JPH09252319A - Packet transfer method and packet transfer device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To apply multicast to a specific terminal equipment designated by a subordinate layer address (e.g. MAC(medium access control) address) based on a destination address (e.g. IP (internet protocol) address) of a host layer. SOLUTION: When multicast to plural specific terminal equipments is set by a subordinate layer, an address management section 103 generates a host layer address corresponding to the subordinate layer multicast address and stores the host layer address and the subordinate layer multicast address to an address table of a transfer control section 101. Upon the receipt of the host layer multicast packet, the transfer control section 101 retrieves a subordinate multicast address corresponding to the host layer address based on the provided address table and applies multicasting of packets to specific terminal equipments corresponding to the subordinate multicast addresses to be retrieved via a multicast communication interface section 102.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a packet transfer method for performing multicast communication and a packet transfer device using the same.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a conventional packet transfer system composed of a plurality of network protocol layers,
When transferring a packet, first, the upper layer looks at the destination described in the packet header managed by that layer, interprets the destination, and the destination information necessary to transfer to the corresponding destination in the lower layer Is described in the header managed by the lower layer and transferred.

For example, in a system in which an Ethernet protocol operates as a lower layer and an internet protocol (IP) operates as an upper layer, packets are sent to all terminals of a network (subnetwork) forming one segment (data link address management unit). In the case of transferring the packet, when the IP address indicating the sub-network is transferred as the destination, it is actually transferred to the lower layer Ethernet by indicating the destination of the broadcast within the segment.

In this case, the destinations managed by the two upper and lower layers are generally managed by each. In particular,
In each terminal, when the Ethernet protocol is adopted and the Ethernet address is set to connect to the network, when IP is used as the upper layer, the IP address and the sub-network address (M
It is necessary to set the AC address). By setting this IP address, if the upper layer IP address indicating the broadcast is designated as described above, the packet can be transferred to all the terminals in the corresponding Ethernet segment.

However, in this case, in order to disconnect the terminal from one sub-network and connect it to another sub-network, it is necessary to set an IP address again each time, which is a matter of simplicity.

[0006] In IP, a solution to the above problems is DHCP (Dynamichost Configu).
(Ration Protocol). According to this, when the terminal is disconnected from the network and is connected to another terminal group via the network, only by requesting the DHCP server, the necessary IP address information is acquired and set in the own terminal. As a result, it is not necessary to set an IP address each time and convenience is improved.

However, even in this case, the broadcast that can be instructed by the IP address is only the transfer to all the terminals forming one segment such as Ethernet, and the lower layer is one of the terminals forming the segment. Even if the department supports the broadcast to specific terminals, it cannot broadcast to those specific terminals, and can only repeat one-to-one transfer as necessary. This is because the IP address is originally composed of a host part and a network part, and the information of the network part is used to transfer information to a specified segment, and the host part is used to
This is because it has the function of identifying the terminal in the segment and transferring the packet to that terminal.

[0008]

As described above, in the conventional packet transfer method, even if the lower layer supports multicast for a specific terminal, the upper layer is generally designated by these lower layer addresses. It does not have a function of multicasting to specific terminals, and it is not possible to coordinately set a multicastable address for those specific terminals.

Therefore, the present invention provides a packet transfer method and a packet transfer method capable of multicasting to a specific terminal specified by a lower layer address (for example, a MAC address) based on a destination address (for example, an IP address) of an upper layer. An object is to provide a transfer device.

That is, when the lower layer supports multicast for a specific terminal, a certain terminal receives a notification that the setting of the multicast communication in the lower layer is completed, and the upper layer corresponding to the set lower layer multicast address is received. Set the layer's multicast address,
If necessary, the upper layer multicast address that has been set is transferred to another multicast destination terminal, and the other terminal that receives it stores the multicast address internally and sets it as routing information. This allows
Transfer information management at the time of packet transfer in each terminal is greatly simplified. Also, the conventional one-to-one (unicast)
The address used for can also be extended to multicast and does not require any improvements in the routing needed to transport it over the network, thus only maintaining compatibility with legacy systems. Instead, various address management tools developed for conventional unicast can be used as they are or with some improvements.

Multicast from a terminal operating with a conventional protocol to a specific terminal group can be transmitted in the same manner as conventional unicast transfer if the corresponding multicast address is known. On the other hand, it can be applied more easily.

[0012] Since there is no conventional device that satisfies the above functions, it is necessary to add functions. In that case, the functions to be added are roughly classified into an upper layer multicast address setting function, an address multicast / unicast determination function, and a lower layer transfer function. Both functions of the conventional device may be implemented in each device, but the upper layer multicast address setting function can be shared and it may be more effective to share it. Therefore, in addition to the packet transfer device, a method of separately providing a device having a function of setting an upper layer multicast address and issuing a request to the device to receive the result is also effective. Further, in this case, it can be applied to a conventional system, for example, a device having an address setting server function such as BOOTP and DHCP in the Internet system with only a slight improvement, and it can be applied to the conventional system more easily. It becomes possible.

As described above, the packet transfer method and the packet transfer device of the present invention provide a new multicast service that can be easily applied to the conventional system.
It is intended to provide more flexible multicast packet transfer.

[0014]

A packet transfer apparatus according to the present invention comprises a plurality of networks based on lower layer destination information required for intra-network communication of generated packet data and upper layer destination information required for inter-network communication. In a packet transfer method for transferring packet data between terminals connected to each other, a relationship between lower layer destination information for performing multicast to a plurality of preset specific terminals and upper layer destination information generated corresponding to the information is described. Remember it as a table,
The generated packet data is transferred based on the upper layer destination information and the upper layer destination information of the packet data, and when the upper layer destination information of the generated packet data is stored in the table, it corresponds to it. The lower layer destination information to be searched is searched from the table, and the upper layer destination information (for example, IP address) is obtained by multicasting the packet data to a plurality of specific terminals specified by the searched lower layer destination information. Originally, multicast can be performed to a specific terminal specified by lower layer destination information (for example, MAC address).

Further, the packet transfer apparatus of the present invention includes input means for inputting packet data, packet data input by this input means, lower layer destination information necessary for intra-network communication of the packet data, and inter-network A table showing the relationship between the transfer means that transfers based on the upper layer destination information required for communication, the lower layer destination information that performs multicast to a plurality of preset specific terminals, and the upper layer destination information that is generated in correspondence therewith. Means to store as
When the upper layer destination information of the packet data input by the input means is stored in the table, the lower layer destination information corresponding to the upper layer destination information is searched from the table and designated by the searched lower layer destination information. By providing a multicast means for multicasting the packet data to a plurality of specific terminals, the lower layer destination information (eg, MAC address) is specified based on the upper layer destination information (eg, IP address). Multicast to specific terminals.

The packet transfer method of the present invention is a packet transfer method for transferring packet data based on input destination information of packet data, and lower layer destination information for performing multicast to a plurality of preset specific terminals. , The relationship of the upper layer destination information set correspondingly is stored as a table, the relationship between the lower layer destination information and the upper layer destination information is notified to the plurality of specific terminals as necessary, and the packet data is input. Then, the lower layer destination information corresponding to the upper layer destination information of the packet data is retrieved from the table, and the packet data is multicast to a plurality of specific terminals designated by the retrieved lower layer destination information.

Further, the packet transfer method of the present invention includes lower layer destination information for performing multicast to a plurality of preset specific terminals included in the input packet data,
When the packet data is input, the lower layer destination information corresponding to the upper layer destination information of the packet data is retrieved from the table, and the retrieved lower layer is stored. The packet data is multicast to a plurality of specific terminals designated by the destination information.

Further, the packet transfer method of the present invention requests the address management server for upper layer destination information corresponding to lower layer destination information for performing multicast to a plurality of preset specific terminals, or It is acquired by broadcasting an address acquisition request, and the relationship between the lower layer destination information and the acquired upper layer destination information is stored as a table, and when packet data is input, it corresponds to the upper layer destination information of the packet data. The lower layer destination information is searched from the table, and the packet data is multicast to a plurality of specific terminals designated by the searched lower layer destination information.

Further, the packet transfer device of the present invention includes an input means for inputting packet data, a transfer means for transferring the packet data input by the input means based on the destination information, and a plurality of preset data. Storage means for storing, as a table, a relationship between lower layer destination information for performing multicast to a specific terminal and upper layer destination information set correspondingly, lower layer destination information and upper layer destination stored in this storage means Notifying means for notifying the plurality of specific terminals of the relationship of information as necessary, and lower layer destination information corresponding to the upper layer destination information of the packet data input by the input means are searched from the table and searched. And multicasting means for multicasting the packet data to a plurality of specific terminals designated by the lower layer destination information.

Further, the packet transfer apparatus of the present invention has an input means for inputting packet data, a transfer means for transferring the packet data input by this input means based on the destination information, and the input means. Storage means for storing, as a table, the relationship between lower layer destination information for performing multicast to a plurality of preset specific terminals included in the packet data and corresponding higher layer destination information, and the input means. Multicasting means for searching the lower layer destination information corresponding to the upper layer destination information of the packet data from the table and multicasting the packet data to a plurality of specific terminals designated by the searched lower layer destination information. .

Further, the packet transfer apparatus of the present invention has an input means for inputting packet data, a transfer means for transferring the packet data input by this input means based on the destination information, and a plurality of preset data. Means for obtaining upper layer destination information corresponding to lower layer destination information for performing multicast to a specific terminal, storage means for storing a relationship between the lower layer destination information and the obtained upper layer destination information as a table, and this storage Corresponding to notifying means for notifying the plurality of specific terminals of the relationship between the lower layer destination information and the upper layer destination information stored in the means, and the upper layer destination information of the packet data input by the input means. The lower layer destination information is retrieved from the table, and the packet data is multicast to a plurality of specific terminals specified by the retrieved lower layer destination information. ; And a multicast device.

[0022]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows an example of the overall configuration of a communication system using a packet transfer device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

In FIG. 1, a packet transfer device 10, a wireless base station (BS) 11, an address management server 12, and a plurality of wired terminals 13-1 to 13-n are connected to a network 1. A plurality of wireless terminals 14-1 to 14-n are communicably connected to the wireless base station 11.

The packet transfer device 10 is also connected to the network 2. The network 2 is connected to a plurality of wired terminals 20-1 to 20-n and a packet transfer device 21 that also has a function of an address management server. The packet transfer device 21 is further connected to the network 3.

A plurality of wired terminals 32-1 to 32-n are connected to the network 3 via a hub 31, and further,
The wireless base station 33 is connected. A plurality of wireless terminals 34-1 to 34-n are communicably connected to the wireless base station 33.

The networks 1, 2, and 3 are respectively 1
A network segment (hereinafter simply referred to as a segment) that is an address management unit of one data link (lower layer) is configured, and a packet is transferred at an address managed in the segment.

Here, even if the network 1, the network 2, and the network 3 adopt different lower layer protocols, upper layer protocols (for example, OSI (Open System Interconnection) 4) are used.
Layer / three-layer TCP / IP), the wired terminals 13-1 to 13-n and the wireless terminals 14-1 to 14-1.
14-n, wired terminals 20-1 to 20-n, 32-1 to 3
2-n and wireless terminals 43-1 to 34-n can communicate with each other.

The wireless base station has a function as a wireless bridge, and the packet transfer device has a function as a router in the Internet, for example. Next, an outline of the packet transfer method of the present invention will be described.

In a network forming one segment having the configuration shown in FIG. 2, among the terminals X, A, B, C, D, E and F accommodated in the network, the specific terminals X, A, and When the setting that allows multicasting at the lower layer (data link) multicast address “123” is set for B and C in the lower layer, for example, for the terminal X, the notification that the multicast has been set is sent to the upper layer. In response to this, the terminal X generates or allocates an upper layer address (for example, an IP multicast address or a unicast address), and stores the result.

FIG. 3 is a specific example of the address table stored in the terminal X. As shown in FIG. 3, an upper layer address is stored in the upper layer address field of the address table, and a corresponding lower layer address is stored in the lower layer address field. In the lower layer address field, additional information such as the type of multicast / unicast and terminal identifier (X, A, B, C) is also stored.

Referring to such an address table,
The terminals X, A, B, and C are designed to control packet transfer. For example, if you have an internet environment,
"133.198.81.3" as an upper layer address for multicasting to the specific terminals X, A, B, and C
Then, in the terminal X, from the upper layer above the Internet protocol, "133.198.8
When the transfer notification for "1.3" is received, the transfer address "123" of the lower layer is given as the destination and passed to the lower layer. Upon receiving this, the lower layer transfers the received packet from the transfer address "123" to the corresponding terminals A, B, and C.

In the terminals A, B, and C as well as the terminal X, the multicast setting is made similarly to the above-mentioned terminal X, and the address table as shown in FIG. 3 is stored. However, in the lower layer multicast setting, only one terminal (for example, the terminal X) may notify the upper layer of the multicast setting to generate the upper layer address. In this case, from the terminal X to the other multicast destination terminals (here, terminals A, B, and C), upper-layer multicast information (here, the address “133.198.8”).
1.3 "and additional information). On terminals A, B and C,
When receiving the multicast information of the upper layer, it stores it in the address table of each transfer control unit 101. Then, each of the terminals X, A, B, and C controls the packet transfer by referring to the address table.

When each terminal does not have the function of generating the upper layer address, when the multicast to the specific terminals X, A, B and C is set by the lower layer multicast address "123", the terminal X sets the multicast setting. The notification of completion has been sent to the upper layer, and in response to this, a request to acquire the upper layer multicast address is made to the specific address management server, or a request to acquire the upper layer multicast address is made by broadcasting. To do.

When a multicast address is returned from the address management server as a result, it is stored in the above-mentioned address table in association with the lower layer address. At this time, when the lower layer multicast setting is not notified by the other multicast destination terminals, the received upper layer multicast information is transferred to these other multicast destination terminals. The other terminals receiving the higher-order multicast information store the information in their respective address tables.

Next, the structure and operation of the packet transfer apparatus of the present invention will be described. (First Embodiment) FIG. 4 schematically shows a configuration of a main part of a packet transfer device according to the first embodiment. The packet transfer devices 10 and 21 and the wired terminal 13-1 shown in FIG. ~
13-n, wireless terminals 14-1 to 14-n, wired terminal 20
-1 to 20-n, 32-1 to 32-n, wireless terminal 43-
1 to 34-n. It is not necessary to apply it to all wired terminals and wireless terminals.

In FIG. 4, the packet transfer device mainly comprises a transfer control unit 101, a multicast communication interface unit 102, and an address management unit 103.
The transfer control unit 101 has an address table as shown in FIG. 3, and when an upper layer packet is received from a user or an upper layer application protocol, the transfer control unit 101 refers to the provided address table and describes the upper layer packet. Search the lower layer address from the upper layer address
If it is added, the multicast communication is transferred to the multicast communication interface unit 102. The upper layer address corresponding to the lower layer address is the address management unit 10
It is set at 3. On the contrary, it has a function of transferring a packet addressed to itself from the multicast communication interface unit 102 to a user or an upper layer application protocol.

Multicast communication interface section 10
2, the lower layer multicast and unicast settings are made by a control packet from the user's terminal or an upper layer application protocol, or from the same unit of another terminal. That is, when multicast is set, the lower layer multicast address and additional information are transferred to the address management unit 103. Further, when receiving from the transfer control unit 101 an information packet to which a lower layer address managed by itself is received, the information packet is sent to the network. On the contrary, if the information packet received from the network is addressed to its own terminal, it is transferred to the transfer control unit 101.

The address management unit 103 receives a lower layer multicast setting notification from the multicast communication interface unit 102, and when the lower layer multicast address is passed, generates an upper layer address corresponding to the lower layer multicast address and adds it to the address. The information is transferred to the transfer control unit 101. If necessary, the upper layer multicast address information is transferred to a specific multicast destination terminal.

Next, the processing operation of the packet transfer device shown in FIG. 4 will be described with reference to the flow charts shown in FIGS. In FIG. 5, first, when the multicast communication interface unit 102 is instructed by a user of a specific or arbitrary terminal to set multicast communication in a lower layer for a plurality of specific terminals, as a result, the lower layer is The set information including the multicast address is notified to the address management unit 103 (step A1). The address management unit 103, which receives the setting information of the multicast communication in the lower layer from the multicast communication interface unit 102, generates an upper layer address corresponding to the lower layer multicast address, and an upper layer including the generated upper layer address. The layer multicast information is transferred to the transfer control unit 101 together with the lower layer multicast information including the lower layer multicast address (step A2).

When the transfer control unit 101 receives the upper layer multicast information and the lower layer multicast information,
It is stored in the address table as shown in FIG. 3 (step A3).

Further, when it is judged that the upper layer multicast information and the lower layer multicast information need to be transferred to the other terminal of the multicast destination, they are passed to the multicast communication interface section 102 to transfer them (step A4). .

According to the flow chart of FIG. 5, for example,
The lower-layer multicast information and the upper-layer multicast information set by the terminal X in FIG. 2 are packetized in step A4 and addressed from the multicast communication interface unit 102 to, for example, the terminals A, B, and C in FIG. FIG. 6 shows the processing operation of each terminal of the multicast destination which is the destination when the data is transferred to.

In FIG. 6, in each of the terminals A, B, and C of FIG. 2, the multicast communication interface unit 102 sends a multicast setting notification packet including lower layer multicast information and upper layer multicast information from the terminal X. Upon reception (step B1), the upper layer and lower layer multicast addresses are extracted from the packet and passed to the transfer control unit 201. Upon receiving the address information, the transfer control unit 201 stores it in the address table shown in FIG. 3 (step B2).

By the processing operation of the flowcharts shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the upper layer address is stored in the address table of each multicast destination terminal (for example, terminals X, A, B and C in FIG. 2). The lower layer multicast address and other additional information corresponding thereto are registered.

Next, referring to FIG. 7, each terminal (for example,
The processing operation when the terminals X, A, B, and C) of FIG. 2 multicast an actual packet of user data will be described.

In FIG. 7, when the transfer control unit 101 receives a packet of user data whose destination is designated by the upper layer address for multicast (step C1), the lower layer multicast address corresponding to the upper layer address is retrieved from the address table. After obtaining (step C2), the transfer information including the lower layer multicast address is added to the header of the packet and transferred to the multicast communication interface unit 102 to be transferred to the destination, or the packet body and the lower layer multicast address are transferred. The transfer information including is transferred by another instruction (step C3).

For example, in FIG. 2, considering the Internet environment in which the Internet protocol operates in the upper layer, the transfer notification addressed to "133.198.81.3" is transferred from the upper layer in the terminal X by the Internet protocol. When it comes to the control unit 101, as its destination,
The lower layer multicast address "123" of the lower layer is given and passed to the lower layer. The lower layer that received this,
The corresponding packet is transferred to the terminals A, B and C from the address "123".

When setting the multicast as described above, for example, the terminal X of the multicast destination in the network forming one segment as shown in FIG.
Of A, B, and C, a terminal that performs only the processing operation illustrated in FIG. 5, a terminal that performs only the processing operation illustrated in FIG. 6, FIG.
There may be mixed terminals capable of performing both processing operations.

(Second Embodiment) FIG. 8 schematically shows the structure of a main part of a packet transfer device according to the second embodiment. For example, the packet transfer devices 10 and 21 shown in FIG.
It is applied to.

In FIG. 8, the packet transfer device mainly comprises a transfer control section 301, a multicast communication interface section 302, an address management section 303, and a network interface section 401.

The transfer control unit 301, the multicast communication interface unit 302, and the address management unit 303 are the same as the transfer control unit 101, the multicast communication interface unit 102, and the address management unit 103 in the first embodiment, respectively. The description is omitted.

The network interface section 401 is
Communication processing corresponding to the same layer as the multicast interface unit 302 is performed. Specifically, the transfer control unit 30
While the multicast interface unit 302 transfers the packet transferred from 1 to the network α,
The network interface unit 401 performs processing for transferring to the network β having a protocol different from that of the network α.

For example, assuming that the transfer control unit 301 is a network layer in which the Internet protocol operates,
The multicast interface unit 302 is a wireless LAN MAC (Media Access Control).
And the network interface unit 401 are the data link layer corresponding to the Ethernet MAC and the like.

What is stored in the lower layer address field of the address table provided in the transfer control unit 301 is
The identification information is not limited to the actual lower layer address, and may be identification information for identifying each terminal and the network (segment) in which the terminal is accommodated. In the following description, these will be collectively referred to as destination information. In addition, each transfer control unit 3
If the information searched for in 01 is the identification information for identifying each terminal, the multicast communication interface 302,
The network interface unit 401 will need a table for searching the lower layer address of the implementation from the identification information of the terminal.

The packet transfer device having the configuration shown in FIG. 8 may be provided in, for example, the radio base station 11 shown in FIG. Next, the processing operation of the packet transfer device of FIG. 8 will be described. The multicast setting processing operation is the same as in FIGS.

The flowchart shown in FIG. 9 is for explaining the operation when an upper layer multicast packet is received. First, it is generated on its own terminal, or
When the upper layer multicast packet transferred by the upper layer protocol reaches the transfer control unit 301 (step D
1) Referring to the address table provided in the transfer control unit 301 as shown in FIG. 3, the lower layer destination information is searched from the upper layer address (multicast address or unicast address) described in the packet. To do. If the retrieved lower layer destination information is addressed to the network β, it is transferred to the network interface unit 401. In response to this, the network interface unit 401 sends the transferred packet to the network β according to the lower layer address managed by the network interface unit 401 (steps D2 to D).
3).

When the packet from the network α which arrives from the multicast communication interface unit 302 reaches the transfer control unit 301 (step D1), the address table is referred to and the destination address described in the packet indicates the lower layer. Search for destination information. If the retrieved lower layer destination information is addressed to the network α, it is transferred to the multicast communication interface unit 302. The multicast interface unit 302 having received it sends the transferred packet to the network α according to the lower layer address managed by the multicast interface unit 302. If the result of the address table search indicates that the packet has a plurality of destination addresses, which means multicast, the multicast communication interface unit 302 sends the packet to the network α in accordance with the lower layer multicast address for transfer to the corresponding terminal. (Steps D2-D3).

Further, the network interface unit 40
When the packet from the network β which arrives from 1 arrives at the transfer control unit 301 (step D1), the lower layer destination information is searched from the destination address described in the packet with reference to the address table. If the retrieved lower layer destination information is addressed to the network α, it is transferred to the multicast communication interface unit 302. In response to this, the multicast interface unit 302 sends the transferred packet to the multicast interface unit 3
Network α according to the lower layer address managed by 02
To send to. As a result of the search of the address table, if the packet has a plurality of destination addresses, which means multicast, the multicast communication interface unit 30
In 2, the packet is sent to the network α according to the lower layer multicast address so as to be transferred to the corresponding terminal (steps D2 to D3).

FIG. 10 shows an example of the configuration of a packet transfer device when there are a plurality of network interface units 401 shown in FIG. As described above, when connected to a plurality of different types of networks, it is possible to provide the network interface units 401 corresponding to the respective networks. That is, the multicast communication interface unit 302 is connected to the transfer control unit 301,
The received information is once transferred to the transfer control unit 301,
By referring to the address table as shown in FIG. 3, the destination address in the upper layer is transferred to the corresponding network interface unit 401 and the corresponding multicast communication interface unit 302, and the network is set according to the lower layer address managed by each. Sent to.

In this case, the protocols of the networks α, β and γ may be different or the same. The same protocol may be physically different, such as using a physically different cable.

(Third Embodiment) FIG. 11 schematically shows the structure of a main part of a packet transfer device according to a third embodiment. For example, the packet transfer device 10 and the wired terminal shown in FIG. 13-1 to 13-n, wireless terminals 14-1 to 14-
n, wired terminals 20-1 to 20-n, 32-1 to 32-
n, and is applied to wireless terminals 43-1 to 34-n. In addition,
It is not necessary to apply it to all wired terminals and wireless terminals.

In FIG. 11, the packet transfer device mainly comprises a transfer control section 501, a multicast communication interface section 502, an address management section 503, and a network interface section 504.

The transfer control unit 501 has an address table as shown in FIG. 3, and has a user, an upper layer application protocol, and a network interface unit 5.
When the packet is received from 04, the lower layer address corresponding to the upper layer address described in the packet is searched by referring to the provided address table and added, and the multicast communication interface unit 502 and the network interface are added. Transfer to the face unit 504. On the contrary, it has a function of transferring a packet addressed to the own terminal, which is received from the multicast communication interface unit 502, to a user or an upper layer application protocol.

Multicast communication interface section 50
2, the lower layer multicast and unicast settings are made by a control packet from the user's terminal or an upper layer application protocol, or from the same unit of another terminal. That is, when multicast is set, the lower layer multicast address and additional information are transferred to the address management unit 503. Also, when receiving from the transfer control unit 501 an information packet to which the lower layer address managed by itself is received, it sends it out to the network. On the contrary, if the information packet received from the network is addressed to the own terminal, it is transferred to the transfer control unit 501.

The address management unit 503 receives a lower layer multicast setting notification from the multicast communication interface unit 502, and generates a higher layer multicast address by specifying a device specified in advance (for example,
In order to issue a multicast address acquisition request to the address management server 12) of FIG. 1, the upper layer address of the specific device is given to the transfer control unit 501 and transferred. Transfer control unit 5
01 is a multicast communication interface unit 502,
Also, when the result of the address acquisition request is received from the network interface unit 504, the result is transferred, and the upper layer address described therein and the lower layer address of the corresponding terminal stored in the address management unit 503 are paired. Then, it is transferred to the transfer control unit 501 together with the additional information. If necessary, the upper layer multicast address information is transferred to the specific terminal of the multicast destination.

The network interface section 504 is
Communication processing corresponding to the same layer as the multicast interface unit 502 is performed. The transfer control unit 501 receives an information packet to which a lower layer address managed by itself is added, and sends it to the network. On the contrary, if the information packet received from the network is addressed to the own terminal, it is transferred to the transfer control unit 501.

Next, the processing operation of the packet transfer apparatus shown in FIG. 11 will be described. The flowchart shown in FIG. 12 is
It is for explaining the setting processing operation of the multicast.

Multicast communication interface section 50
In 2, when the multicast communication setting in the lower layer is made to the specific multi-function terminal, or when the user of the specific or arbitrary terminal instructs the setting of the multicast communication in the lower layer, as a result, The set information including the lower layer multicast address is notified to the address management unit 503 (step E1).

Multicast communication interface section 50
The address management unit 503 that has received the setting information of the multicast communication in the lower layer from 2 generates an upper layer address corresponding to the lower layer multicast address, and thus is called an address management server, for example, the network α.
In order to issue an upper layer address acquisition request to a pre-specified device connected to, the transfer control unit 501 is given the upper layer address of the specified device and transferred (step E).
2).

FIG. 13 shows the relationship between the packet transfer device 5 and the address management server 51 shown in FIG. The address management server 51 has a function of generating an upper layer address corresponding to the lower layer multicast address when receiving the request to acquire the multicast address, and transmitting it to the request source as a result.

Returning to the explanation of FIG. 12, the transfer controller 501
When receiving a packet containing the result of the address acquisition request via the multicast communication interface unit 502 or the network interface unit 504, the packet is transferred to the address management unit 503 (step E3).

The address management unit 503 extracts the upper layer address generated by the address management server from the packet, pairs it with the lower layer address of the corresponding terminal stored inside the address management unit 503, and adds the additional information. At the same time, the data is transferred to the transfer control unit 501. Upon receiving the address information, the transfer control unit 501 stores it in the address table (step E4).

If necessary, the upper layer multicast information and the lower layer multicast information are passed to the multicast communication interface unit 502 to be transferred to another terminal of the multicast destination (step E5).

The multicast setting notification packet including the lower layer multicast information and the upper layer multicast information transferred by the process of step E5 is received by the multicast communication interface unit 102 of the terminal corresponding to the lower layer address. When (Step E
6) The upper layer and lower layer multicast addresses are extracted from the packet and passed to the transfer control unit 201. Upon receiving the address information, the transfer control unit 201 stores it in the address table shown in FIG. 3 (step E7).

When the transfer control unit 501 receives a packet whose destination is designated by the upper layer address from the user, the multicast communication interface unit 502, and the network interface unit 504, the lower layer multicast address corresponding to the upper layer address is received. From the address table and transfer to the multicast communication interface unit 502 with the transfer information including the lower layer multicast address attached to the header of the packet or the transfer including the packet body and the lower layer multicast address to the destination. Information is transferred by another instruction.

If it is destined for the network β, the lower layer multicast address corresponding to the upper layer address is obtained from the address table, and the transfer information including the lower layer multicast is packetized to the network interface unit 504 to be transferred to the destination. Or the transfer information including the packet body and the lower layer multicast address is transferred by another instruction.

(Fourth Embodiment) FIG. 14 shows a structure of a main part of a packet transfer apparatus according to the fourth embodiment. The same parts as those in FIG. Will be described only. That is, the processing operation of the address management unit 603 of FIG. 14 is different.

The address management unit 603 receives a lower layer multicast setting notification from the multicast communication interface unit 502, and issues an address acquisition request to the upper layer of the transfer control unit 501 in order to generate an upper layer address. Transfer by assigning a broadcast address. When the transfer control unit 501 receives the result of the address acquisition request from the multicast communication interface unit 502 and the network interface unit 504, the transfer control unit 501 transfers the result to the first-come-first-served basis or according to a predetermined condition. The described upper layer address and the lower layer address of the corresponding terminal stored in the address management unit 503 are paired and transferred to the transfer control unit 501 together with the additional information. If necessary, the upper layer multicast address information is transferred to the specific terminal.

Next, the processing operation of the packet transfer apparatus shown in FIG. 14 will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. The same parts as those in FIG. 12 are designated by the same reference numerals, and different parts will be described. That is, step E2 and step E3 in FIG. 12 are replaced with step E10 and step E11.

In step E10, the address management unit 603 which has received the setting information of the lower layer multicast communication from the multicast communication interface unit 502,
In order to generate an upper layer address acquisition request to generate an upper layer address, the transfer control unit 501 is instructed to broadcast an address acquisition request packet. The multicast address acquisition request packet broadcasted is received by a server existing in the network, which is equivalent to the address management server 51 shown in FIG. 13, and generates an upper layer address corresponding to the lower layer multicast address.
The result is transmitted to the request source.

At step E11, the transfer control unit 50
When 1 receives a packet containing the result of the address acquisition request via the multicast communication interface unit 502 or the network interface unit 504, it transfers it to the address management unit 603. In that case, the results may be returned from a plurality of address management servers. In that case, based on a predetermined rule such as first-come-first-served basis, the operation result of only one or a plurality of results is used as the result information.

FIG. 16 shows the essential parts of the configuration of the address management server (see FIG. 13) used in the above-mentioned third and fourth embodiments. In response to an address acquisition request from another terminal. , An upper layer address corresponding to the lower layer multicast address is generated and transmitted to the request source.

The configuration shown in FIG. 16 is applied to the address management server 12 and the packet transfer device 21 shown in FIG. In FIG. 16, the address management server 7
Mainly includes the address generation unit 701 and the address management unit 70.
2. The network interface unit 703.

The address generation unit 701 generates an address (upper layer address) based on the address acquisition request received from the network interface unit 703, transfers the generation result to the address management unit 702 for management, and generates the address. In order to return the obtained address to the acquisition request source, the network interface unit 703 is instructed.

The address management unit 702 manages the address information generated by the address generation unit 701. If the information packet arrived from the network is addressed to itself and the address acquisition request information, the network interface unit 703 treats it as the address generation unit 7
Transfer to 01. Also, the information sent from the address generation unit 701 is transferred to the network.

Next, the processing operation of the address management server having the configuration shown in FIG. 16 will be described. The network interface unit 703 transfers the information packet arriving from the network to the address generation unit 701 when it is addressed to itself and is an address acquisition request.

The address generator 701 generates an address by a method such as creating a candidate in advance based on the address acquisition request received from the network interface 703 and selecting from the candidates. For example, one of the reserved address spaces may be selected, such as a DHCP server on the Internet. At the time of generation, the generated and used address information stored in the address management unit 702 may be referred to. Then, the generated address is used as the address management unit 7
In order to transfer to 02 and return to the acquisition request source,
The network interface unit 703 is instructed to packetize the generated address and send it to the value and the work.

Here, the generated address is the conventional D
Like the HCP server, the address management unit 7 provides an address for multicast as well as an address for one-to-one communication.
02 is stored in one table and is centrally managed. Then, if necessary, one additional field may be provided in this table to indicate whether it is for unicast or for multicast. A concrete example of such a table is shown in FIG.
FIG. In FIG. 17, if the type flag of the type field is “0”, it is for unicast, and if it is “1”, it is for multicast.

Here, the generated addresses are in the same space. In other words, just looking at the address does not mean that it is for unicast or multicast. Therefore, even in the address acquisition and result return, if the address acquisition request indicates that it is for multicast, the type flag is set to "unknown" if not, and conversely when the generated address is returned, the type flag is also set. If it is "1" / "0", it is added to the address to notify it, and if not, it is set to "unknown".

As described above, according to the first to fourth embodiments, when a lower layer supports multicast for a specific terminal, a certain terminal can set multicast communication in the lower layer. Upon receiving the notification of completion,
The upper layer multicast address corresponding to the set lower layer multicast address is set, and at that time, the set upper layer multicast address is transferred to another multicast destination terminal if necessary and received. Other terminals store the multicast address internally and set it as routing information. This greatly simplifies transfer information management at the time of packet transfer in each terminal. In addition, the conventional address used for one-to-one (unicast) can be extended to multicast and used, and there is no need to improve the routing necessary for forwarding on the network.
Not only is the compatibility with conventional systems maintained, but various address management tools developed for conventional unicast can be used as they are or with minor improvements.

Multicast from a terminal operating according to the conventional protocol to a specific terminal group can be transmitted in the same manner as conventional unicast transfer if the corresponding multicast address is known. On the other hand, it can be applied more easily.

Since there is no conventional device that satisfies the above functions, it is necessary to add the functions. In that case, the functions to be added are roughly classified into an upper layer multicast address setting function, an address multicast / unicast determination function, and a lower layer transfer function. Both functions of the conventional device may be implemented in each device, but the upper layer multicast address setting function can be shared and it may be more effective to share it. Therefore, in addition to the packet transfer device, a method of separately providing a device having a function of setting an upper layer multicast address and issuing a request to the device to receive the result is also effective. Further, in this case, it can be applied to a conventional system, for example, a device having an address setting server function such as BOOTP and DHCP in the Internet system with only a slight improvement, and it can be applied to the conventional system more easily. It becomes possible.

As described above, the packet transfer method and the packet transfer apparatus of the present invention provide a new multicast service that can be easily applied to the conventional system.
It is intended to provide more flexible multicast packet transfer.

[0094]

As described above, according to the present invention,
It is possible to provide a packet transfer method and a packet transfer apparatus that can perform multicast to a specific terminal specified by lower layer destination information (for example, MAC address) based on upper layer destination information (for example, IP address).

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically showing an example of the entire configuration of a fare system using a packet transfer device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a specific example of a network for explaining an outline of a packet transfer method of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of storage of an address table provided in a transfer control unit of a packet transfer device.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a main part of the packet transfer device according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

5 is a flowchart for explaining a multicast setting processing operation of the packet transfer device in FIG.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart for explaining a multicast setting processing operation of the packet transfer device of FIG.

7 is a flowchart for explaining a processing operation when a multicast packet of the packet transfer device of FIG. 4 is transferred.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a main part of a packet transfer device according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

9 is a flowchart for explaining a processing operation when transferring a multicast packet of the packet transfer device in FIG.

FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing another configuration of a main part of the packet transfer device according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a main part of a packet transfer device according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

12 is a flowchart for explaining a multicast setting processing operation of the packet transfer device in FIG.

FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining the relationship between the packet transfer device and the address management server of FIG.

FIG. 14 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a main part of a packet transfer device according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

15 is a flowchart for explaining a multicast setting processing operation of the packet transfer device in FIG.

FIG. 16 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of an address management server.

17 is a diagram showing a storage example of a table used for address management of the address management server in FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

101, 301, 501 ... Transfer control unit, 102, 30
2, 502 ... Multicast communication interface section, 1
03, 303, 503, 603 ... Address management unit, 40
1, 504 ... Network interface section, 701 ...
Address generation unit, 702 ... Address management unit, 703 ... Network interface unit.

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. Packet data is transferred between terminals connected to a plurality of networks based on lower layer destination information required for intra-network communication of generated packet data and upper layer destination information required for inter-network communication. In the packet transfer method, a relationship between lower layer destination information which is preset to a plurality of specific terminals and upper layer destination information generated corresponding thereto is stored as a table, and the generated packet data is stored. , The upper layer destination information of the packet data and the upper layer destination information are transferred, and when the upper layer destination information of the generated packet data is stored in the table, the lower layer destination information corresponding to the upper layer destination information is stored. The table is searched, and the packet data is sent to a plurality of specific terminals specified by the searched lower layer destination information. Packet transfer method characterized by multicasting. 2. The plurality of specific terminals are connected to networks of different types.
Packet transfer method described. 3. The upper layer destination information corresponding to the lower layer destination information for performing multicast to a plurality of preset specific terminals generates upper layer destination information connected to any one of the plurality of networks. The packet transfer method according to claim 1, wherein the packet transfer method is generated in response to a request made to the server. 4. The packet transfer method according to claim 1, wherein the upper layer destination information corresponding to the lower layer destination information for performing multicast to a plurality of preset specific terminals is for unicast. . 5. Input means for inputting packet data, and lower layer destination information required for intra-network communication of packet data and upper layer destination information required for inter-network communication of the packet data. Transfer means for transferring based on the above, means for storing a relationship between a lower layer destination information for performing multicast to a plurality of preset specific terminals, and a higher layer destination information generated corresponding thereto as a table, and the input When the upper layer destination information of the packet data input by the means is stored in the table, lower layer destination information corresponding to the upper layer destination information is searched from the table, and a plurality of items specified by the retrieved lower layer destination information are searched. Multicasting means for multicasting the packet data to a specific terminal of the packet, Feeding apparatus.