JPH1011379A - Network monitoring system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To recognize the past connecting state of a network by including a connection information storing means where latest connection information are successively stored and a connection information retrieving means, etc., where connection information reading is executed in a prescribed date from the connection information storing means. SOLUTION: At first, a network custodian requests connecting state information of a previous day to a network monitoring device 1. An input/output control part 33 inside the network monitoring device 1 receives the request and instructs a data retrieving part 34 to read connecting state information of the previous daty from a data storing part 32. The data retrieving part 34 reads connecting state information of the previous daty from a data storing part 32. The data retrieving part 34 permits a display 40 to display read connecting state information through a screen processing part 35. Then, the data retrieving part 34 compares the connecting state information of the previous day with present connecting state information and the screen processing part 35 displays a part being different from the present connecting state in a screen.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention relates to a network monitoring system, and more particularly to a network monitoring system for monitoring the connection status of devices on a network.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art An example of this type of network monitoring system is disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. Hei 6-187272.
FIG. 5 is a configuration diagram of this conventional network monitoring system.

This network monitoring system comprises a storage device 114 having a display device 112, a central processing unit 113, a mouse 115, a keyboard 116, a program 119 and network resource data 120, a network status display device 117, a network status monitoring device. 118.

Then, the network status display device 117
Displays the network status on the display device 112, and when the network status changes, the network status monitoring device 118 notifies the network status display device 117 of the change in the network status. The status display device 117 has changed the status of the network displayed on the display device 112.

[0005] Thus, it is possible to grasp the latest state of the network. A similar technique is disclosed in JP-A-1-300645.

[0006]

However, these conventional techniques have a disadvantage that the past connection state of the network cannot be seen.

It is not easy to manage a large number of devices connected to a network. Network administrators and equipment managers have a hard time maintaining the network and managing the equipment, but the user of the equipment should change the equipment connected to the network at their own convenience or increase the number of equipment. There is.

For example, if a certain device was previously connected to a network but was not connected to a place to be connected, or if the network monitoring device has been monitoring the status of the network for a long time, the device is connected to a certain subnetwork. The number of installed devices may increase rapidly.

In such a case, it was not easy to check when the connection was changed.

An object of the present invention is to provide a network monitoring system capable of checking the past connection status of a network.

[0011]

According to the present invention, there is provided a network monitoring system for monitoring a connection state of a device on a network, wherein information indicating the latest connection state of the device on the network is provided. A latest connection information storage means which is always stored; a connection information storage means which periodically reads out the latest connection information from the latest connection information storage means and sequentially stores the read latest connection information; Connection information retrieval means for reading connection information at a predetermined date and time from the connection information storage means.

[0012]

According to the present invention, the connection information storage means periodically reads and accumulates information indicating the latest connection status of the devices on the network stored in the latest connection information storage means, and stores the information. The information search means searches for connection information at a predetermined date and time from the connection information stored in the connection information storage means.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of a network monitoring system according to the present invention.

The network monitoring system comprises: a network monitoring device 1 for monitoring a network; routers 2 and 3 connected in series with the network monitoring device 1;
Bridges 4, 5, 6, ..., n connected in parallel to router 2
(N is a positive integer), bridges 11,..., M (m is a positive integer) connected in parallel to the router 3, terminal devices T1, T2, T3 connected in parallel to the bridge 4, and bridges 5. It comprises terminal devices T4, T5, T6 connected in parallel, terminal device T7 connected in parallel to bridge 6, and terminal devices T8, T9 connected in parallel to bridge 11.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the bridge. The structures of the bridges 4 to m are the same and are as shown in FIG. Therefore, the description of the bridge 4 is replaced with the description of the other bridges.

The bridge 4 has. The input / output processing unit 21 that performs input / output processing of communication data exchanged between the terminal devices T1 to T3 and the network monitoring device 1 via the router 2, and the latest connection state information of the terminal devices T1 to T3 are stored. The connection information storage unit 22 includes a state notification processing unit 23 that reads connection state information from the connection information storage unit 22.

FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram of the network monitoring device. The network monitoring device 1 includes bridges 4, 5, 6,
, N, 11,..., M (hereinafter referred to as 4 to m), an information collection processing unit 31 that periodically collects network connection state information from the connection information storage unit 22; A data storage unit 32 in which the collected network connection state information is sequentially stored, and an input / output device (not shown)
An input / output control unit 33 that receives a history search instruction from
In response to an instruction from the input / output control unit 33, the data storage unit 3
2, a data search unit 34 for reading network connection state information at a predetermined date and time, a network connection state information read by the data search unit 34, and an input / output control unit 33.
Screen processing unit 3 for displaying a network connection state on an external display 40 based on a control signal input from
5

Next, the operation will be described. Bridge 4
The latest connection state information is always stored in the connection information storage unit 22 within the range .about.m.

The information collection processing unit 31 in the network monitoring device 1 periodically changes the input / output processing unit 21 in the bridges 4 to m.
Is instructed to collect the latest connection state information stored in the connection information storage unit 22.

The input / output processing unit 21 receiving this instruction causes the state notification processing unit 23 to read the latest connection state information stored in the connection information storage unit 22. Then, the input / output processing unit 21 transmits the read latest connection state information to the router 2,
3 to the information collection processing unit 31 in the network monitoring device 1.

The information collection processing unit 31 that has received the latest connection state information stores the latest connection state information in the data storage unit 32.

As described above, the connection status information of the terminal devices T1 to T9 connected under the bridges 4 to m is periodically stored in the data storage unit 32.

Also, in response to an instruction from the information collection processing unit 31 to the input / output processing unit 21, the latest connection information is read from the connection information storage unit 22, and the latest connection information is read.
It is of course also possible to display on the display 40 via the display 5.

Now, when a request for displaying the current network connection status is made from the network administrator to the network monitoring device 1, the input / output control unit 33 sends this request to the screen processing unit 35.

Upon receiving this request, the screen processing unit 35 reads necessary (current) connection state information from the connection information storage unit 22 in the bridges 4 to m via the information collection processing unit 31, and reads the information. The current connection information is displayed on the display 40.

It is assumed that when the network administrator monitors the current network connection status on the display 40, the number of terminal devices is increased by one from before. Since the network administrator remembers that this terminal device was not connected one week ago, the history of the past connection state is checked here.

Now, it is assumed that the connection status information is stored in the data storage unit 32 of the network monitoring apparatus 1 on a daily cycle.

The network administrator first requests the network monitoring device 1 for connection status information one day ago.
This request is sent to the input / output control unit 3 in the network monitoring device 1.
3, the input / output control unit 33 instructs the data search unit 34 to read the connection state information one day ago from the data storage unit 32.

Upon receiving this instruction, the data search unit 34 reads the connection status information one day before from the data storage unit 32.

The data retrieval unit 34 displays the read connection state information one day before via the screen processing unit 35 on the display 4.
0 is displayed.

Next, the data search unit 34 compares the connection status information one day ago with the current connection status information, and the screen processing unit 35 displays a portion different from the current connection status on the screen. Then, the difference is displayed by blinking or the like.

In the same manner, the connection status information before one day before and the current connection status information are compared every day, and the difference is displayed by blinking or the like.

FIG. 4 is a view showing an example of a connection status display screen of the display.

The figure shows the day before the previous day (Y / Z, 199X).
Terminal devices T1 to T3 connected to the bridge 4
And terminal devices T4 and T5 connected to the bridge 5.

Further, the terminal device T6 which is currently connected but not connected on MM / YZ 199X is displayed blinking.

Note that "Previous", "Next", and "Close" at the bottom of the screen all indicate commands input from the input / output device. Is specified once (for example, with a keyboard or mouse).

Similarly, when the user wants to see the screen of the connection state one day later, he designates "next" once.

To end the monitoring of the connection status, "close" is designated.

[0039]

According to the present invention, the latest connection information storage means for constantly storing information indicating the latest connection state of the devices on the network, and the latest connection information is periodically stored by the latest connection information storage means. Since the connection information storage means is read and the read latest connection information is sequentially stored, and the connection information search means for reading the connection information at a predetermined date and time from the connection information storage means,
You can view the past connection status of the network.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of a network monitoring system according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of a bridge of the system.

FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram of a network monitoring device of the system.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a connection status display screen of the system.

FIG. 5 is a configuration diagram of a conventional network monitoring system.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Network monitoring device 4-m bridge 21 I / O processing unit 22 Connection information storage unit 31 Information collection processing unit 32 Data storage unit 33 I / O control unit 34 Data search unit 35 Screen processing unit 40 Display T1 to T9 Terminal device

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A network monitoring system for monitoring the connection status of a device on a network, comprising: a latest connection information storage means for constantly storing information indicating the latest connection status of the device on the network; A connection information storage means for periodically reading the latest connection information from the storage means and sequentially storing the read latest connection information; and a connection for reading connection information at a predetermined date and time from the connection information storage means. A network monitoring system comprising: an information search unit. 2. The network monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein said latest connection information storage means comprises a plurality of bridges, and one or a plurality of devices are connected to each bridge. 3. The bridge monitors data passing therethrough.
3. The network monitoring system according to claim 2, further comprising an input / output processing unit for controlling. 4. The network monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein said connection information search means further includes a function of comparing current connection information with past connection information. 5. The network monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein said connection information search means further includes a display means for displaying connection information as a search result.