmits and receives the transmission / reception buffer memory 20 via the interface cable 25 only.
a, 20b, 20c, 20d can be accessed. Furthermore, the transmission / reception buffer memories 20a, 20b, 20c, 2
Since 0d is configured as one continuous area, the transmission / reception buffer memories 20a, 20b, 20 are processed in the same procedure through the single interface cable 25.
Different network systems A, B, C, D can be accessed simply by replacing the addresses for c, 20d. In addition, the higher-level connection terminal device 10 stores the network management information in the area 20 that stores the network management information via the interface cable 25 and the integrated microprocessor 21 by a unified interface that differs only in the buffer memory address.
A ₁ , 20b ₁ , 20c ₁ , 20d ₁ can be accessed.

[0059]

As described above, according to the invention of claim 1, since the data transmission / reception management between the host connection terminal device and the transmission / reception holding means is configured to be performed by the integrated control means, the higher connection This has the effects of simplifying the connection between the terminal device and a plurality of networks and unifying the interfaces for transmission / reception processing. In addition, there is one interface with the host connection terminal device, which is advantageous in that the cost can be reduced.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, since the transmission / reception holding means of each network is configured to be a continuous memory space accessible by the control means and the centralized control means, reception from different networks is possible. Since the data can be stored in the continuous memory space, different network systems can be accessed by the same procedure and only by replacing the address for the transmission / reception holding means. Therefore, the interface from the host connection terminal device can be unified regardless of the multiple networks without changing the transmission / reception processing on the network transmission line side.
This has the effect of simplifying the process of the higher-level connection terminal device side and the process of the multiple network aggregation node side.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the transmission / reception holding means is provided with a network management area in which the management information of each network is stored and which is accessible from the control means and the integrated control means. Therefore, if you assign the address of the network management area to a predetermined value or unify the offset addresses, when you try to access these network management information from the upper connection terminal device, you can simply replace the address of each network. Can access the management area. Therefore, there is an effect that the access method of the network management information from the overall control means can be simplified and the network management processing which has been performed by the host connection terminal device can be processed by the overall control means.

According to the fourth aspect of the invention, the input / output interface means for accessing the network management area to collect the management information and mediating with the externally provided workstation is provided. Since the workstation can access the network management area of the transmission / reception holding means only through the input / output interface means, the management information can be easily collected by a simple procedure and the processing such as re-editing can be eliminated. effective.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the degenerate operation information, which is accessible from the integrated control means, determines how to perform the degenerate operation when a failure occurs in any one of the plurality of networks. The degrading operation management area to be stored is provided in the transmission / reception holding means, and failure avoidance during data transmission / reception processing using an arbitrary network is switched based on the degeneration operation information stored in the degeneration operation management area. Since the switching function to perform the above is configured in the integrated control means, the integrated control means can handle from failure detection to failure avoidance and degenerate operation, thereby increasing the system load without increasing the processing load of the host connection terminal device. There is an effect that can be realized.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a network device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a network device according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a conceptual diagram showing a network management information storage area of a network device according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a network device according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a network device according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a conceptual diagram showing a network management information storage area of a network device according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the fourth embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a network device according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a conventional network device.

[Explanation of symbols]

A, B, C, D Network system (plural networks) 1a, 1b, 1c, 1d Transmission line (plural transmission lines) 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d Transmission / reception block (transmission / reception means) 3a, 3b, 3c , 3d microprocessor (control means), 10 upper connection terminal device, 20a,
20b, 20c, 20d Transmission / reception buffer memory (transmission / reception holding means), 20a ₁ , 20b ₁ , 20c ₁ , 20d
₁ area (network management area), 20a ₂
Flag area (degenerate operation management area), 20a ₃ area (degenerate operation management area), 21 integrated microprocessor (integrated control means), 27 driver / receiver (input / output interface means), 29 workstation.

Continuation of the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁶ Identification number Office reference number FI technical display location H04L 13/08 9371-5K

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A plurality of transmission lines for transmitting data of a plurality of networks, a transmission / reception unit provided for each of the plurality of networks and performing transmission / reception processing with the transmission lines, and data transmitted / received by the transmission / reception unit. In a network device including a transmission / reception holding unit for holding and a control unit for managing a protocol management of data transmission / reception processing performed by the transmission / reception unit, data transmission / reception management is performed between the transmission / reception holding unit and an upper connection terminal device. A network device having an integrated control means. 2. The network device according to claim 1, wherein the transmission / reception holding unit is configured as a continuous memory space accessible by the control unit and the integrated control unit. 3. The transmission / reception holding means comprises a network management area which is accessible from the control means and the integrated control means and which stores management information of each network. Network equipment. 4. An input / output interface unit provided under the control of the general control unit, which mediates with a workstation for accessing the network management area to collect the management information. The network device according to claim 3. 5. The degeneration operation information, wherein the transmission / reception holding unit is accessible from the integrated control unit, and defines how degenerate operation is performed when a failure occurs in any one of the plurality of networks. Is stored in the degenerate operation management area, the integrated control means, failure avoidance during data transmission and reception processing using an arbitrary network, based on the degenerate operation information stored in the degenerate operation management area. 3. The network device according to claim 2, further comprising a switching function for switching networks.